What Keeps You Coming Back to WinCustomize Every Day?
Help make WinCustomize better in 2007/2008!
Friday, March 30, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Every day, WinCustomize serves up well over 1 million pages to users all across the globe. Our forums hum with activity and dozens of user submissions come in every day. There's no question that WinCustomize is a very popular site with a thriving community surrounding it that grows every day. We've been working a lot behind the scenes to improve the daily experience here through things like the new website, contests such as the GUI Champs and the St. Patrick's Day Icon Contest, and Island Dog's stream of community and product walkthrough articles. We're not simply content to sit on our laurels and just let things coast along though, we want to keep growing, expand our user community, turn the forums, articles and skin libraries into something really special. WinCustomize 2007 was just the first step.
One of my primary jobs here at Stardock is to grow our communities, find ways to make the sites better, easier to use, more inviting and more interesting. Now, I can sit here at my desk and dream up contests, exclusive content (like the Vista Tour series in January) and work with Island Dog as he writes up his fantastic skinning articles, but that just doesn't have the same community feel. So now I turn to you all and ask what you would like to see more of. What is it that keeps you coming back day after day to WinCustomize? What sort of content would you be interested in reading on this site? What types of community activities could we run that would get you more involved in the day-to-day happenings of the community?
We're already working on the WinCustomize Wiki, which will allow expert users a better method to share their expertise and knowledge with newer skinners. For our expert users, there seems to be little, simple, opportunity to share what they know. But what about our intermediate users? Or new users?
This is an open question to everyone who surfs this site. Even if you're not an active member at the moment and just scan the page every few days, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what could make the site better, and invite more people to stick around and participate.
As has been said in the past, often people look at us and think "Those Stardock folks will come up with something cool" and we often do, but to help the community grow and get better with time, we need you to step up yourselves and take a more active role in how everything is run. The hope has always been that WinCustomize would be largely run by the community, with Stardock playing more or less a high-level administrative role. We want to encourage user articles, news, projects more this year. We want WinCustomize to turn into a site you come to several times a day, every day. A site and community you want to bring your friends to.
What sort of content could the site provide to make the experience even better? How would you like to help grow the site and the community?
This is your chance to toss in your two cents, to be heard and help influence the direction of the community in 2007!
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Reply #22 Saturday, March 31, 2007 1:43 AM
so what are you saying? normally i show no form of comittment?
ok....how about publishing a book entitled "jafo's snappy comebacks"
Reply #23 Saturday, March 31, 2007 1:56 AM
OK....one way to improve Wincustomize.com is to activate the PM system so issues such as thread ramblings/deteriorations can be nipped in the bud without public censure, and, in this case little success.
There are many admin/mod-centric improvements that are desirable, mostly to do with efficient search functions...but they're not what is being asked for here....though a way to publicly display/list people by their various 'rankings' would be probably appealing to all...
I 'get by' with a dual-time system in LS...but ideally forum/site dating/timing should be set to the user's time [local] not Stardock's.
Forum layout [within a thread] still seems generous with empty space.....means more scrolling than is really necessary....
OK...back to the public user inputs...
Reply #24 Saturday, March 31, 2007 2:01 AM
No offense but I'm get tired of seeing 4-10 emails (which I never look at anyway) all the time just cause I'm watching someones skins/topics/articles whatever... old site didn't do that, you went to your watchlist on the site to check those things (ie. on your own time).
Reply #25 Saturday, March 31, 2007 2:02 AM
I've been bugging andrew about that for months, heh. It's only the forums that aren't using the local time format.
An option to receive pm notifications instead of email notifications for skin updates and stuff would be nice (once that system is running for all), along with being able to disable notifications altogether for people/skins we have on our watchlist. <----LOL SK posted it before I did.
Oh just thought about another one, how about letting Apprentices and up be able to edit their posts even after someone has posted after them? Those blasted little typos can get annoying when you can't edit/fix them.
Could even put a little subline at the bottom of the post that says "Edited (date/time)" so we know it was edited or something.
Reply #26 Saturday, March 31, 2007 3:15 AM
I'm really looking forward the Wiki, which is a very good step.
Reply #27 Saturday, March 31, 2007 5:52 AM
Include a list of new skinners, regardless of the qualities of their submissions (within reason
So that they can get encouragement from the community. ie we feature the quality skins..I am all for continueing that...but these new skinners need some more encouragement, not necessarily criticisms on their work...hmmm not sure how to say it. But someone may only get a low rating & a few downloads which can discourage some..Yes it shouldn't be about downloads, but that is often a way to judge if the submission is any good. ..so give them their *15 mins of fame.Definitely more community projects..Started if necessary by the skinners themselves...if none are ongoing. Start 1 say by making a Rainy...another skinner makes a WB, another makes a DesktopX gadget ect....In the begg. there does not need to be a set *project planned...as 4 completely different skins are started, then others can come along & want to make a specific skin to go along with one in particular. This way we can end up with 4 community projects ongoing without someone initially having to have had to come with a full project.
The Community Easter WB is a great idea, but I am surprised that others have not come forward with say a Rainy, DX object and even a Winamp or DesktopX theme. I know that all of those are too hard to have someone making each part, but showing the WIP as you make it will go far in showing someone how taking those other skins work together. Like show me what parts of the original WB did you use to make that Rainy or Desktop widget ect.
I want to Discourage those who wish to help by having a skin e-mailed to them & fixing it or setting up a MSN or Yahoo ect. That completely takes the community out of the picture and does not allow others to learn how to overcome the same problems. So I do not make any skins, but you know what, any time a new skinner asks for help, I do follow along and learn something each time, if nothing else a better understanding of what goes into it.
More mini contests, but are setup to be judged also by your level, citizen, apprentice, journeymen ect. This allows the new skinner a fair chance of winning in their category. Lets not discourage them by setting them against an experienced skinner. And definitely more notice given please
Then lets set them up yearly. So we know that every year we will have a Saint Patrick's day icon contest.My oh my I have rambled
It's My Secret
Reply #28 Saturday, March 31, 2007 6:31 AM
I would really luv to learn how to skin, but don't know the first thing about it. I enjoy watching a lot of the videos on some of the object desktop software, and find it helps me understand a little more. Something like a Training Session for Newbies would be great. (Me being one). Also, some kind of info on how to install skins etc. for those who arn't sure how. 
Reply #29 Saturday, March 31, 2007 6:52 AM
Reply #30 Saturday, March 31, 2007 7:18 AM
Reply #31 Saturday, March 31, 2007 7:33 AM
Reply #32 Saturday, March 31, 2007 8:24 AM
There are 2 distinct different types of users here those who build and those who download.I definately believe that aknowledgement of contributions helps to promote skinning.This is the enthusiasim for skinning ! Sharing and seeing others enjoy your work and knowing that contributions are appreciated by both users and administrators.
I like skinner of the month idea.
vStyler has a great idea with the work in progress .
So did IR brainiac in another thread enabling the posting of pics in the above mentioned section so developers may colaborate amongst themselves the key to this would be that it should be closely moderated by stardock so any questions posed may quickly receive answers from admin.
As far as group 2 (downloaders)
the site is great !Allowing lots of free content and exelent paid content.Only real suggestion is better highlighting of new work!!
Reply #33 Saturday, March 31, 2007 8:42 AM
Reply #34 Saturday, March 31, 2007 9:46 AM
Reply #35 Saturday, March 31, 2007 11:04 AM
This is the first time in my life I've learned how to create my own cool desktop themes. hmmm, maybe this is leading somewhere? But, you guys do some of the best work out there. JUST NEED TO EXPAND A LITTLE MORE!
I'm interested in ordering the yearly subscription, but i'm testing this out first. It seems like it would be worth it!!!
MICHELLE SANDOZ
Reply #36 Saturday, March 31, 2007 11:09 AM
MICHELLE
Reply #37 Saturday, March 31, 2007 1:57 PM
1. A Private message system. This will be a lot of help when you need to get an Admins attention, instead of emailing them, and hoping that they get the email.
2. A menu telling you which Admins are on the site at any given time, to go with #1.
3. A WIP section, which has been mentioned for sometime now.
4. Have a complete forum section for Skinning, not like it is now, a sub section of General. A lot of good things came out of the old skinning forum, it was a great place to find a quick answer, without having to search, and you could also help out other people if the need arose too. I know that you are starting a Wiki for skinning, but that doesn't leave much room for interaction with other members. And maybe under the Skinning section, have different categories for each application, like DX, WB and OD for example.
Thanks for asking, and you all have a nice day!
Reply #38 Saturday, March 31, 2007 3:04 PM
Bones, you can always do what I do for sub-sections I want to follow: set up an RSS feed to see what's going on. Using the right RSS reader you can roll your own WC for the forums. (I'd love to see feeds for the galleries too!)
Reply #39 Saturday, March 31, 2007 3:22 PM
Reply #40 Saturday, March 31, 2007 3:29 PM
A WIP and a DEVELOPER(Stardocks')Skinner forum.I have given up on the regular forums because even in STARDOCK SUPPORT,nobody from STARDOCK(developers) will answer.(not even a single Master skinner)
I have to come here to leave coded messages for the homeworld...my INTEROCITOR is busted Alternate Setting.
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Reply #21 Saturday, March 31, 2007 1:34 AM
I can think of lots of things that could be added/altered to improve the Wincustomize.com experience...but Zoomba is asking YOU, not me...
...so please, show some form of committment to Wincustomize.com and Skinning [and deference to the thread poster] and contribute on-topic....