Of course it would be easy just to develop lots of screen savers, but I think I could get tagged as a spammer and be rejected by shareware sites.
A) Screen Savers
The easiest / quickest type of program to develop, especailly as I have some software to do 90% of the task. We can also say in our pad files that the screen saver is a demo of our main program, in my case I had a CD, which i couldn't normally use with a pad file. However, I have used a screen saver for my sheep jewellery item.
B) Catalogues
I've seen people submitting this type of program to softtester. They have produced a sort of mini site as a program. However, in my case I'm doing several program / pad file for my site, for my sub pages. So a catalogue is a little difficult. Especially as I don't have a lot of information on each item. And I can only scrape together a couple of unique photos per item. In my screen savers I've had a couple of pages with my site logo and a couple of sentences. So I'm not really sure how I can do a catalogue for one item?
C) Toolbars
Mike has seen these ans said he gets loads submitted to SoftwareLode.com and most have little functionality and just sit in IE or FF and direct the browser to the target website and therefore they aren't useful software. I guess these are going to be more time consuming to develop. Also naming the program, erm, what jewellery toolbar? I guess thats not so bad.
I've just downloaded one and had a look, it was fr your personal budget with some of the costs put towards jewellery. I was 4 screens and seemed quite complicated for a program on this type. I think if I was writing the program it would take me a day or two as I like to test things. Something like this seems a bit over the top to me. But I guess basic totalling would do. Although I can't think how I'd do that. The good this about this type is that it couldn't be called spam, it did seem like a genuine program.
E) Online Product Selection Tool or Online Jewellery Selection Tool
This is something mike suggested in another posting. I'm can only think that he meant that it would be some sort of catalogue with a fancy name? If so I guess the same comments that were made about catalogues stand here. Apart from the name, I doubt I'd reject it based on the name.
Any other type ideas? I'm hoping so, can't say I like anything other than the screen saver unless I can come up with something quick.
Other comments?
by
JM
I have seen people pushing ebooks via PAD files and I
ReplyDeletehave heard of people turning their websites into EXEs. I
guess this last option is really just the catalogue form of
program you mentioned above. Other than that I think
the list above pretty much does it.
If I think how I react when filtering submissions, I'm
much more likely to let through a screensaver/ wallpaper
than any of the other forms listed above. I've even got
special sections on softwarelode to list these kinds of
items. Screensavers are a pretty popular download.
I noticed above that you mentioned I get loads of toolbar
ReplyDeletesubmissions to softwarelode. Yup, a few get submitted
every day and I automatically reject each and every one.
Ahh yes...
ReplyDeleteF) eBooks
I guess this could be the quickest to develop of all, I have a driver which allows you to print to a PDF. However, I doubt many / any sites accept PDFs, however you can get programs which convert the PDF to an EXE. However you can create eBooks from HTML pages and embed them in an EXE. So I guess if this had a good name which was acceptance to shareware sites this could be good. But not as good as
screen savers.
Automatically reject them, based on toolbar search string?
ReplyDeleteI haven't done an extensive search on softtester but I've seen a few listings lately which are obviously pad file marketing programs.
I guess from a system operator (of a shareware site) point of view where do you draw the line. I mean those screen savers should be rejected, shouldn't.
What is genuine software and whats not?
I guess if WE can answer this question we can determine other types of program we could develop.
I'll try and make a start....
Thinking about it, any topic / website could have a program associated with it genuinely?
Pricing calculators or programs that provide an answer, these again could be genuine, I guess the only criteria for rejecting them would be to determine where they're useful.
A catalogue could be a genuine, but again I guess it comes down to where its useful as to whether it would be rejected?
If it was a catalogue of erm... United states Presidents, I could you could say this is useful from an educational point of view.
Thoughts?
I know I asked this earlier, but, your rejecting screen savers based on the toolbar? Toolbar could be genuine?
Rejecting toolbars - it's just the way my head works! If I
ReplyDeletesee a program title containing the word toolbar, I
blacklist the submitter - rightly or wrongly - as I think
they are spam.
Screensavers I generally let though unless they are
something like "Weight Loss Screensaver" or "US
Attorney Screensaver".
I'm not saying this is right or wrong - just relating how I
do things.
Anything else you reject ?
ReplyDeleteeBooks and anything with a title that jumps out as not
ReplyDeletesoftware-related. This tends to be stuff like health
insurance toolbars, quit smoking, hypnotism, weight loss.
I'm not saying that all these items are of no value, just
that I'd prefer they weren't in my directory.
I guess at the end of the day we aren't going to say that are program is an eBook etc, its going to be a matter of hiding that fact in the pad file information.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe its better to start by writing the pad file.
Also, how many shareware site operators will actually download and actually look at the programs. Very few.
Ahh of course...
ReplyDeleteG) Games
Find the costume jewellery games :)
I guess writing a game could be quite complicated, hmmm. Games would be almost always accepted though?
Thoughts?
Quick to DevelopGood Acceptance
ReplyDeleteA) Screen SaversYes - I have a program to do it allYes
B) CataloguesMaybe, if eBook or slideshowNo
C) ToolbarsMaybe, would need basic programNo
D) Pricing calculatorsYesYes
E) Online Product Selection ToolMaybe, see cataloguesNo
F) eBooksYesNo
G) GamesNoYes
Actually I've missed one that mike mentioned...
ReplyDeleteH) Wall paper, Quick to develop and good acceptance
Although I'm not sure what an Online Product Selection Tool or and Online Jewellery Selection Tool is, sure mike mentioned that somewhere.
And yes, I'm about to develop another program, just trying to decide what to develop. Not sure yet, but the wall paper sounds good :)
Do you think it would have good acceptance on shareware sites?
I think my next one could be "Costume Jewellery Set Wall paper"... how does that sound?
You post awsome articles. Bookmarked !
ReplyDelete