Status overview 2021-03-10

The 3000 mark

Another milestone!

More people, be they artists, writers or spectators, find their way to ArtUntamed.
The number of different images, series and stories is growing by the day and we are pleased to see this development; it shows we can be that community for all of you.

We still have some people waiting at the gate, expecting their confirmation mail. Did they check their spam folder?
Speaking of spam, all subscriber's email addresses are checked against a list of well-known spammers and bots, flagged when found.
This especially happens when people use one of the free "anonymous" email providers. When flagged, we check the email address manually and look for irregularities. This could lead to block the specific user/spammer/bot from accessing ArtUntamed.
In general, we do not communicate by email; it is perfectly fine to use a regular email address to avoid getting listed as spammer.
Only when you opted for updates from AU (profile preferences) you will receive regular emails.

Time to end with some more positivity.
With the contribution of our paying members, we have just got ourselves a better server. We experienced some delays on the website at specific times. In time we will make some more adjustments.
We are constantly assessing the ways to express our gratitude to the paying members. For example, we increased the upload limit drastically (to 15Mb) and implemented the ordering feature for the album content exclusively for them.
We also finished some of the items on our wishlist, as well as some on-the-fly issues that came up.
To name a few: replacing a posted image, grouping of series of images on the gallery page, the blocking/ignore function, the automatic copyright date function.
There are some invisible improvements as well, which will lead to better site performance. Like the improved image processor to generate proper thumbnails for transparent png files too.

We should also not forget the silent supporters of ArtUntamed; the people who donated to ArtUntamed. We appreciate you!

Team ArtUntamed

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Status overview 2020-12-31

Dear AU members

A crazy year. A pandemic, deserted streets, a weird Christmas celebration.
But also the start of ArtUntamed.
2100 members, as I am writing these initial lines. In little over two months.

We have been asked why we do not tell who we, Team ArtUntamed, are. And we see some guessing going on as well.
There is a simple reason for it.
Being an admin or an active artist are two different things.
We do not want to be judged or approached in our role as artists, when it's about the decisions and actions we need to take as administrator.
Not in ArtUntamed, not in DeviantArt or any other site. We hope you will grant us that privilege.

Some hectic activities going on behind the scenes; creating and testing new features, discovering bugs in 3rd party software, creating workarounds. Our todo list is not getting smaller though.
We have implemented the Album content sorting, Album covers, expanded the Copyright options and created a Feedback/critique option. Some of them based on the feedback we received in the Community threads. On top of our list is the possibility to replace uploaded art with revisions.

In general, we are pleased to see how ArtUntamed is received and how it is developing.

The statistics show a lively community; many talks and discussion going on.
The many helpful suggestions and member support is great to see.

We too enjoy the many interactions with members, explaining issues, answering questions, evaluating your suggestions.
Unfortunately, sometimes we have to disappoint members too.

We had to ask some members to remove art that violated the TOS as we see it.
Also some images for not having the visual appeal we would like to see on this website.
An emotional reaction on such a message is understandable, but some common sense would be nice too.
There is a community forum at your disposal to discuss things, either in private or in the public section.
There is no need to start a rant on other sites with people who know nothing about ArtUntamed.
Unless you want an ego boost from your watchers.

"Isn't it sad when some DA stars start another site because they are being restricted and they put up restrictions?"
This person clearly missed the point in our TOS about why we have restrictions; we are not a dump site for everything that is not accepted by DeviantArt.
Some finetuning will be done to the current TOS; adding more specific descriptions. Hoping it paints a clearer picture.
Meanwhile we keep evaluating every entry. By one or more administrators, discussed by the team when in doubt, and discussed with the artist.
We do the same with reported work.
Sometimes we (administrators) need to hide something from view and contact the artist for a discussion about it. That does not mean it is deleted!

We have not banned anyone. As we have stated in numerous conversations, that is not the way we work.
If a member decides to leave ArtUntamed because we do not approve the artist's work, it's their choice.
The community is still open to everyone to watch art and join discussions.

However, there is one member who is no longer welcome here.
We had an image reported for "Normalizing or spreading far-right propaganda." We did not think the reported image was even near any (far-right) propaganda.
When asked for specific details about what in this satirical image about the recent purge in DeviantArt was far-right propaganda, we only received a repetitive rant, the content was "Nazi shit" and we are basically "an ally of the fascists" for not seeing it or doing anything about it.
We asked him to follow up on his own suggestion: "I will just leave quietly, and you can keep rubbing shoulders with these ghouls."
A normal discussion is appreciated, but calling fellow artists and our website far-right and fascist because we do not agree with his views, is crossing the line.
Politics have no place at ArtUntamed.
If you want to know his view and his side of the story: DeviantArt Journal

But, enough of that negativity.

We see the daily registrations and we are still growing at a steady rate.
The community is active, something we also see in the many comments and feedback.

Reading the many compliments from members both here and in DeviantArt makes us happy and we will continue our quest to make ArtUntamed an attractive place to be.
Your input in Feedback is welcome to help us get there.

We like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy new year and a creative - and above all - healthy 2021.

Team ArtUntamed

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Status overview 2020-11-15

Dear AU members

ArtUntamed has been online for one month already , and… Wow!
Did your response surprise us! Does the rise of this site surprise us!

First, a small introduction about us, team ArtUntamed.
We are artists who met in DA. Like many, we became uneasy with the way the site we have all enjoyed was going.
Purges, deletion, reporting, banishments, the weird Eclipse, inadequate policies, etc..
Their prudish behavior is no longer acceptable.
We thrived on the exchanges the site allowed. The sense of community, one of open space.

So, it was with a heavy heart that we took the AU jump. And a jump it has been.
In fact we didn’t know if creating a site was such a good idea; we have all seen other attempts surge and decline.
Then, the recent purge at DA forced us to open earlier than expected; just two months of preparation.
We did not want the artists we know so well disappear without a trace. Not knowing there is a new home in the making.
We had some great help from pre-invited artists who provided useful feedback before the official opening.
They too, are responsible for the absence of big glitches on launching October 15.

A little summary of our first thirty days together.
It’s true that the first two weeks we could perceive a few PostDATraumaSymptomaticDisorder 😅
It’s also true that we all have to get acquainted with a different methodology, a different process, different mechanisms
and different ways to store/publish our work here (Public Art? Art Untamed? Albums? And what’s this thing with intensity?)
But artists do adapt. And discuss, and maybe adapt again.
You have brought not only your art and stories, but also a great mindset.

Today, we can announce that in its first month ArtUntamed has already about 1350 registered members,
which is quite amazing as we expected only a couple hundreds at best in such a short time.
And it is not only numbers, but also the quality of the content that has impressed us,
as well as the presence of some of the big DA stars that have joined and continue to join.

We have seen (with great pleasure) a number of you engaging in constructive, rich and diverse exchanges
in the « Community » section, making this site a place where sharing links, communication, technical support and mutual help is alive.
Where opinions are widely shared (as opposed to sites where everyone is left in their own isolated bubbles).
We have learned a lot from the Community/Feedback conversations and would like you to keep proposing,
explaining, asking, suggesting, debating. Because it helps us too.
You have already been of great help; even in creating « How to » segments. A big thank you to Whitehaven!
Of course we remain focused on making this site even better: Our todo list is still growing.

The goal for us is not to make money, but to help artists express themselves without fear of arbitrary decisions.
We are not here to do business and we have nothing to sell, but we are not shy to admit that money will help.
Server expansion, software licenses, add-ons and updates are needed to give us the freedom to create the site we'd like AU to become:

Quality art and literature, user friendliness and community-oriented.
Welcoming and pleasant to look at.

That is why we are grateful for the paying members and the donations we received so far.

Mixing real life with running and maintaining a website, while also creating art ourselves,
slows down the process a bit, but the future looks bright for ArtUntamed.
Dear AU members, thank you for being here, for the great art, for the amazing stories,
for your wonderful spirit and above all, your patience.