ArtAblaze 16 Apr 2006

Dear AW Staff,

Here is just my opinion and not intended to hurt nobody's feelings.

I am a great fan of AW and started posting my art first time ever on WWW thru this site. Though personal problems are not permitting me to post art anymore on my portfolio or be as active as I used to be on AW forums, I still lurk around here once in awhile simply cuz I still love AW and would like to be more active and support this site by being premium member someday.

I vote for none of the options suggested by AW. Simply cuz I feel every forum has some of the so called "trouble makers". But sometimes things are really out of hand on AW. I believe it is fault on both sides- members and the time and interest AW takes in the members on AW besides doing 'business' with them.

AW has great potential and some jems in the list of its members. I have been here for long enough and noticed many times when some of the members were bullied and called names each time their post appeared on the forums. Some name calling and bullying would go on for week but no action would be taken against anybody. The rules to take part in forums have been put up but nobody is there to remind them to members who cross their limits. Members have asked to help the staff in moderating and helping the staff in keeping the forums more clean and easy for other to take part but we never heard no response or interest from ur side.

Also some members who always sang praise of AW and took great time in helping other artists are now just showing up once in a blue moon and are hurt cuz the staff does not feel they require any credits. Their voices of purpose are unheard. To name just one out of a few artists, artists like Denny Karchner could make great supporters of AW not just by being a part of ur business but a feature to attract more artists to this site simply due to the brilliant skills they have not just of doing art but explaining each part step by step of their paintings. For taking all the time they did here on ur forum to increase interest and knowledge of other artists they were credited by their invaluable threads being deleted?

The art critique board was almost dead until Steph Salt and Lazarus and few other took their important time to support those boards and take time to critique and help other artists.

I know we are not talking about giving credit here but little things that might seem very less important make a huge difference. It spreads bitterness in ppls heart who DO take the time and MAKE the effort. It makes them complain and fight and go against the whole AW scene and they come here just to degrade the site and its members. I have to admit AW has a very strong group of supporters (and I dont mean just financial but in emotional terms too) due to which this site is still a pleasure to be a part of. AW members is a one whole great family and all it needs is some appreciation , guidance and support from the staff.

I dont do nude art and I dont care for it either but u have a rule which says that u dont allow nude. Then why do we find nude paintings on AW porfolios?? why does the Staff not want to make the effort or let anybody else make the effort to keep them out of ur website? Members here have offered help, but there was no response from AW staff. I do not believe this issue would come up again and again if AW would address it and find a solution to keep it completely out of their website for once and all. I dont think ppl here leave more bcuz u do not allow nude art. They leave here and complain about it more becuz their nude art is singled out when the rest of the nude art lies right down under ur nose and u do nothing about it. All we hear from u is ur staff does take care of it but they miss a few every once awhile. If that is so , ur staff needs help and us members here are willing to help u! They r willing to moderate and delete nude art for u without hiding the names or faces. Which is a good thing and very brave of them I must add.Please listen to the voice of ur members.

ArtWanted is an exceptional and worth much more than just being a business. It will grow in heaps and bounds if the AW staff takes the time to address the very little issues it has. We r here to help u out and work with u together in making it a wonderful place.

"Trouble makers"- this term looks big but really does not exist on this site if u appoint the willing members to moderate the forums.But if u choose to not take any of the above suggestions I would suggest option number (2) and view the members of this site disappear one after another for urselves.

Once again the above is just my opinion and I mean to present it very humbly with respect to AW staff and is not meant to hurt anybody's feelings.

Thank you

Nea Fransson 16 Apr 2006

Nea Fransson 16 Apr 2006

Mi MItchell 16 Apr 2006

I tRolled you all that Bo couldn't stay away and, that his "addiction" to attention would bring him back, didn't I. LOL.. Yet he is hijacking his daughters "free" accnt to do so,,, after he preached that the "freeloaders" should be kicked out. LOL,,, how ironic to say the least. Any-who,, Bo and I in the latter days came to an understanding and called a truce. I actually like the guy even if he is a pompous a**. He speaks his mind and no one should be faulted for that. I'm not sure I would go as far as to "vote" him back in, but he is a popular fixture here and I would gladly tolerate him. There are others who have left recently that I would fight to keep out though. It is a kinder and MUCH more pleasant place in the last week, so lets keep it that way.

Nea Fransson 16 Apr 2006

I'm a fixture? :-) God help me!

I just thought I'll make you occupied Mi.. you seem a bit sluggish in your net lately? :-) Can't have that!

jennifer blenkinsopp 16 Apr 2006

mmmmm----Rics post has dissapeared also, first few words (deaf as well eh) This is what this is about, not heated arguments, we all enjoy those, its the downright name calling.

Laura Smith 16 Apr 2006

I didn't see Rics post but how do we know Ric didn't remove it? Just curious.

Awhile back I submitted a post called, "I'm ready to throw in the towel" and I was bawling my head off when I wrote it. It was at a point of extrememe frustration .. which believe it or not can happen in this busines! =}

Most of the replies were supportive.. but one was this:

"Boo F'in who!! Welcome to the real world! ... if you want to hang up the brushes- be my guest. That is a decision only you can make. .." (exerpt)

At first I was taken aback by the harshness of this person's post.. but then I realized I needed a dose of reality just as much as I needed the support. I'm SO glad I recieved that kind of reply... SOMETIMES... we need a kick in the pants! If this person were banned as a troublemaker it would be a huge loss to AW.

christopher chase 16 Apr 2006

i'm new to the site, only arrived about 2 weeks ago, and i was just wondering why exactly nudity in the art isnt allowed? is that because we are accessable to something like AmericanOnLine, and if nudity were allowed this site would be banned there?

if so it makes sense to have such a rule, at the same time it might be cool if artwanted helped us to develop an adult only art site, or if not, if people here doing more adult themed work came together to create such a site...

I've done some work with nudes, all with a mystical feel to them, in part cause i think nudity is the natural state of human beings, and sexuality is the most creative act any of us can engage in, giving birth to new beings...

nudity should be celebrated as something beautiful in our society, not banned...

but that doesnt mean it has to be celebrated *here*...

just my 2 cents, christopher

Tina Nelson 16 Apr 2006

To AW: This is my First post on the Forums since I joined your sight last September. I chose not join in on any of the discussions because in doing so it sets a person up for attack (no matter what you might say, it puts your name out there for someone/anyone to find AnYTHING they can to drag you into the "game", and I am not into that, don't have time for it nor the patience for it.), I stopped particapating in ANY forums 2 yrs ago, I have never been the confrontational type and don't care to get into sparring matches with people I do not even know. So I simply chose to keep my mouth shut. I have come here and read some of the threads and thought how glad I was that I was not involved in any of the "mess" that was going on...it wasn't until after the first of the year that I felt that there was a need to re-think my membership with you. When the Thea Venger subject came about, I read the posts and realized that YOU, AW, had let that subject go on WAY longer than it ever should have. The Venger subject, the lack of control over the matter, and the fact that it took AW FOREVER to get a handle on the matter made me realize I was paying a membership to a site that was not responsible and did not know how or want to handle problems that arose....I particularly became concerned when I started getting comments on my pictures from members that were in question over the Venger Identity....I learned that in replying to these members I could possibly have my email addy stolen, so I quit replying to comments from people I did not know. I realized after about a week of not sending a "thank you" reply to the members I did not know and that had left a kind comment, that this was not the kind of site I wanted to be a paying member of anymore, I could not show my kindness and send a thank you note for my own lack of trust, trust that I lost when the Venger situation got so out of control. I lost trust in your ability to keep my info secure and I also began to wonder just how proffesional this site is. The longer I have been a member the more I feel like this site is run by "high schoolers" with a "good Idea"...I am not talking about policies on nudes or whatever that is not even an issue with me...I am talking about the way you go about solving problems...just like this Announcement Post....I read it and I'm thinking to myself, yes there are trouble makers on the boards, but do you really think that you are going to get your answer here on the boards, as to what to do about it???? You really think the troublemakers and their followers are going to vote for #2, do you think the ones feeling they are being attacked are going to vote at all on a public forum?? I see this post the way I did the Venger post, it is a post to stir things up, get people pointing fingers at each other.....it's happening already, and people are leaving....people are pi$$ed. This post is not going to give you your answers....you say you want a few more days to get more responses...how many more circles does this post need to go in before you have been entertained enough???? This Announcement Post is just one more reason why I have my doubts about your professionalism. Yes there are Trouble Makers on the forums....but how much do you play a part in it all????? My bio states that I took down my original portfolio because of physical problems I am having, which is true, but I also took it down because I needed some time to decide if this really is a site I want to stay a member of....I may have gotten my answer today.

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 16 Apr 2006

Fine, fine post Tina. Are you listening AW? Just check the view counter. This thread has over 2000 more views then the next thread. There are more eyes on you than you could ever imagine. There are so many that want to "come in" but don't because they just don't want to be a target. You have already banned several. Time to "relieve yourself" or get off the proverbial "pot."

Ric Strange 16 Apr 2006

I believe Tina hit the nail on the head - this whole topic born of one insecure soul complaining "cruel world -why won't they let me blow and bs like I want?" - and gets his(so called ) "friends" to all write in with ultimatiums in order to get rid of the few that don't buy his bs and check him, so he can run free with his big feeling crap and blow all the time . And this is how AW approaches HIS problem - hmmmm - I know this is presented as a general problem and not specific -but my belief is it is born of 1 small insecure dude if the truth of the matter was laid out - and it was put out in general to make it look like something else altogether - I'd be willing to bet the e-mails you speak of AW , are his mainly his "friends" that he's recruited in his effort - but Tinas right - its how its handled that makes you wonder - why couldn't AW staff research what is being implied - look at it all from a neutral perspective and make a decision base on their own established rules instead of starting a word fight amongst members and drawing all this attention to their lack professionism ? thats why you have rules established - to give a base line to make your own decisions from - Right?? they are either broke or not - the decision to warn or ban or whatever is soley yours - so whats all this crap about anyway - members opinions over ride the established rules now ?? - How does that look on you AW -watch out some may call you what I've been called here in the past-wishy washy .

invisible 16 Apr 2006

(let's see if THESE words will stay, or will Ric delete them...stay tuned... fascinating stuff!)

Ric Strange 16 Apr 2006

Hi 7 , spread the joy and good will ,hahaha!

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 16 Apr 2006

Hi Ric. You can now join the "blocked" club. Congrats my man!!

Ric Strange 16 Apr 2006

Hi Denny , funny world sometimes insn't it ? - thanks , doesn't bother me being blocked , I'm not running to AW whining or recuiting "friends" for an e-mail campaign , I'll leave that for the small ones . Block me . hahaha!

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 16 Apr 2006

No problem Ric. I know for a fact that the "list is long."

aka "Brimley" and the "Dead Cowboy." ;{

ashok nayak 16 Apr 2006

Sometimes what I feel is that readers experience what writers write. So if there is a bad experience we go through it then we feel the pain. If it is a wonderful experience then we feel great. We are after all,..CONNECTED.But experiences are exclusive and almost different for every individual. Forget about the pride that may come. Forget about the jealously you may create. Just share if you feel like. Just enjoy if someone shares!! Happy Sunday!

invisible 16 Apr 2006

...i'm not one to point fingers, but let me ask you this...

david bass 16 Apr 2006

ok lets get philisophical for a second

if a tree feel in the woods and hit another trees limb would the tree keep all its leaves? the answer is blue skies turn orange but sometimes has purple days. he who is one with himself can never loose his car keys.

joan warburton 16 Apr 2006

Hypothetical: I say....

"I think you're way out of line and need to get a life."

1- first person falls on the floor laughing

2- second person reads, contemplates, and will take the suggestion under consideration

3- third person is insulted and emails AW and I'm given a warning.

What's wrong with this picture?