Short version:

What exactly is our (e621's) standing with the artist community, and should we be actively doing more to create an even better one?

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Long version

After taking a look at some of the takedown requests filed, & reading some feedback, it seems that quite a bit of artists view e621 as a negative entity, rather than positive one.

Do these continued requests affect the site's morality in any way? Should it, for that matter?

While there are some that would remain adamant about (non-profit) distribution of their works, e621 could, and does serve as a mentionable outlet for artists to publicize their work.

Since we try to link to the sources (i.e the accounts) whenever possible, more publicity equals more views,which in turn could result in possible future commission requests, and further artist awareness at the very least.

However this currently does not seem to be the case.
So my question to everyone is,

Should we be:

• Routinely contacting them before posting their work? (those that do not)
• Explaining to them in detail how the system works if necessary?
• Making more attempts to show them that we empathize with their them & their requests?

Of course, in the end, it's 100% up to each person whose artwork is on here to decide.

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Suggestion:

Since each artist is such a crucial part of the site, I feel that some sort of guide made especially for them could be made, and placed in such a way that it would be next to impossible to miss, such as the front page (maybe above the takedown notice)
As to what that guide could contain, is completely up for discussion.

Possible content:

• Acknowledging their hesitance to have their works uploaded by a third party
• An explanation of what the site does,and does not do with respect to copyrights, accounts & accreditation of each artist
• Other (your suggestions here!)

From what I've experienced of furry artists, even if we were to show them complete and incontrovertible evidence that the site is benign they'll continue to campaign against it. Why? Could be something to do with egos, or the hero complex the furry circles have with artists, people who don't frequent E621 knowing it only from the Mellis days (I know this is the case with several of my personal friends), or it could be a small personal sample size. Who knows. What I'm saying is that even if we were to make all steps possible and do them in the correct way, the negative reputation surrounding e621 would not fade.

A nice idea, but not one with a solution, I'm afraid.

To address the ideas you posted,

1.) Is already done, and those that don't face disciplinary action, from what I understand. However, this hasn't changed much.
2.) See above.
3.) As I said at the beginning of my post, I doubt it would do much for multiple reasons. Rampant egos, misinformation spread by those who feel 'wronged' by the administration (which are many and plentiful, in my experience) and/or simple personal belligerence.

I may be completely off the mark with my assessment of the whole thing, seeing as I flit in and out of being an active participant in it, but that's my take on the whole scenario.

TL;DR: Nice idea, some of the concepts are already being done, but the effect will most likely be negligible at best.

The takedown requests only represent a fraction of a fraction of the artists we feature here, not to mention a huge portion of them aren't even artists, but character owners/commissioners. And even then, most of the takedowns aren't because we have a negative reputation, but because they just weren't asked first.
Back to the reputation thing, in my involvement with some of the behind the scenes stuff with artists and commissioners, I've found that a bad rep can be easily mended by just talking to them. Arc, mellis, and co. did a pretty piss-poor job of strengthening relations with the artist community, but I think that the current administration has done a remarkable job at fixing it.
The "morale" is fine; we're still the single best site to go to for the core furry art experience, and people know that. Yes, it can be discouraging to see art removed, but that's inevitable, and everyone has their reasons.

Mechaniatrix said:
To address the ideas you posted,

..

misinformation spread by those who feel 'wronged' by the administration (which are many and plentiful, in my experience)

Scenarios like this is one of the main reasons we could have a 'For Artists' page; to clear up all the misconceptions about the site & its purpose

Mechaniatrix said:
From what I've experienced of furry artists, even if we were to show them complete and incontrovertible evidence that the site is benign they'll continue to campaign against it. Why? Could be something to do with egos, or the hero complex the furry circles have with artists, people who don't frequent E621

Unfortunately,you may be right about this.Exceptions do exist of course,but that is the standard reaction,which I hope is just speculation

(Interesting name change as well,it was quite unexpected)

Aurali

Dear Artists: We are rebuilding the artist section to include more tools for artists, if you don't mind please PM Aurali on the site and ask her what you are looking for in terms of tools for your own art. Thank you <3

Tue Feb 21 17:36:27 2012 (15 days ago)

I think artist FAQ would be included.

ippiki_ookami said:
The takedown requests only represent a fraction of a fraction of the artists we feature here

..

I think that the current administration has done a remarkable job at fixing it.
The "morale" is fine; we're still the single best site to go to for the core furry art experience, and people know that.

That's wonderful to hear.

It really is a bit dis-heartening to know how quickly negativity can spread among those you would expect to be a bit more..understanding/enlightened about the issues,such as the art community

titaniachkt said:
It really is a bit dis-heartening to know how quickly negativity can spread among those you would expect to be a bit more..understanding/enlightened about the issues,such as the art community

To sum it up in a word: Furries.

Adrian_Blazevic said:
I think artist FAQ would be included.

Really?That's also great news

(Where it goes is a bit less important than creating it in the first place,presumably)

Mechaniatrix said:
To sum it up in a word: Furries.

:x

Biggest thing I've seen about artists is they draw art for the attention, and want that attention, a thing e621 lacks on. I am working on some improvements that won't shift the focus, but still would bring some attention grabbing things back to e621.

Aurali said:
Biggest thing I've seen about artists is they draw art for the attention, and want that attention, a thing e621 lacks on. I am working on some improvements that won't shift the focus, but still would bring some attention grabbing things back to e621.

You're right,they do.The majority out there at least

Those notions sound very promising.

[sarcasm]Maybe we can have their name in flashing neon-orange text,in addition to each artist page filled with glitter and sparkles,or little animated bats (at their request of course)[/sarcasm]