Some cares a lot about pageviews - seems like they think dA is a contest getting most pageviews or favorites.

I've seen forum threads and tutorials about getting more pageviews, and when dA sends me adds and notes trying to make me buy a Premium Membership they repeatedly points out that doing so will get me more pageviews.

All OK for me - people live life their own way, based on their own values, making their own priorities and goals.

Sometimes pageviews can be used as an indicator; when browsing dA seing an artist with lots of pageviews many times indicates a skilled artist with a gallery of pieces worth watching.

OK, to be honest many times I just pass by or only do a quick glance at artists with 25.000+ pageviews - far too many times they just prove to have hit the styles or trends of the popular mainstream... or to be a random nude photographer... or to be a semipro manga artist.

But sometimes the relation between pageviews and the artists' works is mysterious...

Looking into it the reason can be obvious; forum activity and comments history can show a person who primarily uses the social or networking options of dA.

Other persons just make me L A U G H:

When receiving a favorite I always - sooner or later - take a look at the artists gallery searching for pieces worth favoring or artists worth watching.

Today I was going through some old recieved favorites and encountered this artist; I'll just call him "X".

The gallery of X is small; only about 40 pieces - the quality was OK but quite ordinary and in no way anything remarkable.

When I hit his frontpage to make a thx comment I had to slap myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming; one year on dA and almost 130.000 pageviews! - With the quality of his gallery!!!

I clicked the stat buttom and saw the explanation; no forum activity at all BUT during his one year on dA he had picked 95.896 favorites!

I'll repeat: NINETY-FIVE-THOUSAND-EIGHT-HUNDRED-AND-NINETY-SIX favorites picked on only ONE year!!!

I'm calling that "pageview hunting" and devaluation of the concept of favorites; how can someone pick such a nummer of favorites on such a short time with any other intentions than wanting to make people pageview him?

And he succeed when it comes to me...