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In Response to My tumblr Switch
13 years ago
--EDIT--
I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT! READ BELOW FOR THE LULZ, THEN READ THIS: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3158957/
ORIGINAL POST - READ FIRST: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3157541/
After only a couple hours, my FA journal post on cross-posting to tumblr generated the sort of response I was expecting. There's a lot of resistance to the idea of an artist moving their work elsewhere, regardless of the reasons. Maybe I wasn't clear enough?
The common thread amidst the reaction seemed to be frustration and a general sense that I'm closing doors and forcing something upon people. I make no reservations that I'm going to frustrate people by censoring my FA submissions and it sounds as though some think I'm doing it out of spite. My decisions are rarely malicious in intent.
Let's break it down.
- FA is outdated. Not just a little, a lot. I want modern. I can't get that from FA, and I've waited years.
- SoFurry did ping on the radar for me as an alternative; it's doing what FA isn't in that it's attempting to stay modern with more features but it suffers (torturingly so) from it's function completely overriding it's form. Layout and navigation is a mess.
- tumblr is modern, well designed and to be blunt, not run by furries.
"Why censor your FA posts?"
Over the years, I've made the childish assumption that protesting openly on the internet gets one absolutely nowhere. I don't pay to use FA, so I can't really complain to the admin about the service I've received. Posting UI suggestions either through the forum, or directly to the admin yields no results (which isn't necessarily a shortcoming of the administration on a single case basis... though I've seen a few sensible threads that seemed to garner mass agreeance on an issue or UI suggestion fade out of existence). So, rather than packing up and moving out entirely in open protest (again), I'll stay and spare my followers a messy and pointless demonstration.
I don't like protest, and I don't like censorship. Yes, in a way my actions are a protest against FA's lackluster performance in modernizing the site. I would challenge you to prove me wrong in saying such. I could continue posting uncensored art to FA and tumblr in addition. To what end? Hence I am at an impasse:
I am faced with mitigating what I feel is unnecessary work. I wouldn't say twice as much, if only because posting to tumblr is crazy simple, and gives me and my tumblr followers a lot more options. I'm not afraid of more work. I like work... If it's worth it.
FA as it operates isn't worth the work, but you are.
I have followers on FA. I like most of them. Some I consider friends. I don't want to outright abandon them, and so I'm willing to go out of my way for them, and maybe they're willing to do the same.
Could take I take it upon myself to manage both my FA account, and this tumblr account and allow you the freedom to keep browsing my art on FA uninterrupted? Sure I could! But what kind of message am I sending the FA administration by accepting their service as it stands? As I mentioned above, I've made both direct and indirect suggestions in regard to updating the user experience on FA to no avail. I've openly protested to no avail. The old addage of "If you don't like it, then don't use it" comes to mind, and while I could just stop posting to FA and close my account, dumping gasoline on my head and lighting myself on fire on the internet is lulzy at best.
Censoring my work on FA and mentioning that you could go on tumblr to see the uncensored piece is the best compromise I've seen. If hiding a dick, tits or vagina behind a censor bar concerns you, it should, provided you're concerned for the right reasons and understand exactly why they're there:
Understand that I'm not forcing you to go anywhere, or do anything. I'm not in your house holding a gun to your head. I'm not taking my FA account down. That being said, if you feel that censoring less than ten percent of my artwork is forcing you to go on tumblr against your will, then perhaps you're beginning to understand what it's like to be met with the demands of a community that is becoming more and more self-entitled.
FA in general was, and still is a great site in that it does what it was built for. My issue is simply that as it ages and the fast-pace of expanding electronic social media innovations march on, FA does nothing more.
If you want to think that I'm doing this in hopes of somehow influencing FA admin to suddenly start modernizing the site, be my guest. If you want to feel frustrated and angry that I'm forcing you to click a link, that's your choice. If you want to take a dump on social media, have at her. Viewpoints like these, made by some of you, say a great deal, but not a great deal about what you know of me.
Until you're beyond the above, if you already are and you understand that I want more out of my sharing experience, then you probably get why I'm doing this.
--EDIT--
http://reivegan.tumblr.com/
I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT! READ BELOW FOR THE LULZ, THEN READ THIS: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3158957/
ORIGINAL POST - READ FIRST: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3157541/
After only a couple hours, my FA journal post on cross-posting to tumblr generated the sort of response I was expecting. There's a lot of resistance to the idea of an artist moving their work elsewhere, regardless of the reasons. Maybe I wasn't clear enough?
The common thread amidst the reaction seemed to be frustration and a general sense that I'm closing doors and forcing something upon people. I make no reservations that I'm going to frustrate people by censoring my FA submissions and it sounds as though some think I'm doing it out of spite. My decisions are rarely malicious in intent.
Let's break it down.
- FA is outdated. Not just a little, a lot. I want modern. I can't get that from FA, and I've waited years.
- SoFurry did ping on the radar for me as an alternative; it's doing what FA isn't in that it's attempting to stay modern with more features but it suffers (torturingly so) from it's function completely overriding it's form. Layout and navigation is a mess.
- tumblr is modern, well designed and to be blunt, not run by furries.
"Why censor your FA posts?"
Over the years, I've made the childish assumption that protesting openly on the internet gets one absolutely nowhere. I don't pay to use FA, so I can't really complain to the admin about the service I've received. Posting UI suggestions either through the forum, or directly to the admin yields no results (which isn't necessarily a shortcoming of the administration on a single case basis... though I've seen a few sensible threads that seemed to garner mass agreeance on an issue or UI suggestion fade out of existence). So, rather than packing up and moving out entirely in open protest (again), I'll stay and spare my followers a messy and pointless demonstration.
I don't like protest, and I don't like censorship. Yes, in a way my actions are a protest against FA's lackluster performance in modernizing the site. I would challenge you to prove me wrong in saying such. I could continue posting uncensored art to FA and tumblr in addition. To what end? Hence I am at an impasse:
I am faced with mitigating what I feel is unnecessary work. I wouldn't say twice as much, if only because posting to tumblr is crazy simple, and gives me and my tumblr followers a lot more options. I'm not afraid of more work. I like work... If it's worth it.
FA as it operates isn't worth the work, but you are.
I have followers on FA. I like most of them. Some I consider friends. I don't want to outright abandon them, and so I'm willing to go out of my way for them, and maybe they're willing to do the same.
Could take I take it upon myself to manage both my FA account, and this tumblr account and allow you the freedom to keep browsing my art on FA uninterrupted? Sure I could! But what kind of message am I sending the FA administration by accepting their service as it stands? As I mentioned above, I've made both direct and indirect suggestions in regard to updating the user experience on FA to no avail. I've openly protested to no avail. The old addage of "If you don't like it, then don't use it" comes to mind, and while I could just stop posting to FA and close my account, dumping gasoline on my head and lighting myself on fire on the internet is lulzy at best.
Censoring my work on FA and mentioning that you could go on tumblr to see the uncensored piece is the best compromise I've seen. If hiding a dick, tits or vagina behind a censor bar concerns you, it should, provided you're concerned for the right reasons and understand exactly why they're there:
Understand that I'm not forcing you to go anywhere, or do anything. I'm not in your house holding a gun to your head. I'm not taking my FA account down. That being said, if you feel that censoring less than ten percent of my artwork is forcing you to go on tumblr against your will, then perhaps you're beginning to understand what it's like to be met with the demands of a community that is becoming more and more self-entitled.
FA in general was, and still is a great site in that it does what it was built for. My issue is simply that as it ages and the fast-pace of expanding electronic social media innovations march on, FA does nothing more.
If you want to think that I'm doing this in hopes of somehow influencing FA admin to suddenly start modernizing the site, be my guest. If you want to feel frustrated and angry that I'm forcing you to click a link, that's your choice. If you want to take a dump on social media, have at her. Viewpoints like these, made by some of you, say a great deal, but not a great deal about what you know of me.
Until you're beyond the above, if you already are and you understand that I want more out of my sharing experience, then you probably get why I'm doing this.
--EDIT--
http://reivegan.tumblr.com/
It's true that you're not holding a gun against our heads, but you're putting extra effort into uploading a modified file, here, just because you prefer us to watch your stuff on tumblr.
I don't get it. "We" prefer to watch art here, why even bother modifying a submission? No offence, but it's not like one user censoring their art is geing to do a lot, here. In the end, I think you're gonna lose watchers over this.
Once again, a interface re-write is in progress. I've seen some pretty nice things, things that -will- come.
If he wants to encourage it by doing something extra every day, then it is the best option. I don't know if he just doesn't want to seem pushy, but asking someone to follow in your footsteps for 10 feet because you're excited about something is worth sharing in. FA won't really become more simplified if no one treated it as a hotlinking portal, regardless of the reasons.
Link's in the edit above.
Link's in the edit above.
While i do not enjoy making alot of different accounts all over the internet i believe it is by far worth to follow you wherever you might wanna go, you are one of those exceptions and i hope others will think so too.
You basically said the only time someone can make a complaint about your approach that you will genuinely respect and listen to...
Is when they agree with you 100%.
Love it.
"If you want to think that I'm doing this in hopes of somehow influencing FA admin to suddenly start modernizing the site, be my guest. If you want to feel frustrated and angry that I'm forcing you to click a link, that's your choice. If you want to take a dump on social media, have at her. Viewpoints like these, made by some of you, say a great deal, but not a great deal about what you know of me."
These are the reasons all of us who protested on your last journal gave.
"Until you're beyond the above, if you already are and you understand that I want more out of my sharing experience, then you probably get why I'm doing this."
No one can legitimately dissent against you unless they already agree with you. Wonderful argument.
You don't care about your fans on FA. You are punishing them for using what works rather than seeking the modernization you crave. Don't say we don't get it. We get it. You want a bunch of neat features, and you're punishing us for using a site that doesn't have them.
You want to keep your fans? Don't censor your work. We hate censorship.
I mean, if it was your income, where you are making money off of every dong and tit you draw, then censoring is fine. But free stuff? Puh-lease. I would rather go without your work entirely if you are going to try and punish me for not being a Tumblr-er. I am not the only person who feels this way, either.
You are free to do what you want, of course. And if you decide to shut down your FA account entirely and move to Tumblr, that's fine. But do not censor an FA account for a statement as petty as "This site isn't modern enough!"
(Nice use of the underline feature, really hits your argument home.)
Punishing you? Displaying my work as I see fit is punishing you? Kindly explain how something I freely choose to share or do not share with you constitutes punishment, and then I would request that you post the definition of punishment.
Also, I'd like you to further rationalize your logic of ownership vs. censorship. The idea that if I were receiving payment for my artwork, that censorship would suddenly be a-ok? In this magical world of yours where I can censor paid artwork, how much? What's the limit? One cent? So the difference of a penny means I'm allowed to censor my own work? Or are you suggesting that if someone ELSE pays for the work I can censor it, because that's a whole other can of worms.
The more I hear from you, the more this feels like you want to argue about the ethics of censorship, and less about why.
"...I am not the only person who feels this way, either." No, you certainly aren't.
On that note, you DO have the kind of skill where you could make money off of your art. I don't remember if you are one of the artists who sells pictures or not.
And it's not so much all censorship as it is petty censorship that I hate. Your arguement boils down to "This site isn't modern enough, no dicks for you. If you want dicks, you have to go to this other site." I understand that. Don't get me wrong. You want to share things in a manner that is more efficient for you, and this other site is more ideal in your opinion. You also want to provide incentive for people to look at your art there, because that is the site you want to be the focus of your sharing.
Now, to you, it makes perfect sense. Why would any person question their own judgement?
But lets look at that again. Your whole arguement is you don't want to post uncensored work on FA because it takes more effort to upload pictures here than to Tumblr. You don't want to abandon the people here, though, so you will give them censored works.
Now, one, it takes three seconds to upload a picture to FA. Six to ten if you add a description. I know this because, as you can easily check, I upload art here. Unless you have to hunt-and-peck on a tiny screen with a stylus, this is no major inconvenience.
Two, it takes effort to censor a picture, so you are creating more work for yourself anyways. Uploading uncensored art to FA takes less time and energy than uploading censored art.
Three, you specifically stated that you acknowledged that some people won't migrate to Tumblr with you. And yet you persist in this whole censorship thing. Why is that? Do you feel they are wrong for not migrating with you? Do you feel they don't deserve to see your pictures as you drew them because they use a site that isn't modern enough to suit your tastes?
On that note, what about the people who want to comment and fave your work? If I read another dissenter's statements correctly, Tumblr lacks such features. It has reblogging, but that's a copy/paste with an additional note. Does that factor into your decision at all?
Yes, my choice affects people who see my porn here... allow me to emphasize the fact that it's porn... not air. Despite what many think, that's my choice to make. I want a better option than the three above. If you have one, I want to hear it.
Considering this is a free site, so finding someone to volunteer their time can be hard.
And I would watch out for tumblr, someone on the DA got suspended over there for nothing.