Comments on: Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program Jeff Utecht - Educator, Consultant, Presenter Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:41:08 +0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Robert Davidson http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29051 Robert Davidson Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:25:16 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29051 Bugger! I was just about to apply for educational ad free use for the student and community sites I have set up. Until recently I hadn't mimded the ads - they were quite unobtrusive and often related to education. Sadly this seems to have suddenly changed with flashing pop-ups and fat stomachs calling for treatment. I guess I'll go back to wikispaces. Bugger! I was just about to apply for educational ad free use for the student and community sites I have set up. Until recently I hadn’t mimded the ads – they were quite unobtrusive and often related to education. Sadly this seems to have suddenly changed with flashing pop-ups and fat stomachs calling for treatment.
I guess I’ll go back to wikispaces.

]]> By: Sean Tm http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29008 Sean Tm Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:40:41 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29008 Well some good things do come to an end... Too bad, WP was/is one of the most user friendly platforms with which to introduce the wiki medium to young and old... I'm just thankful that they are grandfathering in the many already established sites I've already built with students and teachers... It's already been said, but had they been less myopic about factoring education into (or out of) their business plan the learning and teaching community could have helped sustain them in other ways, or they could have worked out a more creative solution like Photobucket has with their "TrialPay" --pro accounts free to the user agreement... Alas, as another commenter has posted, apparently at this stage they no longer see themselves as active players in online educational community... So let's see what next thing wiki comes our way... Well some good things do come to an end… Too bad, WP was/is one of the most user friendly platforms with which to introduce the wiki medium to young and old… I’m just thankful that they are grandfathering in the many already established sites I’ve already built with students and teachers…

It’s already been said, but had they been less myopic about factoring education into (or out of) their business plan the learning and teaching community could have helped sustain them in other ways, or they could have worked out a more creative solution like Photobucket has with their “TrialPay” –pro accounts free to the user agreement… Alas, as another commenter has posted, apparently at this stage they no longer see themselves as active players in online educational community…

So let’s see what next thing wiki comes our way…

]]> By: Alexis Burke Western http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29930 Alexis Burke Western Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:43:18 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29930 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Wetpaint ending ad free education accounts? (via @plnaugle) Jeff Utecht's post http://tiny.cc/Q0KpD</span></span> Wetpaint ending ad free education accounts? (via @plnaugle) Jeff Utecht’s post http://tiny.cc/Q0KpD

]]> By: congerjan http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29931 congerjan Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:35:09 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29931 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">shares Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program. http://tinyurl.com/lzvsed (Not a happy ca... http://plurk.com/p/1mt55f</span></span> shares Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program. http://tinyurl.com/lzvsed (Not a happy ca… http://plurk.com/p/1mt55f

]]> By: Jeff Utecht http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-28956 Jeff Utecht Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:56:38 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-28956 Andy, You make a good point. The ads on this site help to offset the cost of running the 6 websites that I run for education. Full Disclosure: I spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 a year in hosting and domain fees for the sites that I run. The ads make me about $100 a year so I'm still no covering my cost...but every bit helps. That being said my site was never built for students. I think that is the main difference. My site is for educators and if a class wanted to use my site and the only way they could use it was to take the ads off I would in an instant. I don't blame Wetpaint for trying to make money....I know they have to. I wanted to work with a company to understand what the world looks like from their end...that also means making money, which in education is something we are never concerned with. The business worlds is a different world and I respect them for taking the change to make their sites completely free for student use. I understand that every company needs to make money. It was fun while it lasted and I do hope they are able to offer it again in the future. Andy,

You make a good point. The ads on this site help to offset the cost of running the 6 websites that I run for education. Full Disclosure: I spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 a year in hosting and domain fees for the sites that I run. The ads make me about $100 a year so I’m still no covering my cost…but every bit helps.

That being said my site was never built for students. I think that is the main difference. My site is for educators and if a class wanted to use my site and the only way they could use it was to take the ads off I would in an instant.

I don’t blame Wetpaint for trying to make money….I know they have to. I wanted to work with a company to understand what the world looks like from their end…that also means making money, which in education is something we are never concerned with. The business worlds is a different world and I respect them for taking the change to make their sites completely free for student use. I understand that every company needs to make money. It was fun while it lasted and I do hope they are able to offer it again in the future.

]]> By: Andrew Torris http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-28954 Andrew Torris Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:10:29 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-28954 Jeff, I appreciate you taking a stand, but we have to be careful here.... these companies provide a service and at the same time make a profit (or in some cases break even), and the business model is delivering ad content for a price they have chosen to offset the expense of service for "free"... That being said, I read your post and then noticed that you had a few ads on this blog, as do I on mine. Are we not typing out of both sides of our mouth? I am not getting rich... heck I haven't even seen a single dime come through the ads, but... the message is clear. Your reflections here have certainly made me think more about my blog design and content beyond what I type. Thanks! Jeff,

I appreciate you taking a stand, but we have to be careful here…. these companies provide a service and at the same time make a profit (or in some cases break even), and the business model is delivering ad content for a price they have chosen to offset the expense of service for “free”…

That being said, I read your post and then noticed that you had a few ads on this blog, as do I on mine. Are we not typing out of both sides of our mouth? I am not getting rich… heck I haven’t even seen a single dime come through the ads, but… the message is clear. Your reflections here have certainly made me think more about my blog design and content beyond what I type.

Thanks!

]]> By: Ed Webb http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29932 Ed Webb Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:43:31 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29932 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">@PBKrissy see http://is.gd/2lOL5 > lessons: keep it free & ad-free, and stay in touch with the user community</span></span> @PBKrissy see http://is.gd/2lOL5 > lessons: keep it free & ad-free, and stay in touch with the user community

]]> By: Andrew Jeppesen http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29933 Andrew Jeppesen Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:33:22 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29933 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">wetpaint is ending ad-free wikis for education http://tinyurl.com/lzvsed current ad-free wikis unaffected #elh09</span></span> wetpaint is ending ad-free wikis for education http://tinyurl.com/lzvsed current ad-free wikis unaffected #elh09

]]> By: Upgrading, Downgrading and Degrading « My Other Blog http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-28949 Upgrading, Downgrading and Degrading « My Other Blog Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:14:32 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-28949 [...] any existing ad-free wikis keep this status. This change of policy has also come as a shock to Jeff Utecht who helped engineer the policy back in [...] [...] any existing ad-free wikis keep this status. This change of policy has also come as a shock to Jeff Utecht who helped engineer the policy back in [...]

]]> By: PostRank – Education http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program/comment-page-1#comment-29934 PostRank – Education Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:06:53 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/wetpaint-com-ends-free-ad-free-wikis-for-education-program#comment-29934 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program http://bit.ly/JEMFL #postrank #education</span></span> Wetpaint.com ends free ad-free wikis for education program http://bit.ly/JEMFL #postrank #education

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