My all-time favorite Facebook fan page (public profile) tool provider Involver.com will begin charging for their tools on July 5. The site is offering existing users the chance to purchase the Involver Pro package for $29 a month if they purchase before July 5. From the press release:

Involver Pro has officially launched, and includes several new features like automatic status updates, increased support, and much more. You are currently using one or more features that have become part of the pro package. Unfortunately we will no longer be supporting this feature for free users. Since we know that the involver apps have become an integral part of many Facebook Pages, we’ve given you an automatic 14-day free trial of Involver Pro as you evaluate whether you’d like to upgrade to the pro product or be downgraded at the end of the trial period.

Their Web site is currently listing a basic, free package for non-profit organizations.
While I’m saddened by their decision to monetize in this way, I can see why they’re doing it and think they will likely be successful at it. $29 a month is a small price to pay for a well-organized and frequently updated Facebook public profile. With Facebook’s decision to open up vanity URLs to pages with less than 1,000 members or that were published after May 31, 2009, it’s clear that this major venue for online marketing is alive and well.
Stay tuned for an update to my blog post Five Tips for a Successful Facebook Fan Page to learn how the best practices have changed and how to get the same results using other (free for now) tools.