I have been waiting for some sort of News post or other staff-posted mention of the new set of ads that show up in the gallery pages of free users but it doesn't look like anything is coming so I guess we are supposed to just accept the new ads and get on with our lives.

That said, I think it's worth pointing out that I personally think they cross a line and turn the site from an art website that supports itself with ads to something that visually resembles the cluttered mess of MySpace and other junky websites.

I also think it's interesting that this new series of ads came about just around the same time as the new front page system of FairExposure came up. It's merely a cynical idea, but I think the timing of the two is a lucky break for DevArt, if not outright planned, because so many artists seem way more interested in FairExposure and I've seen plenty of journals on the subject. Comparatively, there have only been one or two journals about the new ads, none of which really brought up much interest or discussion.

Of course, for some, there is the mentality of "You are getting free website space so suck it up" which I believe is a gross simplification of the situation. Let me address some of the specifics that come to mind:

Ads Already In Place. There are already no less than two Ads By Google on the Messages page, the Notes page and the Community watch page. There is a banner ad above every account page, not to mention the full-page ads that show up for users who have no DevArt account. Given the traffic of this site, I find it incredibly difficult to beleive that all those ads are not generating enough money to cover whatever costs they are meant to cover. I am actually not convinced that DevArt makes more money from subscriptions than it does from ad revenue for those with free accounts or no accounts at all.


The Carrot, Not the Stick. Another theory is that adding more ads is supposed to encourage free users to upgrade to a paid account, which I think is an unwise method if true. Firstly, people generally react badly to the sensation of being trapped between a rock and a hard place. Secondly, I think a better way to convince people to pay you for their service is not to make your free service so crappy it is unpalatable. Why should anyone think paid service is worthwhile if it's biggest selling point is "It gets rid of ads!" above anything else? DevArt is damning itself with faint praise here.


Community Spirit. Devart promotes itself heavily as a community rather than a business venture (whatever the truth may be) and to oversaturate the site with ads doesn't really sell that image to people. Too many flashing, noisy, just plain ugly advertisements and you end up with a site that looks disposable and cheap. It does not project an image of respectability and dignity. It is not a place that makes me feel good to host my artwork on. There has to be something about this site VISUALLY that separates it from the Photobuckets of the Internet.


Just Plain Misleading. In the Ad forum, where people have been making complaints about the new ads, a common comment is that their very placement within the thumbnail space of the gallery pages creats confusion as to whether the ads thumbnails are a) another artwork in the gallery and b) created by the artist whose gallery they appear in. These ads make a mess of what was previously a pretty understandable and tidy layout.


I know my journal isn't read by many but I feel better for having verbalized my issues with the new ad system and I wish I felt there was some sort of dialogue possible with the staff to even entertain the suggestion that maybe we could get the ads removed. I do know that if they stay in place, they will definitely change how I feel about DevArt and while it will probably not mean that I won't post here anymore, I don't think I will be using it anymore as one of my primary methods of showcasing my art. And I'm not going to pay for a subscription when I already own my own domain that allows me complete control over how my art is showcased. I post here because I enjoy interacting with other artists, that part won't change. It's just a shame to realize I won't feel proud of my account in the same way with these new ads cluttering it up.

~Sunhawk


's fanart is |here| and |here|


my IRL friends

clubs are fun yay!