Free vs. Paid Support

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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

Hugo <Nabble>
Franklin <Nabble> wrote
How about $10 for the first week and $2 for each week after that.
We have implemented this.
So now users can choose how many weeks they want and pay only for that period of time.
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Free, paid and paid in kind support

Graham Perrin
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
Hugo <Nabble> wrote
Please let us know what you think about this idea.
I think this idea, combined with  
Help with Free Support and get access to Premium Support 
is great.

Sorry I've been absent for a while. Focused on things other than Nabble :-)
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

ClaudeMobetta
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
Don’t know about others - but let Nabbled support be done by users -
That’s basically how AOL does it - And let Nabble guys monitor the Help Board
Most questions have been correctly answered - Check Search
And maybe $7 a month - debit -
Or $60 paid in advance for 12 months?

Too much FREE Nabbled work now...

Any one care for this - is it fair?
Works fer me…

ClaudeMobetta

http://loa-computer-help-plus.2634207.n2.nabble.com/
tim
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

tim
In reply to this post by SteveM
As I mentioned before, the advertising model doesn't work for us financially and doesn't solve our core problem of spending time on support that would be better spend on development.  The 1 on 1 support we provide to paying customers drives real development, so this is actually useful to us.  It helps our development be customer driven.  We want to develop features that paying customers want.  Non-paying users are welcome to use Nabble for free but shouldn't expect us to dedicate time to their questions.  I have no problem with losing non-paying users as a result of this.  I just hope that we can continue to develop Nabble so that it increases in value to users and more and more users will be willing to pay for support as a result.
I have to agree with Steve M here...
I understand wanting to develop things customers want... however no one will disagree when I say that when people "Google" for something like this ; the first thing they look for is "free"...  So if your site becomes a Pay site... no one will find it anyway,.. and you'll have NO paying customers.
Second.. if you do have a "free" section.. but as you say no one has time to help people.. potential customers will leave for lack of help.  Common sense says if you can't get some sort of decent support when it is free... NO ONE is going to shell out $100 when they are getting poor service already.
So to me.. (not to sound rude) it seems like you gotta WALK before you can run... and by not providing basic support... you'll try to run and fall on your face.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

☪Not_A_Admin
You dont have to use nabble if you dont want
their is always tal.ki a free embedable forum like nabble...
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

John Yeoman
True, there are other free forum platforms out there. But most are primitive. For example, tal.ki is recommended by the free forum provider Lefora because Lefora - ironically - cannot be imbedded in an existing web site. Alas, tal.ki is so basic that it would be ludicrous to use it on a commercial site.

Nabble remains the one free, highly customizable forum that's imbeddable and also friendly on the eye. (Although I've given up trying to understand its new Permissions rules )

Re: paid support. I agree that the present 'pay for priority support' logic is untenable. A serious Nabble user will already have mastered the basic rules and won't need much support. These are the folk with high traffic who would potentially pay. The newbies - who need the most support - will be reluctant to pay for Nabble until they're getting traffic on their site. Only when they have proven that Nabble works for them will they be willing to pay for it. So Nabble won't get much revenue - and, without fast support, it will frighten away new users.

I still commend my original plan to Nabble: charge per view. The high traffic sites would get 1000 views free then be charged by the hundred visits; the low traffic sites get a free ride. That's fair. (True, it might be difficult to manage, technically. But the fiscal management should be simple: just block the forum traffic if a site exceeds its quota - until the owner pays up.)

I'd go with that model. So I think would a lot of other Nabble users.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

veqryn
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
Question:

Free or Paid, I didn't see anywhere to file bug reports.

I just found a bug, and have posted it over in "free support".

A bug is a bug, whether it comes from a paid or free source, it is still a bug.  I guess the only difference between them is the order in which they should be worked on (with high severity and paying customers being addressed first of course).

Perhaps you guys need a system like sourceforge's, where you can assign different severity levels to each bug report or support case you receive.  

Anyway, good luck with everything,
thx,
veqryn
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

mywaytoo
It seems to me that there are 3 separate issues:

1. Bugs that need to be fixed by Nabble to ensure that their software works as expected.
2. Suggestions (wish list) that may, or likely may not, improve the software.
3. Help for people who can't do what they want to do.

Clearly there is potential for overlap...
Anne
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

☪Not_A_Admin
the forum needs to be organised and sorted out into categories like most other forum software providers
 
 
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 1:30 AM
Subject: Re: Free vs. Paid Support
 
It seems to me that there are 3 separate issues:

1. Bugs that need to be fixed by Nabble to ensure that their software works as expected.
2. Suggestions (wish list) that may, or likely may not, improve the software.
3. Help for people who can't do what they want to do.

Clearly there is potential for overlap...
Anne



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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

Camo
I think paid support is great, provided there is some level of free support, such as comprehensive documentation and 'ask for help by email' maybe.
But the software, atleast this version, should remain free. If Nabble is going to make it even better, then they could offer signup for both free (this) version and a paid (improved) version with more flexability or whatever they want to do with it. They must make money eventually.
This product, as it is, is Unbelievably impressive, not just because its free, but even more so because it is.
I think not keeping this free will really damage your market for a future paid service.

Re the documentation, or rather the lack, its the only negative of the whole thing.
You have users offering to assist with free support, so why not have them compile a suitable comprehensive
user guide, that you could add to your front page, free service in return for free service.
Im sure there are many thousands of English speaking users on nabbles database/mailing list,
why not send out a 'Help us, help you' letter, asking those who have compiled documentation for their own forums to collaborate on it.
Such documentation will cut a significant percent of free support requests, not to mention a significant
amount of frustration for those (like me) new to the software and clueless.
I have posted a request for other nabble users to share their compiled documentation already.
I want my forum's users to be able to access this information.
cheers.
Camo's Classifieds! © Camo's Reptiles
avd
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

avd
This post was updated on .
Community support seems to be in vogue these days. Most questions are basic,  repetitive or have already been answered plus you'll probably develop a band of volunteers that will do most of the work.
Give them badges for number of questions answered, and at some point award them Hugo's email address so they can pass on to him any real issues....(!)
GET MORE OUT OF OFFICE 365!
Custom applications and site design.
Blogs, drop down menus, image galleries and more.
webbrewers.com
Our Nabble forum
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

trebest
In reply to this post by John Yeoman
I totally agree with Yeoman.

Its not unlike paying wages on productivity basis.

Earn as you churn.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

Mark W. Kidd
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
I'm interested in the paid support option, but where do I go to look over the pricing and sign up if I decide to?
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

linsumin
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
ONLY ONE QUESTION. HOW CAN I TO INSERT IMAGES TO MY FORUMS. THERE HAS NO OPTION TO DO THIS. I HAVE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE'S PICTURES IN THE FORUMS. IS THERE ANYONE CAN TELL ME HOW TO DO THIS. I WILL APPRECIATE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

GregChapman
Hi linsumin,

See my answer to your similar post at:
http://support.nabble.com/image-tp7581198p7581199.html
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

augidog
This post was updated on .
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
i've asked for hands-on help maybe 10 times in over a year, half of those being bug reporting & getting fixes...and have dedicated myself to becoming as self-supporting as possible.

and since i do focus on self-help, i won't pay you guys to occasionally help me use (and therefore help you develop) software you make available for free. but i do understand the need for service tiers.

i happen to LOVE your twist on NAML enough to pay a reasonable fee for it's use & the hosting. you may take note i've gladly pitched in from day one.

at least i thought i was pitching in...but if paying to "remove ads" ( IE my sponsorship of Nabble ) isn't enough contribution to get timely answers to problems i'm having right now, then figure out how much you need to increase it by, and quit trying to be fancy (and very pushy) about it. just make it "free user" or "subscribed user" and let it go at that. active "subscribed users" get access to the main support forum.

meantime, my first forum is smooth as silk, but i'm having editing problems with my brand new forum. there's a thread about it. it's your image at stake, not mine. if i look good, you look good.

i'm as grateful as i've always been for having discovered the ease & fun of running a Nabble application, but you're stressing me out over things that don't have to be so complicated.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

Pedro
We have to give priority to those who pay for our support. Sometimes we have to do a lot of things in the premium support so that the requests on free support take more time to be done.
My test forum.
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Re: Free vs. Paid Support

augidog
what i'm getting at is i've never needed enough support to justify paying for a support plan (to me that sounds ridiculous anyway) but would be willing to pay a little more for "remove ads" so i don't have to feel "2nd-class" around here on the few instances i do need help.
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Question About "Trial period ends in 30 day(s) – Remove Ads"

David Windox
In reply to this post by Hugo <Nabble>
Good Afternoon,

My Name is David, yesterday I registered a new forum with NABBLE. Before I did I was look up on the internet and I find that this service is FREE: http://n5.nabble.com/help/Answer.jtp?id=2

This is from the website which is clearly state that this forum is FREE:
"Is Nabble really free?
Yes. Nabble is absolutely free and will remain free to the users. This includes the end users, mailing list owners, and webmasters......"

But I when finish register then I have seen this on my forum: "Trial period ends in 30 day(s) – Remove Ads"
This is on the bottom-center at the site.
So, please can you tell me if this forum REALLY free or I should pay when the trial period is over?
Do you have FREE option as well or only paid version? I'm confused now, I don't understand.

Thanks,
Regards,

David



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Re: Question About "Trial period ends in 30 day(s) – Remove Ads"

GregChapman
The message you describe is merely saying that you will start to see adverts on your forum after 30 days use. If you wish to keep your forum advert-free then you need to pay. If you are happy to accept the adverts then your forum will stay free to use.

There is another exception. Starting on 3 June 2013, a new rule applied for some forums. See:
http://support.nabble.com/Adult-Content-is-NOT-free-anymore-td7584659.html
However, you don't suggest that applies to your forum.

I would say though, that Nabble should update to that Help article you quote with a link to the page above.
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.
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