Hey yall, I just took a survey on deviantart.
They gave me a couple code to get 15% off of something, like a print or stie goods or I forgot.
LpY937EsJ
I will not be using it, so if any of y'all need a code. there ya go.
The survey got me thinking about this site.
I really should be working on a midterm right now that will contribute towards my current career goals but all my stuff is on here! I have to care.
1. Integrate youtube and ustream/livestream into this site.
It's absolutely ridiculous how this site has a redirect page. The redirect page absolutely discourages people from sharing links to eternal sources. Youtube links should be integrated so that instead of a redirect site, the youtube video is embedded into the site. Youtube users should also be allowed to comment on this site with their youtube ID.
2. Allow facebook-deviantart and tumblr/twitter-deviantart and possibly linkedin-deviantart integration
People should be allowed to comment, share, and "like" pictures.
Any stories and links to the picture should be displayed to the owner (like tumblr, facebook). Being more integrated might help reduce the shame-factor associated with the site.
3. the gallery stats page needs to be more useful.
It needs to not only provide data in a better manner (dashboard, weekly, monthly, yearly breakdown, event-based breakdown) but also identify how the user can improve performance (do most visitors visit in the summer? in the winter? On mondays? What kinds of pictures are the most popular, and why? What are the internal and external sources of traffic?)
4. Content must be more dense.
I don't know about anyone else but I'd like to have more than 4 pieces displayed on the top of the page.
There's too much empty space on the site. Maybe the site can offer smaller but better thumbnails (allow users to customize scale/rotation of thumbs through a site app / have taller or shorter thumbs?) so that more of them can be displayed in a row. This would also address the problem of this site requiring way too much useless scrolling. (unlike google where you want to scroll down to see the other search results in case the top 4 were irrelevant, on deviantart I hardly ever ever ever ever have a desire or purpose to scroll down.)
5. Prints are too expensive. Who buys them??!
I would just get rid of this whole business division or figure out a way to make it more competitive. Or maybe outsource it to someone who does it way better, like printkeg, shutterfly, vistaprint (not great for art prints but they're good for business cards and text-based posters), maaaaaaaaybe cafepress (althought they are kind of doing lousy too).
6. Groups front pages need to be more community-empowering
I'd rather search pictures by tags, or look through collaborative galleries that would function like "shows". Groups are owner-glorifying, and their front pages are not as useful or content-dense as they should be. They should be community-oriented not owner-oriented. I only visit a group's front page ONCE to join them and then ONCE agin to leave them. They're that useless.
I don't think deviantart's business startegy should be in products, like prints. Unless they figure out a way to make the prints more attractive (more showings/demos? better quality? lower cost? professional preference?) it's kinda lose-lose since you're trying to sell a physical product but you have this website that is largely unrelated to the physical products. This is why I also think premium subscriptions are a very poor way to maintain the site. There are too many other free alternatives like facebook, tumblr, blogspot with BETTER social tools.
Charge money for what is free on other sites that have a bigger potential for audience? Seriously?
I think deviantart's business strategy should be in offering the best or the most unique but useful service. Probably more unique but useful since there's just no topping all those photo sites like instagram and tumblr and even imgur. That's why I think deviantart could really find it s future in being a social-hub where people from all these other major social networking sites could participate without having to bother deviantart.
layout by frisbii 
Sta.sh
Add Media
Style