Meg Simpson of the Leader2Leader Network put together this incredible "how to" guide for Ning neophytes. I am ripping it off in it's entirety (with a citation of course) for our network's purpose. I would highly recommend anyone, no matter how savvy or newbie to social networks read it through. It will make life in Ning-landia much better. --Rob

How To: Share Information on Ning

Share a link to an article or web page: This is the most direct way to share information and direct people to an interesting site. Instead of just pasting the link, you can put it behind text and create a 'hyperlink.'

1. Decide where you would like to share this link and click "+Add a Blog Post," "+Add a Discussion" or "Reply" in  a discussion or blog post that has already begun on the topic of the page you wish to share.
2. Enter the intro text of the web page you are sharing, i.e. "Here is an interesting article on education policy. We plan to incorporate this information into our influence planning this year."
3. Open the web page you wish to share in a separate window.
4. Highlight the text by clicking the mouse at one end of the web address at the top of the page and drag it across the screen so that the entire web address is highlighted.
5. Right-click on the highlighted web address and select "Copy" from the menu
6. Highlight the text that you would like to convert into a link (i.e. "interesting article").
7. Click the icon that looks like a chain link at the top of the entry window; if you hover over it with your mouse, it reads "Add Hyperlink."
8. A small window will open, saying "Please enter a web address."
9. Right-click in the text window and select "Paste" from the menu.
10. Click "OK."

You have now successfully shared a link to a web page! Insert any additional text you would like to include, and click 'add reply' or 'publish post.'

Embed a YouTube video so it can be viewed directly on Ning:

1. Decide where you would like to post the video and click "+Add a Blog Post," "+Add a Discussion" or "Reply" in a discussion or blog post that has already begun on the topic of the page you wish to share.
2.  In a separate window, go to YouTube.com and look up the video that you wish to share.
3. In the upper right-hand corner of the page, you will see a gray box. At the bottom of the box are two options: URL and Embed. Across from "Embed" and a text field, you will see what looks like a cog wheel. When you hover over it with your mouse, it reads "Customize." Click on it.
4. In the customize 'window' that appears, make sure that only the middle box, "Show Border" is selected. Select the green color scheme for the border from among the color swatches, and select the 500 x 315 size for the video.
5. Once all the options have been selected, highlight the code in the text field next to Embed (reading "<object width="500" height..."). Once all the code has been highlighted, right-click your mouse and select "Copy."
6. Go back to where you would like to post the video on the Ning site. Right-click your mouse and select "Paste." It will look like gibberish at this point, but once you publish the posting, the video window will show up for others to see and play from the web site.

You have now successfully embedded a video on the Ning site! Insert any additional text you would like to include, and click 'add reply' or 'publish post.'

Favorite/Bookmark the the Network: Networks are only useful if they're easy to get to. Make this network part of your daily online routine! To bookmark the network:

1. Go to the main page and click on the "Favorites" (Internet Explorer) or "Bookmarks" (Firefox) heading on your internet browser.
2. Click the first option: "Add to Favorites"/"Bookmark This Page," then "Add."

Now, anytime you want to access the network, click on your Favorites/Bookmarks toolbar, and it will be right there on the list!


Upload a personal photo: It is SO wonderful to see faces with names. If you're not sure how to upload a photo and have a personal photo on your computer in electronic format, follow these steps:

1. Click on "My Page" on the orange toolbar.
2. On the left hand side of the screen, click on the "My Photo" link.
3. Under the Profile heading (4th line down) you will see "Profile Photo." Click on the icon next to it.
4. In the window that pops up, select "Upload an image from your computer" and click "Browse"
5. Select the photo you would like to have in your profile, just like you would attach a file to an email. Click "Open".
6. A file path will appear in the text window. Click "Done."

You now have a photo in your profile!

Add an SCCN Ning RSS Feed to your Outlook 2007 Account:
This is a great way to keep track of what's happening on the Ning without relying on email notifications.Here's how to set it up if you have Outlook 07:

1. Go to Outlook and click on RSS Feeds
2. In your internet browser, open the Ning main page and click on RSS at the very bottom, at the end of all the "Latest Activity" listings.
3. Copy the web address in the window that opens
4. Go back to Outlook and right click RSS; click on Add a new RSS feed; click CTRL-V to paste the link in
5. Go back to the Ning; click on Settings (upper right); then click on E-Mail on the left
6. Then deselect E-Mail notifications, especially in the Discussions area.

Now, when you click on "Latest Activity on Leader2Leader in your Outlook RSS feed, you can see everything that has been posted and access it directly from your email account.

Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts:
Now you can save time with keyboard shortcuts! These quick and easy combinations will speed up your online activities in no time (please note, these shortcuts do not work for Mac systems).
Ctrl + T : Open a new window within your browser frame, also called a new "tab."
Ctrl + X: Cut highlighted text
Ctrl + C: Copy highlighted text
Ctrl + V: Paste highlighted text
Tab key: Go to the next text field in an online form
Shift + Tab: Go to the previous text field in an online form
Alt + Tab: Go back to the other application you were working on (i.e. switch from e-mail to internet)

Source: http://leader2leader.ning.com/notes/How_To%27s%3A_Step_by_Step_on_Ning.