As someone who previously used Quotev back in it's prime (2014 - 2016) and recently revisited the site, it made me realize how much it truly plummeted. Call me an old man the way I'm grumbling, shaking my head and giving a "back in my days" speech, I could care less. It hurts to see certain websites (especially old beloved ones) lose their charm and popularity because of some unnecessary changes. It only further irks me when users aren't supplied with a reason for said changes, or even given a forewarning.

I believe it all started when they began removing entertaining features like colours and emojis. Very minor things the site had to offer, I know, but it felt different from what other sites I knew at the time had to offer as small pleasures.

Next, of course, they decided to eliminate groups. This one especially boggles my mind. Why discard a useful tool on a creative site? Groups not only allowed for people on the site to come together and bond by sharing their stories, quizzes, etc - and writing groups offering assistance to young authors with constructive criticism, tips and tricks - but it also functioned as a way for the community to share in likeness (e.g pride, fandom, aesthetic) or even sharpen writing skills through an entertaining nature: roleplay.

Another downside that came from removing the group feature is that: a lot of people starting spamming the feed with "takeovers" - in other words: public roleplays. Granted, if you weren't following the accounts that partook in takeovers, it didn't matter. But it still posed an issue.

And mentioning the spam, that leads me to my final gripe with the website: removing the social aspect. Don't get me wrong, I understand that first and foremost it was a website for authors to write and proudly display their creative works. However, I believe half of what made the site - and finding said works easily - was the social side of the website. 

If it weren't for the feed, groups, direct messaging, I would've never discovered quite a few stories all those years ago. My own works would've never been shared around and gained traction. I wouldn't have met some of my greatest friends or supporters.

In my opinion, the website truly became lesser known (from what I've seen) due to the fact they took away socializing. It was useful to be able to make a post, and rather than click on the creators profile to see it (as they could've disabled their activity status) see it in a feed among my other favourite creators. Little updates that made everything feel more friendly.

I don't think I have anymore to say on the website other than, I miss what it was. I miss how it was friendly and sociable. I miss being able to easily communicate with others and grow my writing skills within one small corner of the internet instead of having to branch out.