Ning: The Latest Platform For App-Makers Wanting To Get Rich

imageAdd one more platform to the ranks of Facebook, MySpace and the iPhone for developers wanting to cash in on the app trend: Ning. The D-I-Y social network-creation service is rolling out “Ning Apps,” which let bands and companies running Ning communities build functionality like ticket sales, video chats and casual games into their network. Apps were available on a per-user basis before — but these new Ning Apps expose developers to a much larger audience from the start, giving them the opportunity to generate far more revenue.

So how much money can an app-developer make anyway? The top free iPhone apps can bring in between $400-$5,000 in ad sales per day, according to an AdWhirl report (via SAI). Sources tell us apps that include microtransactions (including virtual goods) can earn up to $10,000 per day if they’re buzzed-about and live across multiple platforms; by now, we’ve also all heard about social gaming app developers that are bringing tens of millions in annual revenue.

But these stats are all for “popular” apps. Games, photo albums and other apps that don’t get press or take off virally can actually cost the developer money (and time) in the long run. A developer that’s able to get a Ning App approved could have a distinct advantage if a social network creator like Good Charlotte or Soulja Boy chooses to make the app part of their network. (There are over 200,000 active social networks across Ning, and the entire lot of them attract about 4.7 million unique monthly visitors, per comScore).

Find out what Ning gets out of the deal, after the jump.

What’s in it for Ning? CEO Gina Bianchini offers up a sound byte-friendly response: “We don’t go to a meeting where there isn’t a specific feature that a given social network creator asks for — it’s in our best interest to expand the palette of features for them.” Right. But she didn’t rule out the prospect of cutting revenue-sharing deals with Ning App-makers, particularly those that have built e-commerce apps, some time in the future. Ning’s two revenue streams are ad sales (mostly through *Google* AdSense), and premium, subscription-based networks (creators pay about $55 per month — and they can run their own ads).

Currently, there are 90 new Ning Apps available to a limited number of social network creators; features include video chats through TokBox, live-streaming through uStreamTV and fundraising through SocialGiving, among others. The company plans to make the Ning Apps available network-wide later this month.

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