Subscriptions & Money
*Money
deviantART is a great community, it is also a business.
plain and simple. uploading your pictures and artwork takes space. a lot of space. the more space it takes, the more money it takes. Also, they have to have employees to keep this place running, they like to get paid for the work they do. Just like if you work, you like your paycheck, they like to get theirs. I don't get what's complicated about that situation.

First thing people need to realize, like everything else in life, dA changes. Plain and simple. Some for the better, some not so much. But, either way, it's going to change.

*Subscriptions
"Subscribers get more stuff". really? they paid, of course they're going to get some extra features. It's get them to continue subscribing. dA takes money. subscriptions cost money. dA makes money, subscribers get fancy stuff.
(and if we want to get down to it, non-subscribers have a lot more stuff than when I first joined)

if you don't like the fact subscribers get more, then I don't know what to tell you. you're here for free. you can even sell your prints now for free. what you can't use CSS or get a fancy critique? IT'S FREE. You have ads? again, dA requires money. Though, the viruses embedded in the ads is a bit ridiculous, I agree.

don't like it, subscribe or leave.

_{I hate the "buy this camera" button. It's like saying 'if you buy this camera, you'll have photos like this'... that is pretty likely to happen. I've seen people with SLR's take better and worse photos than mine equally. It's also like using our artwork to advertise something, and it's sort of unethical in a sense.}


Daily Deviations
yada, yada, ya... this one isn't deserving. it sucks. it's trash.
1. one persons trash is another persons treasure.
2. don't like it, don't look at it. > have something mean to say, say it to yourself.
especially if you're going to say it to the artist. a few things.
* the artist didn't feature their own work, there's no point in harassing them or trying to hurt their feelings.
* you have something better to suggest, suggest it.

I don't get why people get in such an uproar about them. If you don't like them, don't pay attention to them. I don't like some of them. I think some of them are crap. So fucking what?

There's no need to harass the artist AT ALL!

As for the GM that gave it away, if you want to express your concerns, do it in a proper manner. Being an asshole is going to get you nowhere. First thing you could try doing is suggesting something you think is better. Just sayin'.

Critiques

*nonsubscribers : you can still get critique! don't bitch you don't get the fancy feature so you can't get any real feedback. Know that thing you're likely putting ... in (aka artists comments), ask for critique! Join a group focusing on critique. Go to thumbshare and find a critique thread. There's plenty of ways to get critique.

*giving critique
don't be an asshole if it sucks. If you have nothing nice to say, leave it alone. If you're giving critique, also give pointers.
'this photo is nice. the lighting is off. the lines are uneven and the top is overexposed. but the flower is pretty.' is NOT a critique. A critique should be useful to the artist to help improve themselves, not a nice. here's a list of what sucks. 'this is so pretty. i love this, this, this this and this. amazing work.' that is not a critique either. if you're giving critique try to give good remarks and point out the bad both.

*receiving critique
don't get all butthurt over it. everyone has different opinions, what I find terrible another person could find beyond amazing. if you don't want critique, don't enable it, or specify in your artist comments that you do not desire critique.

*dA - this is a note to YOU.
back in the day we used to have
-allow comments
-disable comments
-critique desired
-critique not desired
I think this would be a perfect thing to reinstate, especially for unsubscribed members. It solves the whole "baww we can't get critique", and keeps subscribers their fancy critique.
It clues those giving critique in to if they actually want it or they don't.
I don't see how this could be a bad thing.


Quality Has Gone Down
after a year of being here, that's nearly everyone's statement.
1. there are millions of users using different medias : at different ages and skill levels.
2. we are evolving artists; making things that were 'amazing' nothing a year later.
3. people join more people = more art = more crap.
4. don't like it, avert your eyes and find something you do.


Groups
For me personally, groups are a love/hate thing. I love the concept, I hate the abuse. You do NOT need to submit your work to 132 (sadly that's a serious number, I counted) groups.
Groups need a limit, today, I was going through my devWATCH and know what I found? 2 pages of crotch shots (clothed male crotch shots)... that is 48 pictures of clothed male crotches. All different medias. First thing I though, is this a theme and who decided it? When I realized it was the same person, I looked, I had 1,204 messages from THAT group. Even if you accept everything, set a limit!
Also, when your submissions are declined, you're better off leaving the group than fueling an argument. Yes, rejection can hurt. Asking why it was rejected is not bad. Complaining "who do you think you are? have you seen your gallery? you're not fit to judge my work", is bad, and a waste of time. Not to mention rude and unacceptable. If you don't like it, move on. For the group you're in, there's at last 20 more out there. (and I'm aiming low here)
Love groups, don't abuse them, and don't act like an ass.

*SUPERGROUPS : I think the price of 120 dollars a year is a bit much, hell, even 60 bucks is a bit to foot. I think, if you're going to have it be much more 50 would be a nice even number (a nice, easy achievable number). You have to remember the age range of most people here, they're still in school. I doubt ma and pa are gonna foot 120 bucks for an online group.

Also, if you're part of a group, donating a few points wouldn't hurt towards keeping it super. all you need is 12 people to give 5 bucks.


Llamas, Cakes, Points & Birthdays
*Llamas & Cakes
To be honest, I don't really understand them. But, they're there. Do they affect you negatively? Probably not. Are the a positive impact, depends. Does it matter that much? It shouldn't. All it does is give you a little message, in which, you can either choose to give a llama back or delete. I have yet to see someone show up on someone's page with a 'GIVE ME BACK A DAMN LLAMA YOU GREEDY LLAMA WHORE!'... and if that does happen, please link me to the comment so I can laugh my ass off. Thanks.
*Points
with the roll out of points; I thought it was pretty stupid. But now, with donation pools and such, I think it's actually a great idea. I like that if someone wants a premium membership, I can help a bit without paying the full amount. I like that I can help support supergroups, or contests. If you don't want to, then don't do it. Another thing that doesn't really effect you in a negative way. You might not be on board with it, but it's there, and I don't think it's a bad idea personally.
*Birthdays
this is sort of like llamas, if you don't like the feature, delete the message and don't say anything; but I am terrible with birthdays, especially with this place. It's nice to have a reminder there so I can leave a quick 'happy birthday' and be on my way.


Prints
don't like the service, don't use it. dA recently rolled out a new system for prints, I think that part was a wonderful idea to be honest.


Muro
Get over it shall we? This is nothing you can't download of the internet for free and upload anyhow, so why are we making such a big deal?
1. it's not that good. IT'S FREE!
2. the brushes cost money. IT'S FREE and they cost little money.
3. it's the end of deviantART; no, it's just another thing to deviantART (no, I'm pretty sure that was yuri or whatever)
4. don't like it, don't use it.

Literature Community
I do not like hearing dA always forgets about literature. NOT true. When I joined we had thumbs with the dA literature symbol. Then they made it you could see the first few words and NOW, they even scroll so you can read a bit. That alone is a big improvement.

*SUGGESTION TO DA!
INSTALL SOME SORT OF WORD PROCESSOR! It really bites having to go through and re-indent all the different areas and hoping they come out right. I think that would be a major improvement to the literature community.

But, please, writers, do not forget, dA has improved the literature community in a few ways, they have not left you out with each change. Sure, there's more that could be done, but PLEASE note the things they HAVE DONE


Community
I love dA. I like a lot of the art, and I love the people I meet here. I made my first account in 2004, and really got active in 2006 on a new (old) account. I've come across my share of idiots, jerks, and down right fucking retarded people; but over all, I like the community. I like that I meet all sorts of people from different walks of life. I don't know how many times a simple comment on a deviation has led into a full on discussion about random things. If you don't think that dA is a community, you need to get off your page and really check the place out.


Why am I here?
Like I said, I love dA. I love being involved in a large community of people with similar interests. I enjoy art, creating it and appreciating it. I enjoy seeing what other people come up with and being inspired by it. Yes; there are some things about this site I do not like; or that have been done that piss me off. However, overall; I am happy to be a part of this community so many times.

((( I will probably add more to this as time goes on :< )))

If you wish to argue and be rude, go away.
If you have a debate about this, or disagree, feel free to comment as long as you're going to be a rational adult. If you're going to act like a 14 year old girl pmsing, don't bother.
These are my personal views, and I am allowed to have them, as are you.