'Ello' - an interesting alternative to deviantART

7 min read

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FallenZephyrArt's avatar
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First things first: Yes, I'm still gone. I don't post art here anymore, and never will again. I only log onto dA to check messages, notes, and posts from other artists.


Ooof. I logged into dA yesterday to check my messages and all I can say is... holy shit, what happened? This whole "core" thing came out of nowhere and the backlash dA is receiving is greater then ever, especially since many people are still very, very bitter about the last article about "art theft" dA posted a while ago.

I know I won't be renewing my "core" membership (is that what it's called now?) and I double checked to make sure that rebilling was turned off so I don't get dinged later (honestly, everyone should check their rebilling settings just in case), even going as far as removing my billing address so that there's absolutely no way I'll get some random charge from dA in the future. A price increase that nearly doubles the price of membership with no increase in perks? No thanks. Don't even get me started on how garish the new icons look beside everyone's names, but luckily there's a few alternatives that will get rid of those orange abominations:

userstyles.org/styles/96017/cl… - A stylish script that reverts all symbols to the "classic" symbols (requires stylish)

:thumb551066219: - A journal detailing how to use AdBlock to remove all the "core" symbols (requires AdBlock)


Speaking of alternatives! I recently discovered a site called Ello that's sort of a combination of Tumblr and Facebook without severe image compression and no ads. If you're thinking of leaving dA because of recent events or any combination thereof, Ello looks like a great alternative, especially if you're not keen on other social media sites like Tumblr, Twitter, pixiv, Instagram, etc. The interface is minimalistic and easy on the eyes, with a focus on the content rather than the styling/themes of profiles. I myself just joined and am in the process of uploading my works to Ello, all of which have never graced this site.

I'm also FallenZephyr on Ello as well, feel free to check it out and see if Ello is a good fit for you!

I figured I should make the most of my fancy journal posting capabilities before my account reverts back to a regular member and let people know that dA is not the only art site out there. And by the looks of things, it looks like dA is really struggling to keep afloat and keeping a hold of its members. I've noticed a sharp decline in activity on dA which could be due to many factors, but honestly I think it's because dA is no longer as engaging as it was 5 or so years ago and people are leaving, seeking alternatives like Tumblr and Twitter. Artists continue to improve, and yet they get less views and favs than before. Art theft runs rampant and dA hardly lifts a finger to fix it. And now premium membership has changed to "core" membership along with a huge hike in membership prices and ugly design changes, all without any prior notice from dA.

If that's not an indication of a site struggling, then I don't know what is.



© 2015 - 2024 FallenZephyrArt
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keremgo4d's avatar
I actually shut down my senior account with 10+ years of background including one year of being 3d gallery moderator. The backlash you mentioned happened to me on selling prints here and after I started working with an agency to sell my work, dA simply become pointless. I joined Ello when its announced in 2014 but it was to empty for me and I made a mistake to cancel my account.... Now can't reopen it for some reason. For a long time I'm spending some valuable time in G+ and unlike some people think its not a ghost town at all: google.me/+keremgogus/

And everything you said about dA is true. Even though I started fresh I started once again to thinking to cancel this account also or just leave it as it is.