AUP Update - January 19, 2012

[dmf]

What about my gallery's (dmf) sprite-based tiling background wallpapers? And I've been designing structures in Google SketchUp and in Minecraft - can I upload pictures (or collages) of those? And what about Miis? I don't want to upload a photograph of myself, but can't I upload a Mii resemblance instead?

[Rukh_Whitefang]

You know, the flip flopping on some of the things is really starting to bug me. First, back before last November car photos were considered art on the site. Then the AUP was changed and they were disallowed. Forcing all the car groups to pure their gallery's. Then the last AUP made car photos allowable. Now, we get to the latest AUP and yet again its flipped flopped to banning car photos. I am sick of this. Enough is enough. This constant flip flopping is pissing of large groups of people on the site.

[Kinmotsu7]

While there are some people who are undoubtedly trying to skirt around the rules and post "kiddie porn", others are worried that the vagueness of some of the rules may put their stuff in the "questionable" category and be removed even though it's not a prepubescent or minor in the artist's eyes. The latter artists are trying to get clarification of what could be counted as "questionable" in order to avoid or to make exceptions for their work. Simply saying that they're wanting to post "kiddie porn" is calling for drama from the latter artists.

YES ^This^ Thank you!

I'm sorry that happened to you, but being insulting isn't helpful.
The fact of the matter is It is not based on law. What matters is the payment providers and their views. In those cases it doesn't have to be nearly indistiguishable from human, it just has to be human enough to look like it is a child. The sonic characters do look anthro enough to be an issue.
Sonic is admittedly an incredibly difficult case. Most of the characters are underage in the canon, and the style doesn't lend itself well to aging. There are going to be some tough styles to deal with, but furaffinity does not have the option to scrap the rule.
I can't say much about your picture because I haven't seen it. I understand it is frustrating, but this is a rule that exists via necessity and the standards we must meet to keep the payment processors are vague as well. If it looks like a child (human or not) it is a problem, and that's an issue due to outside perspective on fandom pornography.

I already understand FA's policy is based on payment providers rather than law. If you think I didn't know, either I strayed too far off on a tangent or you misunderstood me. But let's get down to brass tacks.

Just as Kindragon pointed out, I'm simply confused. I can't read your minds. I draw short/small characters in adult situations on a regular basis. That's just my style; I like the proportions. Think of it much as an attraction to real human dwarfs (which I do actually like). It has nothing to do with age. In fact, I actually prefer the characters to be adult, because kids don't have the level of maturity I can relate to. Similarly most of the characters I draw are actually either adult or of completely indeterminate age.

How am I supposed to know what you decide to be adult or child? It's like walking into a store to buy liquor and having the guy judge how old I am based on my appearance without looking at my ID that I'm sticking in his face. The Sonic characters always struck me as a style rather than an age, and furthermore I thought adult art of Sonic characters was allowed here, but I guess I heard wrong. If it's such a problem, why don't you just put it in the AUP?

And Mali-Kyte, If I really was here to "post kiddie porn", I wouldn't even be having discussion, because I would just leave. I left y!Gallery when they started deleting my anthro/non-human art. I said, "Yep, my art is mostly non-human. I'm leaving." I left deviantART because I draw adult art all the time. You get the point. Besides, I know you are into bestiality because all your characters have dog heads. See? Don't you love how sweeping generalizations work? (Because I can tell you aren't very bright, I'll save you the time of writing a angry reply and tell you I was simply being satirical. I know you're not really into bestiality. Well, maybe you are, but it's none of my business.)

Bottom-line: I'd like some guideline in AUP to help me determine what you feel distinguishes a naturally small species/character from something that "looks underage". I need this because I rarely judge age of fantasy characters based on physical appearance alone, and rightfully so.

[foxfoxplz]

(...)I posted porn of a Sonic-styled furry character,(...)

This is exactly the point several artists here are buzzing about. People need to post their concerns about this now if they want them to be heard. It seems unlikely to matter though, but I'll get into that later.

(...)and one of the mods deleted it because it "looks underage"(...)

This is exactly the expected problem.

(...)porn of a furry character that looks like it's from Sonic the Hedgehog, how in God's name is anybody going to mistake that for a human child?

Fay V: "It is not based on law. What matters is the payment providers and their views."


Well obviously the site needs to appease the payment providers. What Kinmotsu7's statements bring to light is the concern that some artists feel they aren't getting a fair shake which is obvious enough if you know where to look and who to ask. What this means is that the managers here have done their job, know the law, and probably have the confidence to explain said law to concerned payment providers, but that doesn't matter at all you see. It seems that it is very likely this rule is the cause of the payment providers expressing their dislike of some of the art on here. So in the end you can't blame the managers as they are just the middleman doing their job to run the site you use, and you can't blame the payment providers because they are the money supply that keeps the site up and running fast which you are using.



I think, honestly, because of certain parts of this issue... namely the ill informed controversy over the law and what is "child porn", the fact that most people are ashamed to stand up for arousing artwork the same way they will for other expressive art, and finally the fact that the buck stops where the payment providers say it will all make it an impossibility to get this rule changed. Add in that FA has become big enough now to where they can cull this part of their population slowly and you can poke a fork in this issue it is so done...

They won't get rid of all the objectionable artwork at once. They will do it incrementally piece by piece starting with new less popular artworks, and so there will not be a big stir. Each time it is done, a few more of these artists FA doesn't need will leave or become inactive. Up until the point where they can mostly remove/ignore the once popular artworks as none of the community that used to represent that area remains as they have all moved elsewhere.

And again, like I was trying to point out earlier, if you are a really popular artist your art on here will barely be touched since it attracts people to the site and thus makes money to keep the site running. It is just simple logic from start to finish.


The moderators here are really good at their job; And most clearly do the best they can for the site. But I'd like to make special note that Kinmotsu7 didn't mean any insult with his statements. You should welcome criticism of your moderation as it often points to problems and concerns that will help you to do a better job. Especially when criticism comes that moderators perhaps made a mistake. And that can happen all the time, after all we are all just human... er well some folks here would argue that, but LOL you get my point right!

The question I guess you have to ask yourself is "Am I going to leave the site over this?". I left DA over the way the management and Lolly poorly handled the issue of porn and mature ratings. After a few years I decided to check on DA again because my GF was using it at the time. Eventually DA had gone with the popular idea that several others and myself had argued for that allowed the artist to specify the rating for their own work rather than ban mature/semi-porn outright or have it go through the process of being approved by an admin, and Lolly had "left" his admin position. Though I feel pornography should have gotten it's own section on the site, these changes that occurred were enough to make it attractive to me again, and so I came back. I must say I much admire FA's policy to allow mature/pornographic artworks such as it does, but I am also at odds when a specific group isn't getting a fair shake in the processes.

[Deltaru]

So again I ask you "happy to help admins", is anything going to be done with this "featured submission" or similar (pokemon/MLP/digimon) mature artwork (NSFW) http://www.furaffinity.net/user/fisk/ ... or would you simply say it is definitely trotting the fine line?

I don't really see the problem with that specific image. Given most people of legal age seem to be looking younger and younger these days, it's much harder to just go "yup, that has to be underage." However, given the girl in that pic looks older than many girls here (where I am, in the UK) who are in their early 20's, then it looks fine. Admins might say different, but that would be based on their judgement. Given Fisk/Jay Naylor is a fairly well known artist in the fandom (not just on FA), if the Admins thought the pic involved a minor, or in any other way clashed with the AUP, that pic would have been sorted out already.

[kaive]

Under "Animation and Video", there's a small typo:"drawn or rendered must adhere content adheres to all other policies in the AUP"Sorry if someone else already pointed it out. Just wanted to make sure.

[cassandrarising]

Since my original post has been ignored; I'm going to ask the same question again...


Would it be possible for you to bold the sections of the AUP that're changed, for the benefit of colourblind users, please?


It's almost impossible for me to see red text against black text because the font is so weedy/thin :/

For the benefit of colourblind users

REVISIONS to this AUP draft are highlighted in BOLD.

Another round of AUP updates! In this edition of the AUP, we have relaxed some restrictions on some existing rules. The main purpose of this AUP update was for clarity purposes - to make the AUP easier to read and digest. I contacted about 60-70 people at random when drafting this policy, and did some extensive feedback when drafting this AUP. Many of the changes have come from fellow users to help improve clarity and/or better word our policies. I asked the users what they felt didn't make sense, wasn't clear or could be written better.

Brief run-down of changes:
Redundancy Redundancy - Reduced redundancy where possible (e.g. removed two "Standards of Quality", one by itself, one from photos) and improved wording and clarity and many other policies.
Added - Video section (users can now post a 'placeholder' image and link to offsite content so long as the material adheres to FA rules)
Added - "Blank/Text Based Visual Submissions" policy to help reduce spam.
Revised - Pretty much re-wrote the Flooding policy. It was somewhat unneccesary as it was previously written.
Revised - Clothing section. Should be more clear and to the point regarding what's allowed/not allowed.
Revised - Screenshot and Generator sections was almost entirely re-written.
Revised - Revised 3D/Retexturing section in an attempt to make it more clear.
Revised - Memes and Photo Edits was re-written to be more clear as to what they cover.
Revisied - "Video" has now become "Animation and Video", and has been completely re-written.
================================================== ====

Acceptable Upload Policy

Last Update: January 19, 2012

The By You/For You Policy

1) By You:
"By You" refers to original content created by the poster. If you created it, you may post it, so long as it adheres to all other requirements of the AUP and is done so in full understanding of the Submission Agreement (SA). Joint works or collaborative efforts must cite all contributors. Derivative work must cite the original source and provide due credit.
2) For You:
"For You" permits users to repost work created exclusively for them ONLY when the original artist has granted permission to do so. Credit must be attributed to the original artist(s). The original artist reserves rights to revoke permission at any time or any reason.

Tracing and Plagiarism

FA respects the work of artists and content creators. Tracing and plagiarism are not permitted on FA, and images confirmed to be traced or plagiarized will be removed from the site without warning. First offenders will receive a one time warning, in addition to a suspension and a potential gallery wipe. A second offense will result in a permanent suspension.

Image Rating
All images must be rated and categorized appropriately based on content.
General - Suitable for all ages.
Mature - Offensive content or mature themes. Mature work may involve or depict nudity in an artistic, non-sexual manner, blood and/or violence or non-explicit sexual themes.
Adult - Explicit sexual themes or adult content.

Keywords
Keywords are used to define images as they appear in FA's search engine. Abuse of the keyword system, such as the use of misleading or false keywords, is not permitted. Users found routinely abusing keywords may have keywords removed from their submissions. Subsequent violations will include either the removal of offending submissions, removal of the user's images from search results, or both.

The Scraps Folder
The "Scraps" folder exists to provide users a place to store images that are in progress, are unfinished, or that the user feels are not "gallery-worthy". It IS NOT for images which violate the AUP, and submissions in the Scraps folder must abide by all AUP restrictions.

Standards of Quality
FA does not judge submissions based on artistic merit. However, we do have baseline quality guidelines to help improve the overall acceptability of images on the site. We do not permit images or photographs which are out of focus, grainy, blurry, skewed (e.g. rotated 90 degrees), washed-out, poorly lit or otherwise hard to see. Exceptions are made on case-by-case basis wherein certain effects and techniques are deemed to be used with artistic merit (e.g. simulating aged photography, exposure).

Images which contain rapidly flashing color or animation will be removed.

Thumbnails
Thumbnails must reflect the images they represent, and may not intentionally mislead users. Thumbnails may not contain imagery from artists other than the poster, unless the submissions are stories, poetry, and/or music, and only with the following restrictions: (1) the user has requested and obtained permission from the source, or (2) the source is in the public domain.

Harassment
Submissions intended to harass, slander, or otherwise disrupt other users' usage of the site will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, content which is racist, bigoted, or otherwise offensive towards any particular sexuality, philosophy, or religion. Submissions in which a user's character(s) are used without their permission may be viewed as harassment, and will be handled on an individual basis.

Flooding
Flooding is not permitted on FA. Users are free to upload as much content as they want to the site so long as the material uploaded is original, unique content, and adheres to all rules outlined by the site. No more than three (3) variations of the same image or object may be uploaded. We encourage users to compile multiple images/photos into a collage when possible.

Minors in Sexual Situations
FA does not permit any material involving minors (real or otherwise) under the legal age (18 involved in mature situations. Submissions containing minors must be suitable for all ages, and they must be correctly rated as General. This applies to humans (Loli, Shota) and anthropomorphic characters alike. Submissions containing characters of questionable or indeterminable age will be up to the discretion of the administration.

Photography
Photography is a valued form of artistic expression and is welcomed on FA provided it adheres to the following criteria:

Content
Photographic work must be suitable for all ages, and submissions may not be rated higher than General. Photography involving mature or adult situations or illicit activity are not allowed. This includes images containing nudity, sex toys, sexually modified plushies or fursuits (where modifications are visible or obvious), gore (blood, wounds, death) or alluding to illegal activity. Uploading adult or pornographic photography may result in an automatic suspension.

Animal/Pet Photos - Animal/pet photographs may not contain sexually graphic or suggestive content. Images of pets feeding or otherwise preying upon other animals (live or dead) are prohibited.

Manufactured/Collected Items - Photographs of mass manufactured/commercially available items (which you have not personally developed or created) are not permitted. Items of such nature should be uploaded to the appropriate service (such as Photobucket). This policy includes items such as DVDs, games, toys, guns/weapons, cars, computers, plush/inflatable animals or objects, posters, etc.

Exceptions are made for items which are staged in an artistic, dynamic setting. Such images MUST showcase the photographer's artistic skill, not merely showcase collected items. You may post photographs of commissioned items, or custom paint jobs (model kits, figurines, etc) so long as the title and/or description credits the artist/creator. You may also post pictures of items that are modified and customized to the point of being unique, provided significant work is done to separate them from the original design. In addition, users must link back to a photo of the original design to highlight changes.

Clothing - All models featured in photography must be appropriately dressed, wearing both top and bottom garments. Underwear, bras or diapers are not considered acceptable articles of clothing. Clothing designed for explicit or implicit sexual themes are prohibited. Costumes, props, masks, jewellery and other worn items are permitted provided they meet the site's General rating (are work safe, rated for all users/ages).

Sculpture - Sculptures (papier-mâché, clay, sculpey, etc.) and other 3D physical media are permitted provided they meet the general criteria allowed for drawn images. Sculptures may contain mature and adult content in the context of a figure or scene (provided they are submitted with proper image rating and keywords), however sculptures solely of genitalia are not allowed.

Self Portraits - Self portraits photographs are allowed provided they meet quality, photo dump/similar content and artistic merit standards. No more than three self portraits are permitted in a single gallery. Photographs that focus solely on a person's random body parts (hands, feet, etc.) do not count as personal photos and are prohibited from upload.

Conventions & Fursuits - Images of conventions and/or fursuits are allowed provided they meet quality, photo dump/similar content, and artistic merit standards.

Minors - Images of minors under the age of 13 may NOT be uploaded unless A) the minor is in the background or is part of a group taken in a public location (and the minor may NOT be the sole focus of the image) or B) the image is posted by the subject's parent/guardian. Users that are 13 to 18 years of age are considered their own guardians for the sake of posting photographs of themselves as minors.

Taxidermy - Taxidermy is permitted as long as respect is shown to the creatures involved. Images may not contain blood, gore, or signs of pain and/or trauma.

Food - Photos of food may only be uploaded if A) all elements of the culinary piece are created by the user, B) the submission abides by the Standards of Quality and Flooding rules, and C) both the culinary creation and photograph exhibit artistic merit. Photos of purchased or common food (candy, sandwiches, drinks, etc) are not permitted. Only dishes that showcase the uploader's culinary skill will be allowed.

Screenshots, Screencaptures and Image Generators

Screenshots - Screenshots (websites, desktops, applications, games or film) are not permitted unless the poster has designed the screenshot’s content completely. Any screenshots must be complete, original designs and may use no copyrighted material. Further, the screenshot must not include portions of the computer or browser interface.

Image & Character Generators - Submissions created using content generators are prohibited. This includes character creators (in-game character creators, Flash builders) or template/interface generators (error message spoofs, de/motivational posters, card game templates).

Fractals & Terrain Generators - Fractals and generated terrain are permitted provided they comply with the Flooding policy. Terrains created using in-game level editors are prohibited.
Sprites - Sprites ripped from games (incl. modified/edited sprites) are prohibited unless they are uploaded as part of a comic (see the Comics policy).

3D Modelling & Texturing
User-created original 3D models are permitted with no limitations.

Re-textured Models
Users may submit re-textured models provided that the base model is not "stock" (packaged with an editing suite or game). These types of uploads must meet the following requirements:

Focus: The submission's primary purpose MUST be to showcase the uploader's work. Submissions which focus on work not done by the uploader may be removed. Models which have been customized from the original source are only permitted provided significant work is done to separate them from the original design. In addition, users must link back to the original design to highlight changes.

Presentation: If the submission is a screenshot from within a 3D editing suite or program such as Second Life, no part of the program's interface may be visible. Models may not be presented in their default pose (e.g. the "T-pose") unless presented as a character reference/design sheet.

Background: The background of the submission MUST be blank/nondescript or an original design of the uploader's own creation.

Description: The submission's description MUST include credit to the original creators of all content not made by the uploader, as well as a summary of the work the uploader did to customize the model.

Memes and Photo Edits
Memes are permitted provided the meme contains complete, original content (artwork, text, photography). "Add your own caption", "fill in the blank" or memes requiring copy/pasting of pre-existing work are prohibited, and will be removed. For the purpose of memes, stick figures are not considered "original content".

Further, photo edits or modifications of pre-existing images (cut-and-pastes, re-colorizations, etc.) are not permitted.

Blank/Text Based Visual Submissions
Submissions containing basic text or are otherwise void of visual content will be removed. Text should be submit as writing. Exceptions are currently made for people linking to streaming sites until the site can provide a proper solution to those needs.

Comics
Comic image submissions may contain generated art (screenshots, sprites) provided they contain story-driven elements and are presented in a comic-strip- or comic-book-like multi-panel format (otherwise distinguishing them apart from regular screenshots).

Animation & Video
FA does not permit live-action video to be uploaded to the site. We encourage users to seek alternative sites (such as YouTube) to fulfill those needs. Users may, however, upload still shots of their video as a submission and link to their off-site footage in the description provided the still imagery adheres to all guidelines set forth by the AUP.

Animated .gif or .png photo sequences, 2D/3D rendered or Flash animation may be uploaded provided that the submissions are comprised of user created material, and any photographic, drawn or rendered must adhere content adheres to all other policies in the AUP. Any live action shot within animation must follow the guidelines set forth in the photography section.

Music and Audio
Users may post music/audio provided that the following criteria are met:

Audio Quality
Audio should be clear with normalized audio levels. Aggressively loud, high-pitched or distorted audio may be removed.

Content
Commercial Content - Commercial audio tracks may not be uploaded to the site unless the uploading user is the copyright holder and is the original performing artist.

Covers and Voice Overs - Cover versions of other recording artists' songs are allowed provided the instrumentation, vocals, etc. are performed/recorded by the uploader or a ensemble to which the uploader belongs. Voice overs/audio tracks are permitted provided the music portion is A) public domain or B) intended for voice over/vocal work (e.g. Karaoke mixes).

Adult Content - Uploads may not contain realistic depictions of sex or obscene audio (vomiting, bowel movements, etc.) unless it is part of a narrative or song.

Remixes - Remixes must contain significant work to distinguish themselves from the original content. "Significant work" is determined by the proximity to the original song (e.g. changing equalization/pitch or applying DJ-style effects is NOT considered "significant work"). The work must strive to create something new and original. The uploader must give due credit to the original creators of any non-original songs or samples used.

Mashups - Mashups, mixes, mixtapes, live sets, and other audio that does not contain significant editing by the user are not permitted. Mashups containing significant editing and post-production work may be deemed a "remix" at the discretion of Fur Affinity and are therefore subject to the AUP's Remixes Policy. This decision is at the sole discretion of FA and its moderators.

Samples & Soundbites - Portions of copyrighted material of any length may not be used without significant post-production editing, as determined by FA and its moderators.

Audio in Animation - Commercial audio may be used in animation provided the audio compliments the work. Animation which uses simple, basic animation/loops or slideshows may not use commercial audio in such a way

[Kindragon]

I have some questions regarding screenshots and 3D modelling programs (Second Life, etc), and would also like to make some suggestions regarding the AUP's phrasing. I edited the quote by adding reference points to make it easier to reference specific rules for my questions.

(1) Screenshots, Screencaptures and Image Generators

(a) Screenshots

(i) Screenshots (websites, desktops, applications, games or film) are not permitted unless the poster has designed the screenshot’s content completely.

(ii) Any screenshots must be complete, original designs and may use no copyrighted material.

(iii) Further, the screenshot must not include portions of the computer or browser interface.

(b) Sprites

(i) Sprites ripped from games (incl. modified/edited sprites) are prohibited unless they are uploaded as part of a comic (see the Comics policy).

(2) Comics

(a) Comic image submissions may contain generated art (screenshots, sprites) provided they contain story-driven elements and are presented in a comic-strip- or comic-book-like multi-panel format (otherwise distinguishing them apart from regular screenshots).

(3) 3D Modelling & Texturing

(a) User-created original 3D models are permitted with no limitations.

(b) Re-textured Models - Users may submit retextured models (via Poser, Second Life or other 3D programs) provided that the base model is not "stock" (e.g. is packaged with an editing suite or game) and that the submission meets the following requirements:

(i) Focus: The submission's primary purpose MUST be to showcase the uploader's work. Submissions which focus on work not done by the uploader may be removed. Models which have been customized from the original source are only permitted provided significant work is done to separate them from the original design. In addition, users must link back to the original design to highlight changes.

(ii) Presentation: If the submission is a screenshot from within a 3D editing suite or program (such as Second Life) no part of the program's interface may be visible. Models may not be presented in their default pose (e.g. the "T-pose") unless presented as a character reference/design sheet.

(iii) Background: The background of the submission MUST be blank/nondescript or an original design of the uploader's own creation.

(iv) Description: The submission's description MUST include credit to the original creators of all content not made by the uploader, as well as a summary of the work the uploader did to customize the model. Users sh

Do screenshots from 3D modelling programs (Second Life, Poser, Blender, etc.) fall under the Screenshot rule (1.a)? My other questions will assume that they do, but still better to make certain and ask.

The rule about sprites (1.b) seems to also allow exceptions for 3D models used in comic style submissions based on how it's been enforced on the site. Can we have the AUP clarified under the 3D modelling rules that explain that non-user created models are permitted if they meet the comic rule (2.a) requirements?

The 3D modelling rule regarding user-created models (3.a) states they are permitted with "no limitations". I believe this may need to be clarified, because if screenshots of 3D models fall under the screenshot rule (1.a), some of the rules for re-textured models (example: 3.b.ii), or other rules in the AUP (example: "Flooding"), then user-created 3D models really aren't permitted with no limitations; just fewer than re-textured or modified models.

Could we change the title of 3.b ("Re-textured Models") to "Re-textured/Modified Models"? This rule seems to apply to more than just re-textured models, so it may be good to clarify what this section applies towards.

The sentence, "In addition, users must link back to the original design to highlight changes." found under 3.b.i seems to be a requirement that the user add something to the description of the submission, so would that be better placed under 3.b.iv ("Description")?

Does rule 3.b.ii only apply to re-textured/modified models? If screenshots of 3D models fall under the screenshot rule (1.a) then the requirement for removing the UI is already be stated under 1.a.iii.

Does the rule about default poses (3.b.ii) apply to works in progress and/or user-created 3D models? Or just re-textured/modified models?

The rule regarding backgrounds (3.b.ii) seems to be more of a clarification of screenshot rules 1.a.i and 1.a.ii explaining that even the background must be user created, with the exception of blank or non-descript backgrounds. This seems redundant if screenshots of 3D models are already covered by the screenshot rules.

Also, the rule regarding backgrounds (3.b.ii) is placed under the "Re-textured Models" rule. Does this not apply to screenshots of user-created 3D models?

The rule regarding what's required in the description for re-textured/modified models (3.b.iv) has a sentence cut off in the AUP: "Users sh". Can we clarify if there was something additional to this rule that was accidentally removed?

[redtail]

We're not the Discovery channel, much for the same reason we wouldn't let Bear Grylls post a video of him doing the same if he was a member.

Furaffinity won't let me post pictures of me taking down a bison with my bare hands.

Better drink my own piss.

[quoting_mungo]

So, apparently the keyword policy needs some clarification as well, as to what kind of keywords are acceptable/expected for what type of submissions. In general, what is acceptable conduct both in regards to tagging and to ratings when dealing with works spanning more than one submission (such as comic pages) would do well to be explicitly touched on.

[Kindragon]

So, apparently the keyword policy needs some clarification as well, as to what kind of keywords are acceptable/expected for what type of submissions. In general, what is acceptable conduct both in regards to tagging and to ratings when dealing with works spanning more than one submission (such as comic pages) would do well to be explicitly touched on.

Considering the rule's phrasing:

Keywords

Keywords are used to define images as they appear in Fur Affinity's search engine. Abuse of the keyword system, such as the use of misleading keywords, is not permitted. Users found routinely abusing keywords may have keywords removed from their submissions. Subsequent violations will include either the removal of offending submissions, removal of the user's images from search results, or both.

It sounds like the use of keywords is mostly up to the person uploading the submission. The only provision is not to use misleading keywords to "trick" people into retrieving the submission through a search by keyword (e.g. "@keyword straight") only to find it's not related to the keyword (e.g. adding the keyword "straight" to a picture of two guys boinking.)

[monikker]

Clothing - All models featured in photography must be appropriately dressed, wearing both top and bottom garments.

All models, both top and bottom garments? So... a shirtless male is prohibited?

[voyager640]

• Food - Photos of food may only be uploaded if A) all elements of the culinary piece are created by the user, B) the submission abides by the Standards of Quality and Flooding rules, and C) both the culinary creation and photograph exhibit artistic merit. Photos of purchased or common food (candy, sandwiches, drinks, etc) are not permitted. Only dishes that showcase the uploader's culinary skill will be allowed.

I'm curious if the admins have ever had to veto a picture based on it lacking culinary skill. Or is a piece that lacks culinary skill acceptable as long as it's noteworthily bad skill? I mean, for me it's an accomplishment just to, say, make a pizza from dough... if I burnt it in a particularly interesting way, would this be acceptable for posting?

[quoting_mungo]

It sounds like the use of keywords is mostly up to the person uploading the submission. The only provision is not to use misleading keywords to "trick" people into retrieving the submission through a search by keyword (e.g. "@keyword straight") only to find it's not related to the keyword (e.g. adding the keyword "straight" to a picture of two guys boinking.)

And I'm saying whatever internal policy they have regarding what constitutes misleading keywords needs to be explicitly codified for sequential works. I'm not asking for clarification as such, but for the policy to be worded in a way that actually reflects the way it is enforced. Which, spoiler, it doesn't at present.

[Kindragon]

And I'm saying whatever internal policy they have regarding what constitutes misleading keywords needs to be explicitly codified for sequential works. I'm not asking for clarification as such, but for the policy to be worded in a way that actually reflects the way it is enforced. Which, spoiler, it doesn't at present.

You may wish to provide some examples to clarify what situations you're wanting covered by the rules.

In regards to ratings would this be an accurate situation you'd like clarified?

1. You have a 10 page comic. Pages 1-3 and page 10 are "clean" and could be counted as general submissions since they are mostly dialogue.
2. Pages 4-6 includes roughly PG-13 (e.g. "side-boob") images, and thus would probably fall under the "moderate" rating.
3. Pages 7-9 contain graphic sex and most definitely should be under the "adult" rating.

Should the submissions be all rated "adult" since they are all a part of a single "comic"? Or should each page be rated individually by each page's individual merits? The former could be an issue if it's a comic strip or something similar where the author may not know what rating which direction the series will end up going in the end. The latter could end up allowing people (e.g. "a minor") to see some pages but then see skips in page numbers (e.g. the minor reads pages 1-3, but then suddenly they're on page 10, missing everything in between).

Is this a good example of a situation you'd like clarified?

[quoting_mungo]

Is this a good example of a situation you'd like clarified?

That's more or less the gist of it - I've prior to this last change/clarification rated clean pages in scenes in an ongoing comic I work on that also contain adult material as mature, in the interest of making the clean pages not be confusing because e.g. parts of a conversation are missing. My motivation has been to make the comic read smoothly to "clean" readers as well as readers who have adult art enabled. I would like to know if I can continue to do so.

It's even more of an issue for some artists I watch who do shorter comics that are focused on porn and only have 1-2 clean pages at the start of a 10-20 page sequence.

Obviously forcing artists to rate an entire work as adult because there's one or two adult pages would be silly and I've seen no indication that such would be the behind-the-scenes policy, but the current policy looks primarily written for stand-alone submissions and does not address whether choosing a higher rating for cohesion is permissible.

[dmf]

I have to agree with Monikker - not only is a shirtless male not all that remarkable, but some guys normally go shirtless whenever possible.

[Ramziel]

couldn't control myself for not getting in the discution a little, I dun usually go and talk on forums, but this is to much <.<

well.....yah, I agree with you dmf, but some things are just impossible, for example, what if you want to take a picture at the beach the beautifull sunset, the perfect beach, etc....and then you realize there are alot of people in their swimsuits o.o, even at that hour....-_-
and plus what can you do, wear clothes on the beach, while you go in the water.....o.o, that's kind of dumb....

now...what if the image posted on FA or drawing is posted on another site, by the same person...then you have to go and check to see if that person didn't downloaded the pic <.<

Quote : "(i) Screenshots (websites, desktops, applications, games or film) are not permitted unless the poster has designed the screenshot’s content completely.

(ii) Any screenshots must be complete, original designs and may use no copyrighted material.

(iii) Further, the screenshot must not include portions of the computer or browser interface."

Soooo.....I can't post a screenshot....anyway you take it, a screenshot is made on a computer so it has the computer interface in it no matter what you say, doesn't it <.<, secondly if you can't take screenshots of any of the things you listed, then what if you take a screen of a background image of your desktop, do I have to remove all icons on it....'cause you can see the MyComputer stuff and all the others....<.<, not hard, but I dun see what's the use in that....

Quote: "Joint works or collaborative efforts must cite all contributors. Derivative work must cite the original source and provide due credit."
What if one of the contributors dun wanna be listed, so he remains anonymous, what'cha gonna do then, that means the drawing/photo/comic can't be posted.....right?

Quote: "Models which have been customized from the original source are only permitted provided significant work is done to separate them from the original design. In addition, users must link back to the original design to highlight changes."
Sheesh.....not a hard thing to do, but still....saw people use different objects as models, however if you do a model and dunno how the interior of a car is, for example, and you somehow happen to pass by a mecanic doing his job and you take a picture of the engine, but only the engine and you dunno what type of car it was and all....what you gonna do, go and search the whole city for that mecanic and car <.<?

Quote: " "Significant work" is determined by the proximity to the original song (e.g. changing equalization/pitch or applying DJ-style effects is NOT considered "significant work")."
Sooo.....what if you take a friends song and he wants you to post it, yet you see some things wrong and you modify it digital, it is original, not yours, you get the permission to post it, you only did a 'lil digital modiffication to it.....what then!?
meh.....I think I said to much already o.o, I might get a warning for this, but whateva...<.<

well...anyway, what to do, but just comply to them rules ^-^"......I suppose this is just to make sure the website does not go bye bye, 'cause of the government and their.....what-so-eva policy against piracy and stuff.....guess I'll just have to go by the book, since I dun want this website to disappear like many others did <.<

[Kindragon]

(i) Screenshots (websites, desktops, applications, games or film) are not permitted unless the poster has designed the screenshot’s content completely.

(ii) Any screenshots must be complete, original designs and may use no copyrighted material.

(iii) Further, the screenshot must not include portions of the computer or browser interface."

Soooo.....I can't post a screenshot....anyway you take it, a screenshot is made on a computer so it has the computer interface in it no matter what you say, doesn't it <.<

It's actually not hard to take a screenshot from a program and remove that program's interface, or crop it out of the screenshot in photoshop or another image editing program. The reference to the "computer" or "browser" interface is included so people don't argue that the O/S or web browser's interface doesn't count.

"Joint works or collaborative efforts must cite all contributors. Derivative work must cite the original source and provide due credit.

What if one of the contributors dun wanna be listed, so he remains anonymous, what'cha gonna do then, that means the drawing/photo/comic can't be posted.....right?

If the contributor(s) doesn't want to be listed and remain anonymous, I'd think you'd just have to post that there are other contributor(s) who have asked to remain anonymous. This is mainly to point out that the person uploading the work is not the original creator and should not receive full credit for the work.

Models which have been customized from the original source are only permitted provided significant work is done to separate them from the original design. In addition, users must link back to the original design to highlight changes.

Sheesh.....not a hard thing to do, but still....saw people use different objects as models, however if you do a model and dunno how the interior of a car is, for example, and you somehow happen to pass by a mecanic doing his job and you take a picture of the engine, but only the engine and you dunno what type of car it was and all....what you gonna do, go and search the whole city for that mecanic and car <.<?

I don't think I quite understand the comparison. The term "model" in this rule is a reference to a 3D model, not a vehicle model. If you don't know where the model came from, then you probably should at least state that the original model used was not created by you.

[Ramziel]

Oh, okay <.<
Thanks for the explanations Kindragon and for the fast reply ^-^

Some of the new rules are kind of confusing, but might I know what made them change the rules so much?
I dunno if what I think it's at fault is entirely true, shooo...that's why I'm asking.

[Dragoneer]

There is a lot of good feedback here. Just to note I can not answer it all right now, but I'm going to be looking into trying to clarify things in the AUP itself to try to better respond to concerns/issues and whatnot next week. There's a lot to think about in this thread, and we want to help people on the right direction and make the rules as clear as we can, and cut as much "grey area" as possible.

[Ramziel]

Understood ^-^
So you mean, there are still alot of things that need to be clarified, to actually give a proper response to each and every question....
Okay, good luck with everything, I know it's hard to keep this up and I'll try to not make it so difficult from now on ^o^

[Dragoneer]

After reviewing feedback, somehow a very confusing and outright broken clause got pushed out. The original rule both banned mature sculptures... and allowed them. This didn't make sense, and outright contradicted itself. Also, some users have pointed out the Keyword policy was vague, and given feedback, has been re-written to include more accurate verbage.

More clarification/updates will be made in the next few days.

• Sculpture - Sculptures (papier-mâché, clay, sculpey, etc.) and other 3D physical media are permitted provided they meet the general criteria allowed for drawn images. Sculptures may contain mature and adult content in the context of a figure or scene (provided they are submitted with proper image rating and keywords), however sculptures solely of genitalia are not allowed.

Is now...

• Sculpture - Sculptures (papier-mâché, clay, sculpey and other 3D physical media) are permitted. Submissions must focus on the sculpture as the sole focal point, with an uncluttered/non-distracting background that adheres to all other policies of the Photography section. Sculptures must be hand-crafted, non-commercial items.

Keywords - Keywords are used to define images as they appear in Fur Affinity's search engine. Abuse of the keyword system, such as the use of misleading keywords, is not permitted. Users found routinely abusing keywords may have keywords removed from their submissions. Subsequent violations will include either the removal of offending submissions, removal of the user's images from search results, or both.

Is now...

Keywords - Keywords must be relevant to the submission. Abusive or misleading keywords are not permitted, and users found abusing the keyword system may have their keywords stripped from their submission(s). Subsequent violations may result in the removal of mislabeled submissions, the user's submissions being blocked from appearing in the search engine, or both.

[morpheuskibbe]

this: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7292906
is a trace of this: http://pawsru.org/pawsX/sergals/src/130627764652.jpg

i'm not sure exactly how to report things like this, but when i asked the guy about it he was kind of a dick so i thought i'd post this here

[Ramziel]

morph....I have a small question for you <.<, did you drew that or know the person that did?