Saying Goodbye to our Live Product

Even great things come to an end sometime, and that time has officially arrived for Live. If you’re one of our clients who uses Live, you might know that we already started reaching out to you to ensure a smooth transition. If you’re not, this article will provide a little more context and if you have any doubts about this announcement, don’t hesitate to reach out to us or talk to your Customer Success Manager. 

For those who are not familiar with the product, Live started as a live blogging platform focused on news/media companies as a result of the ScribbleLive acquisition in 2019.

Rock Content is laser focused on helping brands to excel in content marketing and since Live has a media-focused DNA, it differs quite a bit from our target ICP – agencies, businesses, and enterprises looking for the best resources to meet their evolving marketing needs.

That’s why we’ve decided to sunset Live. But what exactly does this mean for Rock Content clients who use it, and rely on it everyday? We hear you, and we are here to answer those questions.

What Is the Sunset Timeline for Live by Rock Content?

Current users should be aware that Live will be available until December 2023, so there is plenty of time to work on the transition and make it as smooth as possible for our clients. All existing contracts will be honored and we’re announcing it now to make it easier for all clients to make an informed decision regarding their next steps, supported by our team.

However, as with any product transition, the sooner we start planning and working together on building your own transition plan, the better. Since we started planning the sunset, we were seeking for a solution that would better fit our customers’ needs.

For months we worked to make this transition easier, and we wouldn’t make this decision if we hadn’t found a great solution. After considering several options, we partnered up with a company that offers a great option that will meet your needs just as (if not better than) Live. So allow us to formally introduce you to Arena.

What Is Arena?

One reason why it took us longer than expected to sunset Live was the need to find a solid transition path to our customers and when we found Arena, we knew it was a perfect match. We actually met them, because some of our clients were very enthusiastic about their product and we had several success cases of Live to Arena migrations. 

Arena is a communication-centric platform that delivers a solution similar to Live, but with even cooler features. It enables brands and media organizations to create content-centric, live communities of all types and sizes an opportunity to connect with one another.

It’s also very much in line with Rock Content’s mission to provide the best possible experience for our customers. Here’s a closer look at why we’re so excited about Arena and hopefully our clients will be, too.

• Arena makes it a snap to create attractive, engaging live blog experiences that will support solid SEO and boost engagement through the roof.
• Arena supports live chats designed to send your conversion rates soaring on your platform of choice.
• Arena users enjoy access to opportunities to deepen and enhance engagement with handy features like polls, Q&As, reactions, comments, and more – just like on social media.
• Arena streamlines the task of collecting, organizing, and applying valuable first-party data – an absolute must in today’s digital landscape.
• Arena is a no-code solution, so it’s extremely user-friendly and an option anyone can get started with easily, quickly, and intuitively.
• Arena integrates seamlessly with many of your favorite monetization options, as well – like AdSense, AppNexus, and DoubleClick.
• Arena’s customer support interface is second to none, offering multiple ways to get in touch anytime you need assistance.

In other words, Arena is a way more advanced and sophisticated solution than Live. Rather than competing, we chose to partner up! We can’t wait for you to get to know it and to start integrating it into your communication plans for your company.

What Are We Doing To Ensure A Smooth Transition To Customers?

Yes, we’re sunsetting Live. But we also understand that it takes time and planning to fully transition from a product you love, trust, and have been used to as you’ve grown your business and its reach.

We are honoring all contracts and we will be flexible about renewals, so customers can have the appropriate time to work on new integrations and plan the transition until December 2023. If customers need more time, we are open to discussion to ensure a truly soft transition.

We are only referring customers to Arena as one solution. But it’s always the customers choice to follow the best path they believe for their businesses. And we will be here to help in every way possible.

All active and former customers are being directly contacted by our Customer Success Management for clarification about the sunset of Live and to define together the best renewal options for their brand so they can have a smooth transition, regardless if they choose Arena or other options.

We are currently intoducing Arena to customers and, if they are interested, we connect them directly with the vendor for further clarifications and negotiations. But we always make sure that it’s up to the customer to decide the best path they want to take for their businesses.