DeaviantArt removes "unspecified gender" option

[sqbr]

DeviantArt did that very lj/facebooki-ish thing of saying "Check out this great new feature for removing some of your privacy sharing information with your friends! (if you don't like it go to your settings page)" so I was checking out my settings page(*) and saw:

deviantART no longer has "unspecified" as a gender option. If you choose to change your gender from "unspecified" you will be unable to change it back.

Hmmph!

(*)Where they hadn't changed it (birthday sharing) by default, so that's something

Comments

[keeva]

wtf

[flamebyrd]

I noticed that too! My reaction was much the same. Why do companies keep doing this?

[nixwilliams]

???!

[furikku]

OMGWTFBBQ

Like I can understand why you would not think to put that in

but WHY WOULD YOU HAVE IT AND THEN TAKE IT AWAY?!

[torachan]

Does DA have ads? (I can't see any, but I have AdBlock on.) If so, then I would guess it's to "better" target the ads.

[sqbr]

Yes they do, and that's my assumption as well.

Though the ads they show me have a like 50% chance of being in Polish (well, I think it's Polish) so their targeting algorithms could do with some work.

[sqbr]

I know!

[sqbr]

Because they care more about profits than people :/

[sqbr]

!

[susanreads]

*headdesk* Is there any prospect of being able to migrate artwork to AO3 at some point? Sounds like DA needs a mass exodus.

[furikku]

uuuugh you're probably right. -_-

[sqbr]

They are apparently going to offer fanart hosting at some point, and that day cannot come soon enough.