Ning Update: Introducing Ning Pro, Ning Plus and Ning Mini

[Eric Suesz]

Our CEO, Jason Rosenthal, just posted a blog post about our upcoming plans and pricing. I thought I would reprint it here for Creators. 

"I’m excited to introduce three new versions of the Ning Service that we will roll out in July. When we announced two weeks ago that we were going to refocus on paying Ning Networks and phase out our free service, we knew there would be many questions about what the new Ning would look like. Our goal with these offerings — as explained below — is to enhance the experience Network Creators have on Ning, and by extension, the experiences your members have as well. 

What will we be rolling out in July? We’ll start with many of the things Network Creators have been asking for and extend the service from there. The end of Ning promotional links, leading to a more customized, branded experience for you and your members. An ad free experience and the option to run your own ads — if you like. Easy content export and back-up. The end of Ning ID and ability to add Facebook and Twitter sign-in. API access for a more integrated experience. The ability to charge for membership and accept donations. We’ve listened to your more frequent and pressing requests and combined them with our current premium services into three new product offerings — Ning Pro, Ning Plus and Ning Mini.

For full comparison of the three plans, click here.

Our pricing plans offer incredible value relative to our current Premium Services. For example, your Ning Network currently has the option to Use Your Own Domain, Remove Create Links, and Run Your Own Ads. You can take advantage of all of these services for about $55/month right now. With the Ning Plus, you’ll be able to have them all for $19.95/month. We will also offer current Network Creators a one-time annual pricing discount that provides even greater value.

We also recognize that many small non-profit, family or other small group Ning Networks have limited budgets, and we value what you’ve created on Ning. For $2.95/month or $19.95/year, Ning Mini provides a powerful set of features to continue to grow and engage with your members — ad-free or with your own ads.

We’ve also heard from many Network Creators who use Ning in the classroom as an integral part of their curriculum. I am particularly excited to announce that a major education company will be sponsoring Ning Mini Networks for educators in primary and secondary education. Ning will remain free for K-12 educators and their students. We’ll have details on this program soon!

We will roll out Ning Pro, Ning Plus and Ning mini in July. Current Network Creators will have 30 days following the roll-out to decide which plan best fits their needs. For Ning Creators using our free service who choose to move to another service, we will offer a simple way to export all of your content.

We know there’s a lot of questions, including how to choose a plan, when you can sign up and what happens if you don’t choose an option. That’s why we’ve created a place with all the details about this new offering, including details, a timeline and FAQs (also available in Spanish, here). I look forward to your feedback, both in the comments below and on Creators."

[Eric Suesz]

You can embed videos in all the plans, Jim.

[Monique]

Question:

With the Facebook and Twitter sign in, will this allow those who sign in with these option to create profile, upload picture, video, blogs etc and become a member of the network?

[Phil McCluskey]

Hi Monique, yes; new members will be able to join by signing in with their facebook or twitter accounts.

[Byron Robertson]

Funny, now I can't get on my site page wont load, did I get turned off??

[Susan]

Now mine isn't loading and I haven't said a word...lol

[Alex]

WOW! =) This is super... Lets Rock NING!
Thank you for the Info.

[Roly O]

#1. If I buy the Mini service, can I upgrade later?
#2. Can I embed codes on the Mini page? (Ex. Javascript, HTML)
#3. Is it true that I wont be able to create pages?

The answers to these questions will determine if I stay with Ning or go.

[Eric Suesz]

Roly O: Yes! You can upgrade. You can put code into Text Boxes, as you can today. You won't be able to create Pages.

[Joe Longo]

My site is a personal hobby, and $20/month is still real money. But I spend more on Starbucks, so I think it's worth giving it a test drive. I'll sign-up for sure.
Joe
www.ClubLongo.com

[Madeline Burkett]

How many groups are you allowed to have on the middle pro for $20.00?

[HD]

I believe there's no limit to how many groups you can create, it's your site you can create 1000 groups and it will never affect your monthly payment.

[AnitaC]

Well, there goes my school sites. I can't afford to pay $20 for each site. So outta 6 schools I have, 5 will be deleted and over 6,000 member gone. They don't donate or pay anything, so they have to go. It's only me doing these sites and I can't afford $180 a month.