I have to admit, when the new company took over the running of Winster, there was a lot of skepticism about whether they would be able to pull off servicing such a different demographic than the hardcore gamers they were used to. We met in the big conference room to listen to everyone's two cents about how we needed to overhaul the site completely if we were going to get any traction.
In the end, we decided against it. We would relaunch as quickly as we could and then make changes as we went along. Knowing that our customers would quickly move on to the latest and greatest bells and whistles if we didn't do this asap.
How wrong we were. Our customers – our friends, don't seem to care much abut the name or the color of the pages. They come to play and make friends. To take a break from the office or connect with old friends before going to bed.
My husband and I, both being in the "tech" industry, try to make sure we're aware of what the kids are doing just so we feel tuned in to popular culture. We Twitter and Google and Facebook and even once forced ourselves to listen to nothing but rap music for a month (more on that later). Young people are a good barometer, but sometimes the biggest eye openers are the shifts that take place among the older crowd. We use technology for sure, not as a replacement for real relationships, but as a way to make sure we don't forget birthdays and to say thank you and hello. And to meet a few friends on a Saturday night for a little Slot Social.
So on this Easter weekend (this is the part where I try to wrap up all my thoughts into a neat little timely bundle), when everything seems to be about newness and rebirth, I for one am celebrating the fact that some things DON"T change. And that's okay.
XO Happy Easter!
Winnie
You know Winnie, just read all your wonderful posts-and no we don't care about the name or the color of the pages, although the site seems well done. We love to play with our friends, make new friends, and just challenge ourselves at our favorite games! The prizes were never the real deal to me-it was all about having a great time trading, scheming and winning together. So glad that Winster is back-and love it that you are so real about life in your posts-life isn't about perfection, it is about being happy with who you are and what you have. Ask anyone if they would rather be rich, happy or famous-they always falter for a moment and end up with happy. Cheers!
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