Is there a "Ning Effect"?

I had a hallway conversation last week with someone who wondered about a specific group on Ning and the lack of activity in that group. While I'm not sure if this is true, I described it as the "Ning Effect".

It is easy to create group or topic areas in Ning and for people to join in. Often people join with the intention of being active, but what happens? It could be that people doing have time to be active. It could be that the group doesn't engage people well enough. It could also be that joining doesn't mean that the person is saying that he will be active, but rather an acknowledgment that the topic is of interest. So Ning allows people to say that they like a topic without ensuring that they will be engaged in the topic.

If this describes you, you are not alone because this also describes me. I'm promising to change by first removing myself from groups where I really am not going to participate and then creating time to participate in those groups that truly interest me. If you are using Ning and have joined groups that you are not actively participating in, you may want to do the same.

---

Technorati tag: Ning