Uh, you might want to read the terms and conditions. From the FAQ:
"All comments over four months old are archived for non-premium members. These comments are simply moved to a different database and are not deleted. This is done to keep the performance of the site at an acceptable level. This restriction does not apply to premium (upgraded) members and upgrading your account automatically restores all previously archived comments within 24 hours of the upgrade."

And "archived" means they won't show up on your page till you pay.

I had Haloscan on my blog for nearly a year, and didn't realize that I'm losing my older comments. It's a lock-in, plain and simple.
Ankit | Homepage | 06.14.05 - 11:00 am | #

Thanks for the info. This is important to consider, obviously.

(Other readers should check out the commenter's blog by clicking on "home page" it's interesting)

I'll have to look at the rates for premium service. On my limited income I already pay some amount each month for premium content and services and I may be willing to pay for Haloscan.

I think that to call it lock-in may not be entirely fair. If there is full disclosure (in the Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ) then the question becomes am I willing to pay for long term data storage in exchange for the quality of the company's services. Or am I willing to accept good service at no cost and in the short term in exhange for loss of access to my data after a certain time.

I do prioritize creating content for later reference, but comments are rare right now. Unles comments become more substantial here, I'll likely just react on them in the short term and try to remember them. If that changes, the service probablly doesn't cost too much and could be paid for by eliminating an other service I use less frequently.

Ultimately, this is something important to discuss with clients. I appreciate the info. I had not done a serious reading of the site in this case. I am not surprised by it, but it's important to discuss.

Edited By Siteowner
Marshall | 06.15.05 - 6:32 am | #

Well, I went and looked at the costs involved. They ask $12 for 12 months. That's one buck a month for a service that has quite a few good features. I'll pay that no problem. In fact, I already have. An interesting situation, though, no?
Marshall | 06.16.05 - 10:49 pm | #