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[example] - policy interpretion required not an ideas forum post

  1. timethief
    Member

    What follows is entirely based on personal opinion and on what our Moderator has told us ie. that matters requiring policy interpretations and decisions should not be posted to the forums.

    Suppose that on the top blogs, top blog posts or the fastest growing blogs on wordpress list on any given day that linked on our dashboards we find we find ____sex actresses pics

    Suppose by clicking on a link we arrive here at a site that looks like http:// ____sex. wordpress.com/ - Perhaps it's a "mature" blog that wasn't voluntarily labeled, or perhaps not.

    Suppose we look at a post and when viewing the image in the post we maybe be seeing a copyright watermark and wonder of the blogger may or may not have had permission to post it. Perhaps it's a ToS violation or perhaps it's not.

    Suppose under the image in the post we find links
    Suppose clicking on the first link we find - ____ actress and celebrity pictures - a site covered with advertising ... hmmm ... Perhaps this is a means of covert advertising on a wordpress.com blog where advertising is not allowed or perhaps not.

    I have reported several blogs similar to the one described above because IMO these would be examples of situations that call for a policy interpretation to be made by staff, as opposed to an ideas forum discussion posting to be discussed by bloggers.

  2. raincoaster
    Member

    I see no reason to add that info to the forums: as you know, none of us here can do anything about it. And if you're wrong about your speculation, it could be considered defamatory.

  3. joshua1955
    Member

    Couldn't the same be said of any blogger who links a fellow blogger - that when you go to that site; it's a site which allows advertising? I'm not sure I understand what you're driving at? :) The site that you mention, from what I can see - credits the source of the pictures. But I have many buds who have blogs which legally allow advertising. Am I to be afraid to link them, because it will be seen that I'm working around a loophole? I guess I don't understand what you're saying :)

  4. raincoaster
    Member

    Timethief, your edits haven't changed the applicability of what I said above. Not at all.

  5. joshua1955
    Member

    You added all that other stuff (including taking out the original links to the person's blog) after people commented. This could be seen as a manipulation and trolling of a fellow wordpresser. In fact, I believe this is trolling. Did you not point out (along with another blogger) a few days ago (under a forum about cyberbullying) that that's a TOS violation? You can keep editing this, but some of us saw the original entry (and lord knows who else did). I think it's clear that you mean well - and are very loyal to WordPress. But this is way out of line. This is the second time in a week - that I've seen another blogger targeted by another's agenda - on the forums (and hate to say it, but you were involved in that one, also). It doesn't matter, to me, if the person is guilty or not (and it definitely wasn't clear that this person is guilty - seems to be very subjective - as I looked at the links you originally provided). Is that the job of any blogger (to make a public spectacle of another - that's what feedback forms are for)? You are free to edit as you wish - but I think that it would be fair to say that you were hoping that some would've seen the original posting - as 2 of us obviously did. And if you reported all these people, why are you wasting our time posting this? I have to admit that it is unnerving to know that there is someone scouring the net searching for so-called abusers of the system. That in and of itself - seems like an agenda. A subjective one I may add - especially when it is rushed to the forums for all to be made aware.

  6. timethief
    Member

    @rain & joshua
    I just saw your responses below and I haven't even finished editing above yet. Please be patient. Tx. And also note that you are free to edit your own posts or not as you so choose.

  7. raincoaster
    Member

    1) No, I cannot edit my posts. Anyone using IE6 cannot, as far as I can tell, edit their posts.

    2) As you're aware, you have a certain status in the forums gained by your contributions here. It's probably safest if you preface the first post with "This is my personal opinion." This is exactly why I always suggest that posts motivated by personal feelings be kept on blogs.

    3) Didn't Dr. Mike ask everyone just yesterday to keep policy out of the forum?

  8. timethief
    Member

    (1) I had no idea that those with IE6 browsers couldn't edit their forum posts.

    (2) I received an email requesting that I use an off-line computer program to compose forum posts in and only post the final versions to the forum and have agreed to comply with that request.

    (3) I have no personal feelings to speak of visa vis the scenario above other than feeling strongly that the ideas forum is not for posting matters that require policy interpretations to be made by staff.

    (4) Yes drmike did ask that everyone keep policy interpretations out of the forum and I'm in agreement with that.

  9. joshua1955
    Member

    Regardless of you're changing all the original wording - since I saw the blogger you are referencing; I still don't understand what you're saying. How is linking to another blog which allows advertising a violation? Unless I'm financially benefitting from that advertising, or am the blogowner of that linked blog - where's the violation? We can't control what people do on their blogs which aren't affiliated with WordPress, can we or are we supposed to be? Like I said, some of my buds advertise. But that's them and what they choose to do on their non Worpress.com blogs. Once again, I don't understand - am I not supposed to link them because they advertise on their site? That's like providing a link to your personal myspace site. Myspace allows advertising. Are you implying that that's a violation, and a way to work around the WordPress system? I don't understand.

  10. timethief
    Member

    @joshua
    I believe you are making my point for me. I can't make these calls and you can't make these calls. Based on policies it's up to staff to make these calls.
    The relevant post in FAQs for advertising http://faq.wordpress.com/2005/12/08/adsense/ states:

    Multiple affiliate links are also not permitted. One discreet text link per blog is okay. Any more than that, send a feedback for clarification.

    That to me indicates that when any blogger has a question about placing advertising or linking to forums covered with advertising and seemingly driving traffic to them, on their own blog or on another's "send a feedback" is the correct action to take.

    The ToS http://wordpress.com/tos/ states:

    the Content is not spam, and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sites, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing);

    The ToS also includes sections on copyrighted material.

    So when in doubt don't post to the forum send in a feedback instead seems to be what we are consistently directed to do.

    I'm not implying anything. I do not post policy interpretation and decision making matters to the forums. Everything that I see that I think requires a call to be made by staff - I send to them, just like drmike does.

  11. joshua1955
    Member

    I may be making your point LOL. But since I don't understand your point - I guess I'm in agreement with you, even though I don't understand LOL. As far as policy/feedback to staff. It didn't appear that was the initial intent of this entry. Which I think is evident by my and Rain's comments. :)

  12. timethief
    Member

    I'm so very tired of the misunderstandings and rudenesses that have prevailed for the last month or so on the forum. I will now be using an off-line word processing program for every post I make to the forum. Hopefully this will make everybody happy.

  13. joshua1955
    Member

    You posted this thingie! LOL. I still don't understand the purpose. And I'm still confused! LOL You obviously know a lot, and I'm grateful for that. But I keep coming to these forums to sink in as much as I can. To get the whole WordPress experience. And sometimes I find you very helpful, with no friction. Other times I find you to be attacking people. Regardless of that, I will continue to visit; so that I can learn. I can't be responsible for what mood you may be in - upon which day I may visit. That ownership lies with you :)

  14. nosysnoop
    Member

    a site covered with advertising

    Every blog on my blogroll except for maybe three has ads all over their blogs. I have to link all my sources or else I'll get emails. I especially have to link back to photo agencies, covered in ads, as my sources or else I'll get cease-and-desist orders. Most of the agencies don't require written permission for their images because it's widely known they just want a link back because the agencies know that blogs give them the publicity they want. But you pretty much can't go anywhere online that isn't covered in ads in some sort.

  15. drmike
    Member

    Didn't Dr. Mike ask everyone just yesterday to keep policy out of the forum?

    Yup.

    Guys, seriously. This is a support forum, not a policy forum. We're not going to change policy here and it's really begining to seem like some folks are really going out of their way to pick "fights" here.

    We don't know what the conditions are for staff to label a blog as mature. They haven't told us that since it would be tempting to game the system. All the mature tag does is remove you from the tag system. A system where a few months ago many of us were moaning about stealing folks away. That's it and the Next blog link system thingie. It's still being indexed by the search engines, the pings are still being sent out to Technorati, (Well, on good days they are) etc.

    Matt has stated that the Mature system is marked for being looked over sometime soon. He stated that in a comment to one of those links we got for that ladies blog.

    If you have an issue with being mature, best bet would be to send in a feedback and ask why. If you're discussing mature topics than I would think you would welcome such a protection.

    Please remember that wp.com isn't your system, it's Automattic. You all agreed to obey the ToS when you signed up. If this was a spam blog or somesuch, none of us would be having this much of an issue. It's not a freedom of speech issue like some folks think it is. It's a matter of following the ToS and the rules set out by Automattic.

    If it's that much of a deal that you have such an issue over the subject, grab the software from wp.org and go find a host. I host myself many blogs that I would label as mature on my own hosting. I'm sure you would find a host that you would like without issue.

    Now having said that, there is a bigger issue that we seem to have skipped over. How to determine if one has their blog set to being a mature blog. I would hate to see Mark and crew get flooded with requests about this flag. (I know I sent one in recently myself) I would like to see a label or even a flag with a link attached to the list of blog displayed when one is signed in on hte wp.com home page. Do it for the mature flag, the not indexed by search engines, the private blog setting, and whatever the other one is that I can't think of right off. I think that would solve a lot of the concern at least if not the issue.

    Let's just move on.
    -drmike

  16. drmike
    Member

    And if staff sees this, I would really like the use of the Close Topic back again. Removing a closed thread from public view is a bad idea. That's what the Delete Entire Topic option is for.

    See? Even i have issues with Policy around here. ;)

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