magic_art | magic_art goes Members Only!

We would be very grateful if you could take the time and read this entry, as a few things have changed here at

magic_art and we would like our members to be aware of them. Thank you! :)

Sad, but true: last week-end we had the first hotlinking incident in the history of

magic_art! Because of that, we had the unpleasant task of switching to a new hosting account, re-installing our layout and replacing broken links. These troubles left aside, we cannot stress enough how bad hotlinking is. It's stealing, and while we cannot possibly know who is responsible for it, we intend to take measures to prevent such a thing from happening again.

After a lot of thinking and long discussions, we have decided to make the community Members Only. That means that you will have to join in order to see the posts. This way we hope to achieve a more cohesive membership, as well as a more personal relationship to all of you. :)

Another change is that membership will be moderated, meaning that all new members will be asked to wait until either me or

nerhegeb approve their request to join. Basically, we want to check if members to be give proper credit for their icons. Don't worry, it won't take ages until you're approved:

nerhegeb and I are both online on a daily basis, and we check our e-mails frequently (perhaps more often than it's healthy, heh!), so if you do credit your icons, you'll become a member in no time at all. However, please be aware of the fact that we're on CET (Central European Time), so you'll have to be a bit patient if you request membership at a time when it's the middle of the night here. *g* ;)

Speaking of credit, we would like to emphasize again its importance to us. Every single time we post graphics, we ask that you please credit

magic_art. This is not optional, it's a rule. If you don't feel inclined to abide by it, it's alright and no hard feelings, but then please refrain from using our icons. There are plenty of communities and icon makers out there who don't require credit, so you might want to check them out. ;)

We, however, require credit, because we put a lot of time, effort and passion into our graphics. We research the themes that we are doing, try to find original, thought-provoking pictures to illustrate our ideas, and then spend hours on end working on them until they're made into icons and ready to be shared with you all. We do not ever post anything we are not happy with, or that we ourselves wouldn't use. We strive for quality, not quantity, and try to bring you icons you wouldn't find elsewhere. We do all of this gladly, because we truly enjoy making graphics and sharing them with you. All that we ask in return is that you credit our work. It's easy, only takes a few moments, and we are always here, ready to help you in case you don't know how to do it. There is a great difference between someone who doesn't know how to credit and asks for instructions, and somebody who isn't willing to credit in the first place, and simply chooses to ignore our wishes.

That being said, we also intend to go through our members list and see if everybody is giving proper credit in case they're using our icons. This is nothing personal, and we are not, Gods forbid, controlling your journals or anything of the sort! We really have better things to do with our time, believe us. ;) We just wish to make sure that all members are aware of this crediting rule, and abide by it. If we find out that you haven't given credit, we shall contact you and ask you to do so. Refusal, or a lack of reply from your part, will result in your removal from the community.

As already mentioned, this was not a decision we have made lightly. From the very beginning,

magic_art had been an open community, and we had intended to keep it that way. We are also aware of the fact that the vast majority of our members are wonderful people who have always respected our wish to be credited, and we are grateful for that and their continued support. :) As it's often the case though, it only takes one person, or a small group of people to ruin it for all the others. *sigh*

To end on a happier note, watch out for the Kitties of the Season ~ The Samhain Edition coming up later today! ;)