Just came across some news that says WordPress is making some pretty major changes. FORTUNATELY, I also found out that those of us who are already using WP will not be affected. PHEW!!
Here is how I came across the information.
Today I received notification that a new person had joined my blog — and had also commented on one my posts. After reading the comment, I decided to visit this individual’s blog. During a quick scan of the various post titles, one in particular caught my eye … “Changes Coming to WordPress.” Naturally, I was interested.
This person’s post offered a brief overview of WordPress’s actions, then linked to another post that provided much more detail.
After reading the linked post, I also visited this page that provided even more information. PLUS some feedback from disgruntled customers!
Suffice it to say that WordPress is screwing around with a good thing once again.
As I mentioned in my opening, it doesn’t appear the changes will affect those of us who already have blogs, but it you have any plans to add a new one, BE PREPARED to open your pocketbook.
Nan's Notebook 
Pretty soon nothing will be free.
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This is possibly a reaction to the way that “facebook” is sucking up all of the advertising dollars.
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Well, when the mass exodus begins, someone please tell me where we are going 😉
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Substack has a free blogsite available. I have posted on it twice now. But I cannot get around on it the way I do WP. Maybe it’s just me, I am not a surfer and need things to be obvious. At present my vote is no to Substack, but who knows.
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I’m sure some astute web nerd will find us a good place. 😉
But the only thing that concerns me is, I’ll bet a buck fifty we can’t take our domain name with us.
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That I would know nothing about. For now, I will just keep on WordPressing, lol.
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Yeah me too. I just don’t want to be the last one to know everyone split for blog place x. 😉
I don’t want to be one of the uncool kids lol.
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Hello Nan. The viewer limits were what interested me. Some blogs get a lot of traffic and that will be a pinch for them. I read the pages you and they linked to. I thought it was funny when they talked about tricking people into signing up at a lower price and then needed to buy increasingly as their blogs became bigger. I have been in that situation with them. Frustrating. I wonder, they changed to the block editor to be more business friendly, and the chat support people keep telling me they are going to drop the support for the classic editor someday. Why all these changes that make things harder for the non-business blogger? I would think they are killing the goose that is laying the golden eggs for them. I just do not understand.
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Scottie – Neil may have a point. Advertising revenue coming in from the free blogs may be declining, or stockholders may be pushing the directors to generate more profit.
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Well this is nasty. Changing the entire pricing structure with no advance warning at all, no communications with even people like me who have their business plan… That’s just nasty all the way around. It isn’t going to affect grouchyfarmer because that’s always been a business account and it looks like nothing is going to change for me, but this could really hurt a lot of people
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Looks like pretty soon I will not be blogging. Thanks Nan for sharing this
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Mak, from all indications — and at least for the time being — current customers won’t be affected. Of course with WP, who knows what will happen? They’ve made a lot of changes over the last few years. All to THEIR benefit, of course. 😠
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I looked at one of the links you shared and the “time being” does seem indefinite. We could just be told anytime to pay up or jump ship
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I hope it stays this way, that current customers won’t be affected… I’ve just started out on this blog but I do enjoy writing publicly and the community of WordPress… I would hate to stop blogging because I’m not able to afford to… 🙁
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Hi Bella! Yes, I think most all of us bloggers hope WP doesn’t change their mind down the road. My thinking is they’re like so many other companies that started out small. Suddenly they’re gotten too big for their britches and need to get new ones — at the expense of the people who helped them grow!
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Oh no you don’t! Don’t make me come down there 😉
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I’ve had a business plan ($300/yr) with WP for many years now and what really, really pissses me off is the total lack of information going on here. I knew absolutely nothing about this, received no announcements, no emails about it, nothing, until Nan posted this. I even double checked and went through the trash folder in my email just in case I accidentally deleted an announcement and found nothing but the usual WP spam about their worthless webinars and other spam. Making changes this serious without advance notice to users is one of the nastiest things I’ve ever seen a business try to pull off.
What is especially troubling is that no one seems to really know anything, or at least won’t say anything. How much is is going to cost if you go over the bizarrely loosely defined ‘visitor counts’? Don’t know. Will your site be shut down if you do over the visitor count? No, they say. Well, maybe? Sort of? How much more will it cost if you do go over the visitor count? Don’t know or won’t say.
They say that existing users of the service will be able to continue to work under the previously existing terms. But for how long? Are they going to continue that indefinitely? Don’t know. But it also seems that if you try to make ANY changes, i.e. you need more storage space, for example, it will, if I’m reading things right, trigger an account change and your legacy status will vanish and you will be required to “upgrade”.
I was just on my dashboard for grouchyfarmer.com and apparently nothing has changed, at least for me, when it comes to what I’m currently doing. I’m seeing exactly the same pricing structures, same plans, etc. when I look at my account status and upgrade options. They’re still offering me upgrades that, if this announcement is correct, are no longer available.
This is one of the most unprofessional, potentially unethical, confusing and badly thought out things I’ve ever seen a business do.
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Nan, I was not getting your posts in my feed for some reason, but I fixed it. Sheesh. Damned technology. LOL!
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Apparently, this is not all that uncommon. Makes one wonder if there really are “gremlins.” 😁 Or more likely — it was the DEVIL at work!! 😈
In any event, glad you got it fixed!!
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Well if you go somewhere else just let us loyal readers know where…😊
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