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Update From Ning's Vice President of Advocacy

I just read this casual update on the Ning Creator site. John McDonald (Vice President, Advocacy) was responding to Ning Network comments, to the first update discussion announced by Jason Rosenthal:
http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/ning-update-rolling-out-full
Reply by John McDonald 1 hour ago (April 19, 2010): Hi,
Many of you have posted questions about when we will phase out our free
service and how much time we will give you to make a decision. I want to
assure you that we will give you adequate time to evaluate the changes
and transition to the new paid service. As Jason explained at the start
of this discussion, we will share all of the details of our new offering
on May 4, including features and price points. We plan to roll-out this
new offering in early summer. Once the changes roll-out, we will give
you ample time to make a decision to move to the new paid service.

In other words, you will have a minimum of 10 weeks to transition.

Thanks,
John

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Comment by Jaap Verduijn on April 19, 2010 at 4:57pm: @Raising Up A Standard Apostolic

Yes, I think you've got that quite right. Looks like Ning has been mismanaged to the very brink of its cold and dark grave by Gina Bianchini, and the new CEO is doing some badly needed but highly unpleasant damage control. It really is no fun to fire dozens of people, nor must it be particularly enjoyable to be commercially forced to exercise ones right to snuff lots and lots of free sites. There are rights one would prefer not to exercise.

Jaap Verduijn.

Comment by Code Whacker on April 19, 2010 at 4:05pm: I feel the company is a desperate situation and that's why they down sized their staff and were prepared to break promises and still are to keep the company alive. I can not trust the dead line of 10 weeks as I feel the 4 May 2010 is the make or break time for ning possibly the end of that week is when their bank and investors will make a decision to continue or foreclose.

I am not placing my trust in them even though I sympathize with them and would be doing the same to keep a company that had potential to succeed and make great profit alive. Even break promises to clients if it became part of a last solution. Times are hard.

Comment by Jaap Verduijn on April 19, 2010 at 4:04pm: @Robert Decker
"(...) sign a petition stating how unfair we think it is (...)"
Would you be so kind as to re-read Section 25 of the TOS (you know, the Terms Of Service that you agreed to when signing up with Ning), and then please explain the "unfair" part?

"(...) add a boycott of businesses who use ning (...)"
Yes, of course. Just boycott whomever happens to be satisfied with a Service that you dislike. Way to go, matey! Nice.

@ Cherokee Rose - Lester
"(...) When Ning said anyone can create a social network for FREE, they meant for free (...)"
Yes, and that's exactly what happened: you created your social network for free.

"(...) They did not say or mean free for a period of time or untill Ning changes its mind (...)"
Sorry to pierce your little fantasy ballon but... that's quite precisely what Ning did say. Of course you didn't read it (or simply didn't understand it), but that's a completely different matter.

"(...) If they didn't want us to have FREE for all time, they should have stated that at the beginning. But they didn't. (...)"
Again: they did. It's in #25 of the TOS. Which you agreed with while signing up.

@ PracticalMagick1
"(...) I think what started free should stay free (...)"
Then why did you agree with Ning's TOS that clearly informed you of their right to discontinue any (part of) their Service at any time, for any reason?

All of us, including myself, agreed with Ning's Terms Of Service when signing up with them. Now it seems that hardly anybody even read what they agreed with. Fair enough - that was your own decision. But don't blame Ning for the results of your own neglect.

Jaap Verduijn.

Comment by Prophecies on April 19, 2010 at 4:03pm: Jenn its been nice knowing all of you here at ning, and I hope you will all visit my new location as soon as I find one, I love you all and I'm hoping to see you all on the flip side. You are all part of my life. Peace.

Comment by JimS on April 19, 2010 at 3:53pm: I hope they provide a way to back up our sites before they delete them...

Comment by jenni parker brown on April 19, 2010 at 3:53pm: Thankyou for all your comments. I feel a bit torn...took so long to set the ningcompoops up and unwilling to start all over or... very willing to co-create and share admin costs with other ning sites to keep our member reliability. Jen is inded a sweetheart. White light is too. Dream Warrior Jenni P xx

Comment by Healers_Inc on April 19, 2010 at 3:42pm: Great I am going to take the rest of the day off for Good behavor from Ning.
Thanks Jen your a true sweet heart. :-)

Love and Light to All,

White Light

Comment by Sharon Hightower on April 19, 2010 at 3:40pm: Not my members - shooting themselves in the foot..... but NING!
Sorry that did not sound right!

Comment by Sharon Hightower on April 19, 2010 at 3:39pm: I am a Ning site owner. I pay for additional bandwidth and premium services. My decision will be on how much, or if they raise the price of these two things. In the meantime a dear friend of mine who has another 3 Ning networks is moving to SocialGO.com. I have already seen what she has done to set up one network over there and am thinking this looks like the place to go. Check it out. At least we have some options. I have already had a lot of members say they cannot pay for membership to the Ning page.
Are they shooting themselves in the foot? Hmmmm.....

Comment by Prophecies on April 19, 2010 at 3:39pm: John I've seen some pretty week moves before but this one takes the cake, in this economy your network ( up until now ) has been a relief to many, I have 9 sites here at ning and with a great number of people, who depend on my sites for information I have a Twitter account as well, there are some who folow my sites because news of who the "Antichrist" will be means something to this world, and who we have to watch out for. I am apauled at the shere notion that you would pull such a move, it will be hard but I will guarantee you there will be many who will leave ning and it's name will never be the same again. You may have just ended what could have been the best social network around...........greed is not cool to those who suffer this economy and my friend you just made a bad career move. Peace to all.