Paid membership

[Mark Avey]

Anyone had any thoughts on the potential loss of organic traffic with paid membership?

By definition, the site (or at least sections of it) won't be publicly visible. That means to search engines as well as humans.

Will the cost of membership make up for the potential loss in traffic?

Interested in getting some thoughts.

[Phil McCluskey]

Hi David and EAM,

The text that's currently in the language editor reflects what's available as part of the private beta, not what will be available on initial release.

Thanks,

Phil

[Garfield Creator]

Phil replied to your specific comment about the Language editor and is smartly staying away from the other parts of the conversation but I will show you Phil's reply about how important it is to monetize networks.

 

It is so "crucially important" they got it working for their company before they ever made it available to creators. It was so "crucially important" they worked on the new text editor and design studio as well as cutting staff 40% before giving this priority. You'll notice this post of his is almost a six full months before Ning started charging us for networks and almost a full year afterwards. He did say it would not be available in the short term but C'mon! It won't be worth the wait for people like Thunder X that's for sure. Forgive me for not being more positive about waiting so long but someone can see how important this is to me if I am able to pull out a screen shot from about a year and half ago. Can they really blame anyone for not being happy about this?  I am only slightly annoyed about the wait but charging us for gifts is pouring salt on the wound and adding injury to insult especially when Ning ID is no longer an issue for allowing free gifts.

[Tracy]

I agree - I am not sure we should rely on anything that costs $59 to generate enough for us to live in on. It is simply a tool - and it can work. We have about 30 paid members. It doesn't cover my operating costs but I don't expect NING to do everything for me. It did allow me an opportunity to create a site in one night. They simply give a platform to work from.  And I think it's integrated tools are kind of great, but sure it's flawed.

Anyway, why is everyone so hard on NING? They are good people working to meet the demands of thousands of unique users - which as a Creator I know how tough that can be.

[Susan Daniels]

I am not worried about it for these reasons:

 

1.  My site is completely open to visitors, paid or not.

 

2. My members can "Subscribe" which means their uploads and posts get featured in the right column that appears on every page or the blog on the main page (when they follow the guidelines).

or,

3. They can remain  who do not subscribe.

 

I worry more about how to attract visitors regularly.

 

Warmly,

Susan Daniels

[Nate LaChance]

Paid access can definately make up for any potential loss of traffic... if you have valuable content.  And i don't mean what "you" consider valuable as much as what your members see as valuable.

The question really seems to be when this will be ready.  Ning has stated it will be ready in the Q2 and this is the 2Q... but no new update has posted that i am aware of.

ANY COMMENTS NING???????????????

Nate

[Richard Rodriguez]

I hear crickets.

[Richard Rodriguez]

Thanks kre3p show. I mentioned that earlier in this thread. I think we're all just waiting for the folks at Ning to give us an official update.

[Andrew Avella]

Your premise that part of the network wont "be visible" are incorrect.  Just because members will be restricted in certain types of posts that does not mean they can't see everyone else's posts.  Along that same point, the search engines will not be restricted at all.  For example, you wont be able to post videos unless you pay.  Paying members can post videos.  Everyone can watch the videos.  Google can search unrestricted.  make sense?

[Writer Chick {Diane}]

I haven't read all of the posts in this discussion, but I DID follow Richard Rodriguez's advice and took a look at my language editor. 

 

Did you guys see this??? (copied and pasted straight from the Language Editor).

 

"Network Creators pay a monthly add-on fee of $9.95 and a modest service charge per transaction (<a %1$s>Can I see transaction cost schedule?</a>). We have worked hard to make this cost structure fair and favorable to you. Our rates are much less than many large online services charging via revenue-share today."

 

So am I reading this correctly?  NC's are going to have to pay Ning $9.95 per month to have paid membership levels????

 

[Garfield Creator]

[Writer Chick {Diane}]

LOL  Garfield.  I wonder how many NCs are unaware of this?  And just how much is this "modest service charge" per transaction???

 

Thank God I have no intentions of charging my members...

[Garfield Creator]

This ought to get out those fringe networks who can't pull in the bucks. This seems like the second coming of the premium plan. First you get networks to pay for a year without a membership system and then the next year  you charge another premium just for the ability to have a membership plan to help you pay the first premium.

Sink or swim, do or die if you can't even get your members to pay despite the beta bugs or pay it yourself you don't cut the mustard.

This is a true test of passions and interest. Put up or shut up. Thank you for the warning. Instead of start your engines Networks should start their fundraising/business plans. However let's not jump the gun we need to see the full details. Maybe what is coming is so amazing it will be worth the $10 bucks a month (sorry 9.95).