User:Tmas68/Ning
网站类型 | Social networking |
|---|---|
| 持有者 | Marc Andreesen, Gina Bianchini |
| 创始人 | Marc Andreesen, Gina Bianchini |
| 网址 | http://www.ning.com |
| 商业性质 | Yes |
| 推出时间 | October 2005[1] |
| 现状 | Online |
Ning 是一個給使用者創建他們自己的社交網站或社交網絡[2]的線上平台，於 2005[1]年問世。 Ning 是由 Marc Andreessen 與 Gina Bianchini 共同創立。 Ning 是 Andreessen 繼Netscape 和 Opsware 之後的第三個新創公司, 也因他過去創辦公司的成功記錄[3][4]而倍獲青睞。
Ning means "peace" in Chinese, as explained by Gina Bianchini on the company blog and it is also a surname in Chinese.[5]
Features[编辑]
Ning hopes to compete with large social sites like MySpace and Facebook, by appealing to users who want to create networks around specific interests or have limited technical skills.[6] The unique feature of Ning is that anyone can create their own custom social network for a particular topic or need, catering to specific audiences. At its launch, Ning offered several simple base websites developed internally and by members of a closed beta. In late September 2006, Ning narrowed its focus to offering a group website, a photos website, and a videos website for people to copy and use for any purpose. Later, these three templates were superseded by a single customizable template aimed at allowing non-developers to more easily customize their copy of the social website. However, Ning does allow developers to have some source level control of their social networks, enabling them to change features and underlying logic. Core feature modification has been disabled on October 21, 2008.[7] Ning has also been used by educators in S-GI to conduct a book study on Curriculum Mapping. Many educators are using ning for developing educational resources. Features were customized so that participants could upload pictures and videos of student developed projects as well as links to blogs and Flickr.
Ning has announced support for the OpenSocial API that Google announced in late 2007. Developers will be able to run OpenSocial gadgets within their networks.[8]
The websites running on its service are programmed with PHP and the platform itself is built in Java.[9]
In October 2008, much to the dismay of network creators who were previously strongly encouraged to invest in PHP development, all access to the PHP code and REST APIs has been permanently and abruptly ended without any prior notice, effectively turning Ning into a proprietary application with support for OpenSocial extensions.[10]
Business Model[编辑]
Currently, Ning has two primary business models. One allows users to create a network for free, in exchange for the network hosting ads that Ning supplies. The other, their "Ning for Business" option, offers users a network where they control the ad content (or lack thereof), in exchange for a monthly fee. A few other premium services such as extra storage and bandwidth and non-Ning URLs are also available for additional monthly fee.
According to TechCrunch, adoption of Ning has not been as widespread as the company had hoped. It requires a knowledge of web programming, lacks the scalability of an open API, and can only be hosted on Ning's servers.[1] After hitting 100,000 social networks, TechCrunch revised its forecast[11] and Ning has been called "fast-growing".[2] Currently, Ning hosts more than 500,000 networks.[12]
The Company[编辑]
The company started as a stealth startup named '24 Hour Laundry' with CEO Gina Bianchini and 14 employees. The name changed to Ning at launch in October 2005.[13] Ning was initially funded internally by Bianchini, Andreessen and angel investors. In July, 2007, Ning raised $44 million USD in venture capital, led by Legg Mason.[14]
Ning is located in downtown Palo Alto, California.
References[编辑]
- ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ning - R.I.P.?, by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch, Jan 20, 2006
- ^ 2.0 2.1 Social Graph-iti, The Economist, Oct 18, 2007
- ^ Evaluating Tech Startups: The Risks And Rewards, by John Foley, InformationWeek, Nov 10, 2007.
- ^ Second acts: Seven tech titans today, by George Jones, Computerworld, Dec 3, 2007
- ^ The Story Behind the Ning Name, by Gina Bianchini, Ning Blog, April 11, 2007
- ^ Web pioneer touts Ning Inc. as easy to use social network, by Michael Liedtke, Rocky Mountain News, Mar 5, 2007
- ^ The Ning Platform: A Few Updates, Gina Bianchini, October 21, 2008
- ^ The high-stakes fight for your friends, by Josh Quittner and Jessi Hempel, Fortune, Nov 22, 2007
- ^ Andreessen: PHP succeeding where Java isn't, by Stephen Shankland, CNET News, Oct 19, 2005
- ^ The Ning Platform: A Few Updates, Gina Bianchini, October 21, 2008
- ^ Ning Milestone: 100k Social Networks, by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch, Sep 23, 2007
- ^ 500,000 Social Networks, by Gina Bianchini, Ning Blog, Oct 06, 2008
- ^ Andreessen adds some Ning to the Web, by Martin LaMonica, CNET news, Oct 6, 2005
- ^ Ning news: new investment round, by Marc Andreesen, blog.pmarca.com, Jul 9, 2007
External links[编辑]
- Ning
- Ning Blog
- Interview with Gina Bianchini co-founder of Ning
- Audio interview with Marc Andreessen on Ning, social networking, and education (July 2007)
- Audio interview with Gina Bianchini on Ning (April 2007)
- Interview with Gina Bianchini, Ning CEO Gina describes "viral expansion loops" and how to create a successful social network (May 2008)