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
earlier, i had been thinking if -the forum could not be kept up and running..was going to suggest creating a WC forum offsite. like v-bulletin ..but anyways, WC forum is a cool close knit community
TG, that simply means that you're mainly going to see sections/category/galleries for Stardock applications by default, rather than non-Stardock like Winamp, Rainlendar, Sysmetrix etc etc.Those galleries will still be here. You'd just have to 'make them visible' first.
I'll take a pancreas, to go!
Frosty, I'm just worried, because I not long ago found this awesome Community, and the wonderful people in it, and I don't want to see it change, it's too awesome the way it is!
I think some are reading into this that the site will "disappear", and that is not what he is saying. Right now, WinCustomize is a community site where we have links to all types of software aside from Stardock stuff....Winamp, WMP, Xion, etc. Moving to a more "commercial" side as Brad mentioned would mean Stardock software like WindowBlinds, DeskScapes, etc. would be the prominent focus on the site.
There would still be a community as the forums would still be around, and lets face it, the forums is where most people communicate anyways.
i concur island dog mate
I have to agree with most of HG in his comment (#21) and I have to ask or add...
What do we get for the subscription? Does any of that change? I ask because of the change in ODN and the addition (with additonal cost) of ODN Ultimate. Will there be such a change with WC?
And what do we lose by not subscribing? The ability to see ceratin gallery's, post in forums, etc. Upload?
The only thing 'odd' to me is to make this post at the beginning of a big subscription drive when it may make some people hesitant to re-up or subscribe at all. They may want to wait and see how it plays out and learn exactly what they will be getting for their money. I'm always broke after Christmas and I'm trying to figure out what I can juggle to renew my subscript for WC and ODN and this just kinda threw up a big red flag for me.
Exactly Po, it kinda makes you wonder, but if it's how Frosty and ID put it, it would be ok, I'd just hate to see our user sites and the forums all gone.. I don't want to drift away from anyone here
i agree with you tailsgirl i hope it doesn't change over much i want to keep the friends i met here
will renew my subscript as soon as i can
1. Management's "new direction"/"new emphasis" and how WC or SD/WC would look is completely unclear. As such, why worry? It's like paying rent on a house you don't even live in. Wait to hear more, I say.
2, The Forums keep a customer base as does WC, happy and united behind SD products. Fact. Nobody's running to kill the chicken that lays the golden eggs. Relax. The last thing SD wants is for folks to migrate to other sites and take up residence there...and there are other sites that want members.
3. Any site that ran like GUIC...well, if you thought WC was bad...just wait: And you'll be doing a lot of that. Remember?
4. Many other sites have sections devoted to Xion, Sysmetrcs, WinStep Extreme, etc.
5. I agree with Po' that this wasn't a great move at the start of the membership drive. Hasn't consumer confidence been shaken enough since September?
6. I still wonder what, if any changes will be made to make WC run better? Weren't we just informed that changes were coming to make WC run better and they were coming in March? How does that jive with this post? I'm not saying they can't just asking how.
7. What changes are being considered that we haven't been told or found out by intentional/nonintentional 'leaks'? How secure is the subscription: After all, a subscription is a contract (of sorts) that money is being paid for a product or service. I believe I deserve to know many more specifics before I buy (and I was going to subscribe tonight) in.
I never thought I'd write this. I am upset and saddened by this turn of events but am trying to remain objective about things until more information is forthcoming.
Historically, Wincustomize was designed as a site that catered to the entire skinning community that included Stardock.
The site was designed to be fairly neutral in what was displayed.
Over the years, skinning has gotten much more popular but also much more specific at the same time. The programs of Object Desktop, for instance, are far more popular today than they were in 2001. By contrast, the third party programs that used to be used have either diminished in popularity or, at best, remained at the same level which still means they lost ground.
At the same time, the site has become increasingly expensive to run because of all the overhead in supporting so many different programs and lacks the ability to generate its own revenue because most of its income, today, comes from selling subscriptions and ads for third party items.
IF the subscription drive demonstrates that there is no longer a sufficient community, and I think that the likely case, to support the site as a fairly neutral, independent entity then what will happen is that the new design will be made to benefit Stardock and Stardock's customers.
That will mean a lot less ads but a lot more promotion of things Stardock is interested in promoting.
If you take a fresh look at WinCustomize, you can see that the design of it today is meant to be fairly generic. Even though 90% fo the people coming here are likely coming for Stardock-related stuff, the actual infrastructure of the site is created to support pretty much anything which makes it far harder to use to promote specific things.
For people who are already Stardock customers, the new site, I think would be a big improvement. You'll still have the forums, the comments areas, etc.
But we would probably begin to stop supporting some of the third-party galleries (most fo them actually) unless they are sending us significant traffic. Or, at best, they'd no longer be moderated.
I think you'd see the personal pages get integrated with ImpulseDriven.com but who knows.
Personally, I think it would be a good thing. But the days of WC being home to getting new third party stuff or finding third party stuff would likely go away. It would be a Stardock-centric site in design.
Sounding ominous again it just doesn't sound too tempting for WC fans.
OK...thanks very much for the clarification, Brad. That just makes good sense. Will there still be a platform change as planned?
Maybe a survey could be taken to see how many actual 'third party software' users there are...I have WinStep Extreme, myself.
On a lighter note, by the looks of it, Zubaz has arrived in Detroit and things rae changing aldready.
But it's the VERY Community, you need to make this happen, and saying what I quoted above, well.. how is that meant to sound promising to ANY WC user? I'm sure a lot of subscribers don't come here just for the products, yet you want them to help fund something that will probably, as you said, benefit the CUSTOMERS, not the Community as a whole.
I'm sorry if I'm reading it all wrong, I'm a born panic merchant and an idiot
In most cases the two are one and the same,imo.
For my part,aside from screensavers and WMP11 skins,the galleries here have always been all about Stardock apps.
It sounds like I would notice little change.If Impulse isn't DOOMED I doubt WC is either.
I love the products Wiz, I couldn't live without that Hammerhead shark on my desktop , but that's not what I mean.. I don't know what I'm talking about anymore I just keep seeing the demise of WC, and I can't seem to look past that I love the place too damn much!
TG....relax...it's ok...no need to panic.
After all, it's not like Brad is taking your PS7 away....
And there's NO WAY your friends are going anywhere nor can you lose us...OK?
I know, I worry too much I'm scared it will turn into a Nazi camp or something
Doc, you know you're addicted to ps7
Don't fear change.
Ok folks, over the years WC's userbase has grown to massive proportions, WC has never been able to fully support its self thru subscriptions.
As the user base has grown so has the costs to run it, unfortunately the subscriber base has not grown in exacting proportions. No one is saying the community has not done it's best, but really the drive will tell how much or how much less, the community can support the ever growing user base, and where to go accordingly.
I for one Hope the Community can bring enough to the table to keep things as they are. Only time will tell. But it is only logical that with a user base of 3mil+ users and less than half that in subscribers, something has to give.* hopefully it will be some of the inactive user base helping cover thier costs*.
From what Brad has posted It looks like WC would get a redesign and focus more on the SD applications than being a neutral entity. Not that it would cease to exist.
I also believe any subscriber dollars would not be wasted as any help WC can get to keep afloat is always beneficial, the more funds raised, the less WC changes. As well as I believe you would still get the subscriber benefits.
I take brads post as informative as well as an invitation to prove him wrong by hopefully pulling more subscribers in .
hehe NT, Can't help it, I'm a Taurus
HG, Okay, I'm not gonna panic anymore
It very hard question. now in world that was crashed by crizis, most iprortand thing for all became goods of first need like food, home accesories, etc. so it will be hard to sell stardock products in this year. all marketing of the world must changing.
Yeah...I kind of thought this was a bit premature as well...announcing the possible end just after announcing the drive. Makes ya wonder...kind of like shooting yourself in the foot.
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