THE LAST STRAW

Any time you make changes to an interface, that people have gotten
accustomed to working with, there are always those for and against. But,
calling it a "Dashboard" is comical, and certainly typical of what
appears to be Ning's best efforts. We, creators will get used to it,
again, and manage to work around Ning, again.

That said, we consider this to be the last straw, as it were, and we are
now making plans to leave Ning. We patiently waited, as everyone did,
for these plans to take effect, with, at least to us, an understanding
that Ning would provide the tools we needed to monetize our sites
without having to resort to the analytics and scripts. Even reopening
WebDav would have been invaluable ... they didn't. Giving us more, of
what we've already learned how to work without, doesn't help us, it
merely appeases those who don't understand that this has become too
one-sided a deal.

I know there are those that insist that what Ning provides in terms of a
server, support and inherent programming, would cost far more if we
were to do it elsewhere. And I was inclined to agree with them, before.
But, if in fact your site is intended as a business, and you hope to
make some money with it, then cost v. return on investment is the
analysis you need to make. We've done it, and while it will definitely
cost us twofold what Ning costs us, we will gain so much more
flexibility and potential, that Ning's shortcomings are impossible to
justify.

There is another point to be made, while I'm on a rant, and for many a
creator's sake I hope I'm wrong, but ...

The "free" membership was a basis for new sites into the Ning community.
It is a program that seems to be tried and true and much of an internet
standard. How far and how much you get for free is of course determined
by each platform, but it garners a steady flow of new blood. That's now
gone.

The "paid" membership version that has now been implemented is only
sustainable if those paying are given the tools they need to make the
paid membership viable and profitable. If not, the premium members will
steadily become disgruntled and eventually leave. This is already
happening.

So the math becomes simple. Without a steady flow of new sites, which
one hopes to convert into premium sites, and with premium sites
dwindling, assuming the cost of the platform remains constant, the cost
per site must start to rise, or the value of the platform will start to
decline. Either way, it doesn't bode well for the platform's longevity.
So we're going to leave now, since we see it as inevitable. I hope I'm
wrong.

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Comment by The Networking Fool on August 7, 2010 at 9:04pm
There is little logic, and I'm inclined to believe just as much intellect behind this debacle. I believe the smarter method would have been to give the plus plan all the tools and just limit their bandwidth. Paying for bandwidth as you grow is something that is understood, but of course, you need to the tools in order to grow.
Comment by RoadHouse Rockers on August 7, 2010 at 6:36pm
["The "paid" membership version that has now been implemented is only
sustainable if those paying are given the tools they need to make the
paid membership viable and profitable. If not, the premium members will
steadily become disgruntled and eventually leave. This is already
happening."]
Only the 50.00 / month ,now lets you have a music player , i know music lovers on our sites are not at all impressed already.
Comment by RoadHouse Rockers on August 7, 2010 at 6:33pm
i think you are spot on bro they multiplied the numbers for to many useless things and cut off The main things that brought us all here and the Dashboard is a OXYMORONIC term at best
Comment by Bill Vasko on July 22, 2010 at 9:59pm
I agree......I am going to give Elgg open source a whirl......
Comment by The Networking Fool on July 21, 2010 at 9:18pm
Thanks, I do appreciate the good thoughts. Please don't misunderstand, I have spent way too much time on Ning, but I enjoyed it, learned it, and liked it. We've tested just about all of them, the alternates, and without question Ning is the best of its kind out there, though their competitors are gaining ground quickly. Nevertheless, my caveat is thus .... Ning has gone from a free site to a premium only site, and with an unsustainable program the premium fees will have to escalate each year. If I were starting a site for the fun of it, as you seem to be, I'd be on Spruz. As for us, we're taking our queue from one of our favorite radio sites.

Best of luck to you. I hope you're not disappointed as so many of us were/are.
Comment by Ann Marie on July 21, 2010 at 8:40pm
I like Ning. I'm used to it--even with the new dashboard & changes--and I'm too lazy to start all over somewhere else. I've tried other platforms, but I'm so acclimated to NIng, that I don't like anything else. Webs is okay...pretty good, actually, but their members section isn't as near as good as Ning's.

My network is a small social community for women. It's not a business, and I'm not interested in making money with this particular network. But from a business point-of-view, I can see the validity of your decision. As for me, I just hope that Ning doesn't raise the price anymore. I very much enjoy being at Ning, as do my members, but I just barely made the first payment!

Good luck to you, where ever you go :-)
Comment by JenSocial on July 21, 2010 at 12:42pm
Good points - - and in the end, I do hope you're wrong. I'm expecting to see the features we really "need" in the next 2-3 releases. But, only time will tell.

Let us know where you decide to go.

Best to you as always,
Jen

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