Replies

Bingo, Lugh. Kudos. :cheers:

We in the capsule wouldn’t keep all this news to ourselves. So yes, as you say, we alerted Houston.

Okay Kathleen, that made me chuckle.

…for the first time since I got that “new, improved” sadly-not-a-newsletter-anymore a couple of weeks ago lol.

I just noticed that of all threads listed on the first page of The Lounge: Windows Secrets Columns section, views for this particular thread pretty much dwarfs every other.

And checking back through a couple of pages into past threads, I seem to be seeing FAR less participation and page views since the change to the newsletter format.

I wonder if the Penton suits have noticed? Anyone in the capsule think of alerting Houston that maybe we have a problem here?

Thinking on it, I kind of suspect that Penton purchased WS thinking they were getting – or could turn it into – Experts Exchange.

If my speculation is close to true they really didn’t have a clue as to what Windows Secrets was …and I have serious doubts about the success of their Master Plan.

Penton is the other kind of tracking. A couple of years ago they made the move to sell their subscriber info directly, that’s many millions of people’s info. So it’s a reasonable assumption that the Windows Secrets subscriber list has already been meshed into this project–for which a whole separate division was founded.

Yeah. I wondered. That’s why I changed my WS account address this weekend to my “junk” delivery email address. There’s no point in saving any WS “newsletters” any longer, and I’ll definitely be leaving when my current subscription expires, so “into the abyss” it is henceforth directed.

“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?“

This is my first – and probably last – time on the site, and in the Lounge. I’ve already expressed my displeasure via the Contacts page.

I followed Brian here from the old print publication days. I even recall corresponding with him via snail mail a few times (prob’ly 25 years past lol). Think about that …taking pen to paper and buying a stamp lol.

I registered today specifically to publicly express my unhappiness with the changes.

I’ve no time nor inclination to link through from a twice weekly email (seriously …what were you thinking, Penton), that some stupidly short-sighted and inane corporate-shirts revenue wonks – having totally misread what loyal WS readers and proud nerd subscribers (of over a decade) will tolerate – to what will undoubtedly morph into another ad-centric website …just to read about tech that I can easily and quickly search for as I need, when I need.

WS was convenient, and I felt a degree of loyalty to some writers, and the concept, simply based upon past history.

But all things come to an end.

I have no desire to participate in yet another click-bait website.

(Good lord, I had to refresh the page a half dozen times to struggle past the ad scripts to edit my reply. And I’m supposed to accept this as the new normal? – I think not lol.)

Penton? – Big mistake.