WinCustomize Subscription Drive: Status

https://store.stardock.com/addproduct.asp?PRODUCT_ID=ESD-SDS-W052&REFERER=WinCustomize
from WinCustomize Forums

Just a recap - in the past 30 days we've had two primary servers crash due to hardware failure. We are in the process of trying to purchase 2 new servers along with prepare the way for additional servers to help provide redundancy.

All we need are 500 new subscribers by the end of the month. As I type this, we have 156.  Each month, over two MILLION people visit this site. The costs for running this site are considerable.  While Stardock pays for most of the bandwidth and IT work, WinCustomize has to pay for its own machines.

We need your help. In the next 20 days or so, we need to get another 350 subscribers. Even as I type this message, there are 1,178 people on this site. If you've already subscribed, we thank you. If you haven't, please consider purchasing a premium subscription.

Premium subscriptions not only give you unlimited bandwidth to the site, you get access to the WinCustomize Browser which provides a direct link to WC's database.  Premium subscriptions last TWO years and only cost $19.95. This Spring, a host of cool new features will be added to WinCustomize that will only be available to subscribers. Two premium skin suites are already available for WinCustomize premium subscribers and a system tray program that monitors WinCustomize for new skins, themes, wallpapers, and more is also available.

 

To subscribe you can follow the link below or go here:  https://www.wincustomize.com/store/

8,384 views 14 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I personally love this site and plan on purchasing a premium subscription before the end of the month (gotta do the Christmas shopping first, ya know ).
Anyway to help the drive it would be, or would have been great, to have a new premium skin or even suite made to help motivate new subscribers. Just a thought.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
giving some hint as to the new features you are planning for subscribers might help

having said that, if you havent got a subscription and visit a lot, go on, get one! it really is worth it
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've leeched enough. I bought my subscription yesterday. I know I've downloaded enough to owe Stardock at least that much. To the people who use this site a LOT, don't have a subscription, and can afford one (there has to be 350 of you) please subscribe. Thanks
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm asking for a subscription for christmas! If I dont get one, I think I'll spend some of the money I get from grandparents on one.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm willing to buy another subscription to support the site...under one condition........that it be given to someone else since I already have a subscription. Not sure who but maybe the first person to visit the site on Christmas day or something. Is that possible?
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Anyone who has a subscription already: Thank you. You've already done your part though. Please don't feel like you need to purchase an additional subscription.


This site gets around 75,000 unique visitors each day. Around 2 million for the month.  500 is less than 0.03% of 2 million. It would be a pretty sad commentary that to get to 500 people to subscribe to purchase hardware that everyone will benefit from takes existing subscribers to double-subscribe.


My basic view is straight forward: This site gives a lot to the community for free. If .03% of users who don't already have subscriptions who visit this site don't feel it's worth supporting in its hour of need then I figure we need to revisit the whole way the site is run. Make this a commercial site. Let the people who don't want to contribute anythign in any form go to other sites while they still last (think about it - if WinCustomize has trouble paying for servers when it's backed by a corporation for most of its costs, imagine what would happen if a million new users went to one of the existing skin sites). This site almost certainly uses more bandwidth than say Slashdot. It's expensive to run a skin site.


Look at some of these download stats from yesterday:




























Visual styles Downloads Yesterday WC DL
 1. mormegil 3137 303
 2. adni18 2415 276
 3. BoXXi 1152 140
 4. Judge 1049 182
 5. Xav73 1007 42




























Wallpapers Downloads Yesterday WC DL
 1. adni18 1951 217
 2. mormegil 1118 146
 3. BoXXi 665 84
 4. Jairo Boudewyn 638 74
 5. The Bussi 557 96




























Icon Packages Downloads Yesterday WC DL
 1. mormegil 2513 244
 2. adni18 1266 163
 3. yangge 749 45
 4. Lipiani 373 27
 5. Leo the Lion 351 24












WMP Downloads Yesterday WC DL
 1. The Skins Factory 2831 61


If you take the average size of one of these things to be say a megabyte, Just these 16 authors content required over 22,000 megabytes of bandwidth. And there are tens of thousands of skin authors.  Think about the bandwidth involved here. If users of these 16 top authors use over 600 GIGABYTES of bandwidth (that's 4.8 terrabits) that should give users a glimpse of how much bandwidth, hardware, IT work this site requires every day to exist.

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Can anyone tell us what the Premium suites are that are included? I can imagine that the authors don't want to show too much for fear of "knock-offs", but it might help entice some new users.
Thanks
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I finally bought a subscription and I'm glad I did. I love this site and I figured it was time to make my contribution!! Thank you to everyone who has a part in keeping this site going!!
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I hardly download from WC, but I upload my fare share, and decided to purchase a subscription too. If you didn't yet and enjoy this site, do it! I'm looking forward to the new features coming down the road.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Frogboy,
My subscription is not due for renewing until around april 2004, I had planned on doing it closer to that time. If it will help I'll renew it now and will do so as soon as I see a reply from you. I enjoy the stuff stardock produces but without you guys their programs would be nothing so keep up the good work.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Since I'm such a download piglet (Braaaap! Excuse me.) I re-upped. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I enjoy every bit of Stardock/WinCustomize -- wouldn't Windows without ya!
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Regarding renewing subscription now rather than closer to when it will expire, I'd be willing to do that too if it would help. Just Say The Word.

Cheers,
Bob Cronin
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I just purchased my subscription. For all the enjoyment that this site has brought me---both in downloads and artwork that I've checked out but not downloaded---purchasing a subscription was the least I can do. As a non-artist, I can, at least, be a patron of the arts
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My daughter and i love this site.We didn't mindbuying our subscriptions at all,just wish we could have before.But will pass the word to few people i know who use this site.It's well worth it.And money well spent.