Owl's blog: "Obscure Fubar Techie Stuff"

So, several weeks ago, a member showed up in my chat box, screaming about how some guy it didn't work out with decided it would be fun to post pictures of her breasts on his profile.

I made one fatal mistake: I listened to her.

While TOS #5 does restrict posting of content that could threaten the safety or rights of another member, TOS #7 says if two members get into a fight, let them duke it out - we don't play referee.

The accusing member turned out to be a button-pushing, ungrateful little snob. Apparently, sticking my neck out for her meant I had to put up with loads of disrespect from her.

So, going forward: I'll put it delicately:

1. Don't post anything online you don't want spread to the rest of the world. Not only does this mean to watch what you post to Fubar.com, but it also applies to images you send through Yahoo or Skype.
2. If you ignore point #1, don't expect Fubar bouncers to do anything outside of going to the profile and marking the pictures NSFW (if, indeed, they are). 
3. If your pictures aren't copyrighted, they're public domain. Yes, this means you have made your coochie public domain. Whore.
4. The DMCA only protects copyrighted images.

Get it yet?

If you remember none of the above tips, remember this: You might have uploaded your boobs to a private folder, properly marked it NSFW, restricted access to the folder to just you and your boyfriend, but all it takes is one misunderstanding and you've just become the net's newest amateur porn star. "Right-click/Save Image As" is a bitch. And, if you get yourself in that situation, don't even expect a "nice boobs" from me.

The Terms of Service, paragraph 7 again: "You are solely responsible for your interactions with other fubar.com Members. fubar.com, Inc. reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor disputes between you and other Members."

Case 1

While perusing the Fubar.com photo queue, the part of the site where bouncers review the pictures the community reports to us as offensive, I noticed nine pictures reported of fully-clothed, newborn children. All nine were clearly safe-for-work, and they were all reported by one person (an account with no  primary photo or salute) on one person. Any bouncer who sees something like this immediately notices red flags: this person is usually trying to get the site involved in his personal agenda against the other person.

When questioned about it, his response was that those children were all abuse victims and the album's owner was the abuser, and he felt that reporting the pictures as NSFW would be the appropriate solution. I advised him that if he had concerns about the welfare of someone's children, a better solution would be to call the proper authorities, not simply report his photos. (The slippery slope followed; he immediately accused Fubar.com of advocating child abuse.)

Case 2

A member who has a reputation for putting up risque photos of herself was reported over 30 times by one female user. Her issue: the owner of these photos allegedly had a conviction for statuatory rape in her hometown and therefore didn't belong on the site in her opinion.

I advised her of the same thing I told the sockpuppet in Case 1: if you have a problem with someone, take it up with that person, or call the proper authorities. Again, if the owner of the photos is not violating Terms of Service, the bouncers have no reason to get involved. (This, of course, resulted in... you guessed it, another accusation that Fubar supports illegal activity.)

Fubar is not required to get involved in any personal business between you and another member. If you suspect the site is being used for illegal activity, violating TOS yourself will not resolve the problem.

Generally, you're better off following these simple steps:

1. Take a screenshot of the activity you observed. There are many free applications that will allow you to do this.
2. Copy down the link to the offender's profile, usually found in the address bar of your browser when you view his or her public profile. If you cannot access that page (because you or the other party has used the "block" feature), you can right-click on the person's name or display image where it appears anywhere else on the site, and select "Copy link address" or "Copy shortcut" instead. This will place the URL on your system's clipboard in memory, where you can paste it into another document. (The link, or at least the Fubar member number, is important because many users do not have unique names.)
3. Go to the Support Lounge and ask to speak to a bouncer privately, or send an inbox message to a bouncer. Do not paste the link into the support lounge.
4. There is also a "Report Abuse" link on every member profile. This is a convenient way to notify the admininstrators of a profile that is in violation of the Terms of Service.

So, why shouldn't I just report the person's photos?

Because, when you do that, you are representing that the pictures you are reporting are NSFW and need to be moderated. The bouncers take their work seriously, and time spent reviewing pictures that are clearly SFW is wasted, as we could have been helping someone with a more pressing issue. Most importantly, abuse of any of any reporting tools can result in the termination of your own account.

Moreover: bouncers do not have access to any proof that your allegations are valid, and then, marking a picture NSFW isn't going to stop a sex offender from being a sex offender.

That said...

If you see a photo on the site that is clearly illegal (something constituting "Sexual Performance by a Child," for example), this is a completely appropriate use of the Report this Photo feature, and you should also notify us right away. Bouncers are trained to look for this and have special procedures in place to address this. 

Make my life easier... Follow this, please. This starts Thursday, November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving day.

Baby J's Blog on the new policy for primary pics

For those who don't want to follow the link, in a nutshell, no more bare chests, bras, panties, or lingerie are allowed to be in your primary.

My take on it is that too many people decided to see how close to crossing the line they could get, and admin got tired of hearing complaints that someone is marking their primary photos.

This will, no doubt, lead to the usual grumbling about free speech and how one person's shots are more classy than others and how people should have the right to show skin on an "adult" site, but bear in mind the following:

1. This does not apply to photos that are not your primary. In other words, you can still be in lingerie, but it will only get marked if it's your primary photo.
2. We are not an "adult" site in the traditional sense of the word. Too many members see "18+" and equate it to "adult," further breaking it down to "we can show boobies." Yes, our membership requirements include a minimum age of 18, but that does not mean we're a porn site. To quote Mike: "If you don't know the difference between a Porn site and a site for people 18+, you're at the wrong place and you need to take your short bus somewhere else."
3. It is at the bouncer's discretion what's considered "sexually explicit."

You can now stop coming to me because your super-sheer panties got flagged. I'm probably sick of your whining, anyway.

 

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Related: "But Other Chicks Have Worse!", "Flagging Photos - The Life Cycle"

Problem: Unable to comment on MuMMs
Date: 8/6/09, 04:00 fu-DT
Status: Resolved 8/6/09

It appears someone broke MuMM comments. Members are reporting an error message akin to "Error: sorry, failed to post your comment" when they attempt to post a comment to an existing MuMM. These members seem to be able to comment on everything else without issue, however.

Resolution: fixed mumm comments... database filled up. woops.[babyjesus[

Many, many moons ago (last November), I wrote a blog trying to explain what Fubar considers NSFW. While the guide had a lot of information in it, it was in no means the complete and comprehensive guide, but still targeted key points I use when determining what to place the big bad NSFW stamp on. Since this guide came out, I've gotten many requests to review photos that had been marked by a bouncer at one point or another. Sadly, it seems that people still make up their own rules when it comes to what they think they can display in public.

I eventually followed up with a blog called Flagging Photos: the Life Cycle to explain what happens when photos are reported. I attempted to answer an often-asked question: "Why flag mine when other people have worse?" It seems the answer I put down wasn't good enough (or, more realistically, wasn't the answer they wanted to hear).

The thought came across to me today that I'm going to put together a blog, chronicling everyone who asks me to unmark a picture and claim "other people have worse than mine" as a reason. The names in this article have been removed to protect the identities of those involved. Originally, I was going to link to their profiles, but... Why give them points?

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Date/Time: 5:36 AM 7/10/2009

The first on this list had an animated picture of a set of breasts being squeezed together. There was no face in the shot (and, even if there was, the picture would STILL be NSFW for being a pair of groped breasts). She asked me to unmark it.

Me: Can you tell me exactly what's SFW about this picture?

Her: its dosnt show nipple and shes wearing a shirt

Me: She's actively groping them, and they're the only things in the shot.

Her: girls have more revealing picstures then this of themself on here as default i dont seem the harm in this one

Me: People always resort to "other people have worse..." You did, however, ask me to review THIS image. It's still NSFW. No bouncer in his/her right mind would let that one slide.

Her: wow thanks

Me: I'm sorry, but I won't unmark this. It's a valid flag.

Her: mmmhm

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Date/Time: 3:28 PM 7/13/2009

A back-and-forth PM session took place involving a photo where the subject was wearing lingerie.

Lingerie is normally safe-for-work, unless it's too revealing. In her case, the panties were see-through.

Her (2009-07-13 13:28:48 PDT): this pic got marked and it was fine before, dont show anything and i am not covering anything. {URL snipped}

Me (2009-07-13 13:38:59 PDT): The bottoms appear see-through. Even if they aren't, would you consider this a picture safe for someone at work to view?

Her (2009-07-13 14:07:31): yes i would consider it fine at work, if you cant see anything sexual then why not, that would be like having a see thru shirt on the bottom half but the boobs part is covered and all you could see is belly then it is the same thing since it is see thru but cant see any private parts.

To me, logic dictates that showing a belly button is safer for work than showing vulva. At least, I've never seen anyone get kicked out of a bar for showing her belly button.

Me (2009-07-13 21:04:02): I think you need to review what's considered NSFW with regards to how this site works. If you're looking for a place to put up pictures of yourself in public in various stages of undress without anyone having any objection to it and without risking violating TOS, you may want to consider another website. There are plenty out there that allow you to post that sort of thing without requesting you filter your own content. Here, you have to at least respect those who don't need to see that out in public.

Her (2009-07-13 21:16:27): ok well you cant see anything in that pic at all, if you go to top people on here how many have their titts hanging out and barely hanging in the shirt? but those are ALL OK RIGHT? just seems like they are all friends with the bouncers so they are allowed to get away with whatever they want. i understand if something in my pics were showing something bad but they arent. as i said before if you cant see the GOODS then why is it NSFW? i read your blog thing and i am not showing anything bad, not grabbing anything, not showing just my ass or whatever, and that was what you posted, i didnt make it up. just seems this site is very biased and lets those top people get away with everything. and i can clearly go thru there and see alot of pics with huge titts hanging out of their clothes but you guys all let that go and then come after me when i am not showing anything

The TL;DR version: "Other chicks have worse. Why flag mine?"

I responded with a four-paragraph-long diatribe. In short, I told her that "other chicks have worse" is a stupid response, tastefully-done cleavage is actually safe-for-work, the site's community-moderated, and for the love of Sharon Stone, cover your coochie. The little exhibitionist didn't reply, but her status message is currently showing her distaste for us bouncers.

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More to come. Bookmark this blog.

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Original author date: 7/10/2009. While every attempt has been made to preserve the conversations above, minor edits may have been made to protect the identity of those highlighted.

The current Fubar name color scheme was recently updated. It is now as follows:

The status icons are also listed here, for your convenience.

Originally posted 8-16-2008.

Edit (1/23/09): Added "Good" and "Evil" status icons; corrected criteria of what makes a user "red"; removed "aqua" since levels 55-57 are no longer offered. (6/21/09): Added Cherry Bomb, Pimp Hand, and Pimp Shield icons, and cleaned up punctuation for continuity.

Let's talk about... Screen captures. The only external software you absolutely need to accomplish this task is an image editing program to save your output.

Here's how...

That's all there is to it! Now, was that hard?

Life Cycle of a Photo Report

Ever wondered what happens when you report a photo? Ever wondered who's informed of what and when? Here's a little insight.

1. A member finds a photo offensive and clicks the "Report This Photo" link.
   • At this stage, the member has to "confirm" the report by clicking "yes" in the same spot.
2. The photo is submitted to a special "bouncers-only" screen for review.
   • Members do not have access to this screen.
   • Bouncers can see who reported this photo, but the photo's owner can't.
   • It is possible for more than one person to report the same photo and it will be listed here.
3. A bouncer will review the photo and decide whether to force the NSFW flag on the picture, preventing it from being seen in public by non-friends, or "clear" the flag, removing it from the photo queue and effectively leaving it alone.
   • If the picture is flagged NSFW, it is removed from the queue and the member is notified only that it was forced NSFW (but not by who).
   • If the picture is cleared, no visible action is taken.

Q&A

So, how do I know who flagged a photo of mine NSFW? You don't. There's no reliable way to tell unless you are a bouncer. If you go by checking the person who last viewed your pic, keep in mind the following:

1. Bouncers don't show up on that list
2. A member on that list may not have reported the picture right away, or other people may have been there since
3. A picture doesn't need to be reported in order to get forced NSFW

Can I find out who flagged me? As a community-moderated site, we keep that information anonymous to avoid retaliation. So, then, anyone can flag me out of spite and get away with it? No. Remember, reporters are kept anonymous from other members, but not from bouncers. If we see an unusual amount of pictures reported by one person, against one person (especially when they're safe-for-work), we can usually tell if the person is being malicious. No permanent change is made to the picture's status without bouncer approval. The member isn't even notified that his or her photo was flagged before then. This is why it is a waste of time to go on a flagging spree to retaliate against one member. The only people who will notice you making an idiot of yourself are the bouncers. My picture was in a private folder and still got flagged! Why? Either someone with access to that folder reported your photo (someone in your Family, perhaps), or someone who ripped the picture from you or otherwise has an exact copy of that picture got his or her copy flagged. Having a picture in a private folder does not prevent it from being reported, nor does it circumvent the need to mark potentially objectionable material NSFW. Keeping it properly marked keeps it from showing up in Recent Photos, for example. Why did my picture get marked? I see others with worse! This question's beyond the scope of this blog, but the short answer is: whether you're showing a little nipple or a lot of nipple, you're still showing nipple. Would you complain to a policeman citing you for speeding that he should forgive you because the guy next to you was doing 105 MPH in a 65 MPH zone while you were just doing 103 MPH?

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originally written 3/25/2009 at 11:55 PM CDT by Owl.

Don't advertise anything NSFW on your profiles, in your names, in your status messages, or anywhere else public. You can advertise a lounge that happens to be NSFW, but the goal is to avoid Fubar becoming an unofficial "pay-for-sex-shows" site. I know people are heavily into finding ways to increase their point intake, but quit setting your status messages and folder names to imply that you're selling sex or sexual images. We are aware that a few lounges have streaming video posted where members will broadcast themselves. Some are even charging for access. While we won't actively go lounge hopping or organizing raids, we will investigate reports of video of excessively illicit acts (a low R-rating by MPAA standards will probably pass, but X-rated most certainly won't). Violators risk having their lounges locked down by administrators. Despite what you heard, Fubar is not an "Adult-Oriented" site in the traditional definition. We cater to a membership base that is 18 years of age or older, but we are not a sex site. Sorry if you're confused. Consider this warning a way to help clear it up.

Originally posted on 11/19/2008. Fubar's new feature, fu-Owned, launched this week. It is a feature that allows fubar members to use their fubucks to buy other members. As with any new feature, there appears to be some confusion as to how this works and what to do to get the maximum enjoyment out of it. For the purpose of education, this blog will show what we know so far about the feature, what we don't know, and hopefully serve as a forum to discuss either. As always, your input is appreciated.

What We Know

What We Don't Know

Things That Appear to be Known Issues

Credits