As the Network Creator, you have full control over the appearance of your Main Page. You can arrange the features in any order you’d like, choose how many items of each type of content appear, feature specific content, and even hide features altogether.
To change the layout of your Main Page, head to the My Network tab and click on the “Features Layout” link. You can add and remove features and change the layout by dragging them onto the Layout page.
Anything you add to the green zone in the top right of the page will appear in that area across all the pages of your Ning Network; the same applies to Instant Ad Boxes. Click the “Save” button to save your changes.
Each module you add will appear on your Main Page with a number of display options. You can control which content is displayed and even hide the module on the Main Page by going to the Main Page and locating the feature you’d like to change. Click the “Edit” button in the module’s header to access these options and change the feature’s display options.
If you don’t want members to see a feature, just choose “0 rows” in the “Show” field. Make your selections and then click “Save” to see how it looks!
The Green Box
Anything you place in the green box will appear on every page of your network. If you already know your community is going to go nuts over the Forum, consider dragging it to the green box. If you’ll have active bloggers, you can display recent or featured blog posts everywhere using the green box. The key to driving member interest is having constantly updated content throughout your network, so placing rich media, popular features and quality content on every page of your network can inspire people to contribute in a thoughtful manner.
You can pull any combination of features into the green box. For example, you could display featured photos, events, recent blog posts and an ad for a local business. You can also use an empty Text Box to embed a Twitter widget, your latest Instagram photos, or your organization’s mission statement. Or, let your members shine and show off the top content with a Leaderboard.
Configuring Main Page Settings
Once you’ve added features to your Main Page, you’ll want to configure how they display. You can change the display options for each of these modules directly from the Main Page at any time. Look for the “Edit” buttons. Click an edit button, and your options for a particular module will drop down. It’s important to note that only you as the Network Creator (and any admins you appoint) will see these edit buttons. The options you choose will be set for everyone, ensuring a consistent appearance for visitors and members alike.
Each feature module on the Main Page is a little different. For many, you can control how much content is previewed as an excerpt. If you want people to click through, Titles Only might be your choice. If you want people to get a sneak peak, choose Detail View and decide how many characters you’d like people to see. You may also be able to choose which types of content appear: newest, most popular, featured, random, etc. These details are very easy to change, and we definitely recommend trying it all out. These controls can really help you balance out your Main Page.
