What determines when a skin gets "featured"

from WinCustomize Forums
So I come onto WC today, and finally, I see a Dashboard skin featured right at the top. First time I can remember. And I'm pleased, since Dashboard is what got me here in the first place.

Then I take a closer look. Looks oddly familiar.

Well, that's because it's a skin that was made like six months ago. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the work (generally not my taste, but it's well done for what it is). But why suddenly feature it after six months? Just kind of makes me wonder what it is that determines a skin gets featured. Other than the obvious answer: whatever anyone with access feels like featuring.

Yes, I know I'm generally babbling ... other things distracting me this week, and I'm too stupid to not hit the "Submit" button
11,985 views 29 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
because six months ago we did not had featured skin
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
True, Alex ... but they do go back 2 1/2 months. It just kind of got me thinking as to what criteria are applied, if it's anything more than "hey, I like that one."

I also noticed another interesting statistic -- 10% of the PocketBlinds skins have been featured in that time, but only 0.5% of the Dashboard skins. Kinda favors Stardock

(hmm.. hope I'm not sounding bitter or anything here.. that's really not my intention)
Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
hmmmmmm.......
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think it is picked on a "hey, I like this one" criterium. But I agree it should be a rather fresh skin. Why not pick one of yesterday's uploads or so?
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Glen Eric Reed,
"what it is that determines a skin gets featured"

I think that you post something that every author here in WinCustomize, think about it, very often.
The "hey, I like this one" criterium, it is not fair, in any way.
There are many solutions on this...but we don't have a choice.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
In all the skins sites, the featured skin is choosed by the admins. This is not an award, it is just an admin's pick, nothing more then that.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yep...it's a 'hey, I like this one' criteria.
Please don't compare it eith DA's 'Daily Deviation' as that is flamed constantly.

The Featured Skin is just something an admin comes across in his/her wanderings and thinks 'hey, I like this one'...
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Dunno where that 'eith' came from....must be a new word....Spell checker
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
"10% of the PocketBlinds skins have been featured in that time, but only 0.5% of the Dashboard skins." -- by Citizen Glen Eric Reed - 10/30/2001 12:33:25 PM

10% of Pocketblinds skins (30) = 3 skins
3% of Dashboard skins (186) = 5 1/2 skins

So there were more Dashboard skins featured. What is it you were saying again?
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Oh, wait... 0.5% you said... Where did I get 3%?? Anyway, 0.5% of the Dashboard skins is less than one skin. Hehehe! Man you got robbed, not even a full skin featured?
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I featured the Dashboard skin. Basically, it's one of those "admin"/wizop perks. They work really REALLY hard on the site. Having such wonderful people helping us day in and day out is probably in my list of top 10 best things in my personal life. Why? Just being associated with such generous people makes me feel supremely honored.

I tend to pick a lot of the picsk, not sure why it ends up that way. I believe any wizop on up can do so. I don't really use Dashboard (I'm a Palm Pilot guy) so POcketPC stuff doesn't tend to get picked that often unless it's something I've used or at least pretty familiar with. Ther'es no inentional bias though.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Blimey. I dunno about anybody else, but having a skin that's more than 24hours old acan be a real breath of fresh air. You might be reminded of an old favourite, or just something you hadn't spotted before...

Blimey. I never rememberb people complaing about custo's screenshot of the week... (apart from when it didn't change for months and months.)

I LIKE knowing what other people are interested in. It's not like the admins say "you are obliged to download the featured skin". If you want something new, it's easy to look in recent submissions yourself. A lot of people don't have as much time as they would like to browse through older submissions, and having older stuff brought to their attention can be reallly handy.

Thanks for having a Featured skin
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes, listen to quadrophobe....
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm with Mr. Fours.
If you wanna pick the featured skin, just turn yourself into one of the best skinners around, spend at least 5 years helping the community, get yourself invited to admin on one of the biggest sites in the world, and then you can do the picking! Until then, respect the choices of the experts.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well BoXXi, give yourself a little bit of credit here. The admins here are doing a terrific job, but I wouldn't qualify them as more experts than you or a few other really talented artists around here. No, they are just the admin of this site they have good taste and I erspect their choices, nothing more, really.
BTW: somebody must be doing something right because the same skins always get chosen as featured skins on all the skins sites. Something I've noticed.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Wow, let this thread go overnight, and by the bottom, I'm a disrespectful, bitter loser. Really, I never meant to complain about the featured skin feature at all -- it was just a curious question. I actually do find it interesting to see what's picked, and I wondered if there were any criteria applied besides "I like this." (And now I know if I want to see more Dashboard skins there, I need to buy Frogboy a PocketPC )

paxx -- I was rounding off on the 0.5% thing, of course. And I don't have a clue where your 3% came from either!

fearoffours -- You make a good point ... I guess featuring an older skin would bring one someone might have missed to their attention (particularly true with Windowblinds, when you've got over 1000 skins to wade through). Today's featured skin is actually a great example of that.. six months old again, but certainly appropriate for Hallowe'en.

BoXXi -- I have no desire to pick the featured skin myself. I'd like to think I'm already one of the best skinners around (though I haven't been around for 5 years). And WC, one of the biggest sites in the world? Umm, sure, it's popular... in the skinning community. It's not exactly Yahoo.

And again, no disrespect was meant.
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Seems like a pretty valid question. And it's nice to know that the community supports the current process of picking the featured skin.

I agree - it's nice to be reminded of some older skins we may have forgotten about.

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
By the way, the Daily Deviation on DevArt follows the exact same formula as the Featured Skin here. Neither are awards, they're admin picks. Nothing more, nothing less.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hey, Glen. Thanks for asking the question. It was something that I had wondered about as well.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Some of these 'featured skins' are chosen by the world's greatest skinners, but others are chosen by me. [I provide a balance]....
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes, and not all admins are skinners at all. A website needs different people with different talents for admins.
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks for the understanding -- it really was an innocent question. You'll know it when my questions aren't innocent

And don't sell yourself short, Jafo. You probably hit a larger percentage of good skins with what you've posted ... I post everything I do -- no separating the wheat from the chaff for me (um, replace that with a better cliche, will ya?.. my mind isn't functioning quite right).

Someone remind me in the future -- community theatre and message boards don't mix the week that you're doing a show. I'm tired, posting on here more than ever before, but I don't think I've been making much sense....
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Paxx, it's true. Not all the admins are skinners. I have admin access (under KarmaGirl) but I haven't used it a lot yet. However, I do have a fine art photography degree, so it is very easy for me to appreciate the talent that goes into these skins. You don't need to be a "skinner" to know what a good skin is.