A message to all members of TimesPast
I am sure some of you know Ning has now gone to a pay service. So I am now faced with and put in a position that is entirely opposite of my philosophy of free. It is like the old game "bait and switch". I see there is basically three options to choose from.
1. Pay and keep going as we are.
2. Move to an alternative location.
3. Quit
For option (1), Ning has three plans: the mini, plus, and pro. The mini is $2.95/month or $19.95/year, the plus is 19.95/month or $199.95/year, and the pro is 49.95/month or $499.95/year. The PRO plan is the only one where you can upload video and audio. So the mini and the plus plans do not seem to fit our hobby very well.
For option (2) there is compatible alternatives similar to ning that will import the data from ning to their service. But as far as I can tell it is just the member profiles and no content that all of you have contributed over the past two years will be transferred.
For option (3) it is just to let everything fade away in July and say it has been fun.
Personally I do not like any of the options, but this is a decision that has to be made. Since TimesPast actually belongs to all its members, I would like to here your thoughts on this situation.
There is well over 500 members on TimesPast and if all would contribute one dollar per year, it would keep things as they are, that is not much for all the entertainment we all enjoy. But being realistic, I do not know how may are willing to donate, or if even interested.
I have set up a PAYPAL account where I can put a donation button on the front page if we decide to go that option, to raise the first year premium if that is what the majority of members want to do. I do not want to post the contribute button until a decision is arrived. It would be a nightmare to get only half and then try refunded.
I know that once we have the Pro Account from ning we can own the adds that are placed there and would receive any revenue generated, and that might defer the cost down the road. We have had 1,292,151 visitors over the past 12 months as of today.
I will wait to hear from you and see what the majority of members would like to do regarding that.
I have reviewed alternative sites and one is promising http://grou.ps/timespast/home I just did a trial to see how things worked and it is kind of similar to ning, but still reviewing it as well as a couple of more.
It really comes down to what all the members want to do and I will help all I can and respect your wishes.
Here is a link to the official Ning announcement:
http://about.ning.com/announcement/
Sincerely
Robert Brown
You need to be a member of Times Past to add comments!
I got to this by going into the forum. I just started exploring the site. I don't do paypal - have heard about bad experiences from friends & acquaintances. If there is another way or other ways let me know.
I am very recent subscriber to Times Past but I do value it highly. I have also, happily, encountered a couple of old web friends and fans of radio and audio narrative media here. I will be happy to contribute a modest amount to keep it going on Ning even though I too am a retired person solely dependent on SSI for income. So I choose option 1 and thank you and all members for your community, internet work and generous sharing.
May I suggest a public "counter" of the the vote, a sort of poll to indicate how the votes are going? And, if we continue with option 1, a "contribution thermometer" to indicate how the contributions are accumulating toward the necessary subscription goal?
Riklaa > Gordon SabaduquiaFebruary 14, 2013 at 2:17pm
This matter was resolved long ago in 2010. We are on a lower plan that fits our needs. The top plan with the ability to upload directly to Ning was our plan for 2010 then Ning reduced the upload maximum to 7 meg and now to 5 which for us does not work since our average upload is 50 meg and more. The cost of this plan was not a wise move since it did nothing for us. We now use our own private storage and are able to still have a 5 meg upload to Ning that works for our Ebook group. Like I said we voted on this in 2010 and again in 2011. This post is here for reference of how we evolved and came to the decisions we did. Unless Ning drasticall changes again we will stay as we are since Ning graciously let us retain the content we already had on their servers for no extra cost which is substantial. Thank you both for your input and concern but at the present time it is a moot point. --- Rick
I'm new to the service and haven't spent a lot of time on the site, so maybe these ideas are half-baked. But have you thought about a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the PRO service? If you got 250 members to just kick in $2, that would cover it. Of course, if people kicked in more, you could apply it to the following year's fees.
Another option might be to offer a banner ad at the top of the site, hopefully to an advertiser whose presence wouldn't offend your users. Maybe Radio Spirits? There are also lots of audio drama groups who might be willing to advertise at a small rate. $45 for a month's worth of banners is a cheap rate and over 12 months would cover the year's costs. Of course there could be a LOT of time involved in getting those kinds of advertisers and you might have some minor tax complications. Kickstarter might be the easier way to go.
As someone who toiled with a much less elaborate website, I feel your pain as far as the potential hassle of trying to move as much existing content as you have to another service. I hope Times Past survives and hope to visit more often.
Thanks for the input. Fortunately our members have stepped up voluntarily around renewal time with small donations to cover our annual renewal cost to Ning. If we are short on funds at renewal time, I personally make up the difference to cover the Ning fee. I never solicit for a donation or ask directly any member for a donation, and no donation is required to be a member of our community. I actually placed the Donate button on the right side bottom out of the way.
I am familiar with Kickstarter and it is an outstanding funding platform for a project if needed.
One thing we pride our site on at Times Past is we have no adds, pop-ups, or sales of any kind. Not that their is anything wrong with it, it's just the way it has always been. The time I personally donate, along with other members, to maintain the site is strictly done as a hobby.
But you are right, if all our members would contribute $2, it would cover The Ning payment easily.
Times Past originally was on the free service, which is no more, for the amount of Storage it provided for our members to fill with audio goodies. When the free service ended we went pro for the amount of storage etc. Then NING cut the amount we could upload per file to 7 mb. Have you listened to any good 7 mb audio productions lately? Since they took away the only reason there was for us to be on pro we dropped down a level which was much cheaper and suited us because the way it was arranged and we had to go to private storage anyhow at this point. Ning let us keep what we had stored, a substantial amount, and we have found a very comfortable niche for not a lot of money. We got a lot from our first drive for money and though we will have to do it again the amount is more than manageable.
We also have many members who cannot give because of disabilities and fixed incomes. They are as much a part of our family here as the person who offered to pay for the first year for us. Unless the owner has changed the direction he set for the site which is a quiet place for audio collectors and listeners to relax and feel at home without worrying about many of the distractions and rules you have to put up with on many sites. We exist with simple rules. There are no quotas or mandatory fees or anything of the kind. We have and probably will continue to reject advertisements on the site, except for those members who have sites of their own and there is a place on the site for those links. The rules are that they have to be for a site with audio drama content or links to them. The one big rule is that we sell nothing and no advertisements for merchandise.
The Pro offers us nothing we can use that would justify the cost. We have some donations from the past already and we always accept small donations or large ones depending on what you want to do and nothing if you cannot give. It is all voluntary. If we need to have a drive for funds for the costs of the site we will simply state that we need x amount of funds in a letter to all members and you can give if or whatever you wish. That pretty well covers it.
Oh, before I stop writing I have to air my pet peeve. Please say Thanks when you download something. Myself and the rest of the posters love the feedback. LOL ----------- Rick (Riklaa) Administrator of Times Past
Thank you so much for the time and thought you put into this post, which I just now read. If I may, I would like to share a few ideas that might help defray the site hosting costs. My ideas may not help in and of themselves, but they might inspire your own thoughts. First, perhaps you might consider the possibility of a tiered membership in which premium members receive additional benefits and/or access to premium member special features such as articles, trivia contests with give-aways, live podcasts, interviews and/or premium member only downloads. Secondly, I'm a graphic artist who does all kinds of CGI design and graphics, including 3D CGI work. What do you think about the possibility of adding a site store for the sale of themed t-shirts, cups and other merchandise to help defray costs? I would be most happy to design logo and vintage-themed merchandise in return for my membership. If you are interested in the idea of having me design some site merchandise in the manner I suggested, please feel free to contact me.
Robert Brown and Friends, I deeply appreciate all of the resources you offer here.
Today July 20, 2011 is the renewal day for Times Past. Times Past was downgraded from the Pro plan to the Plus plan. The current annual rate is 239.90. The members account will reflect that deduction sometime this week. Look forward to another great year with all our members.
Replies
I got to this by going into the forum. I just started exploring the site. I don't do paypal - have heard about bad experiences from friends & acquaintances. If there is another way or other ways let me know.
Thanks for your interest, I sent you a personal message in the Times Past email.
I am very recent subscriber to Times Past but I do value it highly. I have also, happily, encountered a couple of old web friends and fans of radio and audio narrative media here. I will be happy to contribute a modest amount to keep it going on Ning even though I too am a retired person solely dependent on SSI for income. So I choose option 1 and thank you and all members for your community, internet work and generous sharing.
May I suggest a public "counter" of the the vote, a sort of poll to indicate how the votes are going? And, if we continue with option 1, a "contribution thermometer" to indicate how the contributions are accumulating toward the necessary subscription goal?
This matter was resolved long ago in 2010. We are on a lower plan that fits our needs. The top plan with the ability to upload directly to Ning was our plan for 2010 then Ning reduced the upload maximum to 7 meg and now to 5 which for us does not work since our average upload is 50 meg and more. The cost of this plan was not a wise move since it did nothing for us. We now use our own private storage and are able to still have a 5 meg upload to Ning that works for our Ebook group. Like I said we voted on this in 2010 and again in 2011. This post is here for reference of how we evolved and came to the decisions we did. Unless Ning drasticall changes again we will stay as we are since Ning graciously let us retain the content we already had on their servers for no extra cost which is substantial. Thank you both for your input and concern but at the present time it is a moot point. --- Rick
I'm new to the service and haven't spent a lot of time on the site, so maybe these ideas are half-baked. But have you thought about a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the PRO service? If you got 250 members to just kick in $2, that would cover it. Of course, if people kicked in more, you could apply it to the following year's fees.
Another option might be to offer a banner ad at the top of the site, hopefully to an advertiser whose presence wouldn't offend your users. Maybe Radio Spirits? There are also lots of audio drama groups who might be willing to advertise at a small rate. $45 for a month's worth of banners is a cheap rate and over 12 months would cover the year's costs. Of course there could be a LOT of time involved in getting those kinds of advertisers and you might have some minor tax complications. Kickstarter might be the easier way to go.
As someone who toiled with a much less elaborate website, I feel your pain as far as the potential hassle of trying to move as much existing content as you have to another service. I hope Times Past survives and hope to visit more often.
Thanks for the input. Fortunately our members have stepped up voluntarily around renewal time with small donations to cover our annual renewal cost to Ning. If we are short on funds at renewal time, I personally make up the difference to cover the Ning fee. I never solicit for a donation or ask directly any member for a donation, and no donation is required to be a member of our community. I actually placed the Donate button on the right side bottom out of the way.
I am familiar with Kickstarter and it is an outstanding funding platform for a project if needed.
One thing we pride our site on at Times Past is we have no adds, pop-ups, or sales of any kind. Not that their is anything wrong with it, it's just the way it has always been. The time I personally donate, along with other members, to maintain the site is strictly done as a hobby.
But you are right, if all our members would contribute $2, it would cover The Ning payment easily.
Robert
Site Creator
Times Past originally was on the free service, which is no more, for the amount of Storage it provided for our members to fill with audio goodies. When the free service ended we went pro for the amount of storage etc. Then NING cut the amount we could upload per file to 7 mb. Have you listened to any good 7 mb audio productions lately? Since they took away the only reason there was for us to be on pro we dropped down a level which was much cheaper and suited us because the way it was arranged and we had to go to private storage anyhow at this point. Ning let us keep what we had stored, a substantial amount, and we have found a very comfortable niche for not a lot of money. We got a lot from our first drive for money and though we will have to do it again the amount is more than manageable.
We also have many members who cannot give because of disabilities and fixed incomes. They are as much a part of our family here as the person who offered to pay for the first year for us. Unless the owner has changed the direction he set for the site which is a quiet place for audio collectors and listeners to relax and feel at home without worrying about many of the distractions and rules you have to put up with on many sites. We exist with simple rules. There are no quotas or mandatory fees or anything of the kind. We have and probably will continue to reject advertisements on the site, except for those members who have sites of their own and there is a place on the site for those links. The rules are that they have to be for a site with audio drama content or links to them. The one big rule is that we sell nothing and no advertisements for merchandise.
The Pro offers us nothing we can use that would justify the cost. We have some donations from the past already and we always accept small donations or large ones depending on what you want to do and nothing if you cannot give. It is all voluntary. If we need to have a drive for funds for the costs of the site we will simply state that we need x amount of funds in a letter to all members and you can give if or whatever you wish. That pretty well covers it.
Oh, before I stop writing I have to air my pet peeve. Please say Thanks when you download something. Myself and the rest of the posters love the feedback. LOL ----------- Rick (Riklaa) Administrator of Times Past
Dear Robert,
Thank you so much for the time and thought you put into this post, which I just now read. If I may, I would like to share a few ideas that might help defray the site hosting costs. My ideas may not help in and of themselves, but they might inspire your own thoughts. First, perhaps you might consider the possibility of a tiered membership in which premium members receive additional benefits and/or access to premium member special features such as articles, trivia contests with give-aways, live podcasts, interviews and/or premium member only downloads. Secondly, I'm a graphic artist who does all kinds of CGI design and graphics, including 3D CGI work. What do you think about the possibility of adding a site store for the sale of themed t-shirts, cups and other merchandise to help defray costs? I would be most happy to design logo and vintage-themed merchandise in return for my membership. If you are interested in the idea of having me design some site merchandise in the manner I suggested, please feel free to contact me.
Robert Brown and Friends, I deeply appreciate all of the resources you offer here.
Thank you,
Cat
Absolutely. Not even remotely close to listening to all the great things on this site.
Matt
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