April 28, 2004
yellow[alien]probed It has come to my attention that there is a growing sect of tinfoil hat wearing deviants that believe some off-the-wall theory about how deviantART is run and are, for the most part, dissatisfied with the services offered and how the administration handles the various issues that come up on a daily basis. Before I even bother to waste my time explaining let me reiterate our simple position on such futile undertakings.
deviantART is a privately run website and will not ever give in to the demands of those who are incapable of acting in a responsible manner.
That is the short, simple and to the point answer. For a slightly more drawn out response then feel free to read on.
Those of us who have wasted years of our lives working on deviantART and are consumed by it on a daily basis have put our blood, sweat and tears in to this site. There has not been a day that has passed where deviantART has invoked an emotion of some sort for the majority of the staff. We value deviantART more than any visitor could ever comprehend. This is not to say that the deviants do not realize we spend a considerable amount of time on the site but merely depicts that it is hard to really understand the gravity of deviantART without having been placed in the same position that we partake.
When an individual, or group of individuals, who would like to enact change on the site attempt to do so through the use of force do not expect us to take your words seriously. It will almost certainly have the exact opposite effect; if you believe that we will listen to your cause then you are sadly mistaken. When petitions, protests and other assorted nonsensical activities are undertaken in an attempt to “get us to hear your story” then you can count on us to categorically not listen.
Why?
Because you are attempting to force a private company in to a position it, more than likely, does not want to be in by way of mob-like tactics. These are the same strategies that terrorists use to attempt to get their rhetoric heard and it generally has the opposite effect than that of what they intended.
Surely these tinfoil hat wearing deviants, and even others as well, will see this journal entry as some form of “holier-than-thou” attitude. While you are entitled to feel that way I must say that you are mistaken with that perception. We sincerely care about deviantART and if you are as interested in change as you appear to be then here is a suggestion that will afford you the opportunity to “be heard.”
Have one single individual formulate the thoughts in to an eloquently written, and extremely specific, email and have them send it to us. One liaison, one email and you can count on us reading your thoughts. I will not guarantee that we will take you up on all thoughts but we will read them and give them the time of day.
The mob mentality for attempting to compel change on deviantART will not work. Furthermore, if we see mob-like activity at work then everyone involved will have administrative action of some form taken against them, no matter who you are.
So, to end this already longer than I wanted it to be rant, what is the moral of this story? Do not bother with the aforementioned methods of getting our attention; do so in a more diplomatic manner and you almost guarantee to be heard. Do not follow the advice and you just might find yourself in a worse spot than you started.
This journal entry is directed at certain deviants and you know who you are. Be ambassadorial rather than adversarial.[s]
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April 27, 2004
yellow[alien]probedTo everyone that commented on my previous call for deviantART suggestions : I am in the process of reading each and every comment and will gather up a list of the valid thoughts that everyone passed along. The overwhelming sum of the number of suggestions far exceeds that of the mere comment amount identifier listed.
It is going to take some time to soak up the thoughts, parse them and come up with a realistic list of what is worth implementing and what is not. Contrary to what some tin foil hat wearing deviants would lead you to believe we are trying to do all we can for everyone here.
So, with all that said, I just want to say, thanks. Hang in there and have some faith and we just might get that feature that you have always wanted implemented sooner than you think![s]
P R O B I N G S
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April 24, 2004
yellow[alien]probeddeviantART has a plethora of features not found on any other site in this hemisphere and that is part of our allure. We do have quite a few that match those seen elsewhere on the net as well as plenty that other sites offer which we do not. We have carefully selected what to add, as well as not to add, due to the growing demand that our deviants place on the army of servers at our disposal.
Out of sheer curiosity, and the interest in helping add features that you, the deviants, would be attracted to, I ask the following …
What features would you like to see added to deviantART? Do not reply with a mere, “feature X,” one or two word comment, but a real explanation of the feature you would envision enhancing deviantART for all.
I, as well as the rest of the staff, are generally and sincerely interested in hearing your visions for making deviantART a much more exciting, interactive and enjoyable experience.
So, with that said, bring on the feature suggestions![s]
P R O B I N G S
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April 23, 2004
yellow[alien]probedJust got back from *cough* Karaoke *cough* with the wife and kid. All in all it was not too bad though my voice sucks ass. A few of the songs I would start coughing due to major dryness in the throat although that was easily solved by chugging down half my beer!
Anyhow, watch out cause me and $venox are going to be tearing some shit up over the course of the next few weeks while we code the hell outta some niftyness on the site! Beware and fj34r.
Sleep calls until tomorrow, when I will wake up and go see Kill Bill Vol 2, which just so happens to open tomorrow as well!
*passes out*[s]
P R O B I N G S
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April 19, 2004
yellow[alien]probedI have no clue what this is all about but it sounded intriguing nonetheless, so I have decided to “play along” as well.
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
“Number two preached the marvelous message of dealing strictly in cash.”
From The Last Juror by John Grisham.[s]
P R O B I N G S
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April 18, 2004
yellow[alien]probedSo Bill got selected as The Apprentice. Very cool finale to an overwhelmingly exciting show! Both Kwame and Bill could have been selected but apparently The Donald thought a little more highly of Bill than Kwame even with that huge pedigree that Kwame brought to the table.
What is interesting is that about midway through the “interview” (read: season) I made mention to a buddy that I thought Bill was a strong contender but I was blown off! Seems that my initial instincts were correct even though I really wanted to see the copier salesman, Nick, win.
In other news, it is a beautiful day today and I am going to BBQ for the first time this year. Looking forward to some mesquite flavored hamburgers today![s]
P R O B I N G S
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