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Welcome to Paper.li 2.0!

Dorian Staten
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Approaching our 10 year mark of serving fantastic customers from around the globe, we decided to take a step back and rethink some critical topics, and define what is most important to our customers and our business. What’s the greatest value we can bring to customers? What do our customers need today, and what we can start building for them tomorrow? And ultimately where we should head as a company and product. Our first step was to listen.

Read the full article at the Paper.li blog...

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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • Blair Stuart
    An interesting article Dorian, however, I think a little honesty and clarity is required here. 
     
    Why not, for example, call this forced upgrade and 10 Day Pro Account trial for what it really is and admit that it is a push by your Company to reduce the number of Free Account papers.
     
    Your decision, once the trial is over, to return our papers to their original format, but with a reduction in the amount of Free Features available is both an obvious and blatant attempt to push as many Free Account holders (preferably all) into having Pro accounts, as well as an insult to those who have been with Paper li for many years.
     
    For those fortunate enough to be  financially secure with an income that allows them to be able to afford your charges.... charges I might add that are not cheap, this may not be of any great concern to them.
     
    On the other hand though, there are those, who like myself, are living on Government Pensions, such as the Australian Disability Support Pension, which provides an income that sits firmly on the poverty line. Who will find this difficult to accept and will be forced out, unless of course they are willing to accept a 2nd rate publication that fails to deliver.
     
    As much as I enjoy having an On-line Newspaper, and I did like the features when I did have a Pro Account, I simply can’t justify an on-going expense, that would impact on my ability to put food on my table and make it even more difficult to keep a roof over my head.
    You may argue that the cost is only around $12 US per month and that is an inconsequential amount, however unless you are experienced in managing finances when living on the poverty line, perhaps that is not an approach you should take.
     
    You may be “thrilled” to have me as part of your Community, but apparently only in so much as I am able to contribute to your Companies bottom line.
     
    I acknowledge your right to  operate your business in whatever manner you see fit, but where may I ask, is your Moral Compass? 
     
    Don’t abandon those who have been with you for a long period of time, just to advance further down the path in your quest for avarice.
     
    Don’t become yet another Corporate entity that becomes so consumed and motivated by greed, that they forget those that helped put them in their current position.
     
    Instead of trying to shutdown the Free Newspapers, why not work on improving the Features available.  This in turn would, IMHO, provide a better outcome moving forward which would, I believe, see more conversions to “Pro” accounts.
     
    As for mine, less Features in the Free Edition, will put an end to my current Newspapers along with my association with Paper li, so one way or the other you will achieve your objective in closing at least two Free accounts.
     
    Sincerely 
     
    Blair Stuart.  
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  • Daniel Di Federico

    Hello Blair. Thank you for the time you put into your response and for being a part of the Paper.li community for so many years. When planning for the upcoming changes we were very mindful of our existing free community users, and that's why we made the decision to keep a free package, and also introduced a Starter package at $4.99. We are a small company, and in order to maintain the product, and also deliver on the new features our customers ask us for every day, we are evolving our Pro product. I hope you can understand this, as someone who has enjoyed our free service for all these years, and can continue to enjoy it. We would be very proud to keep you as part of our community. 

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  • Ana Massien

    I am in a similar boat did not know why I had a free trial. I will also remain a free user at this time and I am not interested in being pro.

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  • Blair Stuart

    Hello Daniel,

    ‘Thank you for your considered response. From my reading of the email I received advising me that my Trial period had ended and detailing the changes to the Free package, I made the decision, that given such changes would impact substantially on the quality and integrity of my two publications, to delete my papers. This has already been carried out and it has saddened me greatly to have been left with no alternative. 
    I might point out, that at no time was any mention made of a new low price plan being available, if you had done so, then perhaps there would have been a different outcome.

    kind regards,

    Blair Stuart 

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  • andy

    I likewise find this move sad.  The upshot is that the free service has been crippled.  Removing features is akin to the 'stick' rather than the carrot.  In general people do not respond well to the 'stick' treatment.

    Best of luck for the future, it was an enjoyable service while it lasted.

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  • Michael Mills

    As soon as I can find a workable solution to deleting my account - I will be gone

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  • Ana Massien

    Michael Mills, tweetedtimes.com curates from twitter alone BUT my readership is better now than when I was on paper. and you can have unlimited papers

     

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