Shameless plug -- Ning social networking
Just before summer began I picked up an internship working for Justin Kownacki, a gentleman who directs a web sitcom series called Something to Be Desired in and around the city of Pittsburgh.
I've been working with him throughout the season, performing some new media research and assisting him in revitalizing an old social networking site designed as a hangout for fans of the show. Fun times, and thanks to Justin's insatiable desire for the new, it looks like I'll be able to continue working with him even longer than intended. (The original term of the internship is essentially over, but he hasn't mentioned dropping me yet, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.)
At any rate, the social networking site I just mentioned happens to be hosted by Ning, a simple but tremendous web of communities that share similar design templates but cater to a wide assortment of interests. Essentially, it hooks together forums, a blog, photos, videos, music, and more all on one simple website; it's an excellent tool for creative individuals who want to start an online community as quickly and easily as possible (it's free, too).
I mention it now simply because I know there are a lot of groups and clubs on campus that might be looking for a way to expand their online presence beyond, say, the SHU blogs, and of all the new media tools I've learned about lately, Ning is easily one of the best. Actually, I have a Ning project in the works, myself, which I'll probably reveal sometime in the next few weeks: a community site for the writers of SHU, whether they be students, faculty, staff, or alumni. (There will be a contest and some prize money to go along with it as part of the launch, so stay tuned for more info if you're interested.)
Justin created the STBD Ning site a while ago but never really took it much further than that, so the challenge now is to draw some attention to it. We have some plans in the works (and I'm told that STBD might actually drop its current official website and switch over to Ning entirely, sometime in the future), so I think things will work themselves out in time.
Here's to a great semester, filled with lots of new challenges.