Diary Entry (with bold added by me)
I sent the story behind deviantART to each of you (all *active* deviants) personally via your user pages for a very good reason. As active members of this community, the sum of your actions directly impacts the effectiveness and quality of deviantART.

YOU are deviantART because you are the ones contributing, sharing, and providing the magic that allows deviantART to prosper. So it is important that you know the real story behind deviantART, so that you can continue to move it in the right direction with each of your actions

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In recent times we (the dA team) have neglected the community. We've run fewer contests, we've been less active with other community sites, we have put community projects on the backburner and put development time in to other areas. We've been doing the bare minimum in direct regards to the community is what I'm saying, and we've known it. At least publicly, because we've put months of development time in to version 3 of deviantART and it will provide for features and community ideas that will hook you so bad you'll prefer deviantART to sex - but that's not out yet.
We know that you've noticed. Times have changed. The art community is different online; art sites have disappeared, many of the existing bigger sites are struggling. And on a brighter note, many new art groups and some communities have formed and are rather impressive. We'd like you to know that deviantART is not struggling, deviantART isn't going anywhere but up.
That's a great accomplishment for all of us - but dA staff had to neglect the community for a time in order to accomplish that. Not badly mind you, but there are side effects, and we are aware of them, and we are going to fix them. And yes, the problems are in fact fixable, you'll be amazed by our ability to innovate with version 3, and we will continue to impress you in the months and years after version 3 launches. That is a promise.
Please note, there's a war going on out there, the stock market went through the floor just as deviantART first launched, advertising rates are laughable these days. The US has the highest unemployment rate it has had since I think the mid-60's. And Internet companies were the first to go, especially media related companies. Especially internet entertainment companies. Especially new ones. You see where I'm going with this. Don't cross your fingers, it's bad luck. Knock on wood, and all of that. But we are defying some major odds here, and like I said, we're here for the long haul. Nowhere but up. You can count on us to be here serving the arts for a long time to come.
I don't know when it was that we suddenly became a big corporate entity within this community - maybe it was when prints launched, or maybe when traffic EXPLODED and we didn't have the time to take showers let alone react to community matters on time.

But aside from being stinky sometimes, we're going to be here tomorrow. We're going to straighten out the community matters in good time, and we're going to continue to innovate

. We're proud of that, and we're especially proud of one thing you guys may not know: we're still the same people we were on day one. We still have the same passion we had on day one, and we still have the understanding we did when this community was a loving and giving place for all who dared to participate.
To those who have been with us from the beginning; the senior members, the staff members who have moved on due to other responsibilities, and to those who truly love and respect this community and realize it's potential impact on the world of art,

I say this: Believe in our future, believe in the team that jark and I have assembled

RESPECT deviantART as if it were your home and REJECT those who don't and we will help you prevail in bringing back the community of year one. The community where people paused and thought before they submitted a piece of art, and the place where people paused and made sure their comments were of value before posting them.
To everyone else; deviantART is a loving place for you to share the deepest places of your soul and heart. It is a place that encourages you to have the guts to show your inner most secrets, talents and passions to the world. And it is a place where you are to encourage another deviant to be who they are too. If you are not an artist, you are to play this latter role of encouragement. That is what it means to be devious.

I wrote this note to each of you so that you could remember who we are. But most importantly so that you know that we know who you are. As servants to your creativity, we mean it when we say we love you. All we ask is that you give that love back to your fellow artists and strive to be true deviants.

Be devious,
Angelo Sotira
CEO, deviantART, Inc., Co-Founder
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Above is a diary entry of spyed's from way way back. some of you may have recieved a comment from the man himself on your userpages, the comment was this
Have you ever had a dream, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?
What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire deviant life, that there's something wrong with the story. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.
You take the blue pill, the story ends. Your browser closes and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland. And, I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
I offer only the truth, nothing more.
Take: The Red Pill
Take: The Blue Pill
spyed, nobody has ever done this before.
I know. That's why it's going to work.

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Reply?
YOU are deviantART because you are the ones contributing, sharing, and providing the magic that allows deviantART to prosper. So it is important that you know the real story behind deviantART, so that you can continue to move it in the right direction with each of your actions.
Are we still deviantART? If the "people" are deviantART the ones contributing, sharing and therefore keeping deviantART alive shouldn’t we in turn receive some respect, some answers?? You say it yourself. "It is important that you know the real story behind DA so that we can continue to move in the right direction". Is it just me or are we NOT getting the real story and therefore moving in the Wrong direction?

But aside from being stinky sometimes, We’re going to be here tomorrow. We're going to straighten out the community matters in good time, and we're going to continue to innovate
Well, right now it’s pretty damn shitty, i think the loss of Jark is defiantly a community matter. I'm still waiting for the matter to straighten out. How long is good time exactly Spyed?

I say this: Believe in our future, believe in the team that $jark and I have assembled
We, the people believed in the future, we believed in YOUR team, your being you and Jark. Should we still believe in the future and the new "team"? As someone has mentioned before, There’s no I in Team.

I wrote this note to each of you so that you could remember who we are. But most importantly so that you know that we know who you are. As servants to your creativity, we mean it when we say we love you. All we ask is that you give that love back to your fellow artists and strive to be true deviants.
Does this still stand? Everyone sure as hell loves DA, and why wouldn’t they? There’s a certain relationship between the admin and the people, but when i think of any relationship, i think of two main things. Love and Trust. Is the trust still there?


It’s the smallest word, but i cant say it any other way..... why.....we want answers Spyed. Why can’t we have them?
This isn’t a personal affront on you, for as you have said yourself. You have sat there and endured a months of abuse, questions, insults and inquiries. But do you really think you could have just demoted our beloved Scott without receiving any of this?
You tell us what happened was mutual gridlock. What does this mean exactly? Was it a disagreement between you and jark?
Your recent journal entry gives some insight into the going’s on but at the same time leaves some questions more unanswered. Look at jark’s feelings on your entry.

You keep going on about how we should all thank jark for the deviantART that we see before us today, I know I sure as hell do, but Spyed, you know what I would like to see? How’s about YOU thank jark.
Lets not forget matteo.If your big, “Im sorry” to jark is to give him “co-founder” status, doesn’t matteo deserve it as well??

Don’t the people deserve answers? Doesn’t jark deserve some answers?

Playa