Commission system suggestions

I think it's time I pushed that last, rather negative journal off my page.

So, I'm sure many people have heard about DA's new commission system, and it seems that the general feedback is pretty poor.  No surprise, seeing how DA doesn't want the responsibility of arbitration between artists and commissioners, which means they are not responsible for handling disputes and refunds.

I'm not here to talk about it, though, since I already discussed it on my FA page and gave DA some feedback.  If you want to know more about DA's commission system, and see (rather negative) community feedback, read about it here:  danlev.deviantart.com/art/Intr…

Aside from the obvious arbitration requirements, I have some suggestions for an integrated commission system:

1) While a commission is pending, the artist's icon would show up on your page, so everyone knows you're waiting for a commission.  This holds the artist accountable in terms of reputation, not just a private agreement.  Specific info, like price and commission type, should not be automatically disclosed for privacy reasons, but just an indication that a commission is pending is quite a fire under one's butt.  I don't know if the amount of time a commissioner has been waiting should be disclosed.

2) There should be a to-do list.  In a similar fashion to #1, each artist would have a public to-do list showing what works are pending.  Not only does this show how busy an artist is, but it also helps the artist keep track of commissions easier than the established "My Correspondence" thing DA's current system provides.  The artist would also have extra information not publicly displayed, such as how much was paid, and what the payment transaction number is.

3) For heaven's sake, provide a standardized commission info page, with a price list.  Individual commission offers are pretty silly.

4) A built-in spreadsheet so artists can track their profits and get accounting balances.  This makes it easier for them to file their taxes (you DO file business taxes, don't you?)

5) Statistics, so artists can sort and keep track of which type of commissions are most profitable, taking the most time, most/least successful, etc.  This doesn't have to provide 500 different details -- just the important stuff.

6) The ability to cross-link commissions, so the artist only has to post something once, and commissioners can integrate those posts into their galleries.  I'm so sick of people posting links that say, "See the original over there!"

7) Proper credits integrated directly into the gallery, stating (at each member's discretion) who commissioned the work, and to whom the copyrights belong.  People can already do this in the comments, of course, but having a standardized format makes it easier to remember all the useful legal info.  We all know how well-educated people are with regards to copyrights and trademarks!

8) It would be nice, but not mandatory, for the commission system to be allowed for trades as well.  Art trades wouldn't provide any income for DA in the form of fees, but it would probably encourage more confidence in a new commission system.  Trades should, of course be classed differently than commissions, so there's no confusion about a trade that takes 6 months, and a commission that takes 6 months.  That would be bad!

I'm sure I could come up with many more, but that would probably qualify as feature creep.  I'll stick to these 8 points for now.