Ning Kills Free Service, Would Like To Get Paid Now, Please

GIGAOM — Ning, in a dramatic about-face, is shuttering its free social networking platform to concentrate solely on fee-paying networks and cutting 40 percent of its staff. Jason Rosenthal, who became CEO in mid-March after Gina Bianchini left, said in an email to employees that he’s "taken a hard look at our business in the 30 days since I became CEO, and I’ve decided to focus the company 100 percent on our paid networks business." Rosenthal said that the free part of Ning would be phased out "soon," and that existing networks would either have to convert to paying for the premium service or "transition off Ning"...