It was $39/month when I joined and I also worked my way up to free membership.  I think it took me 1.5 yrs.  And, yes, the cost went down by $10 every 100,000 pts.  It was well worth it to me.  The amt/month was miniscule compared to the amt of business I got.

That being said, yes, I think it will slow more members from becoming rainmakers.

Also, Jill Murty, Realtor - Serving Orange County, CA , they said on the conference call that they have no intention on taking away free membership from members once they've reached 500,000 pts...Ben said "they earned it."

Had not noticed, but it was 49 when I first signed up, I went the free route though and earned my membership with points.

It's worth it! Keep plugging away to reduce the cost!

I can't say this in enough ways or loudly enough.... PAY THE MONEY AND USE THE PLATFORM AS IT SHOULD BE USED.... you'll soar with the eagles if you follow the right people and learn from their marketing ability... I follow Katerina Gasset and join her facebook groups....I've paid for her SEO courses and that's how I learned to blog...I can hold my own now!!! and I was technology challenged when I joined ActiveRain.... but you can't accomplish any of that if you are not a Rainmaker.... join now... there's nothing that says the price won't jump again.... 

It was $49.99 when i joined and then goes down $10 every 100,000 points you earn up to free when you get 500,000 points. It is worth every penny if you want maximum exposure. 

I completely understand your surprise and disappointment but I encourage you to reconsider - I think the exposure that your blogs get in the public domain makes it worth the money - Good luck blogging. 

It depends on your points. Sometimes, they give you a promotional rate, but usually you loose $10 with every 100k points till 500,000 when you become a ''free'' member.

I have not followed the current charges. That is good information to know when inviting new members.

Earn the needed 500,000 points for a free membership. 

I did not notice that, good to know. I'm sure there will be some announcement about it at some point. 

It was $39.99 when I first looked into ActiveRain years ago, then when I came back this year it was $19.99. 

Change is inevitable. What I will be curious about is people who left awhile back who may want to start up again and have over 500,000 points. I assume they will still be free but will the policy change based on how long you have been gone? I have enjoyed some posts that are coming from these folks.

This wIll  have a direct effect on the subscriptions for new members. We ain't in Tennessee no more Uncle Jed!

You have to do a cost benefit analysis. I sent out some promotional items at the beginning of the year that cost me $5,000 and a fellow Realtor thought I was crazy. I received $35,000 in commissions as a direct result of that item.

At this point the way I am managing my blogs it's something I'm not interested at this time, it doesn't matter the cost.

It will be a delicate balancing act to determine the best fee to charge in order to optimize ActiveRain's revenue and number of fee paying members.

Hmmm, so the new owner is showing a broker, revenue augmentataion, mindset. Is that a real surprise that a BROKER would find another way to get into the agents pocket?

Don't know about that... when I started it was $39.99/month and as I racked up points the price went down. Now it's free for me.

Good morning Kim. Kyle Reyes and I were talking about this very topic just yesterday. I wonder what kind of an effect it will have?

 Guide Thursday morning Kim. I would contact active rain As there may be a glitch in the system.

 Wow... I was seriously considering upgrading at the encouragement of another Rainmaker.  Guess that's not going to happen now!  It just went up sometime today by $20 per month, and $50 annual rate.

Being a rainmaker is abut more than the money.  If you are on AR and not a rainmaker, you're blog posts are not going public.  You are only talking to members of AR.

Add Active Rain to your advertising budget, then WORK IT.  Best bang for your buck.

i was going to join this week. 20 x 12 is easy to swallow i suspect. 40 x 12 will take some wine. hmmm guess ben isnt ALL about charity and giving back after he made it :) .... per the webinar the other day

Wow, that's a huge increase.  I probably wouldn't have joined at that price. I'm wonder if you still get a free Rainmaker account when you reach 500k points.

HMMM  that will slow some people down in joining.    I wonder if such a nig jump will hurt.

When I started 8 years ago, $39.99 was the price to upgrade that I paid I believe, then it fell off gradually, as I earned more points. I don't ever recall it only being $19.99 to join, if it was, possibly it was a special? I never paid much attention admittedly, I'd belong because I love the education, networking & blogging in The Rain. Plus, I use my blog for my clients' benefit; it serves as my "links to resources" and my FAQ's, so it's crucial to have it available to the public...that's how I've earned commissions from AR...public access at the paid level.