At Wikidot, we try very hard to balance the feature set on free accounts vs paid accounts. On one hand we want the free option to be tempting enough for people to start using Wikidot and get hooked, on the other hand we would like to offer an even more tempting option to choose one of our paid plans that provide even more features that help running successful sites.
Based on the feedback we received from our users, we decided to remove a few important limitations from free accounts that, according to several opinions, are real deal-breakers when starting with Wikidot.
Toolbars
Wikidot top toolbar (with Wikidot logo, social buttons and action buttons) and bottom toolbar (where we promote other Wikidot sites) are now optional for all sites. Admins of free sites can disable them now. There is still a reason to keep them around, because they drive additional traffic to your site, but they are no longer obligatory as some users may find them too intrusive.
We believe that this change will help free users customize their sites even better.
The option to configure toolbars is located at Site Manager » Appearance » Wikidot toolbars.
Content license
Free sites can now manage content licenses and choose license other than Creative Commons Share Alike. From what we have learned, forcing content license was seen as an unnecessary restriction and caused real problems, because any content published on a free site had the mentioned license applied automatically.
In addition to that, Creative Commons licenses and the licensing issue itself, is something that only a fraction of our users really understand and want to care about.
To change license of your content, please see Site Manager » License.
Instead we will…
No, we are not taking away anything in return. Because what we really want is to make Wikidot friendlier and easier to use, even for free users.
We will however more consequently introduce 3rd party ads on free sites, as mentioned back in March. This helps us keep the free version around!
Reasons to go Pro
There are still great reasons to buy a Pro account, such as more storage, more sites to create, web statistics, SSL, advertising-free sites, more members on private sites and support options to name just the most important ones.
We hope you like the changes.
The photo comes from MShades.
Only a note to the "toolbar" (top) :
Last week I inserted the top-toolbar in my private (pro) business site - the user like it ( the edit , source and history buttons ).
The layout on such (private documentation) site is not soo important .
The ability to select the wished license is a good offer !
Service is my success. My webtips:www.blender.org (Open source), Wikidot-Handbook.
Sie können fragen und mitwirken in der deutschsprachigen » User-Gemeinschaft für WikidotNutzer oder
im deutschen » Wikidot Handbuch ?
Why don't you display the top bar on this blog ? I like it, too.
For layout reasons — we are using the same logo in the top layout element here as in the toolbar, and the same grayish colors. Besides we did not want Edit, History and all those action buttons on a blog.
Michał Frąckowiak @ Wikidot Inc.
Visit my blog at michalf.me
Excellent decisions! Especially the one about the license! Congratulations, Wikidot! :)
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegan. - Paul McCartney
This is good decision to let users choose the license. Thank you for that.
Wszyscy wiedzą, że czegoś nie da się zrobić. I wtedy pojawia się ten jeden, który nie wie, że się nie da, i on właśnie to coś robi.
Źródło: Leksykon złotych myśli, wyboru dokonał Krzysztof Nowak, Warszawa 1998.
At first I thought this was great, until the ugly ad thing reared it's head.
I'd rather have the stupid top bar then ads on my wiki. :/
Omnia mutantur, nihil interit.
The license thing was a meaningless limitation that caused great confusion and consternation, so well done on removing that; a very welcome move.
Personally I don't see the point of removing the toolbars, but I suppose someone must have. I don't have them on my site, so I must agree with you :-)
Wikidot seems to have far fewer adverts than other free providers, where you tend to get a banner advert on every free site. It is the price you pay for getting everything else free. One thing I would say though, I find adverts in the middle of forum threads are a huge annoyance, so I would advise against putting any there. Header, footer and sidebar should be enough.
Looks like you can change this on the ToS now (:
Excellent moves. Good job Wikidot!
Timothy Foster - @tfAuroratide
Auroratide.com - Go here if you're nerdy like me
Could we at least get a choice between either having ads or the wikidot toolbars? I understand there's always a catch for free things, though there's nothing more betraying of a user base then suddenly throwing ads at them. [The lack of ads is a major incentive to come in the first place]. All of this coupled with the doubled price for pro accounts, done- if I recall 'simply because' makes things seem… sigh.
Ads are misleading, full of viruses. It doesn't matter who you are running it from, malicious people will stick in phishing links into Google ads to try and catch unsuspecting people. It happened to Curse.com recently, where a phishing link got into the top Google ad result for Curse rather then the legitimate page. Deviant art has had malicious redirect ad problems for months… Ads are a security risk and really make me wary. I cant imagine much money can be made form them if people in their right mind know that clicking them is bad. Unless there are just so many inexperienced internet users that click them, coupled with accidental clicks that its still somehow profitable…
Could we be given more options? The ability to choose between those horrible bars or ads, or decreasing the price of the lowest pro plan?
Omnia mutantur, nihil interit.
I totally agree. I don't mind having other wikidot sites appear on my free site, but I loathe the ads. Dare I say it - the lack of ads was the reason I chose wikidot in the first place. I would love the opportunity to choose how I support wikidot - either by ads or by the toolbars.
We are working on introducing monthly payments, which would be $5 / month for Pro Lite plan that removes the ads completely. At this point we are negotiating terms with card processors. This would definitely make the plans more accessible.
Michał Frąckowiak @ Wikidot Inc.
Visit my blog at michalf.me
It's still 60 dollars a year in the long run though, but I'm glad that there's consideration about changing around the Lite plan's price at least.
Omnia mutantur, nihil interit.
Other suggestions, in random order, on how to make the switch more attractive:
I have to say I love every single one of these suggestions. I completely support them!
1. Alot of the extra wikidot features are usless to a lot of us, especially the smaller wikis. The ability to simply remove the ads and that's it would be fantastic! 20$ is very reasonable.
2. This is what youtube does on very popular or official videos. What a waste of space putting ads on sites that most people will never see!
3. Another great incentive for throwing out all that money for a pro plan. Though I prefer the first two options the most.
Overall, having some sort of plan that simply keeps the ads away would be Fantastic!!!!!!
Omnia mutantur, nihil interit.
Thanks for the suggestions — we will definitely look closer at them!
Michał Frąckowiak @ Wikidot Inc.
Visit my blog at michalf.me
Hm, would this mean another price rise in a less than a year? Because, at the end of the last year, you doubled the prices — from 25$ the price passed to be 50$, and now you are saying that it'll be 5$ per month, meaning 5x12=60$, and not 50 as it is now…
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegan. - Paul McCartney
Brunhilda, the price policy "per month" has to be different as "per year" - all the Card & Payment fees are 12 x …
it is now 50,- "per year" and as I understand - this will not be changed.
I will change to "monthly" payment later my pro plus account - this is per month not soo hard as to pay so much for a year in one go.
Even 12x per month is more in summary as the yearly payment…
Service is my success. My webtips:www.blender.org (Open source), Wikidot-Handbook.
Sie können fragen und mitwirken in der deutschsprachigen » User-Gemeinschaft für WikidotNutzer oder
im deutschen » Wikidot Handbuch ?
Yes, monthly payments cost Wikidot a lot more as well.
I can understand why there'd be incentives for people to buy a year at once instead of just a month at once - that should be cheaper than buying 12 months one at a time. Every business does the same thing, due to the extra costs to them associated with offering the shorter payment periods.
~ Leiger - Wikidot Community Admin - Volunteer
Wikidot: Official Documentation | Wikidot Discord server | NEW: Wikiroo, backup tool (in development)
After learning the toolbar was removed I sign-up and become
a paying member. That is just my way of saying thank you for
provided such a superior service. I love the service and today
I decided show my love with my pocketbook/credit card.
Keep up the great work. You are #1 in my book!
p.s. Any of you guy's don't like the ads? Do what I did,
just pay to have them removed. You be glad you did
because you are supporting an awesome service.
Awesome and powerful. The most unique thing about Wikidot is it's syntax, and what that syntax is capable of doing. Not just awesome, but amazing :)
~ Leiger - Wikidot Community Admin - Volunteer
Wikidot: Official Documentation | Wikidot Discord server | NEW: Wikiroo, backup tool (in development)
If they stayed at hte bottom of the page, I wouldn't care, but this is right under my heartfelt welcome note to my site whichs really takes away from it.
Keep the ads at the bottom under our pages, not ON them! Heck the one there now takes about music labels which has absolutely nothing to do with my site. If it complimented my site, then it wouldn't be as much of an issue, but it doesn't. It just looks cheesy!
Here, here! I hadn't been to my site for a while because I built it and maintain it for non-profit local history group - I came back and was horrified to see the page distorted by ads - particularly those at the top and then a huge flashing poop-up on my, previously uncluttered, contact page.
It appears that after encouraging content investment - and syntax and tool development - through promotion as a free site host - now that you've reached a 'critical mass' wikidot is going the way of so many other money makers and reducing optons while increasing charges.
It is sad to see this happening and, I believe, disregards the substantial amount of time, effort, and expertise that has contributed to wikidot being what it is. I think the charges are excessive - particularly for those of us who've been around and invested in wikidot for so long.
Wikidot has now lost much of what made it great in the first place and, it seems, doesn't care as long as it can make more and more money. That's a real shame. I certainly believe that it is fair for Michael to get adequate recompense for his initiative and effort, perhaps even to become rich as a result, but to destroy the ethos of the community and what made it in the first place is a real bummer.
I am now looking at Joomla and other open source options as an alternative for providing my sites - all of which - bar one personal offering - I have built and maintain for others as non-profit community interest and education offerings - as such, I can't afford to pay what is now being charged for 'pro' offerings.
I'm sorry if this sounds unduly negative for I respect what Michael did in founding wikidot but I believe these recent changes show that it has lotst its way.
roger [mikisdad]
nonsibicunctis