SocialEngine customization begins with the layout of your site. Edit the layout from the Admin Panel to control how members interact with content. Over one hundred blocks are available for you to drag on drop directly on the page you desire to really make your community unique for you and your members. As SocialEngineAddons, an experienced SocialEngine development team, puts it, it’s “important to explore the administration panel of SocialEngine core and the plugins so that all possibilities are well known before beginning site configuration “. So to help you explore what’s possible when customizing the layout, we’ve put together this spreadsheet of all the pages in the Layout Editor and the available blocks for these pages. Hopefully this makes adding widgets and editing your layout a little easier! As always, send us a support ticket or an email if you have any questions about SocialEngine!

This Developer Spotlight features Vidit and Niranjan of longtime SocialEngine development team, SocialEngineAddOns. These prolific module developers provide customization and support services for the SocialEngine community, as well as some of the highest rated add-ons. Here’s Vidit and Niranjan!

SocialEngine: How was SocialEngineAddOns founded? When did you begin SocialEngine development?

SocialEngineAddons: Our team has been developing social networking software for a long time. In 2008, we came across SocialEngine for the first time when it proved to be the best platform for a Client's project. We had developed modules for other platforms previously, so moving to plugin development for SocialEngine was a natural progression for us. Thus, SocialEngineAddOns was born!

SocialEngine: That’s great. You have quite the plugin selection! Which ones are the most popular?

SocialEngineAddOns: The Directory / Pages Plugin is our most popular and most appreciated plugin. We are ourselves surprised to see the numerous ways in which this is being used by our Clients. Our Advanced Photo Albums Plugin is also a favorite of a large number of SocialEngine communities and seeing it display photos beautifully on sites brings a proud smile on our faces :). The Advanced Activity Feeds / Wall Plugin is one plugin which was developed due to popular demand and we incorporated a lot of features from Client suggestions. Our Advertisements / Community Ads Plugin is used by many to monetize their social networks. Our other popular plugins worth mentioning are: Advanced Facebook Integration Plugin, Suggestions / Recommendations / People you may know & Inviter plugin, Listings / Catalog Showcase Plugin, and Documents / Scribd iPaper Plugin.

SocialEngine: You generously offer free plugins to the community as well, why’s that?

SocialEngineAddOns: The plugins that we are offering for free are high quality plugins and have been in popular demand. We decided to offer these plugins for free to thank the SocialEngine community for showing appreciation for our work, and we believe that the features provided by these plugins are essential for all communities. Just like our other plugins, we are committed to provide regular upgrades for our free plugins as well.

SocialEngine: How do you decide on what new features to develop? How is developing with our platform?

SocialEngineAddOns: We believe that for a feature to be successful on a site, apart from its specifications, its user experience and administrative flexibility are equally important. Whenever we have a new idea for plugin development or feature enhancement, we ask some of our Clients for their views, who give us valuable suggestions in the process. We hold brainstorming sessions within our team over these ideas. In this way, we are able to get the right functionality specifications for our products. We also take up those ideas for development for which we receive numerous requests from Clients. Our team enjoys developing for SocialEngine because of its modular architecture, code quality and the endless possibilities that can be achieved with it. We have worked on other platforms as well, but SocialEngine is by far the best and will surely continue to be so. We are committed to contributing our best for the growth of SocialEngine.

SocialEngine: What types of customization services do you provide?

SocialEngineAddOns: We receive frequent requests for customizations ranging from complete new plugin developments, customization of our plugins, feature enhancements, etc. However, we are able to take up very few of these because of time and manpower constraints. In many cases, when Clients' requirements could be fulfilled with an existing 3rd-party plugin or administration setting, we provide them with appropriate options.

SocialEngine: What future plans can you share with your fans?!

SocialEngineAddOns: We have some exciting releases coming up in the next few weeks. One of our goals is to develop products which increase the applications in which SocialEngine can be used and you will see some plugins in this direction. We've got some surprises for you :)

SocialEngine: What tips do you recommend to new SocialEngine users? Any tips for SE veterans?

SocialEngineAddOns: We have observed that many new SocialEngine Clients are not able to make the most out of the powerful core SocialEngine features like Member Levels, Networks, Profile Types, Performance & Caching, etc, although these could be very useful for their communities. Eventually, when they realize the worth of these features, the re-configuration of site's settings becomes cumbersome. Thus, we advise everyone to go thoroughly through the Documentation, Knowledgebase and Video Tutorials on SocialEngine.net. It is equally important to explore the administration panel of SocialEngine core and the plugins so that all possibilities are well known before beginning site configuration. We provide helpful FAQs in all our plugins.
Once the community is set up, it is very important to get the site buzzing with activity. Users should get to see something new everytime they visit the site. Site administrators should identify some loyal users and gather feedback from them.

SocialEngine: Some great tips, thanks! So our clients give you positive reviews for the quality of your plugins and support service. What motivates you to provide good products and support?

SocialEngineAddOns: Developing for SocialEngine has become our passion. I think this is what enables us to develop awesome plugins. We love what we do. Appreciation for our work from our Clients is also a big motivating factor. Testimonials via emails or positive reviews inspire us to provide quality support and enhancements in our products. Top-notch customer support service complements our software products. We realize that providing effective support is an important part of our Client relationships and crucial for their websites.

SocialEngine: Any closing thoughts?

SocialEngineAddOns: SocialEngine's and the community's growth is our growth. We would like to thank our Clients for their trust in us, and the SocialEngine team for their great product. Thanks to Alex, Charlotte and John to give life to SocialEngine. A special cheers goes out to our team which works hard and enjoys together. By the way, our whole team recently went for an exciting camping and rafting trip in the Himalayas :) Finally Matt, thanks for this opportunity to connect with the community.

SocialEngine: Thank you, guys. We look forward to your release surprises!

SocialEngineAddOns is offering a special discount of 10% on all orders till 31st May via the Coupon Code: THANKS10

Stay up to date with SocialEngineAddOns news by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Continuing where our Photo Sharing post left off, let’s talk video! Photos may be in the spotlight recently, but some say videos are next, with Viddy and others racing to be the next Instagram of video. Netflix streams Hollywood to our homes, we upload clips to the web---one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second---and SocialEngine communities use our Video Plugin to share moments of charity work in Thailand, races at the motocross track, and clips of that videogame we all can’t stop playing, so join the fun! Video sharing is a simple and fun way for members to stay engaged and active in your community.

Want to enhance the default video experience? Check out some cool add-ons created by our third-party developers. Users can upload videos straight from mobile devices with a full-featured mobile app, webchat, have a video widget, and even stream TV channels ! Or, hire developers for a custom feature unique to your community. Whatever keeps your members pressing play!

Please contact us if you have any questions!

These latest add-ons highlight our community’s recent developments. Visit our Customize section to browse the full selection of add-ons, and contact the developers directly with any questions!

Add-on: SocialEnginePro Company released their Online TV plugin with 37 popular channels, video streaming, and more!

Add-on: Hire-Experts developed a Gifts Plugin for members to send virtual gifts like videos, photos, audio and personal messages.

Add-on: YouNet developed a User Profile Styler members can use to select their own theme for a personalized look.

Add-on: CDI developed a Radio DJ Plugin. Members can become DJs by creating and sharing radio stations.

Add-on: WebHive developed a Question and Answers Plugin that stands alone and also integrates with our Groups and Events plugins.

Rusty Goodall of All Abroad UK, a home for expatriates in the UK, is featured in this latest Client Spotlight. Here’s Rusty!

SocialEngine: So how did All Abroad UK get started?

Rusty Goodall: We decided to start All Abroad UK simply because as expats ourselves, we realised that the information for expats living in, visiting or relocating to the UK was very poor and limited. We were over websites full of celebrity gossip and flashing banner ads that diluted the quality of the content we were after. Our mission is to bring a fun, cutting – edge, interactive and rewarding service where expats can get the information they need and make friends in a new country with ease. We are also heavily focused on partnering with high quality businesses that specifically cater for expats needs.

SE: How do members typically interact on your site?

Rusty: We offer several different methods for members to connect with others. Our forum section provides the perfect platform for expats to ask questions and give advice about topics they are interested or knowledgeable in. Our main wall is really where all the action goes on though, it’s the best place to ask questions, keep others updated and share their suggestions with our community. It’s a fantastic welcome for any newcomer to the UK who doesn’t know anyone to instantly get to meet people and introduce themselves.

SE: What are Member Benefits? There’s a free discount card?!

Rusty: Yes – that’s coming very soon! We’re getting ready to launch our discount card which will enable members to receive special member discounts and benefits from our affiliated business partners. Our members will be able to flash their card at the participating businesses and claim their discount – even jump the queues at certain venues! We also have businesses which sell discounted goods and services to our members.
Of course, members are also rewarded with the information they receive and with the social interaction they gain from being a member of our community!

SE: Sounds great! What can you tell us about the upcoming jobs feature?

Rusty: Many expats are worried about finding a job in the UK, so our job section will be the perfect place for members to search for and apply for jobs directly from our site. This feature is still in development; however, members can still read interesting articles about employment and the recruitment process.

SE: Anything else in the works?

Rusty: Ohh yes - we’re always thinking of new and exciting ways to boost interaction with members and be the best we can be. We invite members to suggest services or features that they would like to see on the site. Our members are the reason we are here so what they say, they get! We have a few top secret projects in development right now, so you will have to wait and see what happens next – they are going to be awesome!

SE: Very cool, so why are you using SocialEngine?

Rusty: We like the flexibility to fully customize our site to our needs - the possibilities are limitless. The software does exactly what it says on the tin and the service and support is simply fantastic!

SE: Who designed the website? It looks great by the way!

Rusty: Thanks! We are using a theme by a Social Engine developer; however, the site has been heavily customized to suit our specific needs and personality. We wanted the site to be bright, bold and fun and to excite users right from the start! We have had a lot of member input to it’s design as they are the ones who will be using it everyday.

SE: Any final thoughts to share?

Rusty: We know that expats are quite often limited in funds and like to get the best possible deals, which is why we have introduced our business directory. Unlike other directories, we accept businesses via invitation only. We review each application to ensure that the business is suitable and can provide a quality and reliable service for our members. We also only accept a limited number of businesses per category so that members aren’t overwhelmed and also to make the service as beneficial for our affiliated businesses.
Members are able to ‘like’ a business and then receive their updates via the wall feed. This ensures that members are not inundated with advertising, and it also builds a quality relationship between the business and the user. We’re all about brand building and quality service at All Abroad UK!

SE: Thanks, Rusty!

Send us an email if you'd like to be featured in a future Spotlight!