New Site Policies - Please Read

Abstract
Our use of Google's AdSense requires our agreement to and adherence of its Terms of Use. Any content that threatens to violate these terms will be removed, and persistent violations may result in the limiting or removal of access to the site, or its features.

Full Body
On April 19th, Google's AdSense informed us of their decision to temporarily suspend ad services to our site for violations of its Terms of Use. The notice specifically cited the Checkerboard thread that contained innumerous pictures of beautiful, though scantily-clad women in "sexually suggestive" poses (I am certain you all saw it....most several times...a day). Fortunately, the ban was only temporary, and didn't rise to the level of either permanent banishment or a de-indexing of the site, itself (essentially, making your site disappear from Google's search index). In the intervening months, we have been engaged in an entirely constructive dialogue with Google, in hopes of both having the ban lifted, and to better understand how best to prevent any future recurrences of the same, or different, violations of their Terms of Use. While the process has culminated in the removal or our ban and the successful restoration of ads to the site, it was a lengthy and tedious one, to say the very least, and one which I don't intend or prefer to endure, again.

To be sure, I am in complete agreement with anyone who doesn't want us to engage in the heavy-handed, hidden and largely unnecessary censorship of TOOS and elsewhere, and who appreciates the beauty of the female form. The good news is that Google largely agrees with us, and neither requires the former, nor prohibits the latter, within reason and the confines of their Terms of Use, which states:

Sites with Google ads may not include or link to:

• Pornography, adult or mature content
• Violent content
• Content related to racial intolerance or advocacy against any individual, group or organisation
• Excessive profanity
• Hacking/cracking content
• Gambling or casino-related content
• Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content
• Sales of beer or hard alcohol
• Sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products
• Sales of prescription drugs
• Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)
• Sales of products that are replicas or imitations of designer or other goods
• Sales or distribution of coursework or student essays
• Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites or reading emails
• Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others

Link: AdSense program policies - AdSense Help


Now, can an entirely valid argument be made that Google's Terms of Use is too restrictive and broadly defined? Absolutely, and Google would agree as much (trust us, we posed them). However, the unwavering reality remains that those are the Terms of Service which they have set forth, and those which we must agree to abide by as members of their AdSense program.

While we are neither in danger of being underfunded, nor do we envision the site to be a money-making enterprise, the ads are helpful in covering some portion of the cost of the site's on-going maintenance and continued promotion. And as we grow, so too will those costs continue to rise. While the site will never be more than a labor of love and a source of entertainment (though distinctly pleasurable) for us, some coin to offset those costs wouldn't hurt, considering the relatively small and largely innocuous changes it requires.

It is for these reasons, and more, that I decided to make these changes - truly believing them to be in the overall best interests of the site and its members, in both the short and long-term, and to most greatly ensure for its future success. I made the call, and as such, am fully and solely responsible for all that ensues, however calamitous, unforseen or unintentional.

I will be happy to answer any question(s) you have, or to respond to any concerns which you may hold, either publicly or privately, with both transparency and candor, with no offense or slight taken for any, and without exception.

In the meantime, here are some common questions which you likely have:


Do these new policies apply to every aspect of the site?
Yes, everywhere, without exception. That includes not only the obvious things like posts and threads, but also avatars, signatures, pictures, links, profiles, media, the live game-day chat, blogs, articles, and anything else that is a part of or pertaining to the 8th Maxim.

Does this mean we can't curse?
No. It means that you cannot excessively curse, or be vulgar in its use. What's excessive? Well, excessive means: "More than is necessary, normal, or desirable; immoderate." What is vulgar? It means, "Making explicit and offensive reference to sex or bodily functions". If you've been a frequent member of the board, you'll notice that there hasn't been a lot of this going on in the past, even before these changes, as our members neither "excessively curse" nor are vulgar, by nature (and maturity?).

Are some words going to be automatically prohibited, at the system level?
Yes. There will be some words that will automatically be replaced with "*" by the system when attempted to be posted. You can imagine what those uniquely vulgar / offensive words would be, I am sure.

Does this mean that we cannot post pics / have avatars of nude wo/men? Use sexually suggestive language? Post links to porn site? Try to sell off-brand cigarettes? Or anything else included in the Google Terms of Use (partially quoted, above)?
Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. All of these would be violations of Google's Terms of Use and would be prohibited things to post / display.

Does this mean that we cannot post pics / have avatars of scantily-clad (i.e. bikini, lingerie, etc.) wo/men?
Depends. While a picture of a person who is merely wearing a bathing suit / bikini is fine in most cases, one which is "sexually suggestive" is not.

What defines what is "sexually suggestive"?
Google doesn't really define it, but for the purposes of this site, the Admins and Mods will be the sole determinant as to what is/not "sexually suggestive", and will work to correct it, wherever it occurs. As the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said, regarding the characterization of pornography, "I know it when I see it.", and I have unwavering confidence in their ability to do the same.

How will I know if I post / link / say something that is believed to run afoul of these policies?
We'll either ask you to change it, beforehand, or tell you that we have changed / removed it, after the fact, depending upon how egregious it is. But in any event, you'll know why it was changed / removed, and who did it, if not by the Admin / Mod at the time, then ask me, and I'll tell you.

What if I disagree with the change / removal?
Feel free to make your concerns known. Just know that the determination of the Admin / Mods is final, and that while they may even agree with you (if only partially), they are going to err on the side of caution, and in all cases.

What if a member consistently posts material deemed to be in violation of these new policies?
We'll ask that you stop, and will trust that you will do so. Failing that, we'll assume that you're intentionally trolling, and will seek to remove whatever accesses as can be reasonably employed to both give you pause, or to prevent its recurrence.

Does this mean that you're going to ban people?
Yes, if all lesser means have failed or could not be reasonably employed, but that's entirely up to you, the member, insofar as how you respond or persist in regards to abiding by the Terms of Use, and our suggestions / requests / warnings to avoid their violation.

So Admins / Mods are going to run around harassing everyone now?
Without exception, the censoring or banishment of a member is something that runs counter to the personalities, beliefs and preferences of all Admins / Mods (recall, it was the moderation of TOOS which lead us to start this site), and is not something that we will seek or wish to enforce. Instead, we will simply try to act when forced to do so, and with the least intrusive means possible, taking into full consideration the unique aspects of each situation and instance.

But I still want a place to go where "anything goes", without restraint.
We're currently looking at a means to structure a private area of the site where no Google ads would be shown, and such might be possible. Our early findings suggest that a private forum might best allow for this, albeit one that requires a nominal (gasp!) fee. We'll soon have more on this, but for now, if your participation on this site is predicated upon seeing nude women and using vulgar language, alone, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of both what we're about, and the internet, in general.

 

And so it begins............next thing you know we'll have mods with orange-painted water-towers.

 

****
Shit
****
Ass
[itch bay]
*****
***s
****

 

For those scoring at home -

The d-word, f-bomb, another word for a cat, three letter word for breasts, and the nickname for richard are blocked.

 

Off to a good start.

 

I wonder what **** Huffman thinks about this.

 

My question is why S E X out of ***ually and G O D S is blocked?

 

What about bullshit?

 

I wonder if another website turned us in for violations of terms...?

 

direct insult to IP IMO

 

What about [ock sucker cay]?

Ha, but you can't say ****sucker

 

sexually

*temporarily allowed, until otherwise denied.

 

I assumed that IP was on the committee that came up with the list of words and requested ***s be on the list.

 

At least you can still say Walt here.

 

Until he files a lawsuit

 

God is temporarily fixed.* I also learned a new word from Google's banned list.

*awkward statement.

 

would be true if there was no s. banning gods is a direct insult to IP's pagan beliefs.

 

This is a list of banned words. So don't use these words and you are fine.

******** ******* **** *** ******** ********** **** **** **** ***** **** *** ***got ******* ******** ******** **** *********** ***** ****** God**** **** ***** **** ****** ***** ***** **** ***** **** ***** ***** *** ****** *** ***ties **** ****** **** ***

*my jokes are dumb

 

Loss of innocence.

 

made me laugh