Deskmod Interview with Neobond


Recommended Posts

INTERVIEW

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Interviewee: Neobond

Interviewer: John Smith (adonai@deskmod.com)

1. What initially made you want to create Neowin?

Im not sure if this is allowed to be said but the initial reason was a

direct response to Betanews's new layout. Some might remember the old

black

layout that ALWAYS worked for me because everything was right there, I

missed that and wanted to "re-create" it with Neowin. Pretty simple

really,

thats the core reason though.

Interesting inspiration, I never would have guessed that.

It was never designed to be a money spinner or even large as it is now.

We

have had to cut features to accomodate new members

2. Have you worked on any similar sites in the past?

No this is the first tech-site me and my co-admin have ever done, I

doubt we

will ever want to create a totally new site again.

3. When you first began working on Neowin did you ever expect it to

grow as

large as it has?

No never, but in the back of my mind I hoped we would be recognised for

the

no BS attitude of delivery with "read-more" requirements that sites

have

seem to aquired these days.

4. I think you've definitely delivered on that point for the community.

Since the initial launch of Neowin, you mentioned cutting back on some

features, what other hurdles have you encountered while your site has

grown

larger and larger?

The hurdles for me are more on a personal level, I took great pride in

the

first year to answer EVERYONES emails and I followed all the forum

posts

(even if it didnt appeal) these days the hurdle has been maintaining a

group

without letting a member feel left out. The feature cuts are minimal

and we

plan to re-implement them in some way where possible.

It's good to see such a hands on attitude towards the community and the

site

you've created for them, but obviously with a site this large and the

userbase that Neowin has now, that wouldn't be physically possible for

one

person to keep doing.

5. About a week ago you posted Neowin was closing, what was the

deciding

factor?

Well if Neowin closed it would be because our resources don't allow us

to

continue, this would be on hardware level as well as a personal level.

I

have been having difficulty coming to terms with groups of people

wanting to

destroy my reputation along with that of my co-admin and the site. Its

difficult to see past this when all you do is for free and good will

really.

Sometimes I think certain people ask too much of me or the staff.

6. I know there are many DeskModders who are glad to see Neowin back up

and

running, do you think the site can withstand the increasing traffic?

On the current setup most likely no, but we are working with our host

to

find solutions to our more direct problems.

7. That's good news to hear, I'm curious are there other sites who you

feel

are trying to bring down Neowin? You don't have to name names. I

realize

there is alot of competition out there.

The sites that do this are insignificant. Last time I checked they were

down

because they are built on a moment of anger or self-determination with

no

real purpose. I am slowly learning that the community is stronger than

some

of the stuff that gets said about us. I mean when you have members

wanting

to report you to G.L.A.D.D for an opinion on a open forum then

something

really is wrong. lol I might make the mistake in wanting to please

everyone,

its just not possible.

Definitely encouraging news as well. I'm not familiar with G.L.A.D.D.,

you

certainly can't please everyone, but I can sympathize with the desire

that

you have.

Its coupled with in-experience as well I guess. Neowin is a storm.

8. Many sites have had to turn to memberships, donations, and even

closing

due to increased costs associated with high traffic. How have you

managed to

avoid these problems?

We were lucky enough to be selected for sponsorship by our host

Hosttyme,

they foot the bill in return for our banner space that current only

advertises their hosting. In defence of donations and membership fees,

these

sites also usually offer email accounts or file space or a bonus extra,

Neowin does not do any of this. We couldn't rule other services out at

this

point because it has been asked but at present we opt for safe. Site

and not

much more that can be "taken away" later.

9. What is your ultimate goal and vision for the site? Where would you

like

to see it in 2 years?

2 years ago I would of said visitors. 2 years from now I would hope to

be on

the desktop in some form with .net alerts service and all that is

coming to

us in that side of things. I truly hope Neowin is still a vast

knowledge

base in 2 years and I want to put my resources into creating this.

Interaction and Knowledge is important to Neowin for all ages. So I

think

within 2 years we might be seeing more Portal alongside what we are

doing

now.

10. Do you have any advice you might offer other webmasters trying to

start

sites?

Yes, look closely at what already is on offer and see what is missing..

build on that and if you can do this without forcing your members to do

anything its even better. It works in the long run.

Very insightful advice. We certainly appreciate your time and

dedication, we

share alot of the same interests and members in the community, and hope

the

mutual relationship between Neowin and DeskMod lasts for years to come.

Likewise and thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice interview. Very informative of Neobond's intents, and Neowin's future intentions. From my thoughts, without mentioning names, I would think that the members that attempted to undermine the NeoWin administration, should be ashamed of themselves :ermm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Hypercube

I would think that the members that attempted to undermine the NeoWin administration, should be ashamed of themselves :ermm:

Agreed, I was surprised to hear that. Thanks again to Neobond for taking the time for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.