Dear fellow makers,
Makerworld is undergoing some changes that I personally find quite unfavorable, especially for new users. One of the key issues is the Exclusive Program, which, in theory, should be amazing, offering plenty of benefits for those involved. However, for newcomers, or for people like me, who have only been on Makerworld for a few months, it’s become incredibly frustrating—so much so that it’s even making me consider leaving the platform entirely.
Currently, the default setting in the browser only shows models in the Exclusive Only category, which means that I, as a relatively new user with just 21 models on my profile, am not getting any visibility at all. The only models that get a little exposure are those entered into contests, but other than that, it’s like shouting into the void. With this setup, it’s nearly impossible to qualify for the Exclusive Only program—how can I reach the 100 downloads requirement if my models aren’t being seen? I have 21 models online and only 11 downloads so far.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m aware that my models might be a bit too niche or explicit, and that could be the reason why fewer people are downloading them. But I also have several friends who started at the same time as me, bought a printer, signed up for Makerworld, and are facing the same issue. Their models just aren’t getting any visibility either. We’re participating, but only in the distant background, seen by a very small group of users who make the extra effort to look for non-exclusive models. Beyond that, we might as well not exist.
Honestly, if this is how it’s going to be, there are other model-sharing websites that might be more welcoming to new users, which would be a real shame for this platform, don’t you think?
24 posts - 15 participants