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from WinCustomize Forums
my current wincustomize site subscription is showing signs of running out. so, the question is: do i want to renew this?

lets see what WC has to say on the subject https://www.wincustomize.com/index.asp?cmd=subscription

interesting reading, to say the least. first up there is the skin browser.

This alone is worth the cost of becoming a subscriber

that is definitely a matter of personal opinion *shrug* i probably have an uncommon take on this, but personally i never found the skin browser to be of much use, and haven't loaded it for over a year.

2 premium skin suites, fair enough. still, not a selling point for me, since my tastes in skins are quite individual.

now the best bit:

New features will be added to the site specifically for WinCustomize subscribers.

that statement was there when i took out my subscription 2 years ago i am not aware that anything has been added in the last 2 years (except for text adds, anyone seen one recently?). if it was added, i never noticed, so obviously it didn't have much impact on me. given this rate of progress, this offer doesn't do much to entice me.

so why did i get a subscription last time? two reasons:
a) the offer of the skin browsers improved view of the message board. the idea was good, but i never got on with the implementation, and stopped using it within days.

b) supporting a site that meant something to me 2 years ago.

either this is the core of my post, or it is a separate post and thread entirely. i am honestly not sure.

2 years ago i visited this message board every day, several times a day. it was a friendly, warm and inviting place. now? perhaps i visit 2 times a week, and only for one thread. a few of you will know which one *shrug*

what happened? i really am not sure. perhaps i have changed totally in 2 years? still, i feel that this message board has changed a LOT in that time. these days it feels like an extension of stardock support, and trolls and troll baiting seem to be so common... *sigh*

where are all the old and familiar faces from 2 years ago??? i don't know, but they don't seem to be here. this lends support to my theory that the change is at least as much in this message board as it is in me.

i just felt i had to say all of this. if you are going to reply, please be polite and respectful. feel free to disagree and debate this with me, just remember respect for all.



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7,612 views 17 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
well, you definitly have your reasons for not wanting to subscribe, i've questioned the value in the browser myself (though i still have a year to go and a lot could happen). i wonder though, why post that here? if you were dissatisfied with the product and inquiring to changes, you might be better off going directly to the powers that be instead of opening yourself up to stone throwing.

now if you are looking for support, ie to find out what happened to those old friends, or to find out why we think its worth it to stick around, well.. i say: ive been here for a short while and i've seen those who were the veterans pack up and go for various reasons, mostly dissatisfaction with the new personalities the new users seem to have. the rudeness, the hawking, maybe a bit of idiocy. i stick around because amidst all the rabble, which has just become humorous to me, i know there are some good people here that i can get advice from, talk about graphics or just BS with. i don't come in expecting to find five of my best friends. it's like hanging out at the water fountain.

as for wincust in general, there isn't a reason not to stick around the skinning site in general. you still have your unlimited donwloads, you can still see the nwe things comming out and the gui olympics and so on. i'm sure that hasn't changed in the past several years, in fact i would think it's gotten more exciting.

while you may not resubrscribe to the browser, stick around a bit. continue to poke around on the message boards, because i'm sure there is a cycle, and the riff raff will be gone in due time.

anyway i hope that's relevant.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

feline...social intercourse is a two way street...if you don't visit as often you are going to lose contact with those people you assume have left...perhaps it is you that has left, not them.

Certainly several people have moved away...all sorts of reasons....and you get that in any evolutionary society....people come...people go.

Those that choose to remain help make it all what it is.

In all the years that Wincustomize.com has been in existence I can think of at maximum about a dozen whose departure actually enriched this community , and several more who are not actually 'gone' but are just less frequently here....and no amount of pushing and shoving will get them here more often.

When circumstances are favourable these people return...and flit off again....it's simply a natural progression.

The reality is that those with deep-seated 'roots' within the skinning community itself will remain....the wanderers will mostly be those whose 'heart' perhaps lies elsewhere...

Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I for one will probably never leave this site... Sure I go to many other sites on a day-to-day basis, but I always return to check my messages and see if anyone has commented on my submissions, because I see this as a worthwhile way to spend my time, doing my best to help others who haven't fully grasped everything yet, which is everyone , every now and then I even see a very high leveled user on the help section, stumped and in need of advice. This is a community the likes of which no one has ever seen, because it is growing more rapidly than I believe anyone could ever have predicted, and that is why I will do my best to be an active part of it.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The dynamics of our social lives (I really wanted to say socialism, but it seems to have some other meaning ) is ever changing. The friends I have today are not the same ones I had 10-15 years ago. The people I work with and the mood of where I work has changed in six years. Same thing, over and over again during the 15 years at my previous job. How I view myself, what I believe in, who I'm married to has changed and it never seems for the better, except the wife thing...third time's a charmer and keeper, but memories are always fondest aren't they, than the realities we face every day. The direction this place goes in is directly impacted by the participants. For me the $20 is just one way to show I care what happens here, the other stuff, skin browser, premium suites, etc. is just promotional material to get new visitors to join IMHO. That's all....hope you stick around and bring some of that feline charm to the rest of the community
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
*waves* Hi feline!

I think it might be a combination of things going on. I see a lot of change in almost every community I have been a part of. Some of it is burn out on my part, I think. Communities go stale, slow down, new people come and seem to change the feel of the community, priorities seem to change. I have come to think of it like a wave of sorts. Earlier I was riding high, now there is a trough. Will there be another high? I think so. But I have to look inside myself for signs of *been there, done that, tired already* and knowing there is that potential in me, I have to know it is in others too.

I have had the impression that a lot of change is being worked toward, behind the scenes.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Has the site changed so much it has driven people away, or has people leaving changed the site? It''s something I have been asking lately - I don''t have an answer The nature of this board has changed significantly. It''s no longer friendly and is full of ill manners and a lack of respect. This can be changed, but it''s not easy. Bad behaviour has become more acceptable, and even rewarded in some cases. Sometimes this makes us feel helpless. If you bang your head against a brick wall often enough all you get is a headache - but sooner or later the wall gives (if your head is thick enough)

The messageboard will seem like a part of Stardock support. WC membership was only 100000 a couple of years ago - it''s now close to one and a half million and the number of people needing help will increase by the same amount.

The increased numbers have also meant a loss of control by those in charge. That''s not in anyway a criticism of them, just simple maths. Once the numbers get beyond a certain ratio all you do is spend your time firefighting instead of doing the other things.

"It is not logical to assume things will always remain the same..."
"Change is enevitable..."

True sayings. People change, nothing more is certain. But for me, feline, it is people like you who make the board worth saving. We may not be able to bring back some friends from the past, but we can add new friends in the future.

I renewed my subscription yesterday. It does nothing for me (there are no extra features and the browser is useless) but it helps WC. That''s all I need...


[Message Edited]
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
As others here have said, change is inevitable. We can, however, influence the manner and direction of that change, at least to the extent that it affects our own lives. One simply has to choose a destination, chart a course, and then take action toward the goal. Depending on the choice one makes, the journey may not always be easy, and there always will be detours and delays. One cannot even be certain that the destination will ever be reached. But if the goal is worthy, the desire is strong, and the effort is sustained, then the rewards will be attained. This I truly believe.

One lesson I have learned well. One can change a system by leaving the system, but in so doing, one surrenders any chance of having an influence on the outcome. One who does nothing is quite often rewarded accordingly.

I hope you choose to stay, feline. Your presence on these boards does make a difference.




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Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I don't post as much as I used to. I feel if I have nothing good or nothing relating to the conversation than it's best to be quiet. I too have changed. I feel the board has changed. I don't see alot of flaming and when there is flaming the admins/mods take care of it swiftly. Even though my WC sub was a gift I still feel in some small way I have to support this site. Because WC is a strong site and a good site for skinning. When my sub runs it's course and runs out I will renew of my own accord. Simply because everyone here in a small way has helped me in my life. You are my family. That will never change.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
so many good points here, so many things to respond to...

Admin Jafo - feline...social intercourse is a two way street...if you don't visit as often you are going to lose contact with those people you assume have left...perhaps it is you that has left, not them.


as always, wise words from Jafo. DesignCaddy, in a sense you are asking "why say this"?

i have one answer to both you and Jafo, in a sense one answer to all of these points. the trick is working out how to put this into words...

for months now work has been stressful and tiring, wearing me down on several fronts. in a strange way this has been a good thing, since i have finally reached the point where i have stopped caring about work in the same way. if they want to carry on like that, let them, i choose to no longer care.

during this time i have often wished for the "old" wincustomize message board. it used to be somewhere i could escape to, a safe haven and a meeting place to see and talk with my friends.

i wouldn't be quite so blunt as fuzzy logic, but in my heart i cannot say he is wrong. i tend to be less direct, less blunt, but what he says, it reflects my feelings about what has happened. Jafo, it is probably time for your speech about being a volunteer once again! that says it all, it really does.

so why this post? this site is no longer the nest (for want of a better word) that i can return to and snuggle into a corner of when i feel tired and depressed. due to works actions i am starting to get more energy, more interest in the world around me.

if i give up and step back from this site then i am saying it isn't worth fighting for. that is wrong! this place is worth fitting for. not for the skins, if i down load and use a new skin once every 6 months it is a minor miracle. no, it is worth fitting for because of the friends i have here, and i know what this place can be.

i don't know what i shall do about this place, but the point needs to be raised. i feel something has to be done, by several people on several fronts. i will think on this.



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Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I have to agree with feline. I subscribed 2 years ago also. Contrary to what Jafo will say, I also feel that the message board was a lot more friendly and lively back then. Werewolf, elvee Fuzzy, feline Goodmorphing and a bunch of others used to have friendly chats on the messageboard. I do miss that friendly banter.

The skin suites offered doesn't mean anything to me as they are not my taste and whatever the other freebies are/were, except the Skinbrowser. I do use it for the messageboard and cruising the libraries.

Yes there were a lot less people then, but the age factor was older. Now its a lot younger. Just a guess, but I think it went from an average in the 40's to the 20's. So the maturity level shrunk. As with feline, I too don't post much anymore but do check daily. Yes, changes is inevitable but to bad the friendliness and warmth has to also.

I have said this before on the messageboard and was kind of rebuffed for it, but who cares.

/me has about 20 days before his subscription runs out but will renew.



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Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I don't know, after almost 2 years, I can still say, "It's all good."



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Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Oh cheese and crackers! It's a web site where like minded people gather. If it stops being fun for you, by all means move along. I've been here forever and it's still fun. Purrrr...
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Yes, I think the age demographic may have lowered a little over time....probably inevitable as skinning becomes more mainstream....but as someone charged with keeping an eye on the 'friendliness' of the boards I'd have to say that any perception that it is somehow less-so now than before is not quite correct.

These days there is far less 'issues', apart from the 50 meg-limit reachers....which is obviously a more recent thing anyway....and a lot of the prior vitriol was about Moderation....and that angst has diminished quite markedly over time.

The trap people may fall into is being unfortunately 'casual' visitors who only manage to see [and remember] the odd drama, and miss the calm stretches...

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think the times have changed, but I still find this board very friendly.

I think what the real problem is that we made 'internet' friends with each other and as some move on the board does not have the same feeling. then different characters come on and make friends with other characters and so on...

Also, the board has become a little more hostile and way larger. Nevertheless, I feel it still one of the best board I have seen or been on.





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Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I know!!! We should have more message board games!!! Tic Tac Toe anybody???



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Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I renewed last week...odd that SD Central has showed the registration change but SkinBrowser keeps telling me that my subscription has expired ...but anyway...I have been around checking up on the site. I have two jobs consuming so much of my play time now. I miss being somewhat active on the boards and IRC and I miss my friends

Change is going to happen...as the saying goes...'The only thing constant is change'. This doesn't stop me from continuing my support to WC, I love this place . That will never change



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Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
From what I've found, not too much ever stays the same. However feline please stay, say a little, then say a little more. The board can only benefit by your contribution. The tide for you may turn that little bit. You never know - Maybe some new friends. Many of the old ones are still around