For those who are not members or could care less, Deviant Art has recently launched version 6 of their site.  While I have not been a member since jump, I have been there for a little while now (actually 7 years as of this month) and seen it transition considerably. So when I heard news of the new version, I was excited to see what goodies the team brought to the table with the updated version.

First, I love the fact that as a non-paying member now, I can actually see thumbnails of those on my watch list.  I can understand limiting features to entice others to signup, but that was one of the poorest choices to limit.  In fact, when my subscription ran out, that feature alone (or lack thereof) was the main reason I stopped using DA as anything other than a place to upload my prints.  Still, the updated design is a nice touch and the items that I do actually use are now more within reach than they were before.

Why not buy a membership, Dub?  Well, I do already pay for Flickr already and have found the feedback and networking far more valuable for me, so I am not planning on buying a membership anytime soon.

Regardless…

Since the launch of DA6, I have seen the maintenance graphic more than anything else.  At first, I couldn’t even activate any prints.  Now, almost as if programmed to drive me insane, I get the maintenance screen anytime I am trying to do…well…anything at all.  I see that screen so much I am starting to wonder if it is some new feature that I am not aware of. Maybe with the addition of thumbnails for non-subscribers, they are now tortured with the maintenance screen every 5 minutes they are on the site?  If I had paid $30 for the year and was getting that screen as much I get it now, I couldn’t explain in word how livid I would actually be.

After all of these upgrades to the site, the print reporting screen is still the same as it has been.  I would love to see some additional functionality added to that place, especially since this is an area that I have paid for and actually use.  I need detailed reports, even when I sell absolutely nothing. oO

Am I missing something?