The two most influential countries [on other countries' economies] are the US and Japan.

If either one [or both] falls into a big enough hole the rest will suffer as well....

Well, now that we are technically ..in.. a recession.. any more thoughts?

OMG...I didn't look at the starting date on this thread and got my panties all in wad over RPGFX's post about it being a media creation.  Was all set to post something about how almost Zen Buddhist this view is, (since nothing is real anyway but that doesn't mean I don't need groceries).

Kind of amazing to see where we were just a little less than a year ago.  The recession is now a very real thing, and from the last reports I read, it's global, not just US.  

I don't know what the answer is.  I truly wish I did.  I'm glad I bought OD when I did, because there's no way I could afford it right now or in my immediate foreseeable future.  If I believed in a deity, now would be the time I'd be fervently pleaing to him/her/it.  Instead, I'm at that "Hello Beastie" moment in my life that parallels Jack Sparrow's in Pirates of the Caribbean:Deadman's Chest, when he's chained to the deck of the Black Pearl and the Kracken is climbing on board.  It doesn't matter what I did to put myself in the situation I'm in, or which friends betrayed me or weren't there to have my back...I have to battle with the beast that's right in front of me and hope my survival skills will see me through.

Yeah....when's Prowler gonna be done?

Well, skinning helps sales, and the really good skinners have great graphics skills....if WC changes into the platform (Web 2.0) that I believe it will, then it will showcase more than SD products...namely the graphic artists and their work as well.

All the points raised here are valid and no one has a crystal ball, nor the author's rights to one, but Brad is definitely doing the right thing by WC as far as SD is concerned and I believe, by extension by WC and the artists.

That's why I felt that modules might be the right way to go....in particular a special "Showcase" module that could be marketed across the web or designed so that marketing would be facilitated by it.

I definitely agree the approach should be global as the "weak" dollar promotes sale of American goods. I know of at least three companies in dire need of great advertising right in Detroit.

Well if the US dollar is weak, then the Oz dollar ain't never gonna climb out of the sewer.  Currently it's trading at 67c per USD, but for the most part during this recession it is trading well under 60 cents.... at one point dropping to 50 cents.  With exchange rates like that there's no way I'm buying American goods, and certainly not luxury/can-do-without items.

I had some software in mind to purchase, like CorelDraw for USDS179.99 through Shoparhive, but not at AUD$270.00 - and then of course there's my ObjectDesktop subscription, but it will have to wait until the exchange rate is much better, cos there's no way can I justify spending 105 Oz bucks on it today, but even more as the Oz dollar weakens against the greenback in the days, weeks and months to come... not when my rent just increased another $20.00 pw, and groceries keep skyrocketing towards near double what we were paying 12 months ago: ie; Han's 1kg Strasbourg was $6.99 8 months ago - now it is unjustifiably $12.49, so it stays in the store... as does about half of what we used to buy.

So in answer to the question, is Stardock/Professional Skinning recession proof, the answer is no... no it is NOT.  People are going to put food on the table and keep rooves over their heads before they buy skins and associated softwares, and given that the lions share of the market is the average joe, sales will go into decline as they struggle to feed, clothe and house themselves. Granted, there are some corporate entities requiring the services of skinners and the associated software, but as their customer base (s) shrink while average joes tighten their belts, so too will they have to tighten their incidental spending on non-essentials such as skinning.

Skinning itself isn't recession proof but, skinner's can be based on the broadd range of skills the have. Solid companies will boost their R&D and if relevant companies see a tangible need for skin's than their may be a boost.

The other side of the equation is how many new skinner's will enter the market thus making it more competitive and less profitable.

The only thing I've found to be truly recession proof is trading stocks. Which explains why I haven't been around as much but, a poor day of trading for me in the last few months (at least until this past week) far exceeded any day I could see in earnings from skinning.