Boost Enthusiazm-Don't Kill It

Why or Why Not?

Published on February 12, 2005 By Lynx's Den In WinCustomize Talk

There have been alot of issues, brought up (continuosly), about certain aspects of the site (i know i have exspressed some myself).... Fair, unfair,, submissions, exception,rejection, abuse, ect..... And no matter what your stand or opinions are regarding these matters/issues, the bottom line is, it is happening, and everyone knows it. So you can hate me for this or not.... But either way, i have no intention what-so-ever to step on anyone's toes, or offend anyone, its just my opinion, and with the thought that bringing some of these issues to light, in a more civil manner. Maybe.... Just maybe, we can work together and get this thing fixed to the saticfation of everyone (always good to dream), but there is always hope! But take it as you want to.... (and excuse my possible spelling, I'm not perfect), Yet!!! LOL

Why- I find it a little irronic that when an issue is brought up, one of the things you will get as a responce is how great this site is, how there is alot more good here, more this and more that.... I think you have to consider some of the aspects of the site... #1, who is it run by (Basicly Stardock), #2 What are the main features of the site (Stardock Product), not to mention there aren't a whole lot of companies that put out the type of product Stardock does (Their Advantage).... And all the other sites that basicly have been considered as lesser (and some are), most if not all of their features are based around Stardock product. Example To Ponder: I (and i think most will agree), that sites like Deviantart/SkinBase, ect., have more freedom when it comes to their submission policy, and their rating system/submission exception, ect., is not souly based on the sites Admin's, but actually by its visitor's, subscriber's, & users, something WC may consider more of.... Does this make DeviantArt/SkinBase better or worse. It is easy for individuals to make a comment like that, when their reputation, time & efforts are not being trampled on (or considered to be), for whatever reasons....

Why Not- another responce that seems to be regular, when issues are expressed, is how issues should be brought up privately.... That an Admin should be emailed to try and resolve the problem.... This can send one message to the prospective readers, Hiding the problem/issue.... People get upset, when things are not the way they may think they should be (fair or unfair, whats right or wrong), and issues will be expressed regardless of who likes it or not. Does this mean, the individual expressing their dismay, has to pay for it, by either having there submission's denied, ratings trashed or abused by users who got offend.... "Open Your Mouth, And Pay The Price" Or "keep Your Mouth Shut And Continue To Feel Screwed and unappreciated" You do the math.... Another thing is how it seems to be ok for one individual to express there opinions/issues, but another has their opinion/issue obscured and critasized by the answering (offended) parties through-out their post.... Not to mention Admin's don't get to every email (or may choose not too, who knows), i know this by experience, i have emailed quite a few times with no responce what-so-ever, be it questions, help, or whatnot.... I know there is alot to concider for Admin's.... don't get me wrong, they have alot of things to tend too. But if your going to request individuals to take certain steps or actions, you should stand by your request...

Why- The good old "I'm not posting here anymore", "I'm Leaving".... and the responces mostly heard, "Fine, Sorry To See You Go" or "Issues Are No Reason To Leave" ( i know, been there a couple times myself, LOL).... Again, easy for someone to make comments like that, when your rep, work, & efforts are not being trampled on (or considered so).... Consider this.... Individuals take alot of pride in their time and efforts, and when all they see is negative, then feelings play a big part in decision making, be it right or wrong.... Enthusiazm is based on good responces (more good responces, more will want to be done).... and in turn causes the individual to thrive to be better, and in most cases (like myself), can handle constructive critisizm, and learn from bad critisizm instead of getting offended.... would you rather stay in a place that shows you to be worthy, or a place that shows you to be nothing (appreciated or a lack there of).... Or when you see individual getting more out of the site, like 3,4,5 feature posts every 2 weeks, on the feature page for 3,4, days at a time (don't think thats considered a daily shot anymore....LOL), and others lucky if they get one, and lucky to see it up for 24 hours.... Remember action speaks louder than words.... If your going to create a site that its base is compitition, which anyway you slice it, thats what this site is, it should be run fairly (for everyone), and anyone who happens to be afraid of a little compitition, shouldn't be here, if their main focus is to trash the efforts of potential compitition.... we focus more on what we see, not on what we hear.... Boost the enthusiazm, don't destroy it....

Bottom line: I think we all need to sit back, take a deep breath, and start making things better.... There will always be issues (what place doesn't have them), but i think together, we could start to make things a little better around here... Some of the issues aren't really that hard to fix (to kill the fire, get rid of the problem), if people are willing to do so.... For the site leaders, make things a little more fair for everyone, be it ratings, submission or whatnot (not your personal prefrence) let the general public deside, no one can tell or has some super-natrual power that tells them what people like and what they don't.... alot of novices, ametures, (or whatever) and even individuals just getting into the field, would like to be as good as the vets someday (otherwise they wouldn't be here).... But give them the opportunity, make us all want to be here, and contribute to the best of our abilities (and we will get better), and inturn give this site even more advantages then it may already have.... For the regs, and vets, share your knowledge, give constructive critisizm (all around), assist in making others better , you may not realize it, but the rewards will last for years to come.... Ever watch your kids do something, where you said or thought "I tought Them that" remember how that felt, and remember everyone has feelings, that can be steped on, think before you act (think how you would feel in the particular situations)... Ok a little of subject, but i think you get my point.

Lets try and all get along, and make this site something we all can be proud of (without all of us, this site wouldn't be much), instead of trashing each other for what they say or do.... feels like a battleground around here, all of us bunched in our little groups and taking shots at each other.... Thought this was a community!!! Like i said its all up to us, if we are willing to bend a little.... Boost The Enthusiazm, Don't Kill It!
Then again,(wonder who i'm going to pissoff next), i may be considered as talking outta my butt, and all this just fell on def ears, guess i'll know by the responces HUH? (not ready to give up on this place just yet....LOL) lets get over this hump already.....LOL feels like a pot-hole in the road, that no one wants to fix.... I got a shovel and asfault anyone want to help?.....

Comments (Page 4)

Boss019

on Feb 14, 2005

And don't I have a right to express my view about what I see as people thinking they are owed something, threatening to leave the site like they're expecting to be begged to stay..It's just my opinion and I'm nobody on here that's got any pull or "backing" as Lynx said..I have a couple of daily shots and it's cause I have "backing"??? Sounds more like jealousy from someone that feels they are being singled out and stepped on. And as for Angel and her illness, I knew nothing about it until this thread and don't know how it even got pulled into this..it has absolutely nothing to do with this..if it has a personal meaning to you that you have been through it and seen someone close die, sure, that is a hard thing, but it has absolutely nothing to do with me or anybody else here except maybe Angel because she is going through it.We all have tough things in life, but they are personal things and not for a public forum such as this.And to reiterate, this is just MY opinion...like we all have

HG_Eliminator

on Feb 14, 2005

*********for $20 you get this ...

Become a subscriber and get additional features and benefits from WinCustomize including incredibly cool software!

On WinCustomize there are 5 levels of users:

Level 1: Visitor. These are users who haven't created accounts. They can download up to 5 megabytes of content before having to create an account.

Level 2: WinCustomize Registered User. These are users who have created accounts. Accounts are free to create. Registered users can create posts, talk on the message boards, submit skins, make comments on skins, participate on polls, etc. In the future, there will be a cap on how many megabytes of content they can download without some sort of limitation being placed (such as being put into a download queue).

Level 3: Past Stardock Customer. These are users who have purchased Stardock/WinCustomize products in the past but have not purchased anything in over a year.

500MB Total File Downloads. Because we recognize the patronage of past Stardock/WinCustomize customers, these users will receive the opportunity to download up to 500MB of their favorite skins, themes, wall papers, and may more things WinCustomize offers.

Level 4: Active Stardock customer / Elite User. These are users who have either purchased Object Desktop Network or some other Stardock product (Stardock is WinCustomize's sponser), or has Apprentice access or higher due to contributing to the site in other forms (making skins, being an active contributor to the message boards, etc.). These users get all the benefits of a registered user plus:

Unlimited File Downloads. Say good-bye to file limitations! No more annoying messages preventing you from getting your download to work.
Level 5: WinCustomize Subscriber. Users who become WinCustomize Subscribers get all the benefits of level 3 & 4 users plus:

The [SkinBrowser]. A powerful yet easy to use program for navigating the site. This alone is worth the cost of becoming a subscriber, it truly changes the way you view skins, icons, themes, and wallpapers. Not only can it view them, it can apply them directly. And if you're missing a program, it can download the programs you need.
A WinCustomize Personal Website. These users are given exclusive access to tools designed to help in creating their own presence on the WinCustomize servers. This includes a (x.wincustomize.com) domain at WinCustomize. In addition, they can also write web blogs and upload skins & themes to their site to help promote their website.
Premium Skin Suites. WinCustomize offers two premium suites. These suites will be able to completely transform your desktop and look totally cool.
Extra WinCustomize features. New features will be added to the site specifically for WinCustomize subscribers. Features will include journals, auto-notification of comments made to submissions you've made , notification to responses to messages you've made and more.
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No Banner Ads. By becoming a WinCustomize subscriber, you help support our website in many ways. We recognize this by removing banners and other ads from the website that may hinder your surfing experience. We want all of our loyal patrons to have the most enjoyable surfing experience possible.
Plus there is the knowledge that by subscribing to WinCustomize you are helping ensure its future. WinCustomize costs an immense amount to run each month and subscribers can help ensure that the site continues to get better and better.

*****This is the basic structur of wc's titles ...

WinCustomize User Classes

Exile
This is a user who was banned. We do not delete accounts, we exile them. Exiled users cannot do anything on the site other than download files. They can only download skins that have been rated at 7 or above.

Visitor
This is a non-registered user. They can only download. They can only download skins that have been rated at 7 or above.

Citizen
This is a registered user. 99% of users are going to be Citizens. A citizen is a member of the community. They can submit skins, download and talk on the message board. Citizens can modify their preferences to display skins of any rating or above. The honorific "Citizen" is appended in front of their name.

Apprentice
A citizen user who has submitted skins can be nominated to be promoted to an Apprentice. To become an apprentice one needs to be contributing to the skinning community in some way. WinCustomize is not the skinning community, helping other websites in the skinning community counts as well. An apprentice can not only talk on the message board but can also comment on skins and the news items. The honorific "Sir" or "Lady" is appended to the front of their name. There is also a Master Apprentice rank for those right on the verge of becoming Journeymen.

Journeymen
A handful of "super-citizens" will be at this class. These are people who are significant contributors to the community. They can do everything an Apprentice can do but also rate the skins. The honorific "Sir" or "Lady" is appended to the front of their name. If you're a journeyman, then you are one biggest contributors to WinCustomize.com. The difference between a Journeyman and an Apprentice is that a Journeyman is contributing significantly to WinCustomize in particular as well as the skinning community in general. A Journeymen's skin is automatically made available upon uploading. It does not have to go through moderation first. As a result, only the most trusted users will become Journeymen because of this power. They will also eventually have access to a special council discussion area where concerns, problems and other concerns of the skinning community can be addressed.

Masters
These are the "elders" of the skinning community. People who have been around for awhile. Only a few people will be at this level. 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. The honorific "Master" is placed in front of their name. A master has to think of WinCustomize as their home skin website.

Moderator
Compuserve has "Wizops", we decided to call our moderators Wizops too. Wizops can do what Masters can do plus add/delete news items, moderate skins. One can only become a Moderator by a 3/4ths majority of the Admins. The honorific Wizop is placed in front of a Wizop. A Moderator has the ability to authorize the promotion of a citizen to an apprentice.

Administrator
Admins are the administrators. There will be 5 Administrators total: Alexandrie, Frogboy, T-Man, Migeleto, and KarmaGirl. Any of them have the ability to promote a user up to a Journeyman. Only a majority approval can promote someone to a Master and only 3/4ths to a Wizop. Alexandrie and T-Man will run WinCustomize on a day to day basis. The other 5 will provide additional help and resources. You want something changed or done, Alexandrie and T-Man are the ones to talk to. They have the ability to make many changes as long as it doesn't violate the covenant. Only 7 Admins will be active at a given time. If one person should leave, another person will be promoted from the community.

******NO where does it say .. as a subscriber your guaranteed a high ranked title .. nor does it say your uploads are guaranteed to be approved ....ive been here 3 years and havent made journeyman....
a title "promotion", is for those who go beyond a standard users scope .. as a reward for hard work and dedication............

screen shots are moderated as jafo stated ....No porn...no racial/religious vilification...no wall images unobscured enabling the wall to be extracted from the screenshot and re-used as a wall....[copyright issue]... as long as thes eare followed a screenshot will be accepted....there is a differance between a wallpaper and a screenshot .. wallpapers are strictly moderated......why ? because this is a skinning site. not a wall paper site ....wallpapers are offered to compliment skins ..the main function of this site is application skins ....and think about it .. as it stands there are more wallpapers than any other section in the librarys....

I am not afraid of speaking my mind, as it was implied in an earlier post ..ask anybody who knows me here..i have disagreed at times with many people here on things .. no one ever sees every thing the same way...so there is no fear of reprocussion...to imply there is, is unjustified...

Angel .. your posts seem to attack the very people who helped build this site,in a manner to imply theres some vast conspiracy of skinners working together to squash the new guy ..like youve been the Victem of some sort of elete forces out to get you .{which we all know was just a bug in the system being sorted out}...
i have in the last 3 years seen many up and comers move on to greatness inspired and helped by the very skinners you acuse of "squashing" the new guy...so to me that assumption also is unjustified....
EVEN if there were a few abuseing the system.. they are not the majority and will be dealt with when caught.......

Lynx's Den

on Feb 14, 2005

xxxxxxxxxx

Erk.

on Feb 14, 2005

Might I suggest that all the hot-headedness I see in this thread, is not doing any of you any favours?

How about everyone backs away from their computers for a day or two, OK?

Petty bickering is just plain stupid, and does nothing to improve your cause...

Let it go.

Jafo

on Feb 14, 2005

Lynx's Den ...I'm sorry...but that last post was removed for being a direct personal attack ....something against the rules of conduct here. If you wish to vent frustration you have my email addy...

butch123

on Feb 14, 2005

Admin Jafo Just a question out of curiosity cause I am not sure...and information is always a good thing to have...yesterday n the other thread when some of the authors were telling me my stuff was nothing but a joke and that I am a joke, isnt that a personal attack? Just wondering.

See Lynx my friend good luck ! But I think you are fighting an unwinnable battle.

jamoman

on Feb 14, 2005

i really like this site & the 20 bucks i recently spent (of my on free will) was a show of my appreciation for all the great free,spyware& adware free skins i`ve downloaded in the last year. i say thanks to all skinners who post their works here. let`s be glad to have such a great site to come to.

butch123

on Feb 14, 2005

jamoman Very well said..

NightTrainthedark

on Feb 14, 2005

yesterday n the other thread when some of the authors were telling me my stuff was nothing but a joke and that I am a joke, isnt that a personal attack?

None called you a joke. They said your actions around the site have become a joke to the community. Don't hijack another thread because you are afraid of the other thread. People are trying to help you.

Jafo

on Feb 14, 2005

OK...looks like this is past its use-by date.

Generally, when things go off topic and/or degenerate into slanging matches it's time to move on....

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