Just getting out of a meeting on this actually. What we need to do is get the site to b like the old WC where we can set a rating threshold on what shows up on newest.

Then we make it so that bootskins and logons and such only get displayed in newest if they're exceptional.

If someone makes 10 versions of the same boot screen but are just different colors, we'll rate them appropriately.

The number of volunteers who have Windows Vista and happen to have Windows Vista Ultimate and have time to download 40 megabyte Dreams to check them out is small.

methinks frogboy's robofrog (the one who sits in and types forum responses whilst he's busy doing other things) has slipped an ol' typing cog...

Small maybe, but there are a few of us around.

Probably equal in % to the user %..which is why is why I think a lot of people are getting their panties in a twist.. most of us are on XP.

We're in the process of growing the moderator team.  The problem is finding people who fit what we need and have the time to donate to it.  In the coming months we will be adding more mods, but it's a slow process. 

I'd also like to go back to the old ratings thresholds, and I think it would resolve a majority of these issues.  You just have to remember that while the change may increase the visibility of your skin, it also has the chance of burying it.  If something you post gets a low rating for whatever reason, it may drop below the threshold. 

Always remember that any limitation or filter you want us to impose on listings could very well impact your own submissions as well.

You know, this has been a very very interesting thread. I am pleasantly suprised in several aspects of it.

A) It didn't turn into a flame war. It's been a little heated here and there but overall it's gone well.

The administration has told us all something other than "tough, if you don't like it, leave". You have been willing to listen, digest, and respond with some good ideas.
Thank you for doing that.

Po' - You are a one of a kind gem. I am proud to be associated with you on any site at all. You demonstrate outstanding, genuine concern for everyone. Now all you have to do is exceed Obama's $25Mil mark and you can run for El'Presidente

Im hoping you all can come to some middle ground. Not all 4 star walls always have big downloads and some 3 star walls get above average downloads at times.
On another thread I saw member ask about his walls not being seen. He had uploaded 16 at one time - a site this big with so many other members and visitors also uploading daily , this is a bit extreme and impossible to moderate that many from just one person. If everyone uploads 5 a day it would be a disaster.

......and it was a shame because some of his walls were very good.

[quote]We're in the process of growing the moderator team. The problem is finding people who fit what we need and have the time to donate to it. In the coming months we will be adding more mods, but it's a slow process. [quote]

And an easy way to report RIP's covers IMO everything that has been brought up.

Without a doubt Stardock & Wincustomize have taken everyone's concerns into account.

And how many company's do you know that can within a day present all of these solutions?...Based solely on keeping the customer happy?

I am impressed to say the least.

And to each moderator who has to put up will all the bull from us & still continue to do your best to help keep this site running smoothly. I say THANK YOU !~! And each of you need to take a bow.




Which will cause ruffled feathers But it puts WinCustomize right were we want it to be....a place where quality work is expected and encouraged.

It's My Secret

That would be truly great and satisfy both the downloaders, as well as the uploaders.

The long overdue introduction of a pm-system as well as the future introduction of a "report-rip" button are a huge step into the right direction as well. So many problems can now be handled a bit more discreetly.

I am glad the WC-team didn't choose to ignore this thread (like a couple before), but instead strove to tackle the problems at hand.

Thank you, WC-team for that.

Sheeesh Phoon you arent proposing are you?
Actually a well deserved compliment

This has been an *Excellent thread and I have enjoyed reading every bit of it..something I wonder if the new "PM" feature will take away from?
Something I have always considered the whole "Email" thing to do is convienently sweep issues under the carpet without public knowledge..
Like it or not "Debate" is healthy and "Conflict" is an instrument that many resolutions are arrived at..

As far as the whole "Flame" thing..I think people are too quick to scream "Flame"... At times all you have to have is a different opinion and people will accuse you of "flaming" them..a bit on the sensitive side I guess...

Like me right now!..LMAO
Ok, so I'll explain... I am one of the "guilty" ones that use the "Fair Use" and "Fan Art" rules to my own advantage when I create my "Logons".. I generally create logons of TV programs, Movies, Games, etc.. To do this I find "Posters" "Graphics/images" to use/create the backgrounds for whatever logon project I am working on.. Generally these images are very common and are considered "Fair Use"..When they are not- I do seek permission or I simply do not upload the Logon, I use it on my own machine..

Not all my Logons fit into this catagory, some are created from walls of other artists, that I have gained permissions for and have made more than a "Spectical" of myself making sure everybody knows *Who that artist is... I do those logons because I really like the piece of work that I have requested permission to use, and also to help expose the artist to others that may have never heard of him/her..

And then of course I have created a few that are 100% original, which are not really any more satisfying than any of the others IMO..

This really is because that although the background images are not mine , (permissions or fair use) I still put a major effort into "Skinning & coding" the elements of the logon, which is a job all in itself..

So needless to point out, im not sure I would agree with a catagory to "toss" the "Fair Use & permission" logons aside in..but, agree or not I would simply have to live with the decisions made here...and also quit useing the "fair Use & Permissions" rules..which will be fine, but in ways it does affect more people than simply the uploader...yes?

Hehe, some of this is funny.  I've been here for over 5 years and have read this same stuff so many times I don't have a count.  When there was a rating of 7 for visitors to see, there was a ton of complaining.  About why my whatever is rated a 6, so everyone rate it higher so everyone can see it.  So WC went from the 1-10 system to the 1-5 star system.  People still complained about why their stuff is only 2 1/2 stars and not higher.  I mod 5 areas and rarely go above 4 stars and below 2.  Some say I'am to conservative in my ratings.  I agree with Phoon, this has been a nice thread which also suprises me.  Thank you MySecrets.  I spend 2-4 hrs modding on this site and another 1 on SDN.  Oh well.      So we want 2 wall sections, one great and 1 crap.  I would love to see how that would go over.  Hehe.  Time to do something else.

 

Hi WOM!...not one great and 1 crap...1 original and 1 fan art...I see a place for fan art here...I like to make booters with some 'fair use' images.I would have no problem with it being seperated.  

I dont want to go back to ratings affecting visibility...its not a fair system.
Some perfectly good work gets rated poorly for various reasons.Maybe as it affects newest visibility,but please,not the libraries.  

I do miss the way moderation was more strict, not because of the notion of being elite, but because or personal gratification. Anywhere else, it is no problem to slap something together, upload it and think nothing of it. Here it was different, there were certain guidelines, which was OK with me because it gave me a goal, a challenge to do my best. If it got rejected (in most cases with me it did) I at least knew where I stood. There's always someone around to give you good constructive criticism and help out when ever they can.

There still are guidelines, It seems that they gotten lesser in certain areas like Walls and Logons, but back in the day, many thought them to be too restrictive. Complaints were pouring in daily and I believe The Mods were taking a bunch of heat from people (hate mail). So what can ya do? I know the moderation is far from perfect and it will never be up to everyone's standard. I believe that Volunteer Mods are doing the best they can do especially with some of the B.S. that come their way

I do like the separate galleries that were mentioned above but doesn't anyone use the ratings setting to weed out most of the stuff they don't want to see? I usually set mine to 2 and that pretty much takes care of things for me.

Ditto. In fact, even after I became a subscriber and wasn't even here a year, a member bought me the entire odjectdock package.



Ditto.




I agree. That's why I suggested in the case of the work in question it has it's own place here. Possibly with no ratings at all, or the option for the author to have or not have his work rated.


That would be a start, but only solve the problem in that particular gallery., not the main wallpaper gallery.



I miss them, too.

Good idea and needed.

I appreciate you chiming in Brad and defining further what you want to do with the site. Just the fact that you and the other mods have made a genuine effort to address this issue and all the others brought up makes me feel hopeful. I still have the same concerns and am anxious to see how this all works out. All in all I love this site and I think everyone who has participated in this thread does and wants to keep it that way. I'm glad it didn't turn into a flame-fest.

I'm proud when something I do makes into a gallery here, because of the standards you try to set and just want to keep feeling that way. I'm especially proud to part of this community when it pulls together like this.

Thanks to everyone, the mods, admins, and Brad. I'm anxious to see where this all goes and looking forward to it.

Phoon.....

sorry, I'm married. But I know this guy that goes by the name of skinhit....

I concur...

I have a question...

I have had a few works rejected and a note sent to me with the rejection saying I would need 'permission' to upload it. So, I would get it and resubmit the upload and it would go through. The permission would be in the zip with the work.

Now, I'm finding, without even looking hard, 5 works that the person uploading 'claims' they have permission from the original artist who has his own personal website where he sells his work and it's all copyrighted, etc...yet there is no permission with the download, just the uploaded work.

When it says that they have 'permission' in the description is that enough? These 5 works aren't even in zips, they are just the one file, so when the mod puts it through they should be able to see that there is nothing else enclosed but the boot or the logon file...no text file/permission or anything else.

This is really frustrating. One of them even has it pointed out that the uploader should get permission. The author says they will...then says he can't get a response...someone suggests the work comes down until he does...yet it still remains in the gallery.

To say that this is all confusing is putting it mildly. It's frustrating and discouraging. This is just my very humble opinion, but it's no wonder so many people come to address this kind of stuff in the forum and start out very angry.

Fuzzy Logic opens one eye just to peek in here...

Permission must be included with the upload   Send me links.

Fuzzy Logic rolls over and goes back to sleep...

I already PM'd a Mod with the links.

I'm just trying to understand how or why this stuff gets through, especially when it says they 'have permission' in the description and it's not there at all...and *I* get stuff sent back to me telling me I have to ask for it and enclose it. Doesn't anyone read the description and look to see if it's there? These five weren't even in zips, it was just the uploaded file/work, so it was obvious there was no permission enclosed.

Has anyone else noticed this or had the same experience?

I hope it's not about me, he-he,

Are you guilty of doing it Alperium?

I have never had any thing sent back because of the permission issue But I have seen quite a few DXthemes that said permission was enclosed but there was no way because they where not in a zip file..

No,no I remember my "maps". It is enough once.

With bootskins, as with other skin formats, they are simply renamed zips and thus can have such things as permission.txts within them, without needing to have both the boot and the text file enclosed within a second zip...