Advice Needed

Hi,
This thread is directed at Peggy.
I am also a designer/coder and I would like to ask Peggy her advice on the following.

Peggy,
I have a site that creates vBulletin skins ( I wont promote it in my sig on your site!).
Now I give away free vBulletin skins and by the download numbers users are happy to download them for free, however I just cant get users to either buy the unbranded version or even have the decency to reply to the thread as requested.

What is it with these users that just take and never give?
So far this week I have had over 500 free skin downloads, not one donation and only 5 users have bothered to thank me by replying to the threads.

Do you think I should put a mod in place that will not allow free downloads without at least a reply?

Thanks,
Frustrated!!!

Well you have one thing in your favor that I don't.... you also code. I don't!

Every designer has the same complaint as you, and I used to, as well. Most of the people who download my themes don't reply, don't thank me, etc. It used to bother me in the beginning, but I got over it.

To be honest, I do this just because I love it. If I get a thank you, I'm pleasantly surprised. If someone purchases my brand-free, that's great for them, and a little bit of $ in my pocket. Being a single mom of a young special needs son, I can certainly use every penny that's thrown my way. But just knowing that someone likes my work enough to even download it, is good enough for me.

But that's just me :)

If there's a mod that will block downloads til after the first post, then sure, if that's what you want to do, go for it. It's just not all that important to me. But like I said, that's just me.

Forgot to say:

I also put a little code in each skin that lets me know where the skin is installed.
Each week I check to see where my skins are, approx 60% of my free skins have had my "design by v7web" link removed without permission.
I think I will give up! lol

Anyway... Love your designs Peggy

Well you have one thing in your favor that I don't.... you also code. I don't!

Every designer has the same complaint as you, and I used to, as well. Most of the people who download my themes don't reply, don't thank me, etc. It used to bother me in the beginning, but I got over it.

To be honest, I do this just because I love it. If I get a thank you, I'm pleasantly surprised. If someone purchases my brand-free, that's great for them, and a little bit of $ in my pocket. Being a single mom of a young special needs son, I can certainly use every penny that's thrown my way. But just knowing that someone likes my work enough to even download it, is good enough for me.

But that's just me :)

If there's a mod that will block downloads til after the first post, then sure, if that's what you want to do, go for it. It's just not all that important to me. But like I said, that's just me.

great answer peggy and shows that u r great person

i wish u luck and i realy like ur designs

Forgot to say:

I also put a little code in each skin that lets me know where the skin is installed.
Each week I check to see where my skins are, approx 60% of my free skins have had my "design by v7web" link removed without permission.
I think I will give up! lol

Anyway... Love your designs Peggy

lol . that's good u said that. i'll be careful to not remove ur "design by v7web"

before i remove ur code :P

wish u both best of luck

Thanks, both of you. Fortunately for me, most of my people don't remove my link. I guess I'm just lucky that way. I'm sure there are just as many that do, but oh well.

I don't think I'm all that great, just love what I do. :yes:

Thanks, both of you. Fortunately for me, most of my people don't remove my link. I guess I'm just lucky that way. I'm sure there are just as many that do, but oh well.

I don't think I'm all that great, just love what I do. :yes:


lol i done :frog:

hahahah just joking

u really do great work

just u need to know a little about codes because i have 2 days trying to solve the problem i told u about :yes:

I am sure that if my websites were a hobby then I would feel the same as you.
However my websites are my sole income.

I am a full time freelance designer/coder.
I am sure you would feel exactly the same if your families income relied on your websites.
All I ask is that the " design by v7web" link back to my site is left in place on my free skins and not replaced with a "design by someone else" link!

All the best,
Paul

Paul... I am a single mom, of a 'special needs' little boy. I cannot work a fulltime job because I have to pick him up from school and be with him. I have to be available while he's in school in case he has a "meltdown", which he occasionally does.

My income is derived from child support (which is precious little in todays' economy), answering phones for a health care company on the weekends from home, and what I make designing.

Trust me, I do know where you're coming from. I'd LOVE it if people would/could donate more often, request custom work more often, not remove my copyright link so others can find me. However, on that last point, not everyone is honest and I can't spend my time stressing over it. I have to focus on the ones who are honest, and who do appreciate my work enough to leave my copyright link on the design, or at least pay to remove it, as requested.

Forgot to say:

I also put a little code in each skin that lets me know where the skin is installed.


What code is that? I'd love to have it for my skins. Also, Love your work, both of you :)

Thanks Mikey. Welcome to Themes by Design. :wave:

Do you think I should put a mod in place that will not allow free downloads without at least a reply?



Sorry your so frustrated v7, I just wanted to comment on bits like this, I've seen them before on various forums and the problem you get tends to be a skin with 100 Responses like "Posted" or "Thanks". Whatever it takes to get past the character limits and make the post to be able to download. I don't think this is necessarily a functional way to get real feedback or appreciation.

At least from what I've seen with forums who have done that in the past. Not that it's a bad thing, just that I don't know that you'd end up anywhere near the results your actually lookin for...

~Surreal