Written on the Oct. 2014 changes,''watchfeed''

I see it more like DA has lost sight of their mission with the facebook ripoffs and people not wanting another social media site, leading DA down the path of Friendster and MySpace and AOL.

I've never seen this much dislike on any previous changes.

This is a business. If the majority of your clients don't like what you're selling, you need to change your business plan.

Let's put it in art terms then.

If I (as a professional journalist/writer) write a piece that is not up to my usual standards, my editor will 1) send it back for revisions, 2) refuse to print it and use my work less (resulting in loss of money and reputation), or 3) fire me. The same would've gone for when I wrote small pieces for No Shame Theatre, for when I write public relations, &tc. When I write fiction or poetry, those I submit it to have the option to not accept it if it doesn't fit their editorial style.

Likewise, should an advertising agency hire someone on the basis of their portfolio and say, "we'd like work in your style," should the artist suddenly decide to change styles without consulting the client, they will not have their work used or get paid.

And someone commissioning a fine artist for a portrait will also expect certain things, so switching from classic style to cubism for a portrait will cause trouble.

That said, Deviant Art isn't a work of art. It's business, much like MySpace and Friendster were. And the clients seem to overwhelmingly NOT want it to be a social media site. And should DA not pay attention to what pleases people, they will likely end up like MySpace and Friendster -- unused, abandoned, and forgotten except as the butt of jokes told by old techies.