Plugin Author
Joe
(@morehawes)
Hi @calmfort5842,
Thanks for the suggestion!
Honestly, while I think this would be a cool feature to add, at the moment I am just focusing on maintaining the plugin mostly as-in and am not looking to add new features.
With only 2 sponsors, that’s as much time as I can focus on Waymark at the moment. I hope this changes in the future, but that is the reality at the moment.
Thanks again for the feedback.
Joe
Thanks, Joe! We’re currently evaluating several mapping plugins (including commercial ones) for our blog, and if we go with Waymark, we’d certainly contribute.
Honestly, long-term availability and stability for the plugin is most important for us. We don’t want to risk choosing one solution, just to see it disappear in a few years. That’s why we very like much the open source approach of Waymark, but are also concerned of lacking sufficient financial support to ensure longevity. Have you though about adding paid-for pro-version? If priced fair, I’d hope many users would support the continued development.
Plugin Author
Joe
(@morehawes)
Hi @calmfort5842,
Currently 5% of Waymark users leave a review and 0.02% sponsor it financially.
Have you though about adding paid-for pro-version?
I did a big push last year trying to drum up support for a pro version. This included a detailed survey and contacting 500+ websites that use Waymark directly by email (no small endeavour when you don’t know who your users are!) and I received a very tepid response. Almost all indicated that they would not be willing to contribute financially.
Waymark was my first Open-Source project and I didn’t set out to make money from it. That’s probably where I went wrong! If something is free, it’s hard to start asking for money later. Good software takes time and at the moment I only have a minimal amount to dedicate to this project.
While I’m really pleased with how the plugin turned out, my plan is to keep the lights on as long as I can, which does not include adding new features at this time. I currently do not use Waymark or WordPress myself in any meaningful way, so I can’t say how long the plugin will continue to be maintained for.
All the best,
Joe
Joe – hat off to you! For creating an excellent plugin, and for being so honest and direct! Unfortunately, that’s rare these days. Understand where you’re coming from and your status. Disappointing only a few indicated willingness to support a pro version but as you said probably not unexpected. Again, kudos you for creating such a useful plugin – and for your attitude and honesty!
