Involver Pro Facebook Page apps are here

I'm completely gaga over Involver.com's Facebook Page apps which include everything from Twitter, YouTube and RSS integration, to photo galleries, file uploads, polls, coupons, the works. They are easy to install and, best of all, they work! (and work well) Every Facebook Page I set up includes as many of their apps as it makes sense to use. I like them...a lot. 

The company just announced the introduction of Involver Pro, which offers even more features and functionality. While I'm excited about these enhancements, something the email announcement said concerns me:

"You are currently using one or more features that have become part of the pro package. Unfortunately we will no longer be supporting this feature for free users. 

"Since we know that the involver apps have become an integral part of many Facebook Pages, we've given you an automatic 14-day free trial of Involver Pro as you evaluate whether you'd like to upgrade to the pro product or be downgraded at the end of the trial period."

I don't know what "no longer be supporting this feature" or "downgraded" entails. Does that mean some of the features currently available in the free version will no longer be? I'm checking with Involver now to get clarification. 

UPDATE: Tyler Willis, Involver's director of marketing indicated that means "only 2 [free] apps allowed, no custom branding and no use of coupons or polls in the free version; non-paid users will be set to that."

So, that's a bit disconcerting. While I was aware they were rolling out a Freemium model, I wasn't aware punitive measures would be applied to users of the free version. 

To ease the pain of transitioning to the premium version, however, current Involver app users get a special discount. If you purchase the app suite before July 5th, you get it for $29 per month for the remainder of 2009. And, it's free for 30 days, which gives you plenty of time to decide if you like the service or not. (I can't imagine you won't.)

If you're developing a Facebook Page for your business or organization, let me encourage you to take a look at what Involver has to offer. Let me tell you, at $29 per month, this is a steal! 

(DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a paid endorsement. I have no financial incentive or motive for promoting Involver's products. I'm truly a fan. That's it.)

Comments

[Tyler Willis]

Hey Paul,

Thanks for the post -- I responded to your request for more info, but wanted to clarify here as well.

Involver Free will still be entirely available, however it will have some restrictions in order to encourage upgrades for heavy users. Those restrictions are:

1) No Custom Branding
2) No more than 2 apps
3) No use of coupons or polls applications

The pro product will have those restrictions removed and will be joined by some great new features like automatic status updates.

Hope this clarifies, I know how hard it is to move from a free product to a paid model (Josh Kopelman's Penny Gap) and I'm happy to personally answer any questions that you or your readers might have: tyler@involver.com

Thanks for being such a passionate user Paul!

[Paul Chaney]

Thanks for the clarification Matt. I have to admit that I groan just a bit at the 2 app restriction. I'll get over it I'm sure. :-) Bottom line: You have a great product that's affordable to small business. For that I'm appreciative.

[Ana Pierre Relation]

Not all that tragic, 2 apps is still ok.