City of IF

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Guidelines for posting Warnings for Violent Content or Adult Themes

Some Storygames in these forums may contain strong language, violence or adult themes.

The Site Policy is to warn at the top of any chapter that might be inappropriate for younger readers.

Some good examples of warnings that have been posted on Storygames in the past:

Warning, strong language and adult scenes

Warning, some foul language

Warning not horribly graphic, but there is sex, lewdness, and death within the following post. Read at your own discretion!

The following guidelines have been posted to help everyone continue this good practice.

Keep it simple. If your chapter contains violence, sexual scenes, mature themes, or foul language, just say so. If you think that these elements are graphic or extreme, make that clear in your warning too.

Avoid using your country's movie/game rating system as a guide. We are an international community, and some readers may not understand your country's rating system as well as you do.

Don't try to advise who should or should not be reading the chapter based on their age or sensitivity. Your warning should only contain information about the content, so that your readers can make an informed decision.

FAQ

Can I post warnings in my topic title?

It's not really necessary, although you can if you want to. As long as they fit into the title, and can be understood internationally, then it's fine. However, individual chapters should still carry warnings where appropriate.

My Storygame won SGOTM, and has its own forum. Can I post my own general warning thread covering the storygame as a whole?

Yes. However, you must still post individual warnings on your chapters. This is because they appear as new topics on the main message board, and any general warning you have put up in your forum can be bypassed with one click.

Does this mean I now have to go back through my storygame and change all my warnings?

No. Just make sure that any warnings you put up for future chapters conform to the guidelines.

I just read a chapter that didn't have a warning. I think it should do. What do I do about it?

PM whoever is mayor. Disputes about warnings will be handled privately and on a case by case basis.

I'm not sure if my chapter needs a warning or not. What do I do?

Go with your gut feeling or else get a second opinion. Most likely, the decision you make will be the right one.

D-Lotus · Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA

Warning, strong language within this post! (Actually, only one word)

What if the title of your chapter or the name of your storygame is explicit? e.g. The Dark wrote a chapter titled 'Deep Shit'- people will see this title without having a chance to avoid it through a warning.

The White Blacksmith · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 2629

There were several people who pmed him, myself among them, asking him to remove this. He replied that, as to sign up here you must be 13 or over, he didn't consider it a problem.

D-Lotus · Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA

Maybe he is right? :confused:

Novelest_Ninjagirl · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:33 pm Post subject:

The White Blacksmith wrote: There were several people who pmed him, myself among them, asking him to remove this. He replied that, as to sign up here you must be 13 or over, he didn't consider it a problem. that's true, you do have to be 13 to JOIN this site, but not read it. I know several kids younger then 13 who come to this site to read, many of whom would be affected by words such as that. I support his desion, I just believe in showing the other side.

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

It is difficult to draw the line as to whether a word or phrase is strong enough to warrant a warning, or be inappropriate for a topic title, since tolerance levels of the community will fluctuate depending on the demographic.

This fluctuation is also part of the reasoning behind these guidelines.

That said, I would strongly advise against posting explicit words in topic titles, even if they are mild.

The concern is that we dont want to set a precedent that may lead to stronger material appearing in topic titles in the future.

Should anybody have a grievance with the way an author or a moderator has responded to a request to remove offensive material, they should escalate their problem to me immediately.

Cheers
CF

LordoftheNight · Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 5276 Location: Hell

Novelest_Ninjagirl wrote: The White Blacksmith wrote: There were several people who pmed him, myself among them, asking him to remove this. He replied that, as to sign up here you must be 13 or over, he didn't consider it a problem. that's true, you do have to be 13 to JOIN this site, but not read it. I know several kids younger then 13 who come to this site to read, many of whom would be affected by words such as that. I support his desion, I just believe in showing the other side.

Not to pick on you, but the fact you have to be thirteen or older to join implies the site is suitable for those over thirteen. By the same definition, it is fully possible (with a simple google search for instance) to find various porn sites online, that you need to be eighteen to join. I'm sure Chinaren could recommend a few if you ask nicely. There's nothing stopping anyone younger from looking at the site without joining though, it's just implied.

D-Lotus · Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA

But those sites that you just mentioned, Lordy, are exempt from resposibility because of that 18+ warning. Therefore, isn't IF exempt from responsibility if it has a 13+ warning? Is it necessary to have an individual warning in every thread, or rather, is it more practical to have a general warning that encompasses every thread?

LordoftheNight · Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 5276 Location: Hell

Oh, I'm not saying a 13+ site should therefore accept swearing (though personally, this is the 21st century - 13+ kids are either old enough to know it anyways, or at the very least old enough to understand it's a 'bad' word, and shouldn't be used in front of parents).

I'm just saying Novelist Ninja's point that people under 13 read the site was irrelevant. Apart from that, just do as the mayor says.

Novelest_Ninjagirl · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject:

That's notthe side I take myself, I don't think we should have to bother with it, but whenever someone says their opinion, I feel an urge to point out the other side. Tht happens to be a good reason for everyone to hate me in RL.

Black Hawk · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:45 pm Post subject:

my thoughts exactly Ninjagirl

P.S. I thought no one would ever think like me so thanks :D

Kalyssa Summers · Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 11:50 pm Post subject:

New here=D. I love the site, how it is well designed and programmed! Looking forward to contribute.

I'd like to explore more mature themes here, as well as non-mature themes. Obviously, to be discrete is a good idea. I would really like to follow the rules. Are the rules still the same?

Also...What are the demographics of adults here nowadays? I'm 24-- is it sizeable? Are there many people who explore mature themes here? I don't want to write if there isn't an audience to play my storygames...

Thunderbird · Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 2:24 am Post subject:

Most are adult here but there are some kiddys on occasion (but we'll be helping with that around the corner here I think.) However... this is our policy and for nwo we're sticking to it. So I'm sure we've seen worse here at times than what you have in mind... though interested to see what you DO have in mind.

Vishal Muralidharan · Joined: 24 Aug 2010 Posts: 867 Location: City Of IF!

Well, technically, I ain't adult, but I wouldn't mind anyway :p

Welcome to IF!! Happy writing!!

Crunchyfrog · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998

Welcome to IF, Kalyssa.

If you're worried about the demographic, check Here to get an idea. (Click on the view poll results at the bottom, and you'll see the stats if they're not showing already.) :)

This thread was put up just to state the obvious really - if you've got any X rated content, to put a little warning up at the top of your post, is all.

Don't feel impeded in any way by worrying if there's an audience for your work. You won't know until you try.

:D