Kaydirt shall from time to time actually create something for the website and give members of theotaku.com information of the State of the Otaku and recommend to their consideration such measures as he deems are worth it...and stuff.

~theotaku.com Constitution article IVXT, section Z

Site Founder Adam, theotaku.com staff, members of theotaku.com, and fellow citizens of the internet: It has been five years since I have first joined the website under a different moniker. During this time, the site has been presented with many blessings, bugs, bounds upward and plummeting falls. We have been presented a new version of the website to submit various works for our own personal enjoyment and the enjoyment of users across cyberspace. These new features came after years of debate, and I think our staff members have answered the call. History has shown theotaku.com to be a dark horse among it's fellow competitors and through it all, the site has shown it's resiliency and dedication to it's member base.

Anime and Fandom, that is what each of us shares in common. We share different tastes in series we watch, manga we read, characters we idolize, but it all falls under one sky. And it is this shared passion for foreign cartoons that binds us together as a loose knit, yet still close band of otaku.

We have made giant strides on theotaku.com in many fields. While some areas of the site have remained present since the site's inception, many new and interesting features have been added to the network and have allowed users to experience a new kind of Anime website that was driven completely by user submissions. From a hand-drawn rendition of Sasuke from Naruto to a fan-fiction discussing who would win in a fight between Yusuke Urameshi and Goku (answer: Me), the creativity of users was allowed to flourish and grow.

But this growth is not met without a few bad weeds in the bunch. Many users have found themselves victim of plagiarism of their masterpieces. It is here where the moderators of the site come in and keep the sanctity of owning one's work a reality. They are the unsung heroes, the soldiers drudging in the trenches working hard to keep theotaku.com running smoothly. Why do they take on the task? Fame? Having special privileges? Nay, our moderation staff keeps the peace because they are dedicated to providing you, the members of theotaku.com a safe and fun website to explore.

theotaku.com's chat room has now provided a new way for users to interact with each other that had been previously absent from other anime websites, which often provided forums (to which theotaku.com's network boasts both). This amazing feature allows users to interact in real time and share their thoughts on various topics that were subject to change and often ended up in mass use of emoticons and action messages describing their confusion. Members were also free to create their own rooms and enjoy themselves in a casual setting. Celebrities from the Anime and Manga industry were brought to chat room, so members could interact with their favorite voice actors, manga-ka...et cetera.

With all these new strides, there still remained a few issues within theotaku.com's universe. One of these issues is the encouragement of new and established contributors to give constructive criticism of their fellow member's works. While many works were sights to behold, many artists and writers felt that comments such as "dis wuz a great piccy! ur a great artist! " to be rather unfulfilled statements towards their artistic growth. However, the issue is very much a double-edged sword. Many young artists and writers are afraid of negative critique or critique in general. It is in this respect that I humbly suggest that those who receive criticism from other members grow a thicker skin and use the advice/nagging as a catalyst to fuel their artistic progress.

Another issue that raises concern is the issue of "fairness" on the part of the moderation staff. Oftentimes the staff will deny a member's work to be published. A crushing blow, to be sure. However, the user fails to understand why their work did not get published and oftentimes asks the moderation staff why their particular work was not published or was taken down from the site. This often leads to arguments through Private Message and e-mail between said parties. However, the members need to realize that the moderation staff is doing their absolute best to keep the site running smoothly and that the rules are being adhered to, as much as human capacities will let them. We take all submitted works seriously and try to judge their publication status based on several set criterion, not based on personal judgments. So please realize, dear members that it is nothing personal. We are not out to get you (or are we?)

It is upon this note that I declare the state of the otaku strong!

*Cue applause*