Interesting read
I can tell when I have my messenger opens. All the little green buttons turn red so quickly.
We bought new cell phones and my wife felt it necassary to add contacts to mine. She felt I was 'lacking'. I was asked why all my 'WC Freinds' weren't in my contacts.
I forgot where I was going with this.
I'd like to say this, according to this post and the official description for the all the levels I would like to put forward my best words on behalf of LightStar (Tom) for promotion to Master.. a member for 7 years, over 35 windowblinds posted to Wincustomize and including his VS's almost 250 overall windows themes (prolific), always as helpful as he can be in the community, owns several customization sites accross the spectrum and been in integral in the development of other commercial skinning ventures, he has fostered other skinners behind the scenes for years.
In addition personally, If it weren't for him I wouldn't be where I am today, as a skinner, a dad or a person. Heck I may not even have a home if it weren't for him, I most certainly wouldn't be skinning.
He has helped me more than any one person should have over many years and I feel it would be wonderful for him to finally get the ultimate recognition from the community for all he has done.
If anyone is deserved of the position..he is.
Just my 2c on it all.
Thanks for everything Tom and good luck buddy.
here here! .......he certainly is an exceptional member....
Recommending another user for promotion is of course free for anyone to do, but is not a guarantee that said user will make it onto the promotion-list. As far as I know, it hasn't happend yet, so far.
I think Jafo forgot to mention who actually is in charge of the promotions, which is only the moderators and siteadmins. If a user is put up for Master promotion, Stardock steps in and 'validates' if the user is ready for this promotion.
I understand fully and don't feel I should have any sway, nor do i expect it.
I do believe good begets good.
sorry i forgot to mention you fuzzeh!!!! you are my master vulcan
fantastic post jafo .....
i think "adni18" is missing here .........
From the rules:
These are the "elders" of the skinning community. People who have been around for awhile. Only a few people will be at this class. To be a Master, not only must the user be a significant contributor to the community, but instrumental to the day to day life of WinCustomize. A Master can do everything a Journeyman can do plus they can nominate and vote on users to be promoted.
LightStar's website: http://www.wincustomizing.com/
Now, I personally like Lightstar. However, for years, he has straddled the fence between WinCustomize and anything/anyone that competes with it. First it was TGT Soft and now it's The Skins Factory. I don't begrudge him doing that but it certainly would keep him from being a Master.
Someone who is a Master should be someone who has made WinCustomize their home or, at the very least, hasn't set up competing sites that use domain names that are nearly the same in order to sell competing products.
Well, it is your site and It makes sense now at least why he hasn't been promoted, I honestly doubt the small income income it produces really makes any difference to the day to day fininces of Stardock and I'm positive nothing was done out of malice but on principle I understand.
It's a pity it seems to have negated all the good he's done.
and Z71.... SK...& dani....
seems Night Train is now showing Journeyman...
Yes. If a "master" changes their username, and removes all their skins. I think that's an indication they don't want to be around WC and therefore status removed.
I was always under the impression that masters got to vote on the promotions, and if it passed, that person got promoted...now I see it's the mods and admin only. I'm confused. Can someone explain how that process actually works?
I'm confused as well. I thought when you reached Journeyman or Master you could nominate folks for any promotion. I thought Masters got to vote.
Ive nominated a few people, never been asked to vote on them nor have any other Masters I know come to think of it.
Xiandi brings up a question that I was curious about as well.
History of Promotions - part deux.
For many years [before the current monthly promotion announcements], promotions were relatively hit-miss, mostly being done by yours truly.
I received suggestions from, in particular, Good Morphing and later WOM, and, if the suggested people didn't set off alarm bells in my recollections [for some nefarious misdeed] then they were quietly approved....with no fanfare.
Looking back at that practice its main problem was its narrowness of scope....and quite a few people went unnoticed [squeeky wheel syndrome], along with the lack of public recognition/awareness that anyone had been promoted at all.
The current monthly promotions announcement is more formalized, with an Admin thread for suggestions/feedback that sees everyone's input so there's little chance of someone being overlooked.
At each level up the 'ladder' it is expected there is a commensurate increase in devotion/committment towards Wincustomize.com, so that by the time Wincustomize/Stardock is rewarding a Master with the opportunity for financial benefit he/she is [should be] virtually joined at the hip with the site.
I made 'Master' in June, 2001 .... [pretty sure I wasn't the first], but committment had me end up as an Admin.... but I'm sure no-one's expecting quite THAT amount of devotion, but certainly at least as much as your fellow Masters demonstrate...
Anyone can nominate someone for promotion. The voting part was never implemented and should have been removed from the description.
I've thought for years abuout a more traditional, classical system. One in which a Master takes on an apprentice (or apprentices) and makes it their business to teach them everything they know about skinning. Then, when the apprentice and master think that the apprentice is ready, that apprentice makes his "master piece" and submits it to the other masters. It's like a thesis, ya know?
If the masters all approve of the apprentices portfolio of work including that super-special master-piece then that apprentice would become a master.
I think that a system like that would have it's own set of issues. Some would be self-correcting and some would not.
The systems we had and have work very well for this community though and have grown organically to fit the site as it's evolved over time. I expect that, like all good things, it will continue to change, slowly, and with purposeful thought.
Brad, I am a little upset now. I told you about opening that domain before I opened it, and your response was "It is not a domain name that matters, it is what is on the site..." or something close to that, so I did not think you really cared. I doubt seriously if the new site I opened only a couple of weeks ago will ever amount to anything, I am basically testing the waters and it probably will not stay live any way. It was never intended to be competition for Wincustomize, and your bringing it up here is callous. My main site is http://www.lightstar1.com/, not the new site, and you know that.
As far as supporting other products, I support ALL forms of desktop customization, and ALL companies providing services in those areas. I sell Hyperdesk themes, Windowblinds skins and still a few .msstyles which I am going away from. I only design Windowblinds skins now, but I support ALL others. If doing this prevents me from getting the title of "Master" on Wincustomize, then so be it. After all, it's only a title and I can never sell any skins on this site anyway.
I support this site and all skinning sites, regardless of whether they promote visual styles (.msstyles) or Windowblinds, and will continue to do so no matter what. You can keep your "Master" status, I don't care.
I host and maintain five websites, including two sites for vStyler himself, and I ask for nothing in return. I run Google Ad's on them and Stardock stores for him to provide him and his family with some form of income, albeit small. I run and manage his sales areas and "take care of business" for him. So I guess he got a little upset when I kept getting passed over every month, and now I know why.
Just so you know, I was surprised when vStyler told me he posted those initial comments here, I even asked him to edit them and take them off. I guess he had his reasons as stated above though.
It is really sad that I am forced to respond this way, my comments on this site have almost always been positive or constructive. I had no idea I needed to be solely a Stardock and Wincustomize supporter and forget everything else, which is a concept I find quite disturbing now, but evidently you do not.
I'm not looking up the quotes, I think every one here has seen them at least once.....so..
It has always been my understanding since the 'Master' title came into existance, that part of what was looked for was the skinners over all contribution and participation to the 'entire' skinning community. I took this to mean involvement in other sites and their reaching out to other skinners. Personally, my contact with Lightstar has been almost non existant. (My own personal issues about bugging people that are so talented and obviously busy) but from my own observation, he has more than emulated all that is good about the skinning community consistantly.
I can also see where there could be an issue with the name of the new site.
I would like to think that if there was someone deserving of the Master title, Stardock would not only be anxious to promote that person but would reach out to them if all that was holding it up was a minor issue that could be resolved.
I would also like to think that they would reach out to any one that was showing the potential to become a Master and offer what ever support, advise, or guidance they could. Some times folks just need a nudge in the right direction. They may not know they do, or they may be waiting for one and don't want to ask for fear of appearing they are whining.
Wholehearted
btw, u can bug me anytime, I'm always busy but never too busy to help if I can.
Are we talking? I've lost track of who is and isn't talking to me anymore.
It's a pity it seems to have negated all the good he's done
It's not about negating. I like Lightstar as you know.
But when one becomes a Master, the idea is that one is throwing in their lot with us. You're "picking a side" so to speak.
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