WinCustomize Levels and Quality Standards
Thursday, October 21, 2010 by Island Dog | Discussion: WinCustomize News
On WinCustomize.com we have a ranking system. Each member has a level that they begin with, and, throughout their membership, is promoted to higher rankings which can mean added benefits and privileges. Some examples of these privileges are uploading without moderation and the ability to actually sell skins on WinCustomize. Promotions are given to members who display superior skinning techniques first, after all this is a community skinning site and that is obviously the criteria we first look. Of course community participation is also factored in, but ultimately skinning is what is important here.
Summary of Levels on WinCustomize:
- Exile and Visitors: These are the two bottom levels of WC. Exile is reserved for spammers, pirates, and people who don’t obey the rules of the site. Visitors are limited users that can’t post on the forums, and can only download a very limited amount of skins.
- Citizen: This is where many are, and generally a user of the site would be at this level as someone who has registered with the site, and has a moderate download cap on their accounts. They can also participate the on the forums and submit skins to WinCustomize. Note: Customer levels are different, so you can be a Citizen and a Subscriber at the same time.
- Apprentice/Master Apprentice: If you are a regular contributor of skins and themes to WinCustomize, then Apprentice would be the first rank you achieve on the site. Master Apprentice is the next level for those who continue to contribute to the site.
- Journeyman: This is respected ranking on WinCustomize as you have been determined and voted upon based on your skinning ability and quality contributions. These are users who we trust to upload without moderation, which means their skins go directly into the gallery without the approval of a moderator.
- Master: This is the highest ranking that can be achieved by members, and will be achieved by skinners who show outstanding skinning ability and contribution to WinCustomize. Being a Master Skinner gives you the ability to sell your skins on WinCustomize.
As you might know, WinCustomize is a moderated skinning site, which means we evaluate skins that are submitted and decide whether or not they make it into the general galleries. This basically comes down to quality control to ensure that we have quality works in our galleries. Over the past several weeks we have been taking a hard look at the state of the current galleries and reading members concerns in the forums and via e-mail.
We have found that some submissions have been of lower quality, and that quantity has become a prerequisite over quality. Going forward we will be increasing moderation in order to maintain our quality levels. Members that have ranks which allow un-moderated uploads will also be held to these standards. If it is decided that quality is not to our standards, members can and will go back to moderated status until improvements are seen. This step will enforce the legitimacy of rankings, and will also allow us to make sure that all artists are able to submit quality work and not get buried in the library. A demotion will not be seen as a punishment toward a member (unless it is for spamming) yet a natural flow of promotions and demotions to keep everyone at their deserved ranking. Any person that is demoted will be eligible for promotion once their quality increases.
The staff at WinCustomize does want to thank our members for their contributions – you make the site what it is today. We just want to ensure that WinCustomize remains the site that people go to for quality skins, and we want to make sure that every artist has a chance to have their quality work be seen.
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Reply #22 Thursday, October 21, 2010 8:55 PM
Xiandi nods
Reply #23 Thursday, October 21, 2010 8:57 PM
If that means the end of fractals/bryce/terragen walls, then I'll be a very happy girl.
Reply #25 Thursday, October 21, 2010 10:25 PM
Fractals have their place, in moderation. Bryce is rally an excellent program when done correctly. Very realistic vistas are possible with Bryce. As for Terragen, I'm not at all familiar with the program so I can't say much. 3D programs are all the rage nowadays. Look at the walls created with C4D. That program costs 2,500 bucks US. I've been dabbling, on and off, with a few 3D programs like blender and TrueSpace. Steep learning curves, for me anyway, as well as learning the ins and outs of Photoshop. I'd like to see more from all of them knowing what they are capable of in the right hands.
Reply #26 Thursday, October 21, 2010 10:36 PM
Can't express how happy I am to see this- I've had to stop browsing the galleries here; they've become filled with what's, quite frankly, crap.
Reply #27 Thursday, October 21, 2010 11:17 PM
* is scrapping his Britney Spears-Flying Dolphin-Fractal Globe-Robot Unicorn-Metallic Rainbow Wallpaper
Reply #28 Thursday, October 21, 2010 11:19 PM
Great, and you expect me to sleep tonight now? 
Reply #29 Friday, October 22, 2010 1:12 AM
Say it isn't so Po! 
Reply #30 Friday, October 22, 2010 8:12 AM
LOL It wouldnt be the first one ive seen..
Reply #33 Friday, October 22, 2010 8:36 AM
Without question this is my favorite site. I am a regular on another that has become a spammers paradise. They have increased moderation somewhat but it has done little good. There is nothing more annoying to me (other than a rip) then to log onto a site you have submissions and see a long paragraph of spam on your work. I agree, the more moderation the better.
Reply #34 Friday, October 22, 2010 10:58 AM
I was hoping someone would do a skin to match! 
Reply #35 Friday, October 22, 2010 4:15 PM
I was hoping someone would do a skin to match!
they did.....and it was immediately matched......
Reply #37 Friday, October 22, 2010 4:43 PM
I completely agree with all the IslandDog points ! 
It's a while I was thinking to write something about the game/pngs galore, certainly the WebGizmos idea would be the best solution !!
Reply #40 Saturday, October 23, 2010 11:32 AM
Now I am not one to complain much But,
This is my take on what I have read in the comments of the posts here today. We are the best skinners on Wincustomize and we should not have to deal with people of lesser talent because they will never be as good as us. These kinds of comments personally disgust me, not everyone has piles of cash laying around to spend hundreds or thousands on Adobe products or unlimited hours to learn the ins and out of photoshop.
I Personally know my work in not equal to or maybe not even comparable to some of the work you high and mighty skinners have done. Thats why art is so subjective is because every artist has his or her own IDEA of what they like.
Go ahead Jafo and ban me now and remove all my submissions because wincustomize's hi and mighty skinners do not like anyone or anything they do not believe meets their standards
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Reply #21 Thursday, October 21, 2010 8:55 PM
Amen, and bout time.
Your post in itself, if actually enforced, could turn WC around 180 degrees in matter of a few months.
We could have.. the best gallery... or what its been falling back into in recent times.
I'm willing to bet most people would rather go back to the glory days than where WC stands currently.
I really hope this will lead to better days ahead for the whole community.
Nice post.