New Policy for Photos, Videos, and YT Channels

Discussion in 'Announcements' started by LifeLearner, Apr 21, 2020.

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  1. RubyGirl

    RubyGirl Stalker of Dead Profiles

    I know there have already been a sea of comments such as these, but please hear me out, mods.

    This is just my own personal opinion about this matter. I am not trying to harm or hurt anyone in any way. I am also not saying that these changes must be introduced, but do hope for them to be taken into consideration.

    What’s so wrong about posting pictures of your art? Maybe people could identify you by your garden if they see it all the time and they know who lives in the house that the garden belongs to, but stopping people posting art? I mean, come on! I think it’s important for people to express themselves. Why would we have an entire forum called “Stories, Art and Hobbies” if people aren’t allowed to post art? How could someone identify someone else just from their art? You’d already have to know that person pretty well to recognise their art style.

    I understand and respect that there are rules. But they shouldn’t go so far as to stop us from being individuals. As for the whole self-esteem thing, this server is populated with pleasant people that want to say nice things instead of being haters. I am aware that a few people here aren’t like that. But those artists posting their work online have to acknowledge the possibility that there will be *that* person, even in a space such as this. Mostly, though, I don’t see any harm in posting art that is completely appropriate for this server.

    Now, let’s address FOMO. There are always going to be people doing fun things. Perhaps those fun things are more fun than the things you do. But it isn’t always necessarily having permission to post a photo of yourself when you don’t. Maybe it’s having VIP, or getting something cool for their birthday, or going on a holiday. The point is, FOMO isn’t necessarily limited to just posting photos or videos.

    Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this. Please don’t take any of it as an insult or harassment.
     
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  2. ishx_

    ishx_ Inscrutible VIP

    Lots of players are trying out new things while in quarantine and want to show them off. A lot of those things are probably drawing and trying out new looks, like hairstyles or new hair colors and want to get opinions from the community. This rule makes them unable to and there are some players who don't have any social media and therefore this is the only large community they can share things with.
     
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  3. LunaLovegood

    LunaLovegood Magizoologist Elder Helper VIP

    Also I wanted to say that if the thread was causing problems, then by all means it should be removed! However this problems weren't visible to me, though I am not very active, I know you guys wouldn't do this without a reason.
     
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  4. DogboyOz

    DogboyOz Suspect for lying in legion patches VIP

    Will I get in trouble because I sent a link to a video a few days ago?
     
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  5. ishx_

    ishx_ Inscrutible VIP

    probably not, because you sent it before the rule was put into place.
     
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  6. beanie_03

    beanie_03 Mispelling Mississipi

    I respect and agree with the decision to put these policies in place. This is just my opinion, you are open to your own.

    The Sandlot is intended to be a community where everyone feels welcome and safe. The server was created with a younger audience in mind, one that needed a family-friendly community. The server remains family-friendly to this day and it is only natural for rules and policies to be updated as the world itself continues to change and evolve at a rapid rate. The rules are meant to protect, not to restrict, but sometimes an unfortunate amount of restriction is necessary for a needed amount of protection.

    Sharing photos in the real life family photos thread was likely (I word it this way because I never did so myself and know this only based on what I have read in this thread) a large and prideful milestone for many. As such, I understand why many people may dislike the new photo policies. However, as Life said, “Getting feedback, in the form of ‘likes’ or comments on social media, is known to produce a burst of dopamine in the brain. This chemical reward can lead some people to crave the attention and become addicted to social media”.
    The prohibition of posting photos of oneself was not only for the prevention of the potential identification of individuals, but also to lower the risk of the community’s forum-users developing addictions to social media.

    Many of you seem to think that the posting of artwork was prohibited because it was too personal or could lead to the identification of a player, but I believe this is a misunderstanding. If I understand correctly, this has been prohibited because of FOMO (“fear of missing out”) and artwork’s potential effect on an individual’s mental health. Everyone has a different skill-level and style when it comes to art. A person seeing art that they think is “better” than their own can be inspiring at times, but it also has the chance of causing self-doubt or lowering the person’s self-esteem. Many individuals consider their artwork an important aspect of their identity, so I understand why many people do not like/do not agree with this policy. However, I feel that its introduction is a safe and respectable decision that has the potential to preserve the self-esteem and mental well-being of some of Sandlot’s aspiring artists.

    Again, all of this is just my opinion and understanding of the situation. You are entitled to your own opinion. If you feel that anything I have said is incorrect, please let me know. =)
     
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  7. GemOLantern

    GemOLantern Codin' Gopher Helper VIP

    I understand and agree with photos of people, and even the pets rule.

    But I am very bummed out about the artwork rule- looking at art on the Sandlot was my favorite part of forums and I've always been excited to share what I've made for critique, feedback, and tips. This is the ONLY place I post art because everyone here is very friendly and supportive, and it gives me motivation to see other people's amazing art! If the artwork rule is because of FOMO or jealousy- then perhaps stories should be banned too, because everyone is at different levels of writing experience and some stories can be better than others in many different ways. It all falls under the same umbrella, doesn't it?

    Does this mean the whole art, stories, and hobbies section is going to be shut down?
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  8. GemOLantern

    GemOLantern Codin' Gopher Helper VIP

    Disclaimer: I realize after reading this again that it may come off a little standoff-ish. I don’t mean to point fingers at anyone or present this is a rude way. I’m just frustrated and confused- thanks! :)
    Okay, I wanted to make a post here about why ART should NOT BE removed from the forums, going off of @LifeLearner's original post.
    Reason one of removal: We have no way to know if parents approve.
    I understand this, and I think that's a great reason to remove personal photos of people and even pets. BUT I don't think this argument is valid with art since there's not really a way to identify a child through their projects.

    Reason two of removal: Some photos include other people who may not have agreed to have their photo posted.
    Not valid with art. Pictures of art are pictures of art, not of others.

    Reason three of removal: Posting images cause safety concerns.
    This is understandable. Yet another reason to ban pictures of people and pets. But not a reason to remove art. Yes, there may be a bit of a table in the background or a hand in the shot, but how much can you really learn from that? Plus, the bulk of art here is digital art, and that only has the drawing in the picture.

    Reason four of removal: Screening photos adds work for the staff.
    Totally reasonable, and with the removal of people and pet photos this cuts down the bulk of it. Now, art pictures are very manageable. Like mentioned before, lots of art pictures ONLY feature the art- especially digital- and there isn't anything else to it. Plus, many helpers own art threads or browse the Art, Stories, and Hobbies thread- we can tell the moderators if anything brings up red flags.

    Reason five of removal: It can cause lower self-esteem.
    YES, and this is another reason to remove pictures of people!
    But not art! Especially since everyone on this forum is so nice and supportive. Besides, can't everything lower self-esteem? Like @RubyGirl said, just posting about a trip or talking about things they have can make people compare.

    Reason six of removal: Getting feedback and likes can make people addicted to social media.
    Every single post on the forums, you can rate. Not just pictures: stories, Minecraft screenshots- every single post. You can rate this post here. I don't believe having pictures of art can make you more addicted than just having posts on the forums.

    Reason seven of removal: FOMO.
    If this is the main reason for banning art- which I suspect it may be- I think it's a lousy one. There are stories here that can make people feel jealous since they think their writing isn't as good- should we ban those? Minecraft screenshots can feature people doing builds with friends- should we ban those? People talk about places they're going or things they've done or pets they've had- should we ban those?

    Additional reasons they should not be banned:

    This may actually cause kids to be less safe online. Like I've said in the past, this is the only place I post my art- and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So when that is taken away, kids will just look for other places to post things. Places with mean people. Places without rules or monitoring.

    Another thing about self-esteem and FOMO: there are things that make people compare EVERYWHERE. Not just the Sandlot. It's literally everywhere. So if someone gets so upset by seeing a drawing that they tumble into a depression- that is something they need to work out irl, because they have a personal issue with self-esteem and comparing. This would not stem from The Sandlot.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  9. _Onion

    _Onion Farm Fresh Onions! Helper VIP

    Here's my 2 cents on the issue:

    Disclaimer: I hope anything I say does not offend any player or moderator on the server. I am just trying to voice my opinion in a kind and productive way.

    First, I wanted to voice my support for the part of the policy that bans youtube channels on the sandlot. I think that this was a great decision by the mods as youtube channels can post innapropriate content at any time. :) :) :) (there's my 3 smiley's, now are you happy @bobandbunny :p)

    Now, I wanted to talk about the other sections of the policy. While I disagree with the decision to ban real-life photos of players/pets, I understand where the mods are coming from on that issue. I personally think that while these photos can cause some safety concerns, the positives of allowing real-life photos (such as the ability to see who's behind the screen, self-esteem boosting, etc) outway the negatives. Here is some possible solutions that I came up with that I wanted to suggest to the mod team that could maybe be able to allow some players to still share real-life photos.

    Option A: Make the thread only accessible by players 13+. I'm not sure how easy with this is with the forums software, but if it is possible, I think that it is a great idea to still allow some mature players to share photos of themselves. I think that if a player is allowed to send a white list request in without parental consent, they should definitely be allowed to post a picture of themselves.

    Option B: Photos can only go up when a moderator approves them: If this is possible with the software, I think it is a good idea to make the share real life pictures thread an approval-post only thread. This would mean that photos can only be posted after a mod "approves" the post by looking for anything that could be a safety concern. If there is too many photos for the mod team to approve, then senior helpers could be allowed to help out with screening through photos.

    Option C: (If option b isn't possible) Make the real life photos thread only able to be posted on by mods. A player to mod forum could be made (similar to report a player) that allows a player to send in a photo/photos for posting. If the photo is approved by a mod, that mod (or senior helper, if there is too much photos for the mod team to handle) can post their picture and caption in the thread for everyone to see.

    Ok, now I would like to talk about the ban on art/other photos. Personally, I don't really see reasoning on why these were banned. I don't think that a picture of a flank steak that someone made for dinner or a piece of art they sketched up can provide any information to online hackers/trolls about where they live then any other post on forums could give. But, after the moderators review all of our feedback, and if they decide to keep these kinds of pictures banned, I will of course respect and follow their ruling.

    Most importantly: I'm 99.9% sure that the moderators will at least review all of the feedback on these new rules and consider changing the rule. I think that we should all give them time to do that before people get mad at the new rules. All humans make mistakes, and in my 5.5 years at sandlot, this is the first time I've disagreed with the mods on a major decision. If the mod team is only making a mistake every 5.5 years, I think that's pretty good compared to most of us, lol

     
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  10. TinLeavesTheBin

    TinLeavesTheBin the most tinsane of them all Helper

    Hi, I see that this thread has become quite tense- but I would just like one thing clarifying: are we allowed to post MC screenshots of singleplayer/Sandlot worlds/builds? I see that we’re allowed to post videos of these things, but it doesn’t clarify anywhere if screenshots are involved? I’m sure it’s pretty obvious but I just want to make sure before I post any :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  11. FastPablo1

    FastPablo1 Faster than a speeding Pablo! Helper

    I'll go out a limb here and say yeah, I think that should be fine.
     
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  12. c0wg0d

    c0wg0d Master Owner Moderator Helper VIP

    Screenshots of Minecraft gameplay are fine.
     
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  13. sdmelder

    sdmelder Master Elder

    Best solution for this would be to simply allow a single approved profile-page small pic. No comments on appearance allowed. No frequent changes. More would join in if there were no commentary.

    The unfortunate thing about the pics thread is that people would comment positively on others' appearances, without thinking for a moment how this might be a bad thing (think about it).

    The other safety-oriented restrictions are understandable, but too tight in my opinion.
     
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  14. Luna_Marvel

    Luna_Marvel I'm so bored that I... <fill in the blank>

    Does this mean YouTubers can’t do a face cam video or is the new rule for people who post photos on the forum?
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  15. LunaLovegood

    LunaLovegood Magizoologist Elder Helper VIP

    Just wanted to add here, I once posted an art I did that I accidently signed with my real name. I haven't done it since but still.
     
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  16. LegoBoyo

    LegoBoyo Pop Culture Enthusiast Elder Helper VIP

    Thank you to the moderators who made TheSandlot forums a safer place.
    I wish we wouldn't argue about this, because it was made to make TheSandlot a better place, for all ages. That is the main reason why this server exists, that is why @c0wg0d made it, so it can be a place of laughter, happiness, friendship, community.
     
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  17. Funkies

    Funkies The mystery continues

    You can put anything on your youtube channel you just can't show them on the forums =/
     
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  18. Luna_Marvel

    Luna_Marvel I'm so bored that I... <fill in the blank>

    Thank You!
     
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  19. GemOLantern

    GemOLantern Codin' Gopher Helper VIP

    Yes, I totally agree! This is an amazing place and I love it lots.
    We aren't arguing- we're just expressing how we feel.
     
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  20. Ildaktekh

    Ildaktekh Is very Stev!

    Like others have said, I understand the whole thing about pictures of yourself, but the whole art thing is.. I mean art is a form of expression, and I believe that you would find that art that was drawn specifically for the Sandlot would not be harmful to a player.. just my opinion.
    EDIT: I also believe that in the new policy there are areas that could possibly be revised.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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