Couldn't agree more, groups I felt were the last bastion for dA and something others sites didn't have, however now it feels like all groups have the same set of users uploading to em, with no uniqueness about em, in general groups aren't places to socialize with others, they're now basically just content billboards... Depressing...
i used to use deviantart literally everyday, so i definitely relate. my all time fav feature was their chatrooms, which is where i met a ton of my earliest best friends. im glad u like my layout!! if ud like to sample anything from it u can feel free!! :)) i pulled the main code from the wayback machine and largely customized it based off my own preferences. if u have any questions im more than happy to help!!
I feel the same, miss oldie dA and now DA is hot trash between the actual site and the shitpost spam. Miss the communities the most, something I don't see much anymore. Least here on neos I can make my own little nook to live in. HTML and CSS has been fun to learn :) and I hope I can do more.
i used their chatrooms super often personally!! i rped on them LMAO, the chatrooms r almost completely bare now tho :'/