14 DAY TRIAL // Xmarks recently announced that it would be shutting down the service having failed to turn it into a viable business. With funding running out, costs piling and no revenue stream in sight, the decision was made to close it down.
Since the announcement, though, there's been an outpour of support from the service's loyal users. With two million users in total, it's clearly a popular product.
Some of the users even wanted a way to pay for it, just to ensure that it doesn't close. This has made Xmarks change its views a little and the company is now looking to see if enough users would actually pay for the service to keep it afloat.
"First off, a big thanks to all of you that sent kudos and 'Nooooooo’s' in response to our shutdown announcement," James Joaquin, CEO of Xmarks, wrote.
"[T]he main thing we’ve heard… many of you have cried from the rooftops that you would be willing to pay for Xmarks," he said.
"[W]e’re revisiting the idea of Xmarks as a premium service. We’ve set up a Pledgebank page where you can sign up if you’re willing to pay at least $10 a year for Xmarks. No credit card is required, but please only pledge if you are genuinely willing and able to pay," he announced.
The plan is, for now, to see if enough users would actually be willing to pay for the service. Of course, just because someone pledges to pay doesn't mean that they'll actually do it, but it's a good start.
So far, close to 9,000 people have signed the pledge, several hours after it was set up. Even if the company reaches its 100,000 users goal and even if they all actually end up paying, that still only covers half of the costs of running Xmarks.
But there are more good news for Xmarks. It seems that after the announcement, a number of companies have expressed their interest in buying Xmarks and keeping the service going. While it's too early to tell, Xmarks says, there are some interesting prospects.