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Poll Results: Site Sponsorships

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Poll Results: Site Sponsorships

Talk about a close one...

from WinCustomize Forums

Wow, last week's poll was a lively one!  And the results at the end were far and away different from how things were looking near the start of the week.  To recap, the discussion was around additional ways to support the site in the future.  One possibility that had been presented to us by our ad rep was a Site Sponsorship, a graphic that would be placed somewhere on the site for the duration of the sponsorship.  The catch is that the image would be visible to everyone, even subscribers. 

Here's how the voting came out:

The surprise for me by the end of the week was how much the "I might leave" option grew.  For most of the week, the response seemed to be more or less receptive to the idea.  But it ended out the week with a third of the vote.  With the voting over, those in favor came out with 57% of the vote, while those opposed had 41%.  With the voting coming so close, it's an issue we'll have to continue to debate before making any decisions.

The discussion on the topic went well over 100 posts, and remained entirely civil and constructive.  It's probably one of the best discussions on site policy I've seen here in a long time.  Thank you to everyone who tossed in their $0.02 and helped me get a better idea of where the community stood on the issue. 

25,359 views 74 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I concur with CarGuy1 on that assessment. Yes, other sites can take over the skins but there is no way people are going to flock to someplace like DA for them. Stardock needs WC. I honestly think Object Desktop sales would plummet very dramatically should something like that occur.
I also would not renew without WC.
Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top
WinCustomize is the fuel that allows the ObjectDesktop engine to run.  ;p 

If WC would shut down, which I don't see happening, all the skinners here would not just stop skinning. They would find a home. Guess who would follow them, yep, all those people who didn't want to subscribe, and of course, the rest of us.  ;) 
TouchTasks - Access tasks with ease on Windows touchscreens.
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I also would not renew without WC.
End of quote


Same with me. I would be willing to dish out more money to keep the site going.
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I would be willing to dish out more money to keep the site going.
End of quote


I would also, but then that gets us back to some of what was brought up, only a small group keeping the site open for everyone.  (:( 
Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top
A mock-up would be interesting to see. I personally don't think a static Sponsorship will be in any way obstructive at all. It would be great to see WC sustain it's self. Realistically I don't think it is possible...yet. We should still try the Site Sponsorship, regardless what the numbers say in the poll.
Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top

WinCustomize is the fuel that allows the ObjectDesktop engine to run.

If WC would shut down, which I don't see happening, all the skinners here would not just stop skinning. They would find a home. Guess who would follow them, yep, all those people who didn't want to subscribe, and of course, the rest of us.
End of quote

From Stardock's perspective, WinCustomize has to live or die on its own. It's been a very close thing for the past couple years between keeping WinCustomize around versus closing it and teaming up with deviantART.

The net result of the debate is that WinCustomize.com has to be able to pay its own bills by the end of this fiscal year (June 30th) or face drastic measures.  Right now, it's not quite breaking even but it's getting closer each month.

I suspect subscriptions are going to be changed next year to be $29.95 per year with users getting deeper discounts on Master skins.  I also suspect non-subscribers are going to end up with a LOOOTTT more ads than what they see today (think full-screen ads like what you see on other sites).

Reply #32 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Enlightening thread.  :NOTSURE: 
Reply #33 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Nothing personal, as I do submit to deviantART, but that site is so unfriendly to users it is pathetic, extremely hard to navigate, and never provides much in the way of useful information. I really hope you don't mean what you said Brad. WC is 1000% better than deviantART in every way. :)
Reply #34 from WinCustomize Forums Top
... and all this hype about ads? Who cares about ads anyway, if you don't like them, ignore them, if you see one you are interested in, then click on it. What on earth is the big deal! Besides, running a web site this large is a huge expense I imagine, and the owners have a perfect right to place ads on it to generate revenue. Heck, it costs me enough to run my own website and 3 others, without ads I would not even be able to afford them. :p
Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Frogboy, always apprecite it when the big guy shows up. Thanks for your comment. I don't think I wouldn't be speaking out of turn to say the atleast 51% of the folks here would do what is necessary to keep WC open for busniess.  :HOT: 
Reply #36 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Damn sure not going to get MORE subscribers at 30$...perceptually thats a huge jump.

Not real crazy about an even larger cut into what little I get from skin sales either.(tho I did very much appreciate the money I did get,that I wouldnt have gotten)
Dosnt cover the amount of effort yet...but I hope that changes...and when you live on AID,any amount seems huge...plus skinning gives me something to do. ;) 
Reply #37 from WinCustomize Forums Top

From Stardock's perspective, WinCustomize has to live or die on its own. It's been a very close thing for the past couple years between keeping WinCustomize around versus closing it and teaming up with deviantART.
End of quote

IMHO more like being swallowed up. Like LightStar, nothing personal, but the thought of this scenario is is just devastating. (:( 

Reply #38 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I can't stand DA personally. :NOTSURE: 

Viva WC !!!  :CONGRAT: 












& Maxstyles  :p 
Reply #39 from WinCustomize Forums Top
versus closing it and teaming up with deviantART
End of quote


talk about a death wish. Sorry you see it that way Brad.
Stardock never would have made it without WC. It was/is the perfect match and the unique factor. Obviously, SD has made quite a bit of money despite the money pit that is WC. DA would kill the skinning community as we know it today. The skinning community keeps stardock alive. Without the fine contributors that freely have made the thousands of skins for SD products you would have had to pay to have them made by a select handful of people. I don't know what I'm missing in this common sense equation, or what you fail to see. I'm not trying to stir a shitpile here. I would just like to know what makes you see it the way you do?
Reply #40 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm sho' not moving there.I'll open my own site before giving up WC. ;p 
Reply #41 from WinCustomize Forums Top
How bout if some of us pay a little more(say $50)and get a star by your name or something?
I'm all for sponsorship or adds or anything to keep the site up.

deviantART. :( X-( :SNIFF!:
Reply #42 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Drill'n Boss just maybe on to something here. Atleast it deserves to be looked at.  :HOT: 
Reply #43 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm sho' not moving there.I'll open my own site before giving up WC.
End of quote


I concur. ;)
Reply #44 from WinCustomize Forums Top

talk about a death wish. Sorry you see it that way Brad.
Stardock never would have made it without WC. It was/is the perfect match and the unique factor. Obviously, SD has made quite a bit of money despite the money pit that is WC. DA would kill the skinning community as we know it today. The skinning community keeps stardock alive. Without the fine contributors that freely have made the thousands of skins for SD products you would have had to pay to have them made by a select handful of people. I don't know what I'm missing in this common sense equation, or what you fail to see. I'm not trying to stir a shitpile here. I would just like to know what makes you see it the way you do?
End of quote

I'm going to attempt to say this without soundint too arrogant:

Having run a successful multi-million dollar business for a decade and a half, I think I have some idea of what made Stardock a success.

Do not kid yourself that Stardock needs WinCustomize. It does not.  Even if we didn't team up with deviantART, Stardock could still simply have a simple gallery ala Winamp and other such programs.

Why do I see it this way? Because I know that a huge % of users come to WinCustomize because they are pointed here from Stardock.com in the first place.  It's not the content driving the software. It's the software driving the content.  People download the software first, THEN come here to get content.  One doesn't need 5000+ skins for a skinnable thing to be a success.

The reason Stardock has continued to support WinCustomize is because of the community. We love you guys. We think the skinning community is worth it.  But at the same time, we can't carry the load disproportionately indefinitely. WinCustomize costs Stardock over $600,000 a year to run.  And through a combination of ads, subscriptions, and other means it needs to generate that much or the cost will have to be decreased or revenue increasesd. 

Ads generate more revenue for WC now than the subscriptions.

Since we don't plan to close WinCustomize, the most obvious solution is increase the ads for non-subscribers substantially. And those who don't want the ads and want the other services of WC and want to support the site directly can buy a subscription ($30 for the first year, $20 to renew).

 

Reply #45 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Didn't sound arrogant to me. Sounds more like a plan. A rather good business plan.  ;) 
Reply #46 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I know that a huge % of users come to WinCustomize because they are pointed here from Stardock.com in the first place.
End of quote


And what about the reverse? ;) 
Reply #47 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I just have to say that I saw WC before I knew SD and its products. The content on this site is what inspired me to buy OD. Not just the merit of SD products. Can deviantART be that? I don't know. Not as it is today.

I can't remember, but I am pretty sure I came across at least one story where a company failed because they closed a non revenue generating cost center that was behind generating the business for the rest of the company.
Reply #48 from WinCustomize Forums Top
A big point with the poll from last week was that I'm working very hard to find middle ground to get between all the extremes.  I don't want a site that's crammed full of ads any more than anyone else.  I also don't want to cut out the subscribers.  The point here is that going forward, something has to give, and I'm trying to make sure that it's relatively painless.


Reply #49 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If it means anything to anybody...once a site starts with the full page popunders and preloading them before I can get in...I stop going. ;p 
Reply #50 from WinCustomize Forums Top
the most obvious solution is increase the ads for non-subscribers substantially. And those who don't want the ads and want the other services of WC and want to support the site directly can buy a subscription ($30 for the first year, $20 to renew).
End of quote


I can live with that.

I'd suggest maybe giving the "New Customer" like a 30 day or 3 month trial membership included with the purchase to get people used to no (or vastly reduced) ads. Limit some of the trial membership benefits such as no "free suites" reduced price Master skins etc. Then when the trial runs out and they suddenly are faced with the extra ads it will be more palatable to subscribe.