Here;s the story. Ning is no longer free.
http://mashable.com/2010/04/18/ning-alternatives/
Mashable quote "Ning, the network of social networks that boasted 20 million visitors a month, is making massive staff cutbacks and has announced a complete end to free services for its users. Those who pay for premium services will be asked to pay more, and those who are getting their social networks free of charge will be asked to fork over or phase off the Ning platform."