Ning Update: Rolling Out Full Details May 4th

[Jason Rosenthal]

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, we made a decision yesterday to focus 100% of the company on enhancing the features and services we offer to paying Ning Creators. The tens of thousands of you who already use our paid
service represent over 75% of our traffic, and we’ve heard repeatedly
from you ways that we can deliver a killer service to help make your
Ning Network more effective. Some examples of things we are working on
that you’ve asked for include new APIs, a new mobile experience and new
advertising and revenue opportunities.

As part of this change, we’ll be phasing out our free service.  On May 4, 2010, we will share with you all of the details of our new offering, including features and price points, through a series of blog
posts, emails, and conference calls. We recognize that there are many
active Ning Networks for teachers, small non-profits, and individuals
and it's our goal to have a set of product and pricing options that will
make sense for all of them. For Ning Creators using our free service who
choose to move to another service, we will offer a migration path and
time to make that change. We will still continue to allow free trials
and test networks on the Ning Platform.

We look forward to talking to you further on May 4th.

[Star-Dust]

Keep me updates on this also.

[Jesse]

>The "announcement" of eliminating free Ning
>services without the final plan for fees will
>cause creators to find alternatives without
>waiting for the possibilities of maintaining
>their ning sites.

That is exactly what is likely to happen. I think Ning is overestimating the number of network creators that will stay, even if the fee is something low (like $5 a month). There are far too many free options out there.

At this point, the issue is far beyond mere money - it's about a lack of trust and the very real possibility that Ning is either prepping for a buyout (as others have mentioned), will go down in financial flames in the near future, or will continue to pull one major change after another (upping fees the whole time).

The real problem is not with the number of communities supported - it is with Ning's inability to come up with a sustainable business model. Closing all the free communities that don't want to pay fees will simply strip them of credibility and give them a ton of bad press (and word of mouth). There will only be so many non-premium networks that will hang around. I suspect that there are even a lot of premium ones out there who are less trusting of Ning, and may opt to go elsewhere on their own.

[Jennifer Carbonneau]

Jesse, you are right that is the bigger issue. Trust. Are there social networks that can be trusted?

[Roze Collins]

I think we have all voiced our opinions, giving our concerns, and had enough time to vent. No more bashing this section is going to change anything. They have stated a date. I suggest we all just sit tight and see what ning has to offer. Otherwise, you may find you have put your foot in your mouth.

Just to make it clear, I am a free site subscriber, of several, and I myself have concerns. But, after looking at all the other existing options, I am not sure what I will do for certain until they let us know more. Being on here truly is choice, and if you don't like your choices, you have the option to leave. I personally have not received any promise from ning that the site would be free forever. But, I have never even received an email from them for any updates or other decisions at any time since I have been on here as a site creator. I am going to sit back, gather my bearings, and wait for the email. I will make a decision then, and I do not intend to broadcast out here like a spoiled brat.

For one, tho I do not care for the way this was initially handled, I have found ning to have a better platform to work with than nearly all the others. I have only found one comparable. Even that one has mega limits for it to be a free site. I am grateful to have been exposed to this platform whether I stay or go. I feel certain the NING TOP DOGS have seen every one of the concerns posted and will make informed decisions. Ultimately, it is a choice we make to stay or go, just like it is a choice ning makes to allow free sites or charge for all.

[Madeline Burkett]

I think we should all just wait and see what Ning does on May 4th...We could be getting ourselves worked up for nothing....As far as waiting for an email, I wouldn't hold your breath...I have never received one from Ning either...All we can do is just keep checking on here for the latest information...

[MelissaNJ]

I'd like to have my foot put in my mouth and have proof that NING is even semi-trustworthy, but I won't know that I did until I speak my mind first. I def. won't know that until they have offered something substantially different than they have in the past. Please NING, put my foot in my mouth for me. I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Alexander]

Ning is going to give us a few weeks to move our free site, maybe 10 and that's it. shut out and site deleted.

[Star-Dust]

l thought you would keep the site open and see what the news is.To just close now would be not so smart. We do not know if everything is going to be just bad news yet.

[Eric Suesz]

I believe Alexander knows that we will provide a way for you to migrate if you don't wish to stay.

[alex]

I would feel better though knowing there is someway to export at least core parts of content on the network (apart from the member list). I have over 4500 photos, 220 videos and 500 members. I am not a company I am an individual. I hope you review this situation and at least make the networks pay from now on but fails to draw the networks until now were free.
Ning to take this desicion has me sad and I can not even believe.

[Lesly Federici]

I have worked hard to build a community for expectant moms. I have priceless content on it. I am heartbroken that as a ning member my interest in choosing ning over other sites to build a community in the first place, membership loyalty is being ignored. I will be dumped along with a lot of other members who have worked hard to build their sites. In an age where "community" is supposed to be the new way to build a business, dumping your membership is pretty cold and people will remember how Ning treated them. There is always a solution. I hope the solutions you create will reflect a concern for your members and the pride they have taken in using Ning for their community platform while at the same time building and making Ning successful! Money or no money, without member loyalty - you have nothing.

[Eli Vieira]

Greetings.

I know many things have been said about it in the web, but I believe it won't hurt to add my opinion.

I am a Brazilian biologist and genetics researcher, creator of a network dedicated to the popularisation of evolutionary biology in Portuguese. I have worked for a year and a half now (under the support of my lab from my previous University), and many things I published with my fellow evolutionists are not to be found anywhere else in the web.

For that reason, and because I wouldn't bear to throw away all this time of work and let obscurantism once again thrive in the Portuguese speaking internets, I accept paying a fee for Ning.com and I know many people would be prepared to financially support the continuity of the network I founded.

Although I'm prepared to say I submit to the new rules, I want to express how devastated I am. Even more devastated must be the other educator who said he uses ning platform to teach children in Africa.

I am devastated because the decision of the new CEO tells me there is no extra support on Ning.com's part toward educational and non profit networks. It seems to me Jason thinks it's all the same: it's all business and money making. But I think it is old-fashioned of me to beg CEOs to have values beyond money. Some research has shown that many CEOs ascend in their careers because they simply do not care about people. Well, I don't believe Jason Rosenthal is one of these sociopaths, but what I know is that this decision condones with this lack of care.

I know Ning.com is hurt because has received much more money that it could have managed and monetization from premium services seems to be the only way out. I empathise with those people who were dismissed from their jobs on Ning. But Google has shown free services for users are not only possible, they pay back. So why Ning.com can't be like Google?

I don't understand these business issues, in fact I find 'business science' extremely abhorrent.

What I know is that I can tell when a company cares about education or not. I wish I was wrong when I say Ning doesn't seem to care.