Director of Community Relations
:Table of Contents
1. Miscats, Miscats, Miscats
2. Volunteer Openings in Community Relations
3. Community Projects
4. Official Contests
5. Project Educate 2014
6. Art History Project
7. News from the Chats and Forums
8. News from the Galleries
1. Miscats, Miscats, Miscats
Misplaced deviations (miscats) appear to be the bane of our existence. There's nothing more annoying then browsing your favourite photography gallery and coming across a flashing gif, or perusing through your favourite traditional art gallery and finding a blatant digital art piece. I know this, because the number of "misplaced deviation" reports are staggering. It's obvious that some people have made it their sole purpose at deviantART to scour through the galleries and while I appreciate that dedication to organization - I have to tell you the problem is bigger than a simple manual move.
With over 284 million pieces of art across over 3,000 categories, the problem cannot be solved by a few people with move tools. While it's absolutely gratifying to clean something up, the manual method is a one-way ticket to insanity, for those involved.
So what's to be done? In the past we've tried many methods, most of which involved manual efforts on the part of volunteers and staff, and the end result has always been the same. It's too big without technology. We need a better solution. I want to convey that this frustration is felt by everyone, from the community, to the volunteers to the staff. We are all united in our distaste for miscats. That being said, a solution is not a fast fix and will take time to think through and develop.
In the interim, a team of volunteers, staff and myself will be banding together as a unified team, to sweep specific galleries, one at a time. While I stand by my earlier point that it's an un-winnable war, we're going to treat this as a team building exercise and have some fun with it while sharing in the joy of cleaning up a little.
During these sweeps, we will concentrate on one gallery and we will be trying to educate those that are putting their artwork in the wrong place. There are several reasons that art ends up in the wrong category:
1. There are so many categories it's overwhelming and people get confused.
2. The names and descriptions are in English and not everyone speaks English as a first language
3. People just don't care enough to bother.
While we're powerless against those that don't want to make an effort, we do have the ability to educate and inform the rest, and that's what we're going to focus on. By engaging groups like InternationalFAQ, we can translate some of our responses, so those that don't speak English as a first language, understand the category system a little better.
The first gallery we will be tackling with be the Tutorials gallery and other's will follow. I will be monitoring the progress to see if the cost of our efforts are worth it.
I cannot stress enough that this is not the solution to the problem. It's an interim action to try and regain some control over some of our hardest hit categories. Should you wish to suggest a category for cleanup, please contact the volunteer assigned to that area or note me
Thank you!
2. Volunteer Openings in Community Relations
If you're interested in learning more about being a volunteer on deviantART please read
To see current openings on the Community Relations volunteer team please go to this journal
If there isn't a spot open please consider helping out from within the community. Read How to be a guiding light and shining example by the awesome EveryNextDream
Please note that there are a lot of inquiries that come in and I may not be able to respond to each and everyone. Your understanding is appreciated
3. Community Projects
Check out any of the projects below to get involved or, if you are feeling inspired come up with a project of your own and contact CRCommunityProjects for help in getting started!
fella - deviantART's Official Mascot Group Fella's Dictionary - A to Z Fella's ArtFest Contest deviant365 - deviantART's Official Weekly Task GroupOr maybe one of these
4. Official Contests
Anthro Challenge 106 - Elements - Deadline April 30, 2014 World of Water - Deadline June 30, 2014Please note that all contests end on the deadline stated at 11:59:59 PM PST
5. Project Educate 2014
As always projecteducate is ever evolving and developing new ways to allow Deviants to get involved whilst not having to tackle the (sometimes daunting!) task of writing a full length article, or taking on a whole seven days of Education! Therefore the Handy Hints & Tips Blog Series has begun! Check out the blog here for information on how to get involved and for the first blog of the series check out this article!
6. Art History Project
The ArtHistoryProject is buzzing with lots of useful historical blogs that cover all kinds of topics. If you haven't gotten involved, but would like to, then just note the group with your interest and the topic you would like to cover. In the meantime, head over and enjoy some of the recent articles:
Western Europoean Modernism - A Brief Look by WintersRead 6th The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood by STelari 9th John William Waterhouse by Cassy-Blue7. News from the Chats and Forums
The chat and forum have been busy for both the Community Volunteer team and the deviantART community these past few months! If you are interested in either the chat or forum, be sure to read the Chat & Forum Newsletter: March, April!
8. News from the Galleries
Anime/Manga Anthro Artisan Crafts Comics & Cartoons Community Projects Customization Emoticons Wallpaper deviantART related Game Development Art Digital Art 3-Dimensional Photomanipulation Pixel Art Fan Art Fan Fiction Film & Animation Literature Photography Abstract & Surreal Photography Animals, Plants & Nature Photography Artistic Nude Photography Conceptual Photography Fashion Photography Fetish Photography General Photography Horror & Macabre Photography Macro Photography Pin-Up & Glamour Photography People & Portraits Street Photography Still Life Photography Urban Exploration Resources & Stock Images Science Fiction & Space Art Traditional Art Sculpture
The Community Relations department exists to facilitate and develop the relationship with our deviantART community. Our goal is to nurture our community by encouraging artists to create, collaborate, and participate in a friendly, safe, and supportive artistic environment. Watch communityrelations for up to date news and to learn how you can get involved in projects and events!
