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TemplateMonster.com Has A New Friend – WP Theme Marketplace

Most WordPress theme developers would have heard by now about the "theme marketplace" that WordPress.com is planning on launching in the near future. This marketplace is supposed to give developers and designers of WordPress themes a platform from which they can make some extra cash, while making the same amount of cash for WordPress.com {aka Matt & Co.} as well.

As Matt describes on this blog post, this is what you can expect it to be -

• Theme submissions cannot suck, they need to be original, link-free, not published before and GPL licensed.
• Your themes have to be made FREE to WordPress.org users - if you meet the above conditions, of course.
• "At the end of the day, it’s just a market." Loosely translated it means, "All your themes belongs to us!"
• You will have to share 50% of the cash with Matt & Co. {I blame Text-Link-Ads for the 50/50 profit sharing trend}

Before I get into why this is such a bad idea, I'm going to try and make up some points as to why this might actually be a good idea.

• You might make a half of a small boat load of cash, provided your themes pass the "doesn't suck" test.
• It's a good testing ground for new designers and developers, plus you get bragging rights. Yippee.....yawn!
• Your non sucky theme will be distributed free of charge to everyone who decides to host WordPress by themselves - wait...that's not a good point!?!

Oh well, I guess two semi good points is not that bad. Now, lets see why the present train of thought about the marketplace that Matt has stated is just plain out retarded.

• It will be the next TemplateMonster.com, you know that site that real designers LOVE to HATE!
• If you think you can make money by selling your themes, then you will. You don't need to give half of your cash away to WordPress.com for that. Market yourself, stop being lazy.
• Your theme will be given freely away without any link back to your site via WordPress.org. Don't think people will download a free theme, email you and be ready to pay for your support. IT. WILL. NOT. HAPPEN.

There might be still hope though, if all of the terms and conditions so far stipulated change. Then it might be something even I am willing to look into.

Read WP Designers post for his thoughts.

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• Dated: November 4, 2007