I have generally been an FA loyalist over the years. But the most recent developments on the site have given even me pause. The sale to a new owner doesn't have to be a bad thing if new resources are opened and the site can become profitable. But we were told that the site's management would remain consistent, only to already be seeing changes from the original mission statement and intentions we have been told about in the past.

For example, in the most recent changes to policy, both post flooding restrictions and personal photo restrictions were, in most cases, removed, with the spin being that these were "artificial" limits on posting, as if there had never been any reason or reasoning behind their use. On the positive side, this may indicate that server space is now the least of the site's worries. On the negative side, this deviation from the original owner's clearly stated goal of keeping the place an art site seems to be driven by the same pressure to get bigger and more profitable on the Web that has resulted in creepy looking scam ads being posted to even the most otherwise serious and respectable news sites. It's just very hard to believe that change was driven by the original team's intentions for the site rather than that of the new owners. While the site does not seem to be in immediate danger of turning into MyFace for Furries, due to the culture here already being centered around art, knowing that it could, and that the new owners would seemingly welcome that, is unsettling.

Meanwhile, I am seeing features on site's like Weasyl that I have long wanted here on FA, such as improved thumbnails, being implemented. As such, I feel like the time to branch out to Weasyl, and perhaps other sites as well, is finally here. I don't intend to leave FA, and I kind of regret feeling the need to spread my work around beyond a core site that used to fill my art posting needs pretty well on its own. But, like so many others here, I now have to be prepared for the worst by branching out to other furry themed sites as well.

I'm trying to see the positive side to this, perhaps seeing it as an opportunity to try new art approaches on other sites or something. But it's mostly just sad to see how things have turned out here. I can remember when FA was a very focused point of interest for furry art seekers. But lately, alternatives have started to take eyes away from the site as it is, and viewership is generally down, even for some top artists. These shifts on how people seek art on the Web are not the fault of site policy, but policy may not be helping matters in the future if what I am seeing is setting the tone.

I still love the community on FA and want to continue to be a part of it. But the time has come to be open to alternatives and try new things. I hope, in the cases where you find yourself in the same parts of the web, you may find time to see my art in those places as well, and continue to share thoughts and works related to art here and there. See you around.

Rave