Ning ditches its free communities; prominent blogger calls it an act of ‘betrayal’

The social network Ning, which allows users to create Facebook-like communities, is ditching its long-held — and much-hyped — free model for a paid premium one. The decision has upset numerous people, including social media expert Shel Holtz. His blog post on the topic has sparked nearly two dozen comments. “The word that keeps repeating in my mind is ‘betrayal,’ Holtz blogged. “Deciding to stick with Ning and pay the fee requires more consideration than just the cost….