Hi again, my dears.
Yes, I bother you with a news article. Is an improved version of what I've said in a journal time ago, grabbing the feedback I had, and hoping that now be good not only for some watchers.

It's about friends, fans, followers and watchers.

Let's say. When you come here, to DeviantART, generally you start to make relations with other persons. And your art uploading speed isn't high, seeing that lots of times, you don't get any comments for your first deviations. That's normal.

Sometimes I think that without watchers, without people commenting you and without help from inside dA, you shouldn't upload much art quickly, because when someone joins to your gallery, see it full of uncommented pics, and the first feeling is a feeling of pity. But in the other hand, not uploading anything is a bad way to begin. I mean. If I can't see your art, how could I know if you're an artist of my interest?

I disagree with those people that registers here only for comment and not uploading anything. Even if sometimes, licking feet they finally finish becoming friends of super-awesome artists. But well, that's my opinion.

Now, let's suppose that you uploaded some pics. You have 4 pics in your gallery, all of them with a decent quality. You get your first watcher. The typical unwritten etiquette laws says that you -at least in the beginning- must to thank the people that faves your pic. That shows that you thank the other person for taking some seconds and watching what you've done.

In a blog, getting other's attention is harder because that requires reading, and not much people will take the time to read. That's the reason why lots of blogs have shocking titles, for inviting you to read them.

Now, if your art is good, and you upload in small ammounts, you'll start to get your first watchers. Watchers are the people that adds you to their deviantwatch. Having a watcher with more time than you in dA is a treasure, because that person will be your judge and your feedback for some time.

(Even if this person is from "fav'n'run").

Now, let's suppose you have more art and more watchers. You get about 0-2 comments per pic, but you have 4 or 5 watchers. Is time for... a journal.

A journal is a kind of blog in which you speak of whatever you want -following the rules, of course. You can speak about how was your day, about what you'd like, about how much you appreciate your watchers or whatever.

I strongly discourage writing journals -and update them- if you have only 1 or 2 watchers, because that will only annoy them. Is like, in the school, the kid that's hungry for attention. It bothers.

But when you have more watchers, journals become an useful tool, because with it you can show to the others how are you.

Now, let's imagine that, after some months, you have more art and more watchers. Putting a number, let's imagine that your art is good, and you have 12 watchers and about 15 pieces of art. Maybe some of the first watchers stop watching you. But from those ones you'll start to create your relationship circle. Generally when you're starting on dA, you'll watch back everybody, so, you'll know -a bit- to your watchers.

You'll not notice when more and more people start to watch you. And of course, while all this happens, you'll continue uploading art and receiving comments and favs. Now, you'll feel more trusty and you'll feel better as for uploading more things. And with the regular commenters you'll grow a feeling of trust. Is possible than later you'll start to share MSN or e-mail address.

After that, and after speaking and discussing, knowing yourselves, those watchers will start to be friends.

And as long you become more popular, you'll see that from your watchers, only some of them want to be your friends. And it's okay. If you're an awesome artist but a crap of person, people will watch, possibly will comment, but they will not want to be your friends. Except a special kind of watcher, the feetlicker. I'll speak of it later.

If you're a normal artist but a good person, you'll have lots of friends, and in very high possibilities, the friends will be more than just the watchers.

Now, as long you become more and more popular, you'll met more people. And the cyber-popularity is so dangerous as the real popularity.

First than anything, because you'll start to feel that you're more important than how you really are. Second, because feetlickers will appear.

Feetlickers are the people that comments you, and always will celebrate all what you do. If you do an awesome piece, they'll celebrate it. If you make a shit, they'll celebrate it. If you say nice things, they'll always will find you that you're right and you're awesome. If you throw shit, they'll always will find you that you're right and you're awesome. If you rant, they will rant with you. If you say that killing is good and that thieves are awesome, they'll agree with you. Feetlickers normally follow awesome artists, or people with more than 100K pageviews. And that isn't nice.

Isn't nice because:
1. You could start to think that all what you do is right, doesn't matter what.
2. You start to lose the good feedback between the nonsensed approvals.

For this you could request for critique, but that isn't good at all because not everybody takes the time to write one.

And now, let's go with the other kind of users.
To this point, is more than possible that you have followers and fans, and those aren't the same.
Followers are the people that watched you, and it knows what you're doing. They know how you're progressing, how you're improving in your art, because they're looking it.
Simple example, I'm a follower of *marykonoha since November 2007. Sometimes you can -as her sometimes- forget that you have followers or who are them. But they are, and they're watching you.

The nicest thing about them is that, when you do something that isn't right, or that they think isn't good, they'll send you a note in private, telling you what they think, and they'll offer suggestions to you for improve. If you love art, care them... because they will help you to improve in things that sometimes you never thought you could.

The fans are different. Fans is the people that watch you, and it's pending of everything that you do. They are the ones that discover your accounts in other websites, the ones that discover if you have a hidden blog, the ones that discover where do you live, and the ones that knows if you're going to draw something, the ones that know how many times you go to the toilet.

Fans generally are awesome for raising your self esteem, but the sad point is that lots of times fans evolve into feetlickers. You must to try to avoid that.

Finally, the last thing. The process of becoming a "famous" deviant isn't fast. I have about 2 years here and still I'm not super known. But I've saw the things I've described by myself. I'd like to know if this help you, new deviant, to feel comfortable in a community that sometimes seems close and harsh. Close because deviants speak only to their friends, and harsh because when nobody speaks to you, nobody favs what you do, or nobody is interested in what you do, you feel kinda rejected. Is a common feeling in newbie artists.

I'd like to share my personal list of 5 things that I like to see in artists that become famous.

1. Don't be selfish.

You're a person, but the people under you... they are persons too. The path to fame is hard? For them will be hard too. A present, a gift, is always a powerful mood-raiser. If you see a deviant that has possibilities of being awesome in a future, that's following you because you're like an example, give him a gift pic. If you see that a special date is coming, do a holiday pic. Things like that could change -or save- a life. Probed by personal experience.

Even if you don't have time for making a gift for all your watchers personally (and I'm not saying you must to do gifts to every one of them), you could, as example, once a year, making a group pic with all the watchers you like.

2. Humbling.

Never forget that you started from the lower. Every famous deviant started from nothing. When you're famous and known by everybody, give to the new artists hope that they'll someday will be like you, if they admire you.

3. Make your watchers participate WITH you.

If you're a subscriber, polls are for that. You can ask something, they will answer and will comment. Reply to them. You aren't a person that see everybody like a piece of mood in their shoes, isn't?

If you have money, time, both or whatever, make people participate in contests hold by you.

4. The Reply button. Respect.

I know it's hard to answer. Over all if you get 450 daily messages with replies to you. But do it.
When you're famous, isn't mandatory that you thank for all the favs you get, but at least thank to the people that watch you. And reply to the comments. You are here, you aren't in a distant universe far of the others.

You are a person like every other deviant. Also, if you receive a gift, say thanks. If an user helped you with something, thank him. "Thank you" is the most easy-to-say thing, and can change the vision that people has from you.

Oh, by the way. A suggestion: Use emotes; they exist for something. Is much more nice a "thank you c:" or "thanks! " than just a "thanks."

5. Respect.

Don't act like you're the goddess of all the people watching you. That is disgusting. Unless you do it in a journal and the people obviously know that you're joking.

Aside note, remember that you aren't perfect. And what you think, believe or want, doesn't means that others will think, believe or want the same. You can share your thoughts and beliefs, but have in mind that people could disagree, and that's OK. What we want is tolerance. With tolerance, comes respect.

Peace and love.



======================
By the way, something very important: People don't watch only for the sake of watching. People watches because they liked how is your art (or sometimes watching back). When you make a pic, make efforted pics, that show how much you worked on them.