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Tinker-Jet β DeviantArt is NOT Sta.sh
Published: 2012-11-08 04:55:11 +0000 UTC; Views: 3268; Favourites: 38; Downloads: 8
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Description
THISΒ SECTION HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE FEBRUARY 2013. It will, however, remain as documentation of deviantART's progress.PS. Warning: Large file.
The original Sta.sh update post can be found here.
We now have confirmation that they have no intention to go back to the old upload method... What a shame.
For any moderators or administrators who are reading this, please scroll down and read 'The Principle' and 'Problem Summary' respectively. It's all been written in plain black and green for your convenience.
The Principle:
As a community, DeviantArt users should be given the right to choose whether or not they participate in an experiment.
The Story:
On October 16th, 2012,Β DeviantArt implemented a new upload system riddled with bugs and a hideously out-of-theme colour scheme and forced over 3000 users to use the new system without any prior notification or warning. The action taken against these users was entirely uncalled for as many people lost the ability to upload from older computers and mobile devices. Furthermore, these users were forced into a test that they could not opt out of. People who lost their ability to upload altogether have gone for almost a month, waiting for problems to be addressed and their voices have not yet been heeded in a satisfactory way.
The Point:
When DeviantArt loses its community, it loses money and support! Whether someone has a free account or not is entirely irrelevant. People may have been premium members in the past, intend to become premium members sometime in the future or have purchased prints/points/otherwise that have somehow given back to DeviantArt. Everyone is a potential customer and DeviantArt needs to know that we won't stand idly by while they turn this sadistic behaviour into a habit.
DeviantArt users should be given the right to choose, regardless of whether or not they prefer the new theme!
For the convenience of the DeviantArt staff, I have compiled a list of the problems with Sta.sh which will be updated by yours truly as more complaints come in.
Problem Summary:
- The transition to a glaring white and pale blue background. I really do wish that you guys would make Sta.sh uniform with the rest of the site. After all, I think that a colour scheme inspired by nature is far more befitting of an artist community than a colour scheme that closely resembles a mental hospital.
- The upload process still feels messy and is not user-friendly in the least. The user has to look left and right to make sure they're filling in all of the required information. It's much easier to just scroll down, fill in the boxes and tick the circles/squares. Trying to make the Sta.sh upload page a preview of what the final upload will look like was a cute idea but it's not practical.
- Every time you go to update information (or replace a file) on a deviation, it asks you for the category again. It's extremely annoying when all you're trying to do is perform a minor edit because often times, you have to go back to your gallery just to figure out what category you stuck it under previously.
- Users are unable to upload pictures/literature en masse, and many people who make a living off of art suffer greatly for it as their time is constantly impeded upon. (Even with the ability to submit en masse to Sta.sh, users STILL have to go to Sta.sh and submit each picture to DeviantArt one-by-one. It's extremely tedious!)
- Sta.sh lags far more than the older upload method and doesn't appear to work with slower internet connections. Also, a lot of things are hidden under drop-down menus which makes uploading take longer. ChelseaWhiteArt , TheRanter1 , A-Lucky-Mutt
- Sta.sh usually takes the name of the image file instead of allowing the artist to name it what they choose. Many people would rather name the deviation first. Ask-GTM
- The pop-ups on the side are really distracting (and take longer to load). If you insist on keeping them then at least allow the user to toggle these on and off. Ask-GTM
- You can't sort files alphabetically by name using Sta.sh. AlphaOmega2k
- Users receive the error: "SORRY, STAS SHALAEV IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE IN YOUR REGION" then are unable to log in afterward. AlphaOmega2k
COMMENT! COMMENT! COMMENT!
What are your problems with Sta.sh? Post them here and the artist comment box will be updated!
Let's get all of our complaints into one easy-to-read, comprehensible post.
Related content
Comments: 196
I can't say anything about that as I'm simply not involved with it myself, sorry.
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I understand and still appreciate the time you took.
With all due respect, who may I redirect my question to?
And also, what parts of the site are you involved with? Because there is a minor bug I'd like to report (if it's up your alley). I know they say to use the Help Desk but I prefer a more personal approach. ^-^
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No one can tell you anything about what is going to change in the future - or rather, if there is something they can say, they'll do so publicly; in the case of the new submit page, on the relevant blog (its feedback page)
I work for the marketing department 
Bug reports should indeed go to the Help Desk
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Ooh! Ooh! Holiday Card Project!
Please answer me this: Can I design a card with familiar characters? (Ex. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, etc?) Or would there be copyright issues? I wouldn't want my card to be disqualified on those grounds.
PS. I'm sorry I'm so annoying. I'm a very inquisitive person. X3
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No problem at all 
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yes, I mean this [link] or this [link] - all these attachments need a preview...
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I see what you mean. Unfortunately, I still can't help you because I have a hard enough time functioning with Sta.sh myself. I just hope that it will be sorted by DeviantArt soon. If not, we're going to have to go off in search of alternatives.
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my problems is that i can't stand the design-the scroll down was much better and faster,and it takes me way too long try to upload an edited picture.(20 minutes is far too long to wait for one stupid edited picture to upload to replace another!!!)
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I agree completely. I've already added 'laggy' to my list of problems and thanks to what you mention, I've also added that the drop-down menus make it take even longer to upload. (Which they do.)
I'm sorry I can't do more than this. I just really hope that they'll start to listen.
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why the heck is there even lag???
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Because their system isn't functioning properly, clearly.
It's cluttered and very little is working.
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ok-so someone finally told me that you have to upload your pictures to STA.SH.
like,why even include an "upload pictures" option in the very beginning if ya gotta go to FREAKIN' STA.SH to GET YOUR PICTURES?
it makes me angry that someone has to tell you how to upload a picture-uploading pictures should be as easy as 1,2,3, and a,b,c! uploading is a part of normal everyday kind of thing for some people! when someone has to tell you how to upload a picture,that's like someone has to tell you how to open a freakin' door.
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This is part of the reason that so many people hate Sta.sh.
What was once a one-step process is now TWO. Why do we HAVE to save to Sta.sh? I mean, sure. It has the potential to be great for frustrated slow-internet users or people who just want to save and resume later. (Though frankly, if you have a fast connection, why wouldn't you just upload your picture... you know... LATER? When you want to? The old submit page was fast enough. And as for the slow-internet users? Sta.sh has already defeated its own purpose by not being compatible with older PCs and extremely laggy, even on faster connections.)
There are also those people who want to share their image with a select group of friends. (It is my understanding that Sta.sh will only allow people who are given a link to view.) But honestly? Why can't that be optional? Forcing this lengthy process down our throat won't help things move along faster or better.
Sta.sh was made for the sole purpose of being optional and they're making it mandatory. It sucks.
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you have the best valid points i have read so far.
i really liked the old submit page because not only could i upload a picture,but i could also type in all that info and stuff-and when i was done with that,the picture was also done uploading.killing 2 birds with 1 stone,if thats how you would see it,so waiting for the sta.sh picture to upload...even though it's faster,it still doesn't feel right not getting the info in while it's uploading.
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Okay, I may be a total moron, but I'm going to ask anyway? What the hell is Sta.sh? I see it on my screen, but I upload everything in the submit category. This seems redundant to me, however I am guessing that I must be wrong since that would be retarded, so what am I missing?
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Technicalities:
Sta.sh used to be used for the sole purpose of either storing artwork to be submitted to DeviantArt later or to be available for only the original artist to view. There was a time when it was available only to people who had Premium Memberships and its usage was entirely optional.
Then they made it available to non-members as well and introduced writing functionality. Again, this was entirely optional.
Now, they've turned it into a submission process where it auto-saves your work and stores for either viewing or posting later. (It is my understanding that you may also choose who views your work. ) It sounds really nifty and that's because Sta.sh IS supposed to be nifty. It's supposed to be every frustrated artist-with-a-bad-internet-connection's dream.
Rant:
However, it's proven too bulky (it lags like crazy), incompatible (it doesn't work with slower internet connections or older PCs/mobile devices), blinding (so much white), and is just overall unnecessary. No artist with a good internet connection wants or needs to worry about stopping and resuming later when it takes seconds to upload an image. If they wanted to, Sta.sh was ALREADY available as an option. Also, no one should have to go through a bunch of hidden items and a longer submission process just to have their art seen.
Too long; didn't read:
Sta.sh IS the new submission process so you're not missing anything.
I hope I've answered your question. If I haven't, please let me know and try to be more specific about what you'd like to know. I'll do my best to answer any questions you have.
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Okay, thank you. I never have had a mobile device worth uploading anything from. However I do remember when I had to use dial up years ago and it was a total pain in the ass, often having to try and re-upload several times before submission. I see how that could be easier and how having that messed with could be very frustrating.
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To be perfectly honest, I've never uploaded from a mobile device either. (Though I can see why some people would want to. Perhaps they make art on their portable tablets, use their phones for amateur photography, etc.)
And I remember dial-up. The pain. THE PAIN. WEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOO-BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! "Hey! Get off! I need to use the phone!" "Wait just another second, mom! I've been sending this one file all night! It's almost finished!" "You said that two hours ago!" Someone picks up the phone. Nooo! All. That. Time. *Twitch.*
Still, as hard as it may be to believe, I imagine that there are people who still use dial-up nowadays. Sta.sh is supposed to be a blessing for all of those frustrated people, offering options like auto-saving but it's so broken that even people with bad internet connections and outdated computers are complaining. Sta.sh is defeating its own purpose.
Ironic, isn't it?
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It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife.
(I just had an AOL induced PTSD attack for a second when I read that)
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HAH. That is an AMAZING analogy. Thank you for sharing it.
(I had some of a PTSD followed by amnesia... What were we -- Oh yeah! Dial-up! ... I need to go crawl in a hole until I forget again. Excuse me.)
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I wish that I could take credit, but it's from the Alanis Morisette song, Ironic. It is fitting, however.
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Among other things, I've noticed that - at least for a while - hitting the 'submit art' option on my main gallery folder rather than the bar across the top of the screen gave me the old submission page. 
I haven't been here for very long but I have to admit I greatly preferred the old submission page. It was much harder to forget steps when submitting, and options did not hide out in little tiny bars off to the side or beneath a menu. As far as visual presentation goes, even aside from the colors the arrangement feels off; everything is spread into a painfully wide field of view. I don't actually know this for a fact, but I think there's a reason books are usually long from top to bottom rather than side to side? It's what most people are most comfortable reading.
I have had no issues uploading anything until the past day or two, when suddenly it has started coming up with error messages almost the instant I actually try to upload a file. I'm using the same computer as before, so I do not know the cause... It may be devaintart, it may be that the files are faulty.
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It would appear that that 'glitch' has been 'fixed'. (At least, my account still sees the Sta.sh page even when I try to submit from the gallery.)
The nice thing about the old submit page is that it was just like filling out a form. You didn't forget anything because everything was neatly laid out for you. I've already recommended in a feedback post that I would like them to implement the option to toggle back and forth between the current Sta.sh layout (for the 10% who actually like Sta.sh) and a form like the old one. To be able to choose our default would be just peachy!
It's actually interesting that you mention that. Chinese used to be read up, down, left to right. The purpose of this was so that people would have an easier time reading scrolls as they unravelled them. After they stopped using scrolls, the up, down, left to right format became unnecessary (and messy/difficult) so they switched to the left to right, up, down method... a la any Latin or Germanic language. When you're reading a book, that becomes the neater way to do so. (That is... a long page with words being read left to right, up, down.) The long look isn't something new. It's been around for a very long time. That's why 'wide' looks so unnatural. (Or at least, that's my theory.)
For the sake of my post, what errors are you encountering and which files are you attempting to upload? Have you uploaded those types of file formats to DeviantArt before?
Cheers.
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OH. Um, hey, that's interesting.... I still get the old one from all submission points, at least on this computer.
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Hmm... just checked it, and it's still giving me the old one. I'm not complaining, though. 
Indeed; though I suppose not forgetting anything may possibly be related to having used it for so long... I have a friend I recently introduced to deviantart and he's still confused with either submit page.
Hmm... maybe if our computers scrolled side to side?
It claims that deviantart may just be experiencing high load, and I am using the same files as ever. It's a simple jpeg, straight from my scanner...
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I never use it. //shrugs
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Is this a reason you don't want it or are you just stating a fact?
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I don't want it.
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I feel your pain, my friend.
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(( I can't find a way to change the title of the picture. Everything is so much more complex and it hurts my eyes. When I was actually FINALLY able to upload something, I saw that it had taken the file name. At first, that may sound alright, but JEEZ. On my main account I change the title just before uploading! What I call the file is NOT what I want the picture to be called! (Seriously, a few of my files are called "Derp" or "Herp a derp derp" and then they turn into some of my best and favorite drawings. and I DO NOT WANT THEM CALLED HERP A DERP. Not to mention actual photography, Which will upload as a date and folder name, most likely!) And yeah, I did NOT sign up for this. Besides, this isn't even my main account! That is the only thing about this that I find GOOD. ))
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I've included your complaint in my artist post.
I agree that it's entirely frustrating. I don't understand why they were so against letting artists fill things in first or while the file is uploading. It seems like such a silly thing to do away with. Do they expect everyone to write everything out in Notepad before they stick it on DeviantArt? Ridiculous.
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((Exactly. And the Pop-ups on the sides are REALLY distracting. >.> *Sarcasm alert* Thank you, we love to see very pretty art WHILE we're uploading. *Sarcasm end* I mean really, if this was an OPTIONAL thing? like, just for your stash? I MIGHT be alright with that. but MAIN UPLOADING? That's just crazy. >.>))
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Added this complaint as well. I can imagine that the pop-ups might be Hell for people with slower internet connections.
Frankly, I think Sta.sh should've remained optional. Period. But since they've confirmed that they're not going to change it back, I retain the right to hammer them until they FIX it. They can't expect us to be content with a broken system.
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((Exactly. Stash should be optional. This wouldn't feel NEAR as frustrating if it felt like they even SLIGHTLY cared about us or what we think!))
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I actually said in a previous post that I wouldn't have minded the 'forced nature' of the test if I had been given the option to opt out. (That is... if DeviantArt had made the Sta.sh uploader the 'default' uploader but still left the regular DeviantArt submission page available with a feedback section so people could send bug reports.) Then when the bugs were all sorted through, make the full transition. No, instead, they roll out a broken system. It's shameful really.
And their excuse for not letting us use the old system when thousands of users ARE still using the old system ? What does 2001 have to do with 2012?! Give people a working system until the broken system is FIXED.
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I don't even know what stash is and I never use it. I used to be able to publish a drawing in a short time, now I can't at all, and I have good internet! The only thing I can publish now are comments. It was a perfectly fine system but now its well, messed up.
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I understand. Sta.sh was around for quite a while before the submission system was implemented. Very few people used it.
For the sake of the post, what's happening? Blank page? (That seems to be a common one lately.)
I really wish they'd fix their system BEFORE forcing people to use it.
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The probelm with me is that after I go to upload it stops and says *sorry we cannot process the file you have sent.* Then it lits four reasons that don't involve with anything I can do. I've been through this problem several times and been on it over an hour and nothing has changed. I'me very confused.
I totally agree. I wish they would bring back the old one, fix this one, and then give the "artists" the CHOICE of using this one or the old one they are used to and have been for years. In some ways I like it and think it could be good and someways better, but they need to fix this. They need to listen the the ARTists not just the DEVIANTs.
One thing I don't understand is that if they have no intention of bringing back the old one, why ask them to give feedback at all? Thats like daming a river and asking the townspeople if they liked their decision and telling them sorry we can't bring back the water.
Lastly I really just hope there is a solution to my uploading problem.
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Aww man. It beings back such good memories looking at the old submission page once again.
It feels like I haven't seen it in ages. . .
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I know the feeling.
I'm fortunate to still have access to it on one of my accounts. (That's how I got the screenshot.) But the account that NEEDS its submission page working is stuck with the junky, broken, eye-bleedingly white Sta.sh page.
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Does literally nothing show up when you try to access Sta.sh?
(Don't mind me. I'm trying to compile a list of what DeviantArt needs to fix. If we're going to be forced to use their junky Sta.sh system, we might as well make them FIX it.)
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Solution Summary:
-Spam Like crazy to make them listen
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I don't condone that mainly because I don't want to be banned... buuut... it would be nice to be listened to. >.>
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Its pointless now, they removed emoticons
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Regardless, that's not going to stop me (and the 2700+ others) from being upset over not being listened to. v__v
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Hey i saw you giving a link to this page in the "you are testing this crap" page
Thanks for doing something to help the people here
you literally care more for others than the staff itself
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I figured that I'd try to do my part.
I think it's easier to read one comprehensive post than it is to skim through thousands of angry comments. D=
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Well I have very slow internet and what I used to do was click upload and a while later click refresh and it would be uploaded but that's impossible with the new submit page so now I'm pretty much fucked
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I updated the post a bit on your behalf.
I really wish DeviantArt would address these issues. v__v
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