Quote - > Quote - Oh that's clear all right, ROFLMAO.

What is clear is that there is no end to the insanity in this world.

It all started with the decision to cover up the ass of the Coppertone Girl in the mid-90s.  There was the concern, or at least suggested, that pedophiles were encouraged by her beautiful, smooth-but-firm derriere.

Quote - First there is the insanity of people who might get try to have sex with cupids (I guess). 

LOL!  For some...any port in a storm, even if a monitor screen isn't very yielding :) 

Quote - Then there is the insanity of people who want to stop people from cupid pedophilia by banning pictures of dangerously seductive cupid/putti/cherubs.

These would be the religious fanatics and child protection groups.  And just like Schering-Plough, Renderosity falls victim to them.  I would imagine they're also held hostage to the very people who handle their purchase transactions.  If they don't like the content being purchased, they'll tell Rendo to fuck off, and that would not be a good thing for the coffers...agreed?  This happened recently to Renderotica, if I'm not mistaken.  Not that Renderotica was displaying child porn, it was for a completely different reason, but still based on the site's content.

Quote - Then there is the insanity of people who pander to the slim minority of insane people who are trying to stop people from having sex with cupids by banning pictures of dangerously exposed and all-to-pretty little cupids.  Do I have this string of associations correct?

Yes, you do.  But if you're referring to Renderosity, again, their hands are tied.  They're a business; a very, very large one as far as sites like this go, and revenue is obviously important.  And as I suggested, they're most likely held hostage by the people who handle their transactions as well as the watchdog groups who monitor sites like this.

Quote - I'm sorry, I'm convulsed with laughter over this mindlessness and can't type straight any more.  Stewart or Colbert could find some great material here.  It's great parody  material.  Maybe Robin Williams could do it justice.

Well, I suppose one could find humor in it if one were so inclined.  But don't blame Rendo, blame the whackjobs who haunt the halls.

"They're a business; a very, very large one as far as sites like this go"

Wait a minute, no they aren't, this is a "community". That was just established, didn't you see the special "goodie" the elives were cooking up for us all? You know the one in wich it was time for the "community" to give something back to the merchants?

ROFL.

21 pages and counting. Is this the longest thread ever yet?

Well, its done and over with anyways. A new year will begin soon, lets all  just hope and pray that it will be a better one for us all, than this past one.

Quote - Nobody has to agree with me ..but by the private mails im getting .. a lot agree with me but dont dare to say it "what does that tell you"

That tells me, that they are askeered too voice their opinions here.

Now why on earth would that be?

Quote - I dunno... might just be my ears, but what I hear is, "I was promised a toy. Since I didn't get one, I'm taking my toys and going home."

Golly, I havn't heard something like that since my kids were, oh, six or seven years old, at least.

As for the title of the thread, if this took away your Christmas spirit, Chris, I'm left wondering how much you had in the first place.

However, as Acadia said so well, please continue to complain; I in no way want to abrogate your right to do so.

I'm just curious, how much does rendo  pay ya?

By the way don't bother too respond, the question was rhetorical.

Quote - I totally forgot about the December 25th thingy.

I've read through this whole thread and can see both points of view.

I look at Renderosity as a shopping mall in my home of sorts.  Each area of the site offers something different or some form of entertainment.

• The MP  is the store where I can go and buy something.
• The free area is the  "thrift" area  which gives away lots of great free stuff.
• The FAQ and Tutorial areas are like the public library where I can go and get free information.
• The Gallery is like a free theater or art gallery where I can go for entertainment.
• The Chat when it's back up is like a coffee shop to socialize in real time.
• The Forums are a mixed venue of all of the above.

When you frequent a shopping mall and it's various parts, even if it's owned by one corporation, you don't expect that shopping mall owner to give away free merchandise to every single customer that ever walked through their doors.   That's a sure way into bankruptcy.  Besides, some people could just use the mall as a place to power walk or as a short cut to get to another street when it's cold outside.

I don't know for sure how many total members this site has, but I heard 250,000. Now let's say that 100,000 of those are actually "active" members and have logged in somewhere on the site within the last 3 months (persuming that 3 months is the accepted time period between being considered active and inactive). Let's keep in mind that not all of those 100,000 may be MP patrons. Some could just be gallery viewers.

Ok, now let's say that Renderosity sent out emails with a $5.00 gift certificate to each of those 100,000 members. That's $500,000.00!!! A half a million bucks!!!!!!!! That's not chump change!

Now I know some will say, but it's "Virtual": it's not like they are  really giving away money and it's not really costing them anything if they gave a $5.00 gift certificate to their members. However, that's not true. Everything in the MP has a tangible value on paper and the monies that are spent in the MP are split down the middle between the Merchant and Renderosity (the company). Giving away a simple $5.00 gift certificate to 100,000 of it's most recently active members would still affect the company's bottom line in a big way!

Oh, and let's not forget those membes who were perhaps not active for 3 months and 1 day and missed the "cut off" to qualify for that $5.00 gift certificate and now feel slighted and have hurt feelings because they were left out.

The other option would have been for Renderosity to hold a "random draw" in order to give away the 25 gift certificats of $25.00.  Not really a viable option for a large website IMHO.

I can see a shopping mall offering a no purchase necessary draw but every draw that I've ever seen like that in an actual  mall required the entrant to be present at the time of the draw.  That's well and good in an actual shopping mall. If you're in the mall chances are you are spending money, even if it's on an ice cream or a cup of coffee or parking. The purpose of a mall offering a random draw is just a way for them to draw people into the mall and to promote sales. While you don't have to buy anything most people will buy something if they are in a store.

However, how do you do that on a website? This site has hundreds of thousands of members, but how many are actually active members? How many memberships are actually alias accounts of existing members?  How many members even buy anything from here? Many people just sign up to view the galleries  or to be able to post in the forums to ask questions etc.  TBH that's why I joined initially. I knew someone who used Poser and was always sending me links to pictures that I couldn't see until I became a member.

In order for Renderosity, or any large site to conduct a "draw" they would have to have some way of determining indiviual, active members. What better way than having them log into the MP and buy something? Can't get more active than that.

If they were to just randomly pick 25 people from all of the memberships here, some people could end up getting more than one prize because of multiple accounts, or the prize would go to waste on a member that wasn't active here anymore...and we know there are thousands of those, or it could end up going to someone who is only a member because they wanted to view someone's pretty pictures.

Some merchants and non-merchants offered 4 weeks of Christmas freebies.  There was a nice variety of things and looked to me to be something for everyone. They didn't have to do that, but they did out of the goodness of their hearts.  It wasn't a Renderosity (the company) thing, it was a Renderosity (the community) thing.

Renderosity themselves (the company) had the Treasure Hunt and gave away some really great prizes to those who were patient enough and lucky enough to be the first to find the icon and submit the location. I don't have patience for stuff like that, especially when I know that the hours I spent looking wasn't a guaranteed yield of something in the end. But I was happy for those who did participate and coveted the top spots!

Threads like this really dismay me. :(  

The Christmas season has taken on such a greedy tone over the years and now it's finding it's way into the virtual world.  Everyone wants more and more and nothing is ever good enough.  Forgive me if  I ramble on a bit here.  When I was 12 years old I was thrilled one year to get a jewelery box, a pair of ice skates, a bottle cutting kit  and a pair of slippers and pj's. I thought I made off like a bandit! Try giving that stuff to a 12 year old today!  Today kids want that stuff PLUS TV's, stereos, computers, game consoles, designer clothing...all things costing hundreds of dollars!!!!

It's been my experience that the more you give the more people want and the more they come to expect. 

I'm very grateful for all that Renderosity as a company and as a community has done for us.

Please, don't let the greed of the season make you feel slighted or unappreciated.  Be grateful for what you have and what you got and what you get from the community as a whole. :)

I have placed the things I'd like to respond too in bold.

Bold point one: 

True acadia, but the shopping mall also doesn't ask you too "give something back" after you've spent your money on its merchants either.

What rosity did, in my own opinion, is more akin too the following.

After being led to believe there will be some sort of gas deal, you pull into the BP, you walk into the little store, where you are informed that there is no gas deal, it'll be full price, so you give the clerk who's sitting there on a little stool your money too pay for your gas, then go out and stand out in the cold pumping your own gas, and then have BP ask that the clerk who did absolutely nothing for you but take your money, be given a tip or "something back". 

And all that despite the fact, that the clerk doesn't get too keep the tip, because BP takes half of it.

Bold point 2: Why is a random drawing not a viable option? Daz did it.

Bold point 3: Yeah it is, with Renderosity right out in front leading the charge!

Deleted by me

Aside from the good points others have already made,

I'd like too know which one of the ptb came up with this idead, and why they, felt it nessicary, or needed that we "the community"

qoute:  "Tomorrow, December 25th, is a chance for the entire community to give back to their favorite vendors."

We already gave them our money. 

What more do these "vendors" want or need given back?

Our first born children too?

Rather than billing this as "spreading some holiday cheer" it should have been billed as  "spreading the grinch's greed."

Back at you bone!

Same to you Ardiva!

CP yeah maybe, now DAZ, well thats another story. LOL

AnAardvark,

I don't know if you ever found a cube, I've put one up in the freebies though if you still need one.

HAHAHAHA Some folks complain that they can't get any ebots, while I wish I could stop getting them.

Jenx you guys actually have too test every free item? Man I'd hate too see your runtime folders. LOL

Queen Jumps is a goddess amongst men, who dares too question her opinion!

Bow and grovel before her like the dogs you are!

Takes out his lightsaber and promptly cleaves the kitty in half.

There now this thread can die, as it should have long ago.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help.