Discussion of Inappropriate Content

[Mania]

We've been having a discussion about how the forums are doing, and one of the big things that came up was the question of what constitutes appropriate content for this community.

To be absolutely clear: I intend to make the final decision about what's appropriate content to be posted here. But there are a lot of important aspects to that question and I don't want to miss anything. So before I pronounce my fiat from the heavens, I have some questions for all of you about how you see things.

... possibly a lot of questions. But I wanted to get the ball rolling with this one:

What are some examples of 'mature' or '18+' content that you might expect to see on these forums. I'm not looking so much for what you think is appropriate here - although feel free to add that too! - but for examples of things that a generic forum member in good standing might think were appropriate. Does that make any sense?

In other words, you know I won't allow explicit images of hard-core porn. (Or maybe you don't. But I wouldn't allow a thread with explicit images of hard-core porn.) But there are probably some things which are 'mature' or '18+' that some of the community here would find appropriate - say in the art forum, or RP, or off-topic chat. So what might be some examples of those?

(No need to get extra-explicit with your examples, btw.)

[Cialbi]

First thing that comes to mind is another question: What is considered mature or 18+ content? More specifically, since this is a concern of one particular forum member, do topless drawings count? I'm not talking about photos (well, they are technically photos, but of drawings and not people), but just drawings done by hand, and not even pornographic ones.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I definitely agree that we don't need hard core porn here.
I don't think there's anything wrong with things like Cow's anatomy templates. I also don't see issues with talking about sex and situations relating to it--granted, I do mean discussion (like the female/male reproductive threads) and not videos or anything like that. Talking about sex doesn't have to be pornographic after all.

Language is something that doesn't bother me, but I fully understand rules for wanting to keep it under check so we don't see the F-bomb a dozen times in one post or something. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post.

Oh also, the above mentioned things are more in reference to off-topic as there's no need to discuss those kinds of things in somewhere like pet discussion or the PTR boards, etc.

[Cialbi]

I also don't see issues with talking about sex and situations relating to it--granted, I do mean discussion (like the female/male reproductive threads) and not videos or anything like that. Talking about sex doesn't have to be pornographic after all.

So, you're saying that when discussing sex, the line should be drawn when the discussion turns pornographic? I'm going off of the World English Dictionary definition or pornography: "writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement".

As for myself, I think that photos with nudity aren't warranted; if you want to discuss sex-related health issues, using a (non-pornographic) drawing would suffice. When it comes to discussion, a thread tagged as explicit should allow for any non-pornographic discussion that serves a purpose. If the thread doesn't have any warnings, I'm honestly unsure where that line should be drawn.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Blargh, everything keeps getting jumbled up in my head. >_<

Like, no videos of sex being posted, and maybe no overly drawn out descriptions involving more detail than most would want to know. I basically just think that it shouldn't have to be a taboo topic, but obviously a line would need to be drawn somewhere at how far is too far. And perhaps explained by someone far better than me.

The Female and Male Reproductive threads are good examples of what I mean since I'm terrible at explaining it.

[TygerDarkstorm]

As for myself, I think that photos with nudity aren't warranted

I agree with this, however I do think that Cow's templates are okay, especially since they're links to the photos in her thread and not the photos themselves.

[Cialbi]

As for myself, I think that photos with nudity aren't warranted

I agree with this, however I do think that Cow's templates are okay, especially since they're links to the photos in her thread and not the photos themselves.

I'll elaborate a little, then. I think that photos of actual people who are nude aren't warranted.

[Mania]

One of the reasons I was asking for examples of what mature things people might post is because we're unlikely to have anyone who is pushing for a hard-corn porn thread. But figuring out where lines should be drawn without actual examples can get ... dense.

So examples of things that might get posted here: art and/or pictures with nudity, RP romance or sex scenes, explicit discussions of sexual situations without intent to titillate, profane language. What else?

[TygerDarkstorm]

I totally forgot about romance in the RP threads. I would hate not to be able to have those kinds of scenes if the participating members are all okay with it. Anyway, that's not what you were asking, sorry. >_>

Other things that might get posted here that could be considered mature could be bodily functions as well as injuries. Perhaps mental health along with physical health. In a way, I even think that topics about religion, politics, etc could be considered mature.

[Cialbi]

No vivid descriptions of anything related to feces or defecating might be a good idea, with exception to the Real-Life Pets forum. Sure, it's a fact of life, but discussing it can easily ruin someone's appetite at least. The reason why I mention the Real-Life Pets forum is because there is genuine reason to ask questions about handling urine and feces from pets, since we need to clean our pets and clean up after them, and this would be an opportune place to ask such questions given the number of knowledgeable pet owners we have. The restriction on that could be that you should clearly indicate in the title what will be discussed, and to keep details down to a minimum needed to get advise (if your dog throws up on the carpet, there probably isn't a need to describe the contents of the barf when asking how to best clean up).

[GormanGhaste]

I think that topics about religion, politics, etc could be considered mature.

I haven't seen very many mature discussions about politics But yes, religion and politics are both controversial, and liable to need more moderating. (Yay for our religion thread, which against all odds has maintained a mostly positive tone.) I'd actually prefer not to see politics here--perhaps an escapist shortcoming on my part, but there you go.

[Mania]

I locked the thread temporarily while I split the stereotyping discussion - including my bits of it! - into another thread (currently in the admin-only area). Let's stay on track with mature or 18+ content in this thread.

[SpiritBinder]

One of the reasons I was asking for examples of what mature things people might post is because we're unlikely to have anyone who is pushing for a hard-corn porn thread. But figuring out where lines should be drawn without actual examples can get ... dense.

So examples of things that might get posted here: art and/or pictures with nudity, RP romance or sex scenes, explicit discussions of sexual situations without intent to titillate, profane language. What else?

Romantic themed pictures and stories are fine, even Alladin kissed Jasmine in the end . I believe it's just when those are taken a step further to a more pornographic lvl. I know a little while back one of our resident artist had linked her DA page and while having a look some of her artwork within the site was flagged as "adult" material. You had to click a small disclaimer to view it and it did not show up as thumbnail, just a picture box. The contents was of a nude male character, which while not offensive or pornographic, still had a label of adult content with it. I actually thought it was great to see that lvl of responsibly within a art based site with so many pictures on it.

We just have to be aware also that the forums is privy to many cultures and with that many lvls of what is ok to show and what is not. I don't mean to suggest that we wrap everything up in cotton wool, but just be mindful of those around us, with the internet.

Working as a lecturer with young adults and students of all ages, there are certain topics and issues here with the collage that we also discourage discussion and the documentation of.

Hate crimes, discrimination and the likes.
(eg. racial, sexual, etc. generally anything unethical towards others different to oneself)
Anything to gruesome, offensive or macabre.
(eg. no post body train crash victims)
Too many drug references or the use of.
(eg. How to make your own)
Self harm about oneself or others.
(eg. I wish to hurt myself when I see ...)
Physical threats towards others.
(eg. I will find you and hurt you and your kittens badly)
Pornography.
(again with a sexual nature, we have life drawing here with model's so we are ok with full nudity, but we ask students if they are uncomfortable with it 1st.)


There are probably others but these are just some off the top of my head. I find erring on the side of caution better than pushing the edge, in most situations a, more suitable approach to most topics and situations.

[Lisaara]

Nude photos(Excluding character model sheets) or porn of any kind(including ERp), should not be allowed. If two characters need to ERP a scene, the PM box is right at the top of the page.

[cowmuflage]

I think the stuff we have on right now is fine. I would not call it porn but like as the PM maina sent me when I asked if I could put my model sheets up she basicly said if it does not invole sexual scenes then its ok. I think a nipple here and there is fine.

[Saturo]

I would hate it if Decay was not allowed to kiss Koz. Just saying. :P

What's already been said sounds reasonable.

[TygerDarkstorm]

With the ERP issues Jess brought up...I feel on the fence about it. On one hand, I feel like the people RPing within the story should be able to decide for themselves whether or not to allow this kind of posting within their individual threads. Now, I say this because I think it would be weird to suddenly stop a thread in its tracks so it can divert to PMs. I'm also not ashamed of or bothered by these sorts of things as well which also probably influences these types of thoughts.

On the other hand, it's possible to have a sex scene without going into explicit detail, especially since we don't have those handy little show/hide box feature thingies. I also know that not everybody's comfortable with that sort of thing. I do think that kissing, hugging, and flirting should be okay though. Nothing that goes too far, basically.

Like I said, I feel both ways about the ERP matter. I'm still fairly new to the RP scene here so I'll leave further judgement to the experienced RPers and Mania.

[Lisaara]

With the ERP issues Jess brought up...I feel on the fence about it. On one hand, I feel like the people RPing within the story should be able to decide for themselves whether or not to allow this kind of posting within their individual threads. Now, I say this because I think it would be weird to suddenly stop a thread in its tracks so it can divert to PMs. I'm also not ashamed of or bothered by these sorts of things as well which also probably influences these types of thoughts.

On the other hand, it's possible to have a sex scene without going into explicit detail, especially since we don't have those handy little show/hide box feature thingies. I also know that not everybody's comfortable with that sort of thing. I do think that kissing, hugging, and flirting should be okay though. Nothing that goes too far, basically.

Like I said, I feel both ways about the ERP matter. I'm still fairly new to the RP scene here so I'll leave further judgement to the experienced RPers and Mania.

From an rper of 10 yrs, I find it less fun if you have to sensor yourself in an ERP. Also we cant control who sees those rp threads, which means, much like WoW's ToS, it's usually best to keep it private.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Like I said, I can see both sides of it. I think it would be best for the forums though if the explicit stuff is left out entirely or taken to private since we never know who's reading. Just seems like it would be weird to disrupt a thread by going to PMs, but maybe that's just because I've never seen it myself before.

[Anyia]

I think the steamy romance novels in WoW might be a good indication of what level is considered acceptable.

(I'm still hanging on to a copy of the Northern Exposure with Marcus & Tavi for when I finally hit level 99. And I'd better be able to read the rest of it then, or I'll qq to the GMs and the devs!)