'Dear Elten users!

Due to difficulties in collecting contributions, I decided to launch the premium features in Elten. These will consist of new options, as well as some of the functions that were previously part of the basic version. All details will be provided soon.
Below is a preliminary list of packages with their annual price. Within two weeks I will try to prepare the "Frequently Asked Questions" section.

1. Brown package, 25 PLN (5.20 GBP):
* Disabling information about support at the start of Elten,
* Possibility to create more blogs (in the basic plan it will be possible to create only one personal or shared blog),
* Ability to download sound themes from the server,
* Possibility of switching off the display of signatures,
* Bookmarks in threads,
* Protecting private messages from deletion.

2. Silver package, 50 PLN (10.40 GBP):
* All from the brown package,
* Replies to mentions,
* History of mentions,
* Check spelling,
* Binding external domains to blogs,
* Increased the attachment size limit to 64MB (current 16MB will be replaced by 4MB),
* Canceling the limit of private voice messages (in the basic plan the length of the voice message will be limited to two minutes),
* Option to disable displaying the project support request on the blog (information will be visible on all other blogs from the website).

3. Gold package, 100 PLN (20.80 GBP):
* All from the silver package,
* Built-in translator (official Google API or DeepL, switchable),
* Informing about new blog followers,
* Following external blogs (based on Wordpress and not belonging to Elten, including all blogs on wordpress.com),
* A reminder and information about namesday,
* Group pinning (locally, on the forum list),
* Access to messages on Elten from the any e-mail client,
* Entry on the official sponsors list in the menu.

4. Platinum package, 200 PLN (41.60 GBP):
* All from the gold package,
* User special sound when moving forum posts,
* The appropriate information about patronage in the visiting card,
* Title of honorary patronage (more influence on deciding the order of introduced functions),
* Up to five promoted groups and blogs can be entered on specially created lists (conditions will be given soon).

Those who transfer more than 50 PLN (10.40 GBP) to Elten by October 24th will receive a platinum package for free from October 24th to January 24th. I ask these users to contact me. You will be able to pay for the premium features on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis, details will be given soon.

With respect,
David Pieper

Out of all the features listed, I'm only going to miss five: sound themes downloading, limitless voice messages, attachments to 64 MB, mentions history and the built in translator. I don't want to pay for stuff I don't use though. This is hard!

When Klango did something similar it didn't last too much longer, just sayin'.

I completely agree with the last two posts. We are well on our way to a drastic change; just as it was with Klango. I' not planning to pay anything either. This could affect the functions concerning the fact when it comes to monitor this group.

Neither am I.

Let alone there is still no English web site.

If you Mr. Pieper, concentrated on making an international web site, then maybe, just maybe, more and more people would have wanted to help out wit paying this program.
Speaking of payment, no US specific dollar amounts in your message post about all these changes?
Echo what Therrie and Charles said, Klango Pointswas a good idea in theory, though absolutely backfired in the end do to how it was excicuted.
And as for Voice Messages, ... I don't really have a good answer.
Considering Klango's Voice Messages were originally 5 minutes.

And with Audio Callng coming soon, boy... What's gonna hapen with them?

Boy, we need to be careful not to get rude here. Just sayin'

In my German translation of the first post for the German community, i used a calculator to do the conversion to EUR.

Well, I can understand why you don't mention Euros or Dollars because in Poland you don't use Euros but please, for heavens' sake, don't you ever use ponds any longer because there are hardly any English people on here. Please mention currencies in Euros and/or dollars.
And Trenton is right! First work on an English Web site for Elten before starting with a premium version. And I just want to say that I may be limited in my functions as a group administrator with only using a basic version of Elten.

You don't have to have english website if you want to use Elten.
And of course we can pay nothing, but later people will write "ehh, ELten is like Klango, they closed it".
Now We have good free version, if you want to support Elten, you just pay. I hope it isn't so hard to understand.

To the 9th poster, if only it was that simple...

@Everyone
You know why Klango was so successful from 2008 to 2014? It was because there was an English specific web site for it, and people didn't need to "manually" translate the pages from Polish to English.
AKA, Elten should have taken a similar rute to how Wikipedia does it.
Oh and yes, there were those games they put out (which also had an English web site.)
Almost forgot too, promotion! Do you see folks promoting Elten these days, (especially here in the USA?)
In other words, if people expect to pay for a program that has a fully translated interface though not a fully translated web site? Yah, Elten's just gonna be one of those client's/networks that will just be buried away.

If I shared the main announcement about Elten having paid plans (with most English users which have not even touched Elten one bit (unless they've used Windows), what will most of them say?

It's like, the failed Windows 10 Mobile/Phone
operating System. Regardless of how well the OS was, the Apps weren't there. In Elten's case, we have an excellent Windows client, but no gateway for new English users to jump into it. I know plenty of people who won't join this networ, because they aren't wlling to translate the site.
Yah, you could say, All Well it's life I guess. If you're wanting this network to grow (especialy since it's easier now to send the bad guys away), why change what works?

I have nothing else to say here. Do what ya do.

Completely agreed! And another thing: When Klango started, they had a paypal on their Web site right away. Why didn't Elten follow that example.
And Trenton, you are right again! I easily can see the point why so many people from the United states, Australia, New Zeeland are really really reluctant to join this platform because there is no English Web site; and people do not feel comfortable to work with translating Web sites all the time. Build an English Web site and Elten will really be atractive to the whole blind world. And leave people the choice on the Web site, whether they want to pay or not. I have nothing against a premium version but as soon as many visually impaired hear of it, it's just tikking them off. Haven't you seen the example with the screen readers? Why is NVDA so popular? Because people have access to it for free. Well it's just as Trenton says, "That's live I guess."

Look at the post number 3. I think english page isn't a main problem.
English page is relevant for new users.

but now we have a lot of people not only from Poland. They installed Elten, so they don't use Elten page so often.
Some people say: Ok, I won't pay because features aren't so useful in premium version. yyy, but when premium version will have more key functions, Elten will be useless in free version. Now, if you have friends who don't want to pay for apps, you can invite them and Elten will be usable for all.
about 7 dollars per year, isn't very big price.
There is about 300 active users. If 200 people will buy brown package, we will have money for 1 year. Some people will buy more expensive packages, it means if only 50% users will pay something, It will be fine, if not, Elten will be closed, that's all.
We don't have an other option. Premium packages are necessity.

The thing is, some of the features I miss are part of the more expensive packages. But if I go as far as, I think I'd need to go as far as gold to get all I want, there's a heck of a lot more I won't use. Of course, if I pay for that, that doesn't mean I have to use all the features, but I don't see the point in paying for something that won't be used in the first place.

And also, you can't expect all those 300 users to pay. You have to look at this more individually.

I only said we have 300 users, if 200 users will buy the cheapest package, we will have money. Some people will buy even platinum. In fact, less than 200 users can pay and it's ok.

Sorry, but we have no other way. I see only two options: to create premium functions or to close this network.
If the premium features fail, yes, I would be forced to close this community. It is a free project, I am developing it in my free time, but I am unable to pay for the server as well.
I tried to maintain this project without any payments as long as possible, but it is not possible any longer.

Well, at least there's an English web site in the works now (which I mentioned in the other thread earlier.)

I have money converting to do for my US folks (since I live in Denver Colorado after all.)

I really hope that group functionality isn't hamppered much in the free version.

Follow up!

Okay, the wording of "annually" in the message, should have been probably changed to "yearly."
At least it wuld have made more sense to my ears. :)

Well, and what is your viewpoint on making us pay for downloading sound themes from the server, when most of the actual sound themes don't come from you?

Why does Apple require developers to pay even if they want to publish only free software? I don't want users to buy soundthemes, but only downloading of soundthemes from the server will be a premium feature.
You always can send your soundtheme to other users in a PM, mail or publish it somewhere, by the way, something that in iOS given as an example is not possible.