Grouply has long been a favorite tool in the education community.  Teachers, parents, and students use Grouply social groups to collaborate and share information with each other.  Today we are pleased to announce Grouply for Education, a bundle of premium services offered for free to qualifying education groups such as schools, classrooms, and parent-teacher associations.  We designed Grouply for Education specifically to meet the needs of teachers and educators.  Grouply provides a rich feature set with dozens of applications to help parents, teachers, and students communicate and collaborate online, yet it is remarkably simple to configure and use.

Classrooms around the world have begun to adopt online technology to enable collaboration and communication between teachers, students, and parents. With education budgets under pressure, teachers are seeking free solutions that they can configure and maintain themselves without support from technology departments. These online solutions must be ad-free to ensure an appropriate, commercial-free learning environment.

Ning recently announced that Ning Mini would be free for K-12 classrooms. However, Ning Mini offers very few features and customization options and may therefore be inadequate for many classroom uses. For instance, Ning Mini does not support custom pages, events, subgroups, or Facebook integration

Grouply for Education, by contrast, delivers a free, comprehensive package for education groups. It includes no advertising; unlimited custom pages; support for events, subgroups and Facebook integration; and access to Grouply Analytics and all premium Grouply applications.

As we previously announced, Grouply offers an easy-to-use migration tool that lets you quickly move your Ning Network members and content to a social group on Grouply.

For more information and to request Grouply for Education for your group, please visit the Grouply for Education information page.

When Ning announced two weeks ago that they would no longer support free networks, we immediately got to work on a tool to help you move your Ning Network to Grouply as quickly and painlessly as possible.  Today we are excited to announce that the Ning-to-Grouply migration tool is ready to go!  The Ning-to-Grouply migration tool is the only tool available that automatically imports your Ning Network members and content into another system.

To migrate your Ning Network to Grouply, first create a new social group.  Then from within the group’s site on Grouply, go to Manage > Management Menu > Migrate from Ning.

The messy alternatives

Migrating to any system other than Grouply will be a difficult and time-consuming process. One option is to manually copy-and-paste your network data from Ning into your new system.  Another option is to use Ning’s export tool (not available until July) to generate a huge XML file and then figure out how to import it into your new system.   You can write your own custom import scripts or hire an expensive consultant.  Either option could take days or weeks.

Grouply’s migration tool, by contrast, enables you to move your network to Grouply in minutes right now.  From within your new Grouply social group, you can quickly import your Ning Network content and members.  Then with a single click, you can notify your members of their new home.  There are no cumbersome files to manage.  No consultants to hire.  You can do everything yourself with complete control over when and how much to migrate.

A gentle migration, not a “big bang”

Grouply’s migration tool puts you in complete control of the process, and you can take it slow if you want.  You can begin by importing the latest member information and content just to see what it looks like in Grouply and perhaps customize the site a bit.  Later on you can re-import to collect the most recent updates, and perhaps ask some members to have a look.  Finally, when you are 100% ready, you do a final import, notify all members, and deactivate your Ning Network.  There’s no downtime, no lost content, no “big bang” cutover.  It’s a gentle, stress-free migration.

Members never disconnected

It is not uncommon for groups moving from one platform to another to lose 50% or more of their membership.  This is usually because members miss (or ignore) the invitation to come register at the new site, and after that, well — that’s it.  They’re gone.

When you import your members to Grouply, they immediately begin receiving individual emails of all new content posted to the group, and each email includes a link in the footer encouraging them to register to access advanced features.  So they are never disconnected, you don’t need to continually hound them to sign up.  In the end, you don’t lose a single member!

Grouply upgrades your Ning Network

Grouply’s social groups provide benefits not found on Ning Networks such as:

• A comprehensive email interface.  All content can be both posted and received via email, providing a convenient way for members to participate.
• Group analytics.  Gain useful insights into membership activities through charts and graphs that show the most active members, the most popular topics, and member participation over time.
• Advanced website privacy. Make some pages public, some viewable by visitors, and others for members only.
• Cross-group administration dashboard. Review and approve members and messages for all the groups your run in one location.

For more on the advantages of Grouply over Ning and other alternatives, please see 7 things to think about before you move from Ning.  To learn more about Grouply, take a tour.

We hope you enjoy using the Ning-to-Grouply migration tool.  To read about the latest updates, please visit our Ning-to-Grouply Migration page.  And please send an email to feedback@grouply.com and let us know what you think!

In case you missed the news out of last week’s F8 conference, Facebook’s new universal ‘Like’ button is coming soon to a website near you – and brings with it some “special powers”.  When you click the Like button on any of the tens of thousands of sites where it appears, Facebook automatically updates your Facebook profile and Wall to list the TV show, musician, book – whatever the object of your affection happens to be.  So now it’s easier than ever to share your interests with the people you already know.

But how can you meet new people who share your ‘likes’ and interests?

Today, we are announcing the Grouply on Facebook application.  Grouply on Facebook leverages the Facebook Like button to provide personalized, real-time recommendations of relevant Yahoo! Groups, Google Groups, and Grouply Groups to Facebook’s 400 million active users. Current Grouply users – who already receive recommendations based on their actions in Grouply – benefit from enhanced suggestions that consider their real-time ‘likes’ on thousands of sites around the web!

Universal ‘Like’ button powers Grouply’s Facebook app

Here’s how it works. Say you are on the Pandora website listening to Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” and you come across a Like button on Bruce’s artist page. Click the button, and Bruce Springsteen gets added as a musical interest on your Facebook profile.

The next time you visit Grouply on Facebook, Grouply will automatically run a personalized search for you across 2.5 million deep-interest Yahoo! Groups, Google Groups and Grouply Groups. Using semantic technology, Grouply lists the groups that best match your real-time ‘likes’.  Join a group that Grouply suggests, and you are immediately connected with a whole new crowd of people who share your love for The Boss!

And what if you haven’t clicked any Like buttons lately? No problem! Grouply suggests groups based on the TV shows, books, schools, political views, activities, and other information already in your Facebook profile.

“OK, but are these real groups?” you wonder.  And it’s a valid question, given that most groups on social networking sites are little more than profile labels.  But rest assured that the groups you discover through Grouply are usually the best of their kind, offering rich dialogue among passionate and knowledgeable members.  A recent conversation in Bruce’s Place, for example, questioned the song choices on a soon-to-be-released Springsteen DVD.  In another thread, members shared their personal stories about how they “got into” Bruce.

So when you join a group recommended by Grouply, chances are high that you will find some enthusiastic, interesting, and informed people you will want to get to know!

Deep Facebook integration

Grouply provides deep Facebook integration that extends beyond group suggestions.

• Facebook Connect – Now you can login with your Facebook ID. No more Grouply ID to remember!
• Group sharing – When you join a new group on Yahoo! Groups, Google Groups, or Grouply, you can share it with your friends on Facebook. Maybe they’ll want to join the group, too!
• Message sharing – Read a posting you like on Grouply? Click the Like button in Grouply and let your friends on Facebook know about it.
• “Group Smackdown” – Beatles or Stones? Coke or Pepsi? Ginger or Mary Ann? Group Smackdown pits one fan group against another to determine once and for all who’s best. Coming soon!

Many of you have told us that what you love most about Grouply – and what distinguishes Grouply from all other offerings – is how the site helps you discover and connect with others who share your passions. We believe the new Grouply on Facebook application firmly positions Grouply as the leading groups offering for “social discovery.” Please check it out and let us know what you think!

See also: Ning-to-Grouply Migration

With Ning’s recent announcement that they will no longer offer free networks, Ning Network Creators are feverishly evaluating alternatives.  It’s an exercise that Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups owners are familiar with, as many continue to seek a more modern platform with the latest social features.

Grouply and a few others provide all the basics you need to support your online community, including a customizable website, installable applications, event management capabilities, discussion forums, RSS feed support, activity feeds, user profile pages, and a “white label” option.  Here are a few thoughts on other factors to consider before you make the move. Some of thse factors could have a huge impact on the eventual success or failure of your group down the road!

1. Migration path

It is not uncommon for groups moving from one platform to another to lose 50% or more of their membership.  This is usually because members miss (or ignore) the invitation to come register at the new site, and after that, well — that’s it.  They’re gone.

When you use Grouply’s member import feature, you are directly adding your group members to your new group on Grouply.  All members receive a high-quality, professional-looking invitation from you about the new site.  More importantly, all of your members immediately start receiving individual emails of all new content posted to the group.  And each email they receive includes a link in the footer encouraging them to register to access advanced features.  So your members are never disconnected, and you don’t lose anyone!

What about all the forum postings, comments, blogs, etc. from your old platform?  Whether you are migrating to Grouply from Ning, Yahoo! Groups, or Google Groups, you are covered.  Grouply automatically integrates and synchronizes with Yahoo and Google Groups in real-time.  And Grouply is developing a full set of content migration tools for Ning right now, so very soon you will be able to automatically bring over your Ning Network content in just a few clicks!

2. Email interface

Like or not, email is still the preferred way for millions of people to consume their community content.  That’s why traditional email-list systems like Yahoo Groups are still so popular and remain the default choice for many.  If your social website platform doesn’t have an email interface, you risk missing out on tons of prospective members!

With Grouply, members can interact with your group completely via email if they want.  Members can post to the group via your group’s posting address in the format groupname@grouplygroups.com.  And members can receive all group content via email as it is posted.  Each email includes a helpful link encouraging members to visit the site to access more advanced features.  Eventually, all members become aware of the advanced features on the website and start to use it regularly, but it’s great to have email to maintain the connection until then!

3. Cross-group administration dashboard

The typical group owner manages many groups and must login to a variety of websites to make updates and approve membership requests and new postings.  Administration across multiple groups can be time-consuming and frustrating!

With Grouply, you login once and then manage and participate in all your groups without having to login again.  In addition, Grouply provides a single, powerful cross-group dashboard that includes all the information and controls you need to administer all your groups from one place.  Group administration time is cut from hours to seconds!

4. Group Analytics

Is your group “healthy” and are your members satisfied?  Grouply Analytics provides charts and graphs that highlight your group’s strengths and help identify opportunities for improvement. Grouply’s rich, group-level analytics provides insights like no other social media tool currently available. Grouply answers key questions about your group members and their interests, such as:

• Is group activity increasing or decreasing over time?
• What portion of my group participates each month?  Is the trend getting better or worse?
• Who are the “power” content creators?
• What are the most popular topics being discussed right now?

5. Public and private pages

Often there are two different versions of a group website that the administrator wants to present to the world:

• Members version – This site doesn’t try to explain what the group is but instead provides the latest updates to members and encourages them to participate.
• Visitors version – This site explains the group in some detail with the goal of recruiting new members to join.

Grouply allows you create one “super site” with member pages, visitor pages, and pages for everyone, enabling you to customize the experience for users based on who they are.  Members can focus on participating in the group, and visitors are more likely to join because you told them exactly what they need to know.  Everyone wins!

6. Flexible content

Robust social websites support many different types of content – forum postings, events, announcements, classified ads, blog postings, photos, comments, RSVP responses, subgroup content, etc.  But understandably, members can get confused about how to post and where to find each type of content.  Often, confusion ensues and mistakes are made.  Few aspects of running a group are less appealing than having to berate members for not following the rules about where to post what.  And most systems are unforgiving; if an event is accidentally posted as an announcement, there’s no fixing it.  You have to apologize and repost.

Grouply manages content in a way that is innovative and flexible yet simple.  Looking for something?  Search across all group content from one search box.  Want to post something but aren’t sure where or how?  Just select “Post” and you can post any type of content to any of your groups.  Accidentally mis-categorize your posting?   No problem.  You – or anyone in the group – can edit the post and fix it after-the-fact.  Headaches are avoided, and happiness ensues!

7. Avoiding information overload

We would all like to believe that ours is the single most important affinity group in our members’ lives.  But the fact of the matter is that the average online adult belongs to no less than seven online groups across multiple platforms such as Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, Ning, and others.  It is simply impossible for the average person to keep up every day with all the content being generated across all their groups.  They are experiencing “information overload”.

Good news!  In addition to offering our own Grouply Groups, Grouply automatically integrates with the 10 million existing groups on Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups.  Users can sign in once to Grouply and access all their groups in one place.  And now you can use your Facebook ID to login to Grouply, so there are no additional IDs and passwords to remember!

Grouply offers users a variety of ways to interact with their groups so each user can choose what works best for him.  One option, of course, is to visit an individual group website.  But you also have access to a personalized “cross group” site where Grouply organizes and filters content from all your groups so you can keep up much more efficiently (see Grouply: Personalized to your real-time interests). Grouply’s intelligent interface allows group members to spend less time searching and skimming and more time actively engaging with their groups.

The big benefit for group administrators, then, is that the overall level and quality of group participation increases, which means that more groups succeed in the long run!

If you’re already a Grouply member, you know that Grouply lets you create a new social group about anything you like or give your existing Google or Yahoo! Groups an “extreme makeover” for free. Today, we announced a series of new features aimed at group owners who want to enhance their Grouply website by making it more interactive and adding branding and customization features that reflect their organization’s identity.

While Grouply is certainly perfect for people that manage or participate in social groups, Grouply also provides small businesses, non-profits, associations, and clubs a way to quickly and inexpensively deploy a professional-looking web presence. Often, these organizations want to go beyond the functionality and appearance offered by the standard Grouply package. For example, they might want to suppress the ads, specify a custom web address (URL), add rich media like photos and videos, or “white label” the site.

Grouply now offers premium services to meet all these requirements. To make it easy, we’ve organized these services into three packages:

Starter Package – Ideal for owners of large groups who want to enhance their web presence with unlimited custom pages and Flickr slideshows, Google Docs, Twitter and YouTube videos. Analytics, also included, provide insights into group member interaction and engagement.

Pro Package – Designed for small businesses, non-profit organizations and group owners who need a comprehensive website with a custom identity. The Pro Package expands on the features included in the Starter Package, offering complete control over advertising and the ability to remove ads completely or even run your own ads. You can use your own custom web address, promote your site or business through search-engine optimization (SEO), get a featured placement in the public group directory, and promote your website to millions of Grouply users. You also have the option to reinforce your brand image by removing Grouply links and references.

Concierge Package – For small-business owners, non-profit managers and group owners who want to maximize the effectiveness of their website. Qualified technical and design experts at Grouply help design and set up your fully customized website. Includes fast and direct access to qualified technical experts, high priority status on all inquires, and a dedicated email contact.

Take a tour to learn more about Grouply’s premium services.

Want to get started? Create a new group and select a premium package in the process.

Already have a group? Login and go to Manage > Premium Services and select the package that’s right for you!

Today we are excited to announce the launch of “social groups” on Grouply!  A social group is a new type of online community that combines the best features of social networking sites and traditional online groups. The press release is online here.

As we discussed previously, traditional online groups systems such as Yahoo! Groups – with dead-simple email interfaces accessible to everyone – are really good at fostering rich dialogue among members.  And since there are so many online groups out there – Yahoo! Groups alone offers more than 9 million with 110 million members – you are sure to find a group that matches your interests.  The two main issues with traditional online groups are that they don’t offer customizable websites and they lack the modern social networking features that users have come to expect on sites like Facebook.

Facebook, as we have said, offers strong interactivity features and the ability to share rich media and express yourself in a variety ways.  Plus the Facebook site itself looks clean and professional, unlike traditional online groups, which were designed primarily for email interaction.  However, Facebook Groups lack customization tools and email-based discussion support.  The typical Facebook Group turns out to be a “profile label” rather than a real group with a defined objective, active discussions, and a passionate user base.

Social groups on Grouply give you the best of both worlds!  Social groups offer the social interactivity, media sharing, and modern design of social networking sites like Facebook.  Social groups also provide the rich discussions, popular email interface, and people-discovery opportunities found in traditional online group systems like Yahoo! Groups.

While social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace help you reconnect with people you already know, social groups help you discover new people who share your interests.  In other words, social groups are built around what you are interested in rather than who you already know.

With Grouply, you can create a new social group about anything you like, or join a social group and connect with others who share your interests.  If you already run an existing online group on Google and Yahoo! Groups, you can give your group an “extreme makeover” on Grouply!  Your old-style email list gets a brand new, modern, professional, fully customizable website that automatically interoperates with Google and Yahoo! Groups.  All for free!

We think you are going to love the new Grouply.  To find out more about social groups on Grouply, take a tour.  Or, just dive in and create a new social group on Grouply. Get out there and connect with others who share your interests and passions!

We’re excited to announce the release of Grouply 4.0, including a number of exciting features for group owners!

Running an active and growing online group is hard work. Reviewing membership requests, communicating with members, and approving postings can consume a lot of time. With Grouply’s new features for group owners, you can manage your groups in 80% less time! Grouply now offers the following:

• Grouply Analytics – Grouply’s charts and graphs highlight interesting trends such as message volume and member participation over time so you can take corrective action when necessary.
• Approval Dashboard – Grouply provides you a single dashboard where you can approve messages and members for all your groups and communicate with members using “canned” templates.
• Key Member Tracker – Grouply identifies key group members so you can enlist their help to grow your group, improve group health, and achieve even greater success!

Grouply automatically detects if you are the owner or moderator of one or more groups and adds a powerful “Manage” tab to your Grouply interface. Click the manage tab to access all of these features and more!

See screenshots and read more about Grouply’s benefits for group owners here.

Grouply users have long enjoyed the time-saving and social benefits of accessing their Yahoo Groups through Grouply. Well now these benefits are available for your Google Groups, too! If you are already a Grouply user, go to Manage Yahoo and Google Accounts to add your Google Groups to your Grouply account in one quick step. The next time you login, you’ll be able to access all your Yahoo and Google Groups in Grouply!

With Grouply Social Inbox, you no longer have to provide your Yahoo ID and password to use Grouply. You can use Grouply just like you would another email service such as Gmail or Hotmail, but with the added benefits of Grouply’s exciting time-saving and social networking features!

Now when you register with Grouply, you choose between the Automatic and Manual setup options. Choose Manual, and Grouply assigns you a grouply.com email address (e.g., jsmith@grouply.com). Just follow a few simple instructions to update your Yahoo Groups to send group messages to your grouply.com address. In just a few minutes, you’ll be enjoying the benefits of Grouply with no Yahoo password required!

The moment you register, Grouply automatically and instantly upgrades all of your Yahoo Groups into engaging social networks. Grouply’s social features enrich your experience and encourage you to spend time on the site. A message in email or on Yahoo Groups is simple text, but that same message viewed in Grouply is accompanied by a host of exciting social information such as shared tags and the photos of other people who found the message interesting. Click a person’s photo to see his Grouply profile page and find out more about him.

You can design your Grouply profile page to express yourself in a variety of ways. Share photos and videos, your contact information, your list of groups, or your favorite TV shows. If you like, set your Grouply profile page to update automatically to display messages you found interesting and to generate a blog of the messages you posted. But don’t worry, group messages in Grouply are never visible to those outside the group, and Grouply inlcudes a powerful set of privacy controls so you can determine precisely who can see what on your profile page.

After just a few minutes of use, you quickly discover that Grouply’s time-saving features help you keep up with your social networks far more efficiently!

• Grouply Smart Digest – Each day you receive a personalized Smart Digest email covering what’s happened across all your social networks in the last 24 hours, highlighting what’s interesting to you and hiding what’s not based on your previous behavior.
• Grouply Alerts – You can have Grouply notify you via email when a new message is posted to one of your social networks that matches what you’re looking for. This is particularly helpful when you want to leverage your social networks for something timely and specific, such as finding a new job, collecting preschool advice, or claiming a used iPod from a reuse group.
• Grouply Smart Search – Search across all your social networks at once. Quickly discover new comments on topics that have interested you in the past or that are popular among other members of your social networks.

We hope you enjoy Grouply Social Inbox, and we look forward to delivering more exciting features in the months to come! Please drop us a line at feedback@grouply.com if you have suggestions to share.

Grouply 3.1 is Here!

We are pleased to announce that Grouply 3.1 is now available! In this release we smooth the process for new users to adopt and begin using Grouply, and we add a number of other useful features requested by and designed with the help of Grouply users. Send your ideas for new features to feedback@grouply.com.

Web Connect: Grouply at Your Own Pace
In 3.1, new Grouply users can adopt Grouply at their own pace. Now when you sign up with Grouply, your Yahoo Groups settings remain unchanged and you continue to receive individual emails and Daily Digests from Yahoo Groups as before. In addition, you will begin to receive the Grouply Smart Digest once a day, and you will have access to the Grouply website where you can discover all of the time-saving and social benefits of using Grouply. Over time, as you become more comfortable with it, you can begin to conduct more and more of your group interactions exclusively through Grouply.

Grouply’s advanced Web Connect feature makes this possible. With Web Connect, you can maintain whatever settings you like in Yahoo Groups and still use Grouply. Starting in 3.1, when a new user registers with Grouply, all of his groups are put on Web Connect by default. Existing users can choose between Web Connect and Email Connect for their groups on Update Group Access.

Individual Emails: A Yahoo Thing (Again)
Previously if you accessed a group through Grouply and wanted to receive each message as an individual email, Grouply constructed and sent you its own version of the Yahoo Groups individual email, complete with Grouply logo in the footer. Unfortunately, Grouply individual emails weren’t perfect. Sometimes links were missing. Sometimes they just didn’t look right. Starting in 3.1, Grouply no longer provides our own individual emails. Instead, Grouply users receive individual emails from Yahoo Groups, either directly (for groups on Web Connect) or indirectly via forwarding (for groups on traditional Email Connect). You can review and update your Email Subscripitions in Grouply on Manage Email Subscriptions.

Signed … You!
A key feature of many email systems is the ability to create a “signature” – predefined text that is added by default to the bottom of all of the emails you send. Many of our users told us that, despite all of the advantages of posting group messages through Grouply, the lack of signature support was the reason they still preferred to post through email. Well, no more, because signatures are now available in Grouply! Set up your signature on Manage Signature.

Advanced Reply
Click Reply on any posting in Grouply, and you can reply to the individual or to the group. In addition, the reply text box is pre-populated with the previous message, so you can easily snip and quote excerpts from what was said before.

Plain Text, Plain and Simple
Some groups encourage or require members to submit postings in plain text format. And let’s face it, sometimes plain text is just easier and better than rich text or HTML. By default, postings in Grouply are now created in plain text — but the rich text option is there if you want it!

Shared Friends
Sometimes when giving someone the once over, it helps to know who you know in common. Now Grouply tells you! In Grouply, member lists and friend requests include a link called “shared friends”. Click it to see a list of the friends you share in common.

Hide/Show Quoted Text Gets Even Smarter
Don’t you hate it when everyone replies on top of everyone else, creating ginormous postings that make conversations really difficult to follow? Fortunately, Grouply automatically detects and suppresses all this “quoted text”, but unfortunately, Grouply often hides more than it should. In 3.1, hide/show quoted text is much smarter, making it easier than ever to follow conversations in Grouply!

Coming Soon – No Yahoo Password Required!
We are continuing to improve the registration process and to make Grouply more accessible to more people. In 3.2, you will be able to register with Grouply without providing your Yahoo password. Stay tuned, and thanks for using Grouply!