Changes to Ning Plus and Pro Pricing

[Jason Rosenthal]

I wanted to update you about a change to our Ning Plus and Pro prices. We’re publishing this announcement in a number of places, including www.ning.com, your network Dashboard, and via email, but I know many of you get your news on Creators, so we are sharing it here.

Beginning on July 20, 2011, we’ll update the price for Ning Plus and Ning Pro subscriptions. You will be billed automatically so no action is required.  Your first invoice after July 20 (when your current monthly or annual subscription renews) will reflect this pricing.

The new pricing will be:

I know that pricing is top of mind for many Network Creators today. Last July we phased out our free service in order to focus 100% of the company on enhancing the features and services we offer our paying Ning Creators.  Since then, we’ve launched more than 30 powerful new features, including the Ning Design Studio, Social Sign-in, Leaderboards, Like Buttons and Ning Everywhere.  Just last week, we announced Paid Access, which will enable you to charge for membership, exclusive Groups or content.  We’ve made numerous enhancements to existing features, including the recent improvements to Groups and the Activity Feed.  We’ve made major investments in improved platform performance and, as a result, delivered 99.99% uptime in the last 6 months.  And we expanded customer support, adding billing phone support for all customers and dedicated phone support for Ning Pro customers.

We’ve made major investments over the past year, and as a result, your subscription is more valuable than it was a year ago.  You can deliver a richer experience for your members, you can drive even faster growth and member engagement, and starting next month, you can begin charging your members in a variety of ways.  And we’re already hard at work on adding more features and services with one goal in mind – helping Ning Creators to create thriving communities.  

I recognize that some of you will have concerns about this pricing change.  My hope is that you’ll recognize the same value we see in Ning every day, and that you’ll be as excited as we are about what we will accomplish going forward.

Of course, we’re always interested in hearing what you think, and one of the things I enjoy most about Creators is that you always let us know how you are feeling.  We’ve also set up a phone number for anyone who has questions about this upcoming change. I encourage you to give us a ring at 888-278-4386 if you are located in the U.S. or Canada, or 650-713-3158 if you are located outside of these countries. We’ll try to answer any questions you may have about this upcoming change. 

[CocteauBoy]

OM WROTE: 

"And you know what? If Ning does that, a lot of NC's will complain "You're nickel and diming us to death!!" It's clear to me that Ning, like any other provider of services, cannot please everyone. No matter WHAT Ning does, there will be those of us who think it's great and others who think it's awful."

 

Actually, I've yet to see anyone celebrating this surprise increase in fees that surpasses the long wait for basic improvements to our networks that are desperately needed. The "improvements" have been minimally useful, with most of them either not working (the apps are a lost cause, for instance), or completely trivial (gifts?), or not helpful enough to make much difference (such as the Design interface that basically only changed where we put our own CSS because the layouts and themes are so limited; I want my site to look remotely from the 21st Century, and not bogged down by messy 90's looking themes). 

Paying exponentially more for less is not something I've seen celebrated much in these forums or in general.

Meanwhile, Blogger and gMail are practically flawless, with improvements and extensions allowing for exponential increase of functioning power and customization. And they are free. With excellent support. For free. I'm only mentioning them because you compared, them, but they are like comparing Apples and Oranges.

Most of us who have been with Ning for so many years are doing so because we (naively?) chose to endure the growing pains of a new company, and thought the efforts to take care of the NC's would increase with stability of the company, but as support responses decrease, basic functions are still neglected, and prices increase, Ning is shooting itself in the foot.  I fear for Ning slowly going the way of Yahoo or AOL, who also took presumptuous stances of "take it or leave it."

Most have left.

[Donna Mac]

It is great that the voices and opinions of NC's are being considered.  thank you.  In my case, I don't have a clue what I want or need.  LOL

[Claire]

i know what i need donna, a young slim body, plenty of cash and a bloke with a Ferrari.. :-)

[Donna Mac]

LOL!  +1

[Star-Dust]

This also will help some people,thank you if you can do this.

[Fernand Belanger]

I pay on an annual basis, 20% is a hefty increase perhaps a 10% this year and 10% next year would have been acceptable to most Creators.

It seems to me that Ning is doing a much better job managing it's Network then before from all the comments I read.

What are you all complaining about! If you want to move-up the food chain go to  a fine dining establishment and see what you will get for this price, maybe it will be good and maybe not, you takes your chances,especially if you don't know the place. The next day you do as usual and unload in the washroom, or are you still full of crap? That's what it looks like to me.

[Star-Dust]

We are complaining about the cost and hoping it will not be a yearly increase. We do not need all the luxuary that Pro Plan has. This may be great to have all the great things Ning is doing. But  we say is that we were and are satify with things as is but having the bugs fix.

[Skye]

I personally like the Ning format, it fills every need for all, I just wish the announcement was done in another way, I see several communities already closing.

[drex]

While... I'm kinda neutral about this new pricing format... as there are really pros and cons... i just have to ask...

 

Whatever happen to updating the features when it comes to mass deleting photos?

It seems to me that being able to delete photos in bulk is a very important... and very much requested feature for a good number of years now... and still no solution, and no updates with regard to this.... 

 

I know the new features are great.. but not updating on a basic feature such as this is really bothersome. Most of us cannot ignore it... It's like a giant elephant in a small room, you can't possibly deny it isn't there.

 

Thanks

[deedee gauzot]

Hello! Ning...

When it comes to Ning increase in payment...It comes down to a "fortunate" and "Unfortunately,"  situation for me...Fortunately, I  have a Mini Ning (with no price increase...) but Unfortunately, I 'm  not going to be able to upgrade to pro or plus Ning...Because  I'm going  to have to use my funds to assist my friend keep her Ning afloat...She just informed her members, that she plans to fold her Ning next month.

[Excuse me Drex...I don't know you personally, but I agree with you 100% when it comes to the deletion Of photographs...Easy to add...most difficult to delete...]

Thanks,

deedee :-/

[Prince S]

When considering that there are other platforms available whitch have made changes that make them far superior than ning's platform at only a fraction of the investment cost  then  I honestly do disaggree that the value of the subcription has increased but it has decreased.  I honestly wanted this to work but sadly I must say that the price increase will not be a concern when my yearly subscription expires

[Andrew Aker]

Prince S, for fear of being censored, please post a list of other platforms you know of on my personal page.  Since it is requested by me and on my own page, I don't think that violates the TOS of this thread...