Digitaljames...
Yes, WinCustomiz.com has 'gone the same way as skinz.org', for exactly the same reason.
Wallpapers are hosted here, but this is a 'skin' site. The walls are an adjunct, a support to the skins, as part of the site, not as a prime directive of the site.
In much the same 'focus' in reverse as shown by DeviantArt, where the skins play second-fiddle to the 'more mainstream' art forms.
When WinCustomize first started, attention was taken by the setting up process of getting the site off the ground, and less 'immediate' concerns of moderating upload content was nudged a little towards the back-burner.
Now, things are a little more settled. The site is growing quite strongly, and a steady stream of submissions are arriving.
Now, the current wallpaper section holds 770 walls of extremely diverse style and origin, some of which are decidedly inappropriate on many grounds, none of which are aesthetic.
There are currently NO Celebrity wallpapers, for example.
But there were....a dozen or so.
They are gone. Why?
The artists failed to indicate their personal authorship of the photographs used. In other words, the celebrity, or the photographer did not release consent for their re-distribution, whether filter-frenzied, or not.
Another example of 'moderation'.....
I recently jumped up and down about the rights of a person submitting a WinAMP skin that was originally done by someone else.
I said I could not accept it until I had consent verification. Why? Because both people are registered here...on WinCustomize, and I was being sure to protect the rights of another fellow member.
Back to the walls...
[slight pun]
The re-evaluation of the wallpapers submitted already here is an on-going task. I'm sure a few people may have noticed the odd wall disappear.
Copyrighted images/icons is one good reason....nudity is another.
Skin sites generally have a policy of no nudity....not always strictly adhered to, but usually....and this is different to art-specific sites such as Deviantart, which is obliged to encompass a more liberal view, as life-drawing and nude-photography are ligitimate art forms.
When it comes to 'styles' of walls that 'may' be accepted, that can be anything from the simple to the wildly intricate.
2-minute filter-frenzies won't quite cut the mustard.
A blue-swirlie is just that.
I'd suggest reading the SECOND page of the Bryce handbook [if there is one] before uploading.
If there are to be 100 walls here by the one artist, they are going to have to be darn good by ANYONE'S standards...[and they weren't].
As for 'XP'...
I personally am praying for a 24-letter alphabet.
But the rotten things are popular. Nuvem proved that...3000 downloads in 24 hours....and it was in jest.
The moderations that do occur have been done in consultation, not as the whims of one person.
With a little more time, the wallpaper section will be an enjoyable place to browse, to find walls of use, and interest.
My first browse through the entire section was like a blind man reading a cheese grater...
