Ning Strikes A Blow
I run one of the City of Lost Angel’s factional websites, TheBrood.org, it is hosted on a Social Networking site, Ning. A lot of other Blogger sites are also hosted on Ning, such as the Second Life Blogger’s group, and now Zoe’s Girls with Guns site. Some of us use a third party company to add some cool features to Ning. The company is WidgetLaboratory. Seems Ning though they were impinging on their turf and turned them off last night.
Some of the widgets from WidgetLaboratory people paid for, others were free. WidgetLaboratory looks to be now in the process of setting up to sue Ning. Probably won’t go far though. It’s a shame in both directions. Ning was a nice, easy to create social network and with the WidgetLaboratory addon’s it made it even better.
I’m debating what to do now with TheBrood.org site and if I should leave it on Ning or move it. I knew it was just too easy….
-Veyron
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I think a class action might get some where. Ning reports on their blog that Widget Labs violated their TOU, Widget Labs said they didn’t know until their customers told them. Many people on ning PAID for those widgets or may have been contracted to provide advertising to outside parties using those widgets. So ning has just cut them off from receiving a service they paid for and cut them off from providing services they have been paid for and contracted to provide. Ning receives a great financial benefit from the work of all its members, last I looked it was worth $500,000 and that comes from the work its members do. Ning has received substantial benefit from its members’ work and has caused them calculable material harm by interfering with their contractual relationships with Widget Labs and potentially with its members’ advertisers. Sounds pretty well actionable to me!