The single most important thing in all of what is currently happening is this: community. Without community there is no deviantART. While deviantART may be the most popular site of its kind at the moment something better always comes along and will lurk in the shadows, waiting to take the reigns.
I need only point to how quickly the popularity of Flickr has grown; from a small site to just about the same size as deviantART in just a little over 1 year. While it is not the same the fact remains that the potential is there, under the right circumstances.
A group of highly talented someone's could come along and create the next deviantART. You never know, right?
What is the point of my rambling? Good question! No really ... the point is this: $The Company needs to understand that there is a community here, not mere customers.
There is a fundamental difference between $The Company and me.
$The Company thinks the visitors to deviantART exist to provide them with position and revenue.
I think their position exists to provide the visitors with artistic freedom and the ability to be a community. I strive to make sure the community has that.
The community, through the various projects in support of jark is uniting itself and that, IMHO, is a good thing(tm). Keep it up and never stop; remain strong and civil and in the end the truth will prevail.
To use some of their propaganda ...
