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The end of WinCustomize

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The end of WinCustomize

...as we know it...

from WinCustomize Forums

The new subsription drive has started...

This is a site that gets 90,000 visitors a day.  And today it's gotten 9 subscriptions or renewals during the subscription drive. $260 down, $49,740 to go in about a month to re-do the site.

There are two different visions for the site. Let's call them the community versus commercial views.  I'm on the commercial side.  Zoomba/ID/jafo are likely on the community side.

We've estimated that the new site is going to cost around $50k to make.  Stardock is going to pay for anything that the community doesn't come up with. But in return, the more Stardock pays into it, the more say it's going to have on the design.

I'm pretty sure that the core skinning community is no longer big enough to pay the bills and that's fine. Skinning has become one of those ominipresent things that, because it's not a niche, doesn't really have a strong core following like it used to. It has millions of users but relatively few who really care about a "skinning community" any more than people really care about a core World of Warcraft community. Skinning is everywhere these days.

The new WC, the commercial one, will be radically different than the WC we have today.  First, the S-corporation that runs WinCustomize will get disolved and become part of Stardock Software (which makes WindowBlinds, Object Desktop, etc.).  

Second, WC will be funded out of Stardock Software's marketing budget. 

Now this may sound bad but let's face it, most people come here for Stardock related content.  When this site started, programs like Winamp, Hoverdesk, WinStep, ICQ Plus and others were pretty significant.  Today, it's pretty much all about WindowBlinds, DeskScapes, IconPackager, wallpapers and a that's about it.  

The community won't disappear but obviously the site will become much more Stardock oriented and the days of WinCustomize as a quasi-independent entity will come to an end.

See what we have in mind: https://forums.wincustomize.com/335824

491,151 views 332 replies
Reply #101 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Am I a meanie? Well certainly. At least once a year a bunch of people claim that the way I post and respond is going to drive Stardock or WC or whatever out of business because I'm so acidic.

commie bastard... :grin: :grin: :rofl: :rofl:

Reply #102 from WinCustomize Forums Top

5. Am I a meanie? Well certainly. At least once a year a bunch of people claim that the way I post and respond is going to drive Stardock or WC or whatever out of business because I'm so acidic. But of course, that never happens.
I just take a couple Tums.  Works every time.

DeskScapes - Bring your desktop background to life.
Reply #103 from WinCustomize Forums Top

if you are lookign for community . . there is always JoeUser.com
the Skinning community and the blogger community mix like water and oil.
I usually look at teh most recent post page on all the SD sites.  And if you look at those pages on WC you see how much of the posts are not skin related.

Most of those could be at any blog site without any noticeable effect to the skinners.

Reply #104 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Having been through this "end of WC" issue every year for the past six years, I have concluded that idle spectulation is a waste of time and it will be what it will be.  Then one can either stay or leave as it suits their needs.

Reply #105 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Having been through this "end of WC" issue every year for the past six years, I have concluded that idle spectulation is a waste of time and it will be what it will be. Then one can either stay or leave as it suits their needs.

 

I totally agree kenwas. :thumbsup:

Reply #106 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I usually look at teh most recent post page on all the SD sites. And if you look at those pages on WC you see how much of the posts are not skin related.

Most of those could be at any blog site without any noticeable effect to the skinners.
Well Zub, I guess I'm probably a lot to blame for that, at least in recent months. The joke/comedy threads seem popular among many members, but if WC wished to do away with them I guess we would have no say.  If the new site is going to have a recent forum activity section, I think I asked you at one time, if the list could be lengthen to like 20, or if two seperate lists could be made.  One that would contain recent post to the General and Community sections, and one that would cover everything else.

Reply #107 from WinCustomize Forums Top

 

Quoting Zubaz, reply 3
if you are lookign for community . . there is always JoeUser.com the Skinning community and the blogger community mix like water and oil.I usually look at teh most recent post page on all the SD sites.  And if you look at those pages on WC you see how much of the posts are not skin related.

Most of those could be at any blog site without any noticeable effect to the skinners.

So...like this is a "Purge" to "purify" the site? WC folks won't be flocking there (JU) anytime soon. Where do you want them to go?

I'm sure you noticed that the games and questions, quasi-political topics, etc. along with "Month's Desktops", "WIP's" and I.D.'s articles seem to keep the people on the site and keep it (for want of a better term) alive at all hours?

How many of the visitors don't have SD software? Can marketing get together with the devs and produce a site that'll "temporarily" (only while the person is on the site) 'skin' the visitor's system so he/she can see what it'll look like and not have to install/uninstall trial versions?

Do you think SD marketing alone will keep people on the site, Zu? The software is great, but you need WP's and skins to show what things can look like with the software.

Another area that needs "livening up" is the WinWikipedia. Not enough people try skinning because honestly, it appears so daunting.

Maybe a "Video Professor" type approach would produce more customers and skinners....Yeah, I'm trying to repopularize skinning.

If galleries like "Wallpapers" are simply "gone", the attractions of the site decrease and so will it's "Showcase" potential for StarDock. One hand washes the other....of course, "theme Manager" could solve that.

 

Reply #108 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting DrJBHL #107:

"Maybe a "Video Professor" type approach would produce more customers and skinners....Yeah, I'm trying to repopularize skinning."

 

Great idea! Don't know if it's do-able, but it might work for people like me who need to see something done before it maks sense.

Reply #109 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If galleries like "Wallpapers" are simply "gone", the attractions of the site decrease and so will it's "Showcase" potential for StarDock. One hand washes the other....

Precisely, and that's why Stardock will maintain the wallpaper and 3rd-party skin galleries for subscribers, but have them turned off by default to other users/visitors... otherwise, Stardock cuts off its nose to spite its face, and quite frankly I don't see Brad doing that to his livelihood, and ultimately his customers.

Furthermore, with regard to the WC forums, the comments relating to non-skinning threads, there has been little activity of late and those joke/game/fun threads have pretty much been keeping the forums alive... and as they are placed in the 'general discussion' area they do not necessarily detract from skinning specific threads, which are generally (or should be) placed in the 'customisation and/or Stardock Support sections.

The point I'm trying to make here is that the patrons of WC have interests other than skinning and come from many diverse and varied backgrounds that it would be self-defeating to eliminate the fun and political discussion threads in favour of skinning based threads and nothing else.  We need the diversity and varied topics to keep breathing life into what would otherwise be dull, boring and almost dead forums.... otherwise people will frequent other sites more and return here only when the need for a fresh desktop drives them to.

Reply #110 from WinCustomize Forums Top

please  try preserve WB, misc icons and xion if possible. those are the areas i frequent fom time to time.  :(

Reply #111 from WinCustomize Forums Top

WinCustomize has been dying from the inside for several years. A site originally intended for skinning has become a place where people just want to download. What has been needed for some time is a new direction.

Perhaps a clean out will be a good thing.

Whatever happens, I will continue to support the site and skinners as I aways have.

Reply #112 from WinCustomize Forums Top

preserve WB

Rest asure that the WB category will stick around ;)

Reply #113 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Whatever happens, I will continue to support the site and skinners as I aways have.

Hear hear!!

Reply #114 from WinCustomize Forums Top

i havent even celebrated a one year anniversary with WC yet. hmm.

i too will support WC too. since ive already invested in WB  :wc:

Reply #115 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Guys . . . I don't mean to say that the off-topic posts were bad or the cause of anything, or that they were going away.  I have no idea what the plans are.

My point was that there are other resources (like JU) avbailalbe for that type of community stuff if it wasn't part of WC.

 

I LIKE the community of WC.  You all are my friends and I hope the sub drive makes . . but if it doesn't and things change it doesn't mean the death of the site or the friendships or the skins.  It jsut means a change.

Reply #116 from WinCustomize Forums Top

2. IF Stardock Software takes over WinCustomize, it won't be run anymore by community liasons but rather by Stardock's marketing team. I would still be in overall charge of the site but the layout and design of the site would be set up by marketing's requirements instead of community concerns.

Actually, marketing people will have the view point of making sales so they will certainly care a good deal about what the Community of subscribers and ODNT software customers want. The customers will have precedence (as will showcasing SD and affiliate products...viz advertising dollars to maintain the site) over visitors who pay for nothing and just download.

This is only fair. I don't want anyone deprived, but when push comes to shove with respect to budgeting who should have more say? Remember: SD listens, but it isn't a democracy, it's a business.

Am I a meanie? Well certainly. At least once a year a bunch of people claim that the way I post and respond is going to drive Stardock or WC or whatever out of business because I'm so acidic.

Well...I didn't want to be the first to say it, but...if keeping SD and WC 'alive' means changing things around some.... :thumbsup:

because I love the place and the people. Even Zubaz.

And, it wouldn't hurt to say "thank you" for doing this (obviously) thankless task.

You want to push for your point of view? If you're Subscribed, great. If not, then Subscribe ASAP.

Folks: Just don't say, "Why didn't you tell us this was in the works."

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Reply #118 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I've renewed again - I have no idea how far ahead I'm set for - doesn't matter.  As long as Stardock has products and a forum, I'll continue lurking.  Outside of the skins, I don't remember the last non SD downloads I've made.

Brad doesn't always (rarely? ;-) ) puts things diplomatically but I have every faith that what's important to subscribers will be covered.

Reply #119 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I really don't understand why people keep bringing up "this is the end of the community".  That hasn't been said at all.  The forums aren't going anywhere, we basically talking about a new direction for the site.

Reply #120 from WinCustomize Forums Top

please try preserve WB, misc icons and xion if possible. those are the areas i frequent fom time to time.

WindowBlinds is a Stardock product so if anything, it would get greater attention than say, Xion.  That's exactly what Brad is saying.  You would not see any content for products outside of Stardock.

I personally don't think the entire issue is about people being afraid of change, rather that people are afraid of good things coming to an end, as I suppose all good things must do at some stage.  That's what I believe is the greatest concern.

While I agree that speculating, predicting the worst and fear-mongering at such an early juncture is unnecessary, I do think that it's important to consider and discuss the impact a totally Stardock marketed approach would have on a site whose initial purpose was to cater for the wider skinning community.

I don't begrudge Brad's desire to take WC in a different, easier-to-manage and hopefully more profitable direction and in this day and age it's probably a good business move, but I dare say the title of this thread is probably far more portentous to the Wincustomize skinning community as a whole than was intended, so I don't think people's concerns are unfounded.

The difference for this website as I see it, in very basic terms would be a strictly "what's best for Stardock" approach, as opposed to the "what's best for skinning and its community" attitude I've witnessed in WC since its inception.

I guess the skinning scene has indeed changed and become more mainstream, and Stardock itself and its approach has indeed changed.  It's just sad to think that the Wincustomize we know and love today has its days numbered.
As far as the WC community itself is concerned, I suppose it can weather the changes, but whether it does so well and unscathed remains to be seen.

Reply #121 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I really don't understand why people keep bringing up "this is the end of the community". That hasn't been said at all. The forums aren't going anywhere, we basically talking about a new direction for the site.

 

You must admit ID that it a bit weird with the site owner posting an article called "The End of Wincustomize....as we know it" and in the next breath, by the way, would you like to subscribe?  Would not anyone on the edge of deciding to subscribe or not simply wait and see what develops with the site?  Seems self-defeating to me.  Why promote subscriptions for a product that is about to be redesigned?  Although, it has been noted that Brad said IF the subscriptin drive fails, but he certainly was clear that he thought there was little to no chance that it would succeed.  As I said, I have already subscribed to this new drive, but if I hadn't, I would certainly wait and see what actually developed before doing so.  I imagine others would react that way and thus doom the subscription drive.

Reply #122 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I really don't understand why people keep bringing up "this is the end of the community". That hasn't been said at all. The forums aren't going anywhere, we basically talking about a new direction for the site.
The title could be seen as exatly that. although the sub-title and subsequent responses seem to make it pretty clear tha it's notthe case.

Reply #123 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Well, I tried to renew my subscription earlier to show my support, but had problems with the purchase.

I made my choices, put in my payment information, thought I was done, but then got the message that I hadn't made any purchase. So I went to do it again, but was prompted to enter all my payment info again. So I put in a call and an email to stardock sales, got a return email with ticket#, but to give it up to 2 days for a response.

I'm usually patient and would wait, but I'm kind of worried about my payment info being 'out there' and don't want to do the order again in case I'm making a double purchase.

Any ideas?

Reply #124 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Well, I tried to renew my subscription earlier to show my support, but had problems with the purchase.

What problem did you have?

Reply #125 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting karmat, reply 23
Well, I tried to renew my subscription earlier to show my support, but had problems with the purchase.

I made my choices, put in my payment information, thought I was done, but then got the message that I hadn't made any purchase. So I went to do it again, but was prompted to enter all my payment info again. So I put in a call and an email to stardock sales, got a return email with ticket#, but to give it up to 2 days for a response.

I'm usually patient and would wait, but I'm kind of worried about my payment info being 'out there' and don't want to do the order again in case I'm making a double purchase.

Any ideas?

What's "out there" you can't do anything about.

Don't do anything til you get the 'thumbs up' from SD.

Get "Life Lock"...if you're really worried (Identity protection). HERE.

*sigh....great time for that to go wrong...See Murphy's Laws.

I.D. might have a solution.