I heard that download.com wants to remove all submitted programs,which don't pay a 99$ fee. I didn't pay but my freeware games are still at the site. Do you know when they plan to remove these games?

I really hope not ;(

I those those that were grandfathered in will be permitted to remain, but all new applications will be required to pay a fee to be listed.

Down they go... personally I think that they will kill them self if they start charging money... But who knows, I might be wrong...

They have been doing it for months... so far it seems to be working for them.

Well I'm not sure... but I'd kind of like to see what happens if they remove the games. The game sections as they stand now are innundated with junk. Anyone that spends 1hr developing tetris for cs101 can get a listing on Download.com - I expect if a lot of that gets weeded out then we'll have a better chance at exposure from people just surfing the puzzle section or whatever.

Originally posted by svero
Well I'm not sure... but I'd kind of like to see what happens if they remove the games. The game sections as they stand now are innundated with junk. Anyone that spends 1hr developing tetris for cs101 can get a listing on Download.com - I expect if a lot of that gets weeded out then we'll have a better chance at exposure from people just surfing the puzzle section or whatever.

Yep.

download.com wants me to pay 80 bucks just to rev my game from 1.0 to 1.1 in their listings. When you rev a version number on Download.com does it bump up to the top of the list again?

~Hanford

I'm not sure if there are certain types of updates you can do that don't lead to you're being in the "what's new" lists, but generally all the updates I've done in the past have led to additional exposure. I certainly wouldn't pay money just to keep their site up to date.

I agree. I think it would weed out some of the junk. Hanford, did you just make the list before they started charging? If they want to charge everytime an indie developer needs to upload a revision then it could get out of hand.

Thanks for the info, svero.

Originally posted by svero
I certainly wouldn't pay money just to keep their site up to date.

Yeah, I want to pay for exposure, not for just having it up date. If it moves me to the top of the list, I'd consider it.

Originally posted by Hydroaxe
Hanford, did you just make the list before they started charging? If they want to charge everytime an indie developer needs to upload a revision then it could get out of hand.

My game made the list back in September.

I'm getting the feeling from the site that there's 2 types of revs: Version number, and everything BUT version number. And this makes me think that reving the version number bumps you to the top of the list (but costs 80 bucks) while the other revs don't bump, and don't cost. So if you wanted to change the download link, you can for free, but to get the version number changed (which really means getting sorted to the top of the list) means you gotta pay.

Again, that is speculation on my part, since I've not paid for any of it yet.

~Hanford

Originally posted by hanford_lemoore

I'm getting the feeling from the site that there's 2 types of revs: Version number, and everything BUT version number. And this makes me think that reving the version number bumps you to the top of the list (but costs 80 bucks) while the other revs don't bump, and don't cost. So if you wanted to change the download link, you can for free, but to get the version number changed (which really means getting sorted to the top of the list) means you gotta pay.

Again, that is speculation on my part, since I've not paid for any of it yet.

~Hanford

I thought it was any modification that was billed at 90 bucks. Can anybody confirm this?

From download.com:


Basic Processing is CNET Networks' most affordable listing package. Designed for software publishers who simply want to list new products or update their current products on CNET Networks' download sites, Basic Processing costs $79 for each product submission or update. Your software submission will be processed and listed within 10 business days.

That is still a little ambiguous though since you can do a product update OR a version update. Might be worth emailing them to find out.

This is what is mentioned on download.com:


Plan 1: Basic Processing

Type/Duration: One-time fee
Price per Product: $79

Basic Processing is CNET Networks' most affordable listing package. Designed for software publishers who simply want to list new products or update their current products on CNET Networks' download sites, Basic Processing costs $79 for each product submission or update. Your software submission will be processed and listed within 10 business days.

Features include:
• Standard processing (listing in Download.com, ZDNet Downloads, and affiliate libraries)
• Visibility within the CNET Downloads library, reaching a global audience of more than one million unique users each day
• Average maximum processing time of 10 business days*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plan 2: Speedy Processing

Type/Duration: One-time fee
Price per Product: $299

If your primary concern is getting your program listed as quickly as possible, Speedy Processing is your best option. For a one-time fee of $299, we will process and list your title within one business day.

Features include:
• One-day* processing (listing in Download.com, ZDNet Downloads, and affiliate libraries)
• Visibility within the CNET Downloads library, reaching a global audience of more than one million unique users each day


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plan 3: Silver Listing Package

Type/Duration: Monthly subscription (three-month minimum)
Price per Product: $99/month

Silver Listings cater to serious publishers who want to be able to update their product listings at any time quickly and easily. For only $99 per month (with a minimum three-month subscription agreement), Silver Listing processes your product submission in just three business days and gives you the ability to edit and update your product whenever you want. We also include monthly performance statistics to help gauge the success of your products, including daily page views, download counts, and more. Silver listers will also be included in our Silver-level promotional opportunity, the Dynamite Downloads lists. Links to Dynamite Downloads lists appear on all of our Category and Profile doors, and will include software relevant to that area of the site.

Features include:
• Three-day* processing (listing in Download.com, ZDNet Downloads, and affiliate libraries)
• Unlimited edits and updates for your product listing**
• Performance statistics on Upload.com (including monthly download count and page view reports)
• Silver-level promotional opportunities located on Download.com and ZDNet Downloads


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plan 4: Gold Listing

Type/Duration: Monthly subscription (three-month minimum)
Price per Product: $299/month

Gold Listing provides all the benefits of our Silver subscription service coupled with fast turnaround times and additional promotion. For $299 per month (with a minimum three-month subscription agreement), we'll process your product submission and subsequent updates within a single business day and give you the ability to edit and update your listing on an ongoing basis for no additional charge as long as your subscription is active. The Gold Listing option also lets you submit keywords for site-search functions, delivers monthly download performance statistics to help gauge the success of your titles, and offers Gold-level promotional opportunities to increase visibility and help drive downloads.

Front, category, and profile door promotional placements:
Placement in our Super Software list. A link to the full list of Gold subscribers is promoted within the "Super Software" box located in the right-hand column of the front door and all relevant category doors within Download.com and ZDNet Downloads. This Super Software list is also linked to from other high-visibility areas of our site, such as Post Download pages, and subcategory lists. Super Software listing pages are category-specific and sorted by date.


Features include:
• One-day* processing (listing in Download.com, ZDNet Downloads, and affiliate libraries)
• Unlimited edits and updates for your product listing**
• The ability to submit keywords for site-search functions
• Performance statistics on Upload.com (including monthly download count and page view reports)
• Gold-level promotional opportunities located on Download.com and ZDNet Downloads to help drive downloads


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plan 5: Elite Listing

Type/Duration: Monthly subscription
Price per Product: $1,000-$10,000 per month, depending on category

Elite Listing is our top-of-the-line subscription service that provides all the benefits of our Gold listing package, along with comprehensive promotional opportunities. This subscription package ranges in price between $1,000 and $10,000 per month (with a minimum three-month subscription agreement) depending on the category in which your title is listed. Elite Listing processes your product submissions and updates on both Download.com and ZDNet Downloads in just one business day, gives you the ability to suggest keywords for site-search functions, and lets you edit and update your product listing. You’ll also receive monthly download performance statistics to help gauge the success of your titles. Most importantly, Elite Listing offers Elite-level promotional opportunities to help drive downloads, including prominent product spotlights on our numerous Web sites. Want to learn more? Visit our Elite listing information page.

Promotional placements:
Individual product highlight within the Dazzling Downloads Sponsored box on the front door, updated daily
Elite Listing treatment within all listing pages on Download.com and ZDNet Downloads to improve visibility
Placement in Dazzling Downloads list, promoted within Sponsored Downloads boxes on the front door of Download.com and ZDNet Downloads
Top placement in your product's relevant subcategory
And more!


Features include:
• One-day* processing (listing in Download.com, ZDNet Downloads, and affiliate libraries)
• Unlimited edits and updates for your product listing**
• Performance statistics on Upload.com (including monthly download count and page view reports)
• Elite-level promotional opportunities located on Download.com and ZDNet Downloads to help drive downloads
• Promotional placement at the top of all search listing pages for relevant keyword searches on Download.com and ZDNet Downloads