Opinionated CEOs

Loving what you do but being hated for doing it..

Published on March 23, 2005 By Draginol In Business

Recently there's been an interesting discussion on WinCustomize.com about Stardock and PR. Simply put, Stardock's software is outstanding, but my outpsoken nature creates a lot of detractors for the company.

If you think I'm in your face in politics or whatever here on JoeUser.com, you should see me in the "customization community". I'm very opinionated and vigorously defend our software.

Long ago, when Stardock was just a few people, the "customization community" consisted of just a couple of tiny websites. That is where I hung out. I was part of that community. It was a tiny group.

But as changing the way Windows looks and feels has grown into a market of millions of people, my "omnipresence" has irked some people. Someone on some site trashes one of our programs, I'll challenge them. To me, it's natural, I've always done that. But now that it's a big market, new people find this off putting that the "CEO" of a company is out there in the trenches slogging it out with some troll.

And that's putting me at a cross-roads. On one such site, I'm the oldest active user on the site. New users don't realize that once upon a time, these websites were just a few guys hanging around debating various things. Now these same sites seem huge and entrenched and so my presence seems heavy handed. So do I continue to hang out on such sites, defending our products, slogging it out with the trolls, or do I hang out purely on our sites and let the "PR" people gently defend our stuff and participate?

Not that I'll give up my opinionated, off-putting, arrogant, obnoxious blogs on non-business related things here on JoeUser. I consider that part of my compensation package.

Comments (Page 1)

BlueDev

on Mar 23, 2005

I think it is a tough call Brad. I, for one, have always enjoyed seeing you knock idiots and arrogant ignoramuses down a notch or two. They spout off as if they know all, when many are even newer to the whole custo scene than someone like myself. But I think I enjoy that because, for the most part, I am a big fan of Stardock's products, so like to see them being defended.

But I can see how having the head honcho of a company out there arguing with folks is off putting. As an example, I have sworn in my wrath (I am feeling dramatic tonight) that I will never by a game made by a particular developer because of the way he has carried on online. You aren't even close, but I can see how someone could shy away from a company because of the actions of those involved.

azdruid

on Mar 23, 2005

Keep fighting, Brad. It's a good feeling, knowing that those who support Stardock are actually loyal to real people instead of mindless PR drones.

John Hamp

on Mar 23, 2005

I think what riles some people up is that Brad is so superb at debating. Even when I disagree with a position he has, I can't think of a way of actually defeating his argument. I think what gets people mad is that even on skinning problems that are a matter of opinion, Brad's years of experience in debating allows him to basically crush those who disagree.

I swear; sometimes i think Brad could prove that the sun rotates around the earth. and while most people like associating with winners, some people feel a distinct need to rail against the guy who is always winning. Even if they are winning against the dregs of on-line humanity.

Jonathan Ellis

on Mar 24, 2005

A community of 10s of thousands is different than a community of hundreds. Time to step aside.

Dr Guy

on Mar 24, 2005

Dont Change. For everyone that would not buy from your company due to your positions, there is another one that will. Most look at the product, not the politics or opinions of the CEO.

Grog

on Mar 24, 2005

Brad,

Please don't change a thing, I for one would sorely miss your passion for the products that your team creates. Someone has to set the example for other CEO's to follow, if more CEO's followed your lead, we would have much less crappy software and support on the market. I agree with John Hamp that your debating skill are incredible, and reduce your critics to name calling since they can't punch a single hole in your arguments. I would consider it a back handed complement that Stardocks software is so good that they can't show any real verifiable problems with them. I will continue to vote with my wallet, because in the end that is the only vote that counts.

Chris

relswick

on Mar 24, 2005

Hi Brad,

I would say to train your PR guys to do this job. I am not saying to quit doing it yourself, just take a backseat and watch. As you see issues or your PR person brings up issues, which they cannot 'debate' as well, then you can step in and do as you have done before. This will in a matter of months free up your time, so you can get more great products out there for all of us to enjoy.

As to your debating skills, I agree they are good, but in essence, a debate is how well you present something as well as how much you know of it. In the WinCustomize world, like you yourself have said, you were there at the begining, so of course you will know gobs more than the majority of folks out there, even those who are above average.

Don't stop, just reduce the total amount of time you are spending doing it. Do you need to debate every minute detail or can someone you are paying to promote your product do it, perhaps even in a more eloquent way, such that the person is not put off by your product? Which is also something you would need to monitor.

Rich

Island Dog

on Mar 24, 2005

Don't change. I am more impressed with a CEO that actually responds to the community, then with the one's who let "other" peopel do it. Stardock is the only company I have ever dealt with that the CEO listens and defends his products himself. That's one reason I support Stardock and Wincustomize.

ZubaZ

on Mar 24, 2005

Stardock has great products and I will continue to purchase products for that reason.
But if there were competing products equal in every way to Stardock I would buy from Stardock because of you and your team Brad. I believe in you and Stardock because YOU believe in Stardock . And you believe passionately.
Continue to fight the fight. (And don't forget to support Tablet PCs.

)

ZubaZ

on Mar 24, 2005

Double Post. Sorry.

Zoomba

on Mar 25, 2005

Blue - Is it really fair comparing Brad in any way to Derek Smart?

On the issue of being outspoken...
I think you sometimes have the habit of getting into an argument of opinion and just beat others down with debate over an issue that isn't fact but personal preference on something. That is probably where you could pull it back a little bit.

But when someone starts talking out of their ass about your products and are clearly and completely wrong, go for it, tear into them. It's fun for the rest of us to watch.

If they say Multiplicity doesn't do something it does do, hit them with the big stick
If they say Synergy is better because it's free... let it go as it's more of a quasi-religious debate than one of facts. It's like trying to argue with a Linux user over whether or not Windows has any redeeming qualities.

The skinning community seems like it's a hard enough one to enter as a complete newcomer to begin with, the more entrenched users who harold their opinion as the god-given truth can be intimidating.

Really I think people are just surprised to see, in this day and age, a CEO who is involved with the community in any way. To them your mere presence is probably too much. Most CEOs are never seen or heard, and only appear in interviews or press releases. To those people it's a bad thing. To many of us though it adds a very personal touch and human face to the company. I think SDs attitude towards interfacing with the community it has created is great. I enjoy arguing wtih you on here (when I feel confident enough in my opinion to do so), I have a good time chatting wtih Cordelia, Cari, BoogieBac, GreenReaper and the rest of the SD people on IRC or through the forums. You guys aren't mysterious and secretive, you're open and answer questions freely. It's obvious the community is more than a simple marketing gimmick to you all, that it's an integral part of the company, which is a feeling I get from very few other development houses.

Draginol

on Mar 25, 2005

Well let me give you a case in point:

http://www.customize.org/forum/9348

In the skinning world some people use programs like eFX and ShellWM because they just want to change their title bars and window borders. They think that something like WindowBlinds is "overkill" for that. What they don't know is that WindowBlinds is scaleable - you can skin as little or as much as you want.

So a user was complaining how buggy ShellWM is and a user said "Well, it's the best alternative we have to StyleBuilder" (a program for creating msstyles).

So I wrote:

You can make a WindowBlinds skin with just a few lines of code.

Example: https://www.stardock.com/products/windowblinds/sk...orial.html

SkinStudio (http://www.skinstudio.net) provides a UI to creating very sophisticated skins.

But if someone just wanted to have something really simple like what you'd get with eFX or Shellwm then you can do the same thing with WindowBlinds. My Windows 3.1 skin I did is 60 lines total and that includes comments.

Mind you, WindowBlinds is free for this kind of thing. They're not looking for any of the enhanced features, the free version will do everything they need.

And in response, I get flamed within minutes. Accused of "advertising". I suspect if anyone else had made the post, it would have been fine.

Zoomba

on Mar 25, 2005

I don't think some people can separate you from your position. Any word coming from a CEO must immediately be propaganda/an attempt to subvert the discussion to promote their company in their views. In cases like the above I'd probably create a sleeper account that you post as when you want to enter a discussion without dragging the specter of your position into it.

It's a fine line to walk. Like you said this isn't a small community anymore, but a growing market with people entering it who don't understand how it all grew up. Also, a lot of people are going to hate and flame you simply because you made a business out of it and they resent you for the fact that you are making money off of it while they aren't (or they simply resent the idea of buying something they expect to be free... or they disagree with selling software period in the case of the RMS crowd).

I honestly think that for the size of the market and the types of people entering it right now, you're not really hurt much by speaking your mind publicly. The people who would buy your products and frequent your sites will do so based on the merits of your products, not on the words of the guy running the company (that is unless you come out as pro-puppy murder or something like that). Howevwer, if/when this becomes a mainstream thing, you may have to step back and hide a bit more, because mainstream buyers are way more fickle and get worked up over the smallest things.

The people complaining about this are the same ones who think you shouldn't even post on your own sites (wasn't it Kona who was mad over you posting to WC something that wasn't 100% customization related? Multiplicity I think it was). You can't please those people, never will be able to either. I say ignore them.

BlueDev

on Mar 25, 2005

Zoomba: I was wondering if someone would know to whom I was referring (not tough really). And no, the comparison isn't fair even in the very least, which is why I said:

You aren't even close

messybuu

on Mar 25, 2005

Simply put, I think as long as you separate your "personal" side with the commercial part (i.e. don't advertise your personal politics or anything on the Stardock site or the main WinCustomize site), then I see nothing wrong with that. As for the community sections, that's what a community's about.

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