Mythbusters: Three Things We Aren’t Doing on May 4 - from Ning's Blog April 20, 2010

Just found this on the Ning Blog:

Original Post on Ning here:

Mythbusters: Three Things We Aren’t Doing on May 4

Posted by John McDonald on April 20, 2010 – 3:30 pm

Since announcing that we are now focusing 100 percent of the company on enhancing the features and services we offer to paying Network Creators and plan to phase out our free service, we’ve received a lot of feedback from
Network Creators. We’ve heard from free and paid, business and nonprofit, educators and artists. We’ve been interacting on Creators, reading your comments on the Ning Blog and taking in your tweets. And, we’ve been listening to all of your ideas, suggestions and concerns. We’ll share all of the details of our new offering with you, including features and price points, on May 4. However, I know there’s been some confusion and a number of rumors circulating about what we will announce and then roll-out in early summer. I wanted to take a minute to let you know three of the things we aren’t planning on doing on May 4.

  1. Rumor: “Ning will shut down networks who don’t begin paying for premium services by May 4.” FALSE. You will have at least 10 weeks to evaluate the new pricing structure and make a decision to
    move to the new paid service. We’ll be announcing the details of our new pricing structure on May 4. We plan to roll-out the new pricing structure in early summer and then give you a transition period to
    sign-up for the new offering.
  2. Rumor: “Only very large networks will be able to afford the new fees.” FALSE. I am confident that many of you, particularly those of you already paying for premium services, will be pleasantly
    surprised by our new pricing structure. Our goal is to set the pricing at a level which will make Ning an attractive solution for both larger and smaller Ning Networks.
  3. Rumor: “This change means teachers and non-profits won’t be able to continue to use Ning.” FALSE. As Jason mentioned in his blog post last week, it’s our goal to have a set of product
    and pricing options that will make sense for all Ning Networks — even those that have limited budgets. Specifically, we know how many non-profit organizations and educators use Ning, and we plan on offering an option that will make it possible and attractive for them to stay on
    the Ning Platform.

Hopefully this will ease your concerns (if you have any) and help get you excited about what’s coming up. I’m looking forward to revealing more on May 4 and answering all of your questions then.


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Comment by Deborah Diak on April 20, 2010 at 7:16pm
I'm no a believer. First, there are no "free" Ning networks. There are ads running continuously. There is revenue generated from those ads. I'm not convinced that there is little or no profit there. Next, Exactly which premium features are we talking about? Is it the $4.95 monthly fee to use your own domain name? Is it the $24.95 fee to remove the ads? Could they be talking about the $9.95 for extra bandwidth or the additional $24.95 for eliminating the create links? When you add this up, you're looking at $64.80 per month. I am doubtful a $4.95 premium fee for using your own web domain will count much toward the new fee structure. No major changes to features or functionality have been announced...just the elimination of "free" networks which aren't really free. Perhaps Ning can allow "Ning Lite." I'm really disappointed as a start-up that's invested a lot of time AND money to build my small networks. I'm not even sure where all my Ning links reside. I use them in my blogs, press releases, etc ... The 10 weeks isn't enough time for me to transition. Many members aren't quick to respond to email. The active members will have the same transition problem since they've built their pages and pointed traffic to them. If the monthly fee is near $65/month, I'll have to move on to a more traditional site. Boo Ning.
Comment by JenSocial on April 20, 2010 at 7:11pm
EVERYONE,
If you want to ask your questions directly to John at Ning, go to the blog:
Original Blog Post on Ning

Feel free to share your thoughts here, as well. I do ask that we are respectful of each other. OMGosh, sounded like my Mother. LOL!
Best,
Jen
Comment by Mikes Designs on April 20, 2010 at 7:11pm
I hope the pricing will be affordable because I worked hard to get where I'm at now on ning and members wont donate,... plus I don't have money to create my own domain please ning help us out
Comment by JenSocial on April 20, 2010 at 7:04pm
I'm glad John of Ning, was able to alleviate some of your anxiety about non-profits. It is nice to see official announcements, instead of hints within blogs. ;-)
Comment by Cherokee Rose - Lester on April 20, 2010 at 7:04pm
What about us who create a network for purely humanitarian purposes. There are people on free sites who if it wasn't for the Creator of the free site, would not have any friends.
What is affordable?.
A loaf of bread does not cost much but when you lookarround you, there are those who cannot afford a loaf of bread. But I don't think saying to them, bread is affordable, is going to make them feel good about it.
Comment by Fantasyland "Admin." on April 20, 2010 at 7:03pm
Mr.McDonald,
I'd like just 2 good reasons why we should believe anything you say? (one being that we have little choice).
Plans change, especially with those whose only motivation is profit.
A soulless lot if ever there was one and most feel this is a trait of which to be proud.
You have my sympathy.
Comment by OodlesofDoodlesRescueCollective on April 20, 2010 at 7:02pm
Thanks, Jen. I know as a non-profit, I was a little nervous and you have alleviated my concerns here and previously. You are an angel in a sea of nay-sayers. I'm waiting until May 4th.
Comment by JenSocial on April 20, 2010 at 6:39pm
BTW everyone,
I've been sending my blog link to a few select people. I think they've been reading our comments here - - in other words, hearing what you feel about the Ning changes.
Best,
Jen
Comment by Shazyack. on April 20, 2010 at 6:30pm
I so hope you are true to your word about making pricing affordable for Ning non profitable Sites. Baring in mind, PLEASE, What you might consider affordable may not be to a lot!

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