The end of WinCustomize
...as we know it...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
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
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Reply #322 Monday, February 23, 2009 1:48 PM
One interesting thing that could be done is to give anyone who submit a skin the possibility to make it subscriber only. That way, any skinner can help out in giving extra benefit to being a subscriber, and indirectly support the maintenance of the community.
Reply #323 Monday, February 23, 2009 1:55 PM
Wouldn't the skinners just make subscriber only skins then? That's sort of in line with what has been said before. People buy the software and are somewhat happy. How happy will they be with no skins to apply?
When you get down to it the money for WinCustomise (running, updating, moderating) needs to be included in the cost of the the software. Wonder if that would work?
Reply #324 Monday, February 23, 2009 3:12 PM
Well, skinners wouldn't get any personal advantage by releasing a skin as subscriber only. Also, not every skinner is a subscriber. There could be a limit to how many subscriber only skins you can do if things got out of hand, like a maximum of 1 out of 5 skins can be subscriber only.
Reply #325 Monday, February 23, 2009 3:45 PM
Doing the "subscriber only" type skin wouldn't promote skinning at all, in fact it would have a chilling effect.
I couldn't even see making personal pages "subscriber only"...none of that makes any sense.
Subscriber only doesn't mean much. and as WOM said, it's gonna be what it's gonna be.
Reply #326 Monday, February 23, 2009 3:51 PM
That's good, but I have to ask, where to do you get this stuff? Do you have a book? LOL!! 
Reply #327 Monday, February 23, 2009 3:56 PM
I can tell you this, If I couldn't get, and make, skins for Xion, I wouldn't be using it. And it's free. If that has any relevance...lol.
Reply #328 Monday, February 23, 2009 4:24 PM
I don't see why it would stop people from skinning, since it would be entirely optional... And it's not supposed to promote skinning, it should be there to promote subscription.
Reply #329 Monday, February 23, 2009 4:51 PM
Also, whoever brought it up, you can subscribe via regular mail.
That was me ID, the reason I bought it up, was when I wanted to Subscribe ages ago, I posted if I could send a money order, and somebody said no, and I kept on asking about 'snail mail' and nobody answered my question, so I took it as a 'no'.
Reply #330 Monday, February 23, 2009 6:58 PM
TG,Zubaz provided a link for snailmail service in this thread,you may want to save it. LINK
Reply #332 Monday, April 6, 2009 5:02 AM
I've been thinking about this again since the advent of the 'Server Error' problems lately. And, though I realize Wincustomize may be the 'ugly red-haired step-sister' in some people eyes, I think it should really be thought of as an 'advertising' expense rather than viewed as pay-for-itself web-site.
I'm sure Stardock maintains advertising through many sources that it can not directly discern its sales return from. But think I can readily say Wincustomize more than pays for itself via sales revenues if not in out-right renewal subscription fees.
Oh well, just my opinion...
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Reply #321 Monday, February 23, 2009 1:03 PM
This may sound like a silly question but someone I am sure is thinking about this. If the stated goal of getting $50,000 by way of new or renewed subscriptions doesn't happen will there be a WinCustomize 2009 Update?
I understand what has been said in this and other threads and post, I was just wondering if anything has changed in the last 50 or so days.