Okay here I am, the Sayer of Doom.
I hate Windows Secrets. I only subscribed so that I could continue to get Fred Langa's newsletter. Other than the few bits he did for them, I have never seen anything useful come across their page. The only reason I hadn't unsubscribed is that frankly, it's easier to delete it from my inbox than to go through the process.
As with Fred, I have been a follower of Gizmo's newsletter for years. Now I'm afraid I'm going to have to kiss that one goodbye too because frankly I have no faith that *any* useful material from his publication will make the free side of Windows Secrets. I have already written Gizmo to tell him how I feel.
However, I *do* understand how this will benefit Gizmo, his newsletter and his paid subscribers, just as it promised to for Fred Langa. Larger distribution, some paid advertising to make the effort worth it and all the goop that goes along with that. Plus they have all the people and processes in place to make the job less onerous.
Frankly, I have always been the type of freeloader who gobbled up the free stuff but never forked out a cent for the rest and so in that manner, really never directly helped support eithe Fred or Gizmo's newsletter. So I am in no position to point a finger at anyone for anything.
However, I don't think that in either case Windows Secrets is the right venue. I think both Fred and Gizmo and any other useful publication out there would do better by joining forces and doing their own thing. Or maybe find a publication that puts content ahead of advertising. Or at the very least puts *good*, *useful* content into their *free* side, rather than the pathetic, minimal gruel offered up by Windows Secrets.
My last mainstay is Scot Finnie's newsletter which is largely a blog now. And if I find out he's moving to Windows bloody Secrets, I think I'll pitch myself into a volcano.