Last but not least: Xing implements the marketing
In early 2008, the business network Xing began displaying ads on the profile pages of its approximately four million members. However, although this had already been announced in mid-November 2007, it was met with a barrage of protests from both free and premium users shortly thereafter.
Xing, Europe's largest online network for business contacts, has so far implemented its plan to market its own Web 2.0 platform rather bumpily. From the beginning of the year, it placed advertisements on the profile pages of its now around four million members. However, although Xing had already announced this in mid-November 2007, protests from free and premium users rained down shortly afterwards. The angry feedback had an effect: just four days after the introduction, the Xing management promised that Premium users could opt out of the advertising if they wished. After more noise, Xing then declared the profile pages of Premium members to be generally free of advertising.
The company wrote: "This is in response to ongoing feedback that the majority of our Premium members do not want advertising on their profile pages for Basic members. We are very sorry that we have misjudged the situation. We would like to apologize to you for this."
According to one commentator, the successful protests were probably mainly due to the fact that business customers in particular regarded their "community" and their profile as an extension of their private home and wanted to be treated as such, i.e. they were more critical when advertising was displayed on their own doorstep.
