It's also full of mysteries...   

People comment on screenshots without viewing them full size. On the other hand people download skins and that's all they do; no rating, no comment, no nothing but a click of the download button. 'tis the way of things   

On the other hand people download skins and that's all they do; no rating, no comment, no nothing but a click of the download button. 'tis the way of things

Which is rather selfish considering the amount of time and effort a skinner puts into a skin. I notice the past few months - comments are getting to be a thing of the past...which makes for a very impersonal site.

Yet these same people will be the ones to complain when things are slow and not many are bothering to skin at the moment.

Then they can take the time to comment - maybe if they let the skinners know their work was appreciated and not just 'expected' it might keep people skinning - God knows its pretty much a thankless task.

Maybe it's partly a question of habits.
I come to the site, see a piece that catches my eye, investigate further, and if I like it enough to leave a comment, do so. Sometimes, but not always, if I like it and can use it, a subjective but hopefully constructive criticism.
I always have wondered just what goes on when I click the DL link and the Rate This link. I assume the DLs are recorded and cause events to happen, and that the Rate This link doesn't do much as the piece has already been judged by "the mods"(those mysterious entities...) and I wonder if the link's hooked up to anything but try to click it anyway.
I don't always remember to Rate This. If the time should ever come that I just grab-it-and-go, I hope that I'd be aware of just how rude and self-serving that is. Maybe a symptom of our "disposable" society.
Many works posted here represent a great deal of time and commitment to a polished and aesthetically pleasing end. Sometimes, if I see a lot of time's been invested in something, whether I'll use it or not, I'll DL it to raise the DL count. Not often, but occasionally.
I never really DL screenshots. I don't know what I'd do with one and personally need the drive-space. I have used screenies to find work that I didn't know existed, but usually don't view them unless the title catches my eye in the This Just In box.
Looking forward to the upcoming revamp of the site to maybe display postings more visibly. I think the little This Just In box needs to be put out to pasture and be replaced by...? Not sure, maybe a way of navigating the site that takes the visitor through areas to get where they're headed. More exposure of the postings. Without slowing down the user experience on the way through. Tough challenge and a balancing act. There seems to be a lot of extra, available space here on the page that's not used.
For me, WinCustomize, and a few other related sites, are "community" precisely because members and visitors tend to comment and discuss and share. We have a hand in steering the changes that happen here.

write an essay?"

oops...   

seldomseen:I never really DL screenshots. I don't know what I'd do with one and personally need the drive-space.

You dont really download a screen shot - its really just a way of getting a full 'view' you'd have to right click and ' save as ' to bring to your own computer. The only purpose of the download on a screen shot is the fact that it records as a 'download'

dont misunderstand me! what i mean is that by zooming in the preview should count as a download.

I agree Tycus - download on a screen shot is always confusing new people that can't understand why they cant literally download what they see. A 'view' count would make more sense.

Erk:...and something should/could be done to encourage more participation from the casual user/downloader. Perhaps something like Stardock offering a monthly prize of an item of software for the best/most constructive comment. [Just an idea being tossed out there, guys & gals of Stardock

Anything that would promote a bit more participation would be nice. I think at the moment the lack of comments/particpation is due to the GUI Champs. A lot of new stuff all at one time has increased traffic and most are just coming and going .

Po "> "What was wrong with my comment? It was well thought out. Jafo didn't have to correct the spelling. What's a person got to do, write an essay?"

Yes - a first draft to be submitted and approved by Jafo after a spell and grammar check. Rewritten then submitted again for content. Where as all moderators will then see if its worthy enough to be left as a suitable comment.

At the end of the month Zoombas gets to read all 1,876,854.00 comments...

Sounds like a plan to me.