SocialGO Owners

SocialGO is in the running for Best Social Media Gadget in Mashable’s 2009 Open Web Awards. It’s an international online voting competition that covers innovations in web technology and achievements in Social Media.

SocialGO needs your votes!

Click on the image above, connect to your Facebook or Twitter account, and click submit. The whole team appreciates your votes, and don’t forget to tell your friends! Thanks!

Massimo Bizzarro, founder of CircuSpacePremium.com, created his website to “make it super simple and fun to stay in touch with the Circus World.” After trying out other available platforms, Massimo embraced SocialGO as the new home for his online community.

However, it’s not all about fun and games on CircuSpacePremium.com. Behind the sensational custom layout lies a network that has some extensive business tools and makes great use of our powerful Member Billing system.  Massimo has tied his ‘Basic’ and ‘Premium VIP’ member levels to separate subscription fees, at once funding the website while rewarding his dedicated community members.

As well as utilising the many community features available, the network’s custom added business tools such as the Marketplace and the Business Directory really show what’s possible when you combine the SocialGO platform with your own savvy and imagination. CircuSpacePremium.com is a great looking, business-minded social network that will surely continue to prosper.

Petleys.co.uk is the online presence of Petleys art gallery; an institution which works with some of the most well known and exciting artists in Britain today. The gallery uses SocialGO to display an effectively minimal, clean looking website that serves to accentuate the fantastic displays of art found around the network.

The London-based gallery organises private views and exhibitions for artists, and owner Jason Petley describes how SocialGO has proven to be invaluable in the organisation of these events; “Our SocialGO network has helped to synergise our printed media and our online presence - blurring the line between the two. As a site development environment it is simply amazing how quick it is to get exactly what you want, how you want it.”

The network also has great hopes for it’s fully functional E-Store, thanks to the new GOCart widget. “The crowning glory for us is the shopping cart integration”, states Petley. ”SocialGO gives us everything you could ever need in a small business Internet presence under one roof.”

Petleys.co.uk is a testament to the flexibility of a SocialGO network - It’s clear that Jason has made excellent use of the Layout Manager whilst utilising some of his own custom design talents. We wish Petleys.co.uk all the best for their gallery and network in the future.

Published Monday, 5th October 2009

Created in 2008, SocialGO is smaller than Ning with slightly more than 100,000 sites on its network. But it’s easy to use, and you can still find thousands of potential customers on SocialGO from around the world.

Read the full article here.

We’re happy to announce the release of the long awaited Member Billing 2.0 for all SocialGO networks! Our developers have been working tirelessly to give you the power and control that’s needed to create a multi-leveled member subscription solution. Monetizing your network has never been so easy!

The new system is used in conjunction with Member Levels which allows you to set-up the permission structure of your site.  Owners can now charge people to access ‘premium’ areas within your site, which is a fantastic way to generate serious revenue and upsell your members from a ‘Free’ to a ‘Paid’ account. Feeling kind? You can even give your members to a free trial membership of your network, as Member Billing 2.0 gives you the chance to provide a ‘try before you buy’ offer within in your SocialGO network, while the system accepts several currencies and supports multiple billing providers.

To get access to Member Billing 2.0 you’ll need to be subscribed to a Premium or Concierge plan, and select the Member Billing option within the ‘Change My Plan’ section of the Admin Centre (http://my.socialgo.com). Click here for instructions.

We’ve been busy over the past few weeks coming up with tools to ensure that your SocialGO community is the best it can be. Take a look at three new powerful widgets available right now in the Widget Store:

Twitter’s runaway success over the past year has forced website owners to stand up and pay attention to the importance of social media integration. Not one to leave it’s customers behind the trends -  SocialGO has released it’s new Twitter Connect widget, allowing visitors access to a SocialGO community through their Twitter account. Easily installed, the user’s profile picture will be pulled right from their Twitter account, and they can directly update their Twitter status straight from their SocialGO network.

Turn your network into a business with our new, BuyitSellit.com integrated, GOCart widget. BuyitSellit.com is a world leader in online store functionality, and gives you the tools and control needed to set up a powerful online store within your network. Simply purchase the widget, let us install it for you, and you and your members will be selling in no time.

Giving members control over their own online space is a great way to ensure they’ll stick around. We recognise that customisation is key, so SocialGO network owners can now offer their members the brand new Profile Designer tool. Using simple click and point functionality to choose customized colors, photos and text - your members will be able to customize their profile until their heart’s content. And what’s more, it’s pre installed on all Premium/Concierge Layout Managers and completely free of charge. Not bad!

Dirty4Money was started by Tim Young with the ambition to bring together people from the mining and construction industries of Australia and beyond. “The biggest problem with these two major industries is the lack of networking - especially with mining. It’s more about who you know, so I wanted to make it easier for people to gain employment and maintain strong connections within the industry.” says Tim.

With some help from the SocialGO Concierge plan, a plan that helps build and maintain your network’s layout and design, Dirty4Money came together swiftly - “The SocialGO software is much easier to operate than the competition’s, and the Concierge support team always responds to my queries in little time, which is great!”

The site has a full host of engaging features, from the standard forums, photos, and videos, to a jobs tab suited for those looking for industry work in their area, and there’s even a built-in store to sell products that anyone can integrate this easily into their network using the new GOCart widget - an easy way to embed a powerful shopping cart into your social network under its own tab.

Tim believes that a site such as this needs to go beyond the static - that it should be fully interactive. “The social aspect keeps the site active, and it could even work by itself as more members join the network and contribute.” With more functionality than ever, and lots more on the way, sites like Dirty4Money, and all others on the SocialGO platform, will have a limitless resource to keep their members coming back. “I’m looking forward to all the new stuff that keeps on coming with SocialGO!”

Jury Team is a political movement created with the ambition of making politics more accessible, politicians more accountable, and political institutions more transparent with the ultimate goal of fundamentally altering the way politics are practiced in Great Britain.

The idea behind Jury Team’s social network is to provide a space for candidates, members, supporters, and anyone else interested in the Jury Team project to touch base with one another via the network’s forums, messaging system, and groups - all standard features with any SocialGO plan.

Members easily connect with other politically interested individuals and organize events and upload campaign videos. Events are organized in an Events tab that allows the creator to choose whether it’s a private or public event and to place all details, including photos and maps, within the event listing to illustrate as much about it as possible. Videos are neatly organized under one tab and can be rated and commented upon.

Aimed at those who wish to discuss political issues important to them, Jury Team’s member base continues to rise as more people become politically aware and seek a unique, unbiased outlet to engage in political discourse.

Christian Military Wives is a multi-denominational, Bible-based, non-profit organization established to assist military wives and their families through encouragement, aid, and education.

“Military wives are very busy, and sometimes have a hard time going to local support groups - this social network is a wonderful asset for military wives. Our husbands are gone for months at a time. SocialGO allows wives to hop online and, at the click of a button, they can connect with other wives in their situation.” says Patti, founder and owner of Christian Military Wives.

The Layout Manager, included in the Premium and Concierge plans, allows you to easily alter the layout of your network with easy drag and drop. Patti notes, “The set up was very easy! We also contacted Ezra from ProSocialGO for some additional assistance. He did a fantastic job.” The site is bright, neat, smooth, and very visually engaging for its audience.

With Forums, Events, Groups, Blogs, and much more standard to most networks, it’s never been easier to communicate with other members. “SocialGO allows a much better communication between wives of all branches of service. It’s a very clean and professional looking platform. SocialGO and its support team have been a huge blessing to Christian Military Wives.”

Tara, creator and CEO of Testify Sister Magazine, wanted a place where a diverse community of women who share a passion for Christ could encourage, uplift, and ultimately support each other in life, business, and other creative pursuits - she found this with the SocialGO platform and with her Testify Sister social network.

When asked why she wanted to create a social network, Tara told us the following, “I was searching for a way to express to my readers that the magazine is as much theirs as it is mine. When they join our network, they have the opportunity to help make Testify Sister a better magazine. Through the network, members are able to access the digital version of the magazine, contribute content, and share their personal testimonies.”

The set up of the network was amazingly simple, “You know, I’ve been designing websites for several years now. It can be an intensive process. SocialGO was very easy to maneuver. It was painless. You guys did all the hard work. I like the freedom that I have to add HTML, advertisements, and videos to my network. “

With our Premium and Concierge plans comes the Layout Manager, our own tool that enables you to completely change the look and feel of your network’s layout with simple drag and drop features. “What I enjoy most is the Layout Manager. It gives me the ability to customize my network and make changes as often as I like.” says Tara.