Discover Forumotion Packages: the new way to evolve your forums

[The Godfather]

First topic message reminder :

New: Forumotion Packages

Dear users, As we told you in this topic, we are pleased to announce the arrival of Forumotion packages. A new way to enrich your forum and customize your members' experience through a redesign of paid features management. Presentation of Forumotion packages Forumotion packages allow you to enrich your forum with additional features. As you know, Forumotion offers for many years the possibility to create a free forum, with a rich diversity of features. If, by default, our forums offer most of the tools necessary for the proper use and development of your forum, some paid options can enhance it with new features, and improve your members' experience (ads deletion, SSL certificate, custom domain name, etc.). Until now, these paid options were dispersed in the administration panel. Today, and thanks to the arrival of Forumotion packages, the purchase of a package will allow you to access a set of additional features, while leaving you free to activate or not, step by step, each of these options. These packages are primarily a response to technical issues that disrupt the proper use of the service, particularly because of the international nature of Forumotion. But they are also the manifestation of an evolution of the web, and the world of forums. These have evolved a lot in nearly 10 years, and Forumotion must evolve in the same direction in order to adopt an operating model to guarantee the quality, viability, and continuity of our service. What are the different offered packages ? Forumotion forums offer three packages: Free, Advanced and Premium. Here is a non-exhaustive presentation: - Free package: this is the default package for all Forumotion forums, which continues to offer features that allow relevant use of your forum. These features include access to advanced permissions, image hosting, optimization of your forum for SEO, unlimited number of topics, members and messages, etc. - Advanced package: in addition to the features offered by the free package, the advanced package offers, among other things, more storage space, a higher newsletter limit, the possibility to activate an SSL certificate or to acquire a domain name, etc. - Premium package: it is the most complete package, offering the most functionalities, such as the monetization of the forum, the suppression of copyrights, an improved search which extends to the content of messages, the personalization of the"Popular content" newsletter, etc. You will find a more complete presentation of each package in your administration panel, in the Misc tab. Example: How can I subscribe a Forumotion package? The subscription to a package can be done with two methods of payment: Either via an annual payment: In this case, you pay your package in a single payment, for a validity period of one year. Or via a monthly payment: With no due date and no commitment, it allows you to access Forumotion packages by paying very accessible monthly fees and to spread the payment of your package. Note that the annualized subscription includes 2 months free. Forumotion packages use credits, the virtual currency specific to Forumotion forums. Subscribing to a package on an annualized basis requires therefore to have a sufficient balance of credits on the forum. Nothing changes, the purchase of credits remains made in the same way as in the past, via Allopass, Paypal, Hipay or Skrill. The monthly subscription is only possible via Paypal (the use of a PayPal account linked to a valid card or bank account is mandatory), the only means of payment to set up a satisfactory monthly payment given the technical constraints we know. To subscribe to a package, go to your: Administration panel > Misc > Credit Management - Forumotion Packages We hope that these innovations will bring you full satisfaction. Forumotion team

A Forumotion Important Announcement

[Jucarese]

if Foronution comes to close no matter what happens with the domain,
the domain is associated with the url of your forum, with closed forumotion there is no forum you just have a domain that is not going anywhere.

[io Re-search]

Hello 'all',
Interesting THIS !

1] For the proceeding 2 entries seem to be so far OFF topic, {{{ AND~ *i* AM NOT complaining about it }}} just curious as if & or when Shadow or France.... will up D*stakes.

2] Do any of you actually think France did not consider that Issue when setting up this WORLD WIDE ~ Effort ?

BUT~ Most importantly of all.
*i* want to thank PoodleyPie For *actually* expounding *with* Meat, and not just an ever so simple 1 line question.
GOOD ON YOU GIRL.

Regards
lloyd
a.k.a io RE-search.

[PoodleyPie]

Hi. I'm in the early stages of developing a free forum and have considered the premium package.

The one question I haven't seen in this thread is what happens to our domain name if Forumotion sadly ever goes out of business? Would we be told weeks in advance? Would we have first choice on buying it and be able to purchase it at a reasonable price (again) elsewhere? Or would it just be gone?

And if the announcement is made publicly, what is to stop one of those unscrupulous domain profiteers from swooping in and buying the domains first, then offering to sell it back at a ransom price? I thought of this question b/c at one time (and maybe still) you could go to Godaddy and put in a bid for a domain name in use, and if the owner didn't renew by a certain date, the profiteer would then own it and be able to use it or resell the name at whatever he thinks he could get for it.

if Foronution comes to close no matter what happens with the domain, the domain is associated with the url of your forum, with closed forumotion there is no forum you just have a domain that is not going anywhere.

Jucarese and others: Unless we read it in writing from the owner of Formotion, I can't assume that if they close, we still:

1) have,
2) own,
3) can control, and
4) have access to our domain.

When you buy your custom domain through another entity (such as Forumotion), the DNS settings are configured for you.
By default, the Forumotion's account owner's email and information are used to purchase and renew domains.

Thus, if they tragically go under, we have no control (that I've read here so far) on how or where we would go to re-configure the DNS settings of our domain to point to a new web host.

I'm not trying to make trouble; I really like Forumotion and the incredible support. I appreciate their transparency in their worries about staying financially affloat if they don't make changes. This rings true and reasonable, given the rising costs of everything.

I too would like to be reasonably reassured that if I invest in going from a free account to a premium account that I don't end up losing everything, in this order:

1) the forum itself,
2) my time invested in designing the forum,
3) time & efforts in attracting members, and
4) the annual fee.

Thank you.

[Walt]

Hello @PoodleyPie,

You may know that when you purchase a domain name, you are able to transfer it to another registrar with the Auth Code. Forumotion isn't going to close down but the domains are safe because you would be able to ask for the Auth Code and use your domain somewhere else.

[io Re-search]

Hello France,
You see now, *i* didn't know any of that.
AND~ might *i* T*ank the GODfather for not stamping on this AND mE TOO.

Please continue folks, I'm a MORON, and whilst I am really set on becoming Legendary FOR~ being an Ignoramus, I am not set on allowing any SUPPORT system to get away with it.

Support *is* just about the most important of concerns, as expressed by nigh on all I've spoken to about it.
AND~ Unless *U* be set on having a SUPPORT Discussion on your own Forum, THIS (Forum)~ *i* believe *is* the best place to
to point any that come to your, or mY, in mY case~ Forum for just that sort of trouble or issue.

I may be wrong about that~ AND IF SO~ Please expound ?

Regards
io RE-search

[PoodleyPie]

You may know that when you purchase a domain name, you are able to transfer it to another registrar with the Auth Code. Forumotion isn't going to close down but the domains are safe because you would be able to ask for the Auth Code and use your domain somewhere else.

Hi Walt. I hope this is true and appreciate your optimism, but I can't take for granted you know with this 100% certainty since you are not the Admin or owner of FM. Thank you for your link. However, I read it (https://wiki.gandi.net/en/domains/transfer/authcode) and see some problems:

~ To get your authorization key (also known as authorization code, auth code, EPP code), you need to log in under the owner or administrative contact handle for the domain. After logging in, go to your domain's control panel, where you will see the following section at the top of the page: (has a screenshot)

So, that sounds like the FM Admin, not us who have domains w/ FM, has that level of control. If it is us, would this authorization key visible on our Admin Panel as soon as I purchase and own a domain thru Forumotion? Probably not.

I say this because the link also says:

There are some instances when you will not see your authorization code right away:
-locked-: The domain is locked against transfer, you need to deactivate the transfer protection via the domain's control panel,
-unavailable-: The registry does not use authorization keys for their domains, and so there is none for the domain,
-pending-: An authorization key generation is already in progress,
-expired- : Please contact customer support for assistance,
-support-: Please contact customer support for assistance

And so forth.

You know, the whole idea of a worst-case scenario would be a nightmare for all who have skin in the game, so to speak, so I am not without empathy or understanding. My newbie forum is just a seed of an idea to keep me busy in my free time and might never take off. I'm okay with that. However, I'd be up at night if I had large, active forum, or owned or worked for FM.

Can or will the Forumotion Admin/Owner confirm that we would get our domain auth keys quickly if worst comes to worst, since he/she is the one making decisions and would truly know with 100% certainty?

Thank you.

[SLGray]

This is not the place to have a discussion about if Forumotion will close or not and what will happen with domain names. This is only an announcement topic, not a support topic.

[PoodleyPie]

My apologies. I thought it was appropriate to ask since on page 5, Shadow Adminis repeated what Godfather Admin said in the first paragraph:

"This change was not made out of pleasure or to impose constraints or to force you to pay more. This is a total change in our company's business model. Either we do it like that, or we close the Forumotion service, no choice." ...

My life experience taught me to think in terms of hope and work for the best, plan for the worst, so the question immediately occurred to me. Personally I hope you all are wildly successful with the changes.

[Ape]

Hello @PoodleyPie No one in the world can say if FM will stay open for good or close its doors.

But I can tell you one thing they don't plan to close down and they will do what ever it takes to stay open.

Walt works for the French support forum and knows more then most about what is going on so you can trust what he tells you.

The change had to come to make the much needed money as the ad's on our forums are not making the money we need to keep going as a Free host.

Right now there is nothing to worry about as long as this change works out for us all.

[Sawn]

Maybe in a few months I finally open my RP forum so I plan to buy only SSL (I think it's all what my forum need). I undestand that forumotion need more money to exits, works e.g and why offers packages. I saw similar plan on other hosting. But... If u give back possibility buy only SSL, I you make me very happy and u get my money. Or I think it's good idea... packages should be possible to buy in another way, not only via paypal on month. E.g allopass. I don't use paypal.

[SLGray]

From now on, you will have to purchase a package if you want a domain name, SSL certificate, ads removal, etc.

You also need to understand that somethings cost extra like domain names.  

For Example:  The package only gives you the ability to have a domain name.  You have to purchase a domain name (1200 credits).

Everyone Please Read These:

https://help.forumotion.com/t155627-forumotion-packages

https://help.forumotion.com/t155625-monetization-of-your-forum

https://help.forumotion.com/t155623-disabling-ads-on-your-forum

https://help.forumotion.com/t155626-extended-search

https://help.forumotion.com/t155622-forumotion-copyrights

https://help.forumotion.com/t155624-newsletter-popular-content

[brandon_g]

Maybe in a few months I finally open my RP forum so I plan to buy only SSL (I think it's all what my forum need). I undestand that forumotion need more money to exits, works e.g and why offers packages. I saw similar plan on other hosting. But... If u give back possibility buy only SSL, I you make me very happy and u get my money. Or I think it's good idea... packages should be possible to buy in another way, not only via paypal on month. E.g allopass. I don't use paypal.

You can get packages using other payment methods such as allopass and such by buying credits. You can only get the yearly package by doing so though. It is an option though.

[The Godfather]

Hello,

The packages are now on line and are operational. A tutorial explaining their use as well as the features they include is available here.

Note that since this morning, we have sent online a new modification allowing forums with a Premium package and who wish to have a storage greater than 2GB included in this package to acquire more storage for their attached files and gallery images.



Concretely :

1. I am in free package: I am entitled to 20 MB of storage included. If I want more, I upgrade to advanced or premium package.
2. I am in advanced package: I am entitled to 500 MB of storage included. If I want more, I upgrade to premium package.
3. I am in a premium package: I am entitled to 2GB of storage included. If I want more, I can buy at once from 1 GB up to 10 GB additional storage valid for a duration that I can choose from 1 month up to 24 months max.

So I lock this topic and invite users with a real problems or questions with their packages (and not debating its implementation) to open a topic in the support section.

Regards