That being said, I would like to write about the new deviantART symbols and overall changes. A lot of drama around it, something that I like! I still remember a quote-like story from Randy Pausch's last lecture:
Coach Graham rode you pretty hard, didn't he?" he said.
I could barely muster a "yeah."
That's a good thing," the assistant told me. When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, it means they've given up on you.
And that's exactly how I feel about it. Every time I see some drama around new features I smile quietly and say to myself: "They care!" However it amazes me that instead of giving decent feedback on why they don't like something, they rather yell and think that it will fix everything. I do understand that there's a lot of people out there who do give decent feedback, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about people who have been deviantART community members for years, who have seen how deviantART has changed over time and still don't understand that instead of writing about the problems in a normal constructive way, find it better to just say everything in a offensive way. Try to see things from not only your point of view but also the overall users point of view. Something that might feel to you as something totally stupid, might be a godsend gift for a new user.
I suggest you to always think before you say or write something because it takes years to build up your fanbase but it takes just few words to demolish everything you have worked for. I know that it can be hard sometimes. I'm a very impulsive person and I often say things before I think. It has caused me a lot of problems in different communities and even more in my personal life. I have lost a lot of friends because of my words and I know how hard it can be to get something back that you have already lost. Over the years I have learned that before saying anything, take some time and think about it. Things might be totally different from your initial reaction.
After seven and a half years as a deviantART community member I would like to think that I have seen quite a lot and I should also be upset about some of the changes. How dare they change something that has been next to my name for so long! This is my symbol and I want it back as it was before! I have worked quite hard to get where I am today and I should get what I want! Right? That's how you might feel when you look things from your point of view.
However when you are a new user then things are totally different for you. To people who say that old symbols made a lot more sense than the new ones, for them I would like to say that it's one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Old symbols made more sense because you had used them forever. Find a new user and ask them what CV hat is for example. Would they understand? Probably not. However if you show them a new mentor symbol then the medal shows that they probably have done something to earn that. It all actually makes sense.
Same way with normal users having no symbol next to their name. It doesn't actually matter in my opinion, it just might make things messier. Do I look people differently when they have no symbol? Absolutely not. I'm here because of the community, it doesn't matter if you have a symbol or not. It doesn't change who you are. To people who are so upset about not having a symbol or now users having the ability to buy 'till hell freezes over'.
Are you here to boost your ego or make art?
I would like to write more but I have to go back to work now.
