So lately there has been a lot of talk about this new layout DA has decided to implement. Everyone has an opinion, and there has been much.... discussion?.... about people not liking it. Well, honestly... I'm not sure I like it. And yet, in some ways I do.

First of all, I don't like change. At least not a big change without warning! DA just sort of threw this out there without any warning or explanation, so many of us were a bit freaked out by how different it all was. This is why many people said they don't like it... it's different. For me, I don't like it because it's a lot to get used to right off. If DA had done a little notice to users stating something about making changes and what those changes might entail, it would maybe have made more sense and wouldn't be so difficult to find what you're looking for.

Finding what you're looking for... well, in some ways it's easier. The message center allows you to see everything at once and do multiple deletions and deal with things a bit easier. However, some other things (like me finding the page to update this thing) is not so simple. I had to click around a bit before I found what I was looking for. For those people who only have a limited amount of time to spend online, spending it trying to find something that once was easy to locate is not exactly how you want to be using those precious minutes! Fortunately, I have more than enough time during the day to play around online and figure out how things work, though I would rather go through things and have more time to spend doing other activities.

I'm not a big fan of the front page. Yes, I know it's displaying more art and showcasing more artists (if you can call a lot of these images art), but I preferred the customization options of the previous version. I know there was mention of a way to customize things, but like most things on here right now, it's very difficult to figure out!

On the poll DA had about members' views on the changes, I voted "Not impressed" because overall, the changes haven't impressed me. Some things are good, some not so much, and there are still a few bugs to work out. I think DA should have done things a little differently in the design, testing, and introduction of it all. But, having said that, I know that the longer I spend on the site playing around with everything, the more I will grow to accept it. That's how change works. It happens, we adapt. I just wish DA could change the amount of silliness on here... like people going way off topic on a discussion about the new layout with comments about eating grandma and every other member of the family. Yeah, I went through 6 pages before I found a comment actually related to the topic! And we won't even get into the whole topic of art vs random photo blog/myspace wannabe crap. While I'm a member on myspace, I don't get into all the silliness there (or on facebook), and I definitely didn't expect to see so much of it on an ART site! But hey... that's another story for another time. My point in all of this is that people need to be a little more open-minded about the changes DA has made. Yes, it's confusing and frustrating and time consuming... but, eventually it will get easier to navigate and while I may not love it in the end, I will get used to it and be able to get what I want out of the site. And so will the other users. It just takes time to adjust to it all, and hopefully when DA decides to throw in another version, they will do things a little differently and not cause such a shock, panic, or holy tantrum! We can hope anyway.