I agree with Bill and JenJen regarding all that was brought up about speed issues and the state of the 'vibe' of the site. Change is never easy, especially on this level, but my opinion is that the boat has been taking on water faster than they can bail it out. I'm on broadband cable and I see absolutely no visable difference from before the change. Perhaps I'm on the wrong side of the backbone, maybe my connections need to be cleaned with canned air, or there might quite possibly be a problem here.

I'm also seeing a very large new generation posting to the galleries lately, and the old school favorites I have on my list are posting less and less. My statistics (and many others I have noticed) have almost halved since December; this includes comments, views, etc. I guess my point arrives at the question; "Where did everyone go?". And is there a reason for that? 

Bill, I think you should leave your comments on if you like, or perhaps off if you aren't comfortable. I face the very same dilemma and have for quite some time. Friends of mine have told me to leave comments on since I rarely post and people like to check in and toss a few words my way. There is definitely a guilt factor for not commenting back, and between my ruthless job and the speed and other problems of today's Renderosity, I find it difficult to field 30+ comments per day. There is a lot of daily posting going on and that's pretty much what sank my ability to comment anymore. Perhaps that is part of the problem?? Maybe limit everyone to posting no more than 2 images per week and see what happens to the bandwidth.

I also agree that the community climate is not what is once was a year ago. It was quite a different place a year ago and the heart and soul of the community was so strong and passionate. Today it almost feels kind of canned and cold...like it's obvious the galleries are the paint to the store. And speaking of store, could it be possible that some merchants who submit products every single day aren't helping, either*?* Perhaps limit them to one product per week, and that will also free up more resources to have other products approved.

The Art Charts are laughable, in my opinion, and it seems the only ones who like it are those who didn't make the Hot20 previously. Either you have a ton of friends and/or you post everyday and you're on there. One who posts once in awhile and, say, gathers 10 faves will fall below those who post everyday and get 2 faves per image. You are basically rewarding those who are eating most of the bandwidth in a redundant cycle. Not that I am here to deplete anyone's joy, but these are the statistics and should be considered, as well. It's just like going on a diet and you have to cut corners here and there to get some results.

I think there are a plethora of aspects that need to be considered in the overall big picture of things that are causing some of the problems that are detracting from the joy for some here. It's going to take at least a year to get this site up and running 100% and to touch on all these problems in the long run. About all we can do is sit and wait, or go somewhere else for the time being until it resolves. I haven't posted in three months for all the same reasons, and I'm not really sure what to do about it, either.