April 19, 2006
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Adult Content
A site that posts adult content in public posts, default profile pics or About Me information..
Adult content is permitted in protected posts, provided no minors are on the protected list. Distributing adult content to minors anywhere on Xanga is expressly prohibited.
Comments (218)
I am for this since I hate how people just create false xanga accounts just to post up nude images. It wastes alot of your server speed and space.
I like this because there are so many xanga sites out there that show porn and I think it’s gross.
we need this one.
Definitely. This should be the first one available.
ABSOLUTELY.
hmmm… adult content needs to be better defined.
i think adding a feature for users to opt into being an “adult content” site. once they are on that list their posts should automatically be unsearchable to anybody not logged into xanga, as well as users that are logged in but not of legal age.
adding this feature would be better than forcing people to make protected posts, thus limiting the ability to gain new readers.
I’d like to second the opinion of the user above (raizhafae).
This is vague. It’s hard to define what is really “adult” or not adult and what is really adult content. If the picture happens to be of someone nude, but not sexual, will Xanga consider it adult? And will Xanga use this as PR to keep in line with all the kiddies?
In addition, it will force readership and blogging down. I’d rather have the site be screened and have an OKAY by the user to say that they are of age to view this kind of material. Especially since a lot of the adult material (porn or not porn) is restrictable, but not blockable on Xanga. In otherwords, if they cross my website that has purely adult content on it, or just when they access a part of a page, then I rather have it be screened or a prompt to declare that the user is of 18 and over (21 in certain areas).
How about no adult content. This is a blogger not a porn website. If I wanted to look at naked or half naked girls/guys I’d go browse on myspace. Lets keep xanga clean!
You guys might want to crack down on the whole pornography sites availabilty then, Its to easy to find it on a conversationalizing network.
suggestion: for sites deemed “adult”, add an age confirmation page that requires the viewer to be >18.
Cheers!
You need to define adult content CLEARLY!
I agree that with raizhafae.
Xanga doesn’t need to be a place for nude, porn, or wanna-be nudists or pornographers. Frankly, I concur with the above posts that if one wants to look at that sort of thing, the rest of the internet is availiable. God bless you! Xanga r0x0rz ;0)
Xanga + Porn = VERY BAD and I’ve seen it. Keep that stuff for the p2p not a great place like xanga. Great idea staff.
Regard to Crimson_Zephyr’s comment– People could freely be able to change their age to get into those sites, so I don’t think it’s such a good idea. It COULD be better if the age was locked or something, but then, people could still make new accounts with an older age.
Have to agree, you haven’t defined ‘adult content’, and until you do, this is actually worse than useless. The flag could quite happily currently be used against artists, classicists, and WILL be used against gay activists.
Also, you’re enforcing an American definition of ‘under age’ on an international community. The age of consent in Canada is 14. Under some conditions it’s 14 in Missouri and 13 in New Mexico.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_consent#Ages_of_consent_in_various_countries
I’m not sure how you argue that a Canadian fourteen year old can HAVE sex, but not LOOK at it.
I agree with raizhafae on this.
I’m with raizhafae on this, too.
Agreed, all for this one.
I’m definately for this one.
I’m with IcyVisonz on this one, though. If I want t3h pr0n, I can find it elsewhere. Posting it up on Xanga is lame.
ditto with raizhafae
also, I think in general we should have the option of having more than one protected list.
I agree with raizhafae on this, definitely.
0.o raizhafae did nail it, but will they go the easier route? Yahoo decided to just completely ditch the user created rooms.
I’m with mehgun on both counts.
YES
If you want to post porn or nude images of yourself or others (sexual or not), then get your own domain and assume your own responsibility for the content. It’s not censorship, if you ask me, because Xanga is responsible for what gets put out on the ‘net from servers/domains under their control. I think this is a good move, if only because it will keep Xanga around and less likely to get negative press (ie: MySpace) and in trouble with law enforcement.
and here’s your fist adult content site: Hot_Sex2345. There are many links off of it to other adult content sites. If you are really serious about this stuff, then I will know, when you block site…..
As already stated, you need a solid and credible definition of “adult,” including specific banned words, etc.
Is there overlap between “adult” content and what you term “objectionable” in your terms of use? Or am I correct to infer from what you’ve said above that the terms of use do not apply to protected posts?
I agree, but make sure you define adult.
Most certainly this ought to be the first priority!
seriously!i went to a site like that and it showed paris hiltons bare breasts..it SCARRED me for the rest of my life. im not even in HS yet!
Despite understanding your intent, this is vague at best and actually causes more harm than good. Exactly what do you mean by: Distributing adult content? Language is a tricky thing and until you satisfactorily define this phrase I’m iffy on the concept. Flagged content with this as the definition could be anything from simple discourse to gay rights activists. The assumption that all adult content is porn is also false, are you defining the content based on a rating system and if so which one? American MPAA regulations vary substantially from their European counterparts, and are often superimposed; E.g. a kiss between two men might be considered R whereas a kiss between a man and a woman would be considered PG if that.
Until this you define this position satisfactorily I will remain hesitant.
This is tough…as a gay Xanga user here, I have to agree with a lot of the previous comments. On one hand, I believe that part of blogging is posting things we want to post, and it is the viewer’s responsibility. However, I can see how this is a big issue. And just what constitutes “adult content”? I’m very wary about this.
This is much needed!
I know of a site that has a picture of Michaelangelo’s David on display. Can you believe it? A statuesque penis posted in public mode for all to see? Delete that account immediately xangacops.
yes this definately needs to be here. i have seen backgrounds of a girl totally stripping down to nothing. its seriously sickening. my little sister has a xanga and i dont want her accidentally exposed to those things.
laterZ God Bless
people can have adult forums elsewhere, xanga is pretty accessible by minors all the time, any adult content should be forbidden.
I agree with Crimson_Zephyr on this one. What about some kind of block page?
i say, make sure the poster of the adult content is 18 or over and have a warning pop up before entering their site warning people of the possibility of adult content. the owner of the xanga can choose whether or not to make the pop up utilized, but if someone catches adult content without an advisory popup, then they should be reported and delt with.
What is “adult content”? I know some of us Xangans here are far too high-class to say something like this, but I think it’s wrong that someone could be shut down for saying “All day my balls just ITCHED like crazy!” That’s what my mom would call “adult talk”. If someone says, “I’m a virgin, and…” will they be shut down? Cause I learned the hard way in middle school that “virgin” is a “grown-up word.”
Who exactly are we protecting, here? Maybe I’m not fully understanding the whole concept of ‘flagging’. I’m going to re-read everything now…
“Xanga + Porn = VERY BAD and I’ve seen it. Keep that stuff for the p2p not a great place like xanga. Great idea staff.”
Not to be horribly picky, but did anyone else notice that the person posting this comment has the username “YourMomIsAMILF”? Ironic
As others have said, the definition of adult content is vague. Perhaps one can choose to have their blog classified as 18+ so one gets warned/prompted when they visit. If someone doesn’t classify their xanga as 18+ and they include adult content, the blog can be flagged.
As for those lying about their age, they’re breaking the law and violating xanga’s ToS. I think this will make it hard for them to take legal action against xanga.
I’m with raizhafae on this, too.
Makes more sense.
I am a little irked that Xanga allows ADULT content on here at all. HOW does anyone know for certain that someone isn’t a minor or IS an adult?
I think as someone above mentioned-theres enough of that out there in the rest of cyberspace. Don’t allow them a free place to post their filth. Just my 2 cents.
I’m still a little confused about how the flagging system will be done.
Oh damnit all.
Delete this comment if you want to, but read it first.
You, damn, people.
Let’s get started shall we?
I love xanga. I really do. I enjoy the site and what it allows me to do online. It provides a medium that allows people to express themselves creatively, artistically, maturely (or immaturely if they want to), or just write a journal and keep a blog and spam other sites for the satisfaction of getting on the featured list if they want to. That’s fine. That’s the best part of Xanga, it allows people to do what they wish with their sites as long as they stay within the rules and the law. People can do anything within those bounds. Anything. The internet is like this in almost every way, except that it doesn’t always follow the law. So Xanga provides control and stability, but the freedom is still there.
Granted, there are some things that happen on this site that aren’t great things. There are some things here that shouldn’t be here, like child pornography and the like. I think it’s disgusting and wrong and it should be wiped from the face of Xanga. Great, we might be able to do that if we try really hard, and we’re making progress. But there are other things that you can’t quite control, due to the nature of this wonderful place. Things like the fact that the site is used by sexual predators. You cannot control that problem in the least, not with any measure of accuracy or success anyway. So we have to rely on the intelligence of the user to keep away from those types. Can’t do anything else about it. You can’t win every battle right?
Right, so we move on to THIS issue. We’ve gotten through all of this and freedom is still intact. We’ve avoided the censorship issue masterfully at this point and it looks like we might be home free. But wait, oh no! There’s some suggestive content over there. Oh look there’s some erotica over there. There’s a poem about sex. There’s a guy who uses his site as a vent to say all the depraved things he can and he’s satirical and you know what? He’s funny! He’s damn funny. People flock to his site, and they’re loving it. Good for them. But look again, what about all those depraved things? Oh we cant have that. So what do we do about all this nasty, messy sexual material and language that has so many parents breathing down the back of our necks? Oh I know! We’ll let anyone with 2 fingers and a keyboard report it and have them probably flagged. Because it is adult content is it not? It is, much of it. But where do you draw the line in the sand? There’s an obvious difference between pornography and a suggestive poem true enough, but some poems are so blatantly explicit that they scream CENSOR ME in big flashing neon green letters. Doubtless you’ve gotten complaints about something as obvious as that. If concerned citizens can find the more obscure sections of Xanga where the pornography actually is, then I’m sure they can find the more obvious and visible sections where entries containing such poems are posted. So how many degrees of difference are there between that and an erotic story? From there to a metaphorical bit of poetry that vaguely implies a sexual meaning? How far from there to curse words? At what point does it stop? Will there not always be more concerned citizens and parents clamoring for more censorship and more restrictions? This is a floodgate, and I don’t think any of it should be censored anyway. Let me be one to state his opinion loudly and clearly:
YOU CANNOT CENSOR THIS MATERIAL AND MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF XANGA. THAT WHICH MAKES XANGA SO GREAT WILL BE LOST IN A FLOOD OF BRIGHT ORANGE FLAGS AND FINGER POINTING. THERE IS NOTHING THAT WILL ALIENATE YOUR PAYING CUSTOMERS MORE THAN FLAGGING THOSE AMONG THEM (WHO ARE QUITE A FEW) THAT WRITE, POST, OR USE ADULT CONTENT.
Which brings me to my next point. NOT ONLY IS IT WRONG TO DEGRADE THIS BASTION OF FREE SPEECH AND EXPRESSION, IT’S A STUPID BUSINESS MOVE. There are a great many users who pay for premium who have such content on their sites. In plain view, and they don’t want to post it all protected because they want to attract new people and how will one accomplish that if nothing is visible to whomsoever would happen upon their sites? In many cases, the premium users who post this ‘adult’ material use premium as a means of enhancing their posts. It’s just stupid to censor the content of the very people who pay you to let them showcase it.
Nothing about this makes sense. I could go on for days, but I have things to do and places to be.
That’s my 2 cents.
Agreed ….
raznfae or whatever her name was said it best. do anything short of that and youll lose a lot of the older crowd. also it shouldnt be up to you people or me to raise other peoples kids. I cuss on my site all the time but i tend to throw a lot of positive insights to life on the friggin thing.
just because suzy homemaker is offended by the f bomb doesnt mean she can sue you and it isnt reason enough to shut my site down.
you got a long road ahead of you before you implement something like this
Who decides what “adult content” is anyway?
And if I jokingly threaten to “kill my husband” for leaving the cap off of the toothpaste, will my site be flagged and shut down?
Come on….
I’m with raishafae, too.
i agree with the consensus: define adult content more clearly.
Porn has no place on Xanga. period. It obviously isn’t monitored enough as it is and what makes anyone think that it will be any better later? I am 20 years old, of legal age to view it, and if I want to (I DO NOT BTW) I can find it online. However, I do not think that a site that offers their services to minors should be allowed to also have porn.
*fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap* wait… xanga pr0n is scary… get rid of it!!!1 gah! my eyes!!!!!! they buurn!
Thank You! Xanga really needs this.
I give props to this because I’m tired of the perverted stuff I see on such a good site
yep, i agree.
ive seen so many rated R xanag sites… itd be disturbing if my students bumped into these sites.
What exactly is meant by the term adult content? As has already been mentioned, this is not stated at all at present. The definition needs to be very clear and understandable or this will be subject to abuse by those who simply don’t approve of the content of another blog, even though it may not generally be considered offensive. My honest opinion is at present, without that much clearer definition, this would actually do more harm than good.
I think I’m in the majority when I say I agree with Raizhafae.
Now that’s a good idea…
I’m putting in my vote for what raizhafae suggested.
the flags are looking good to me.
definitely addressing some things
that I’ve both wondered about and
dealt with as a Xangan. this one
particularly looks good because
of the aspect of prohibiting the
use of pornographic default pics.
clearly the topics of the flags
are getting both positive and
negative responses, but I’m glad
to see that Xanga is aware of
these things, and willing to deal
with them. best wishes to them!
Just wanted to say thank you, and this is the Smart and moral thing to do. Not that you have time, but I posted about this topic today. Even if people don’t care about these sites, the bad press you would get for not doing it would force xanga to shut down. Let’s have xanga be the safe site, I know parents who have let thier kids switch over from MY Space ( due to My Space’s bad publicity ) your doing the right thing from a business stand point and a Moral stand point. Don’t let the censoship paranoids make you stop.
Thanks for the flagging! Great idea and much needed! I think a good place to start is with the Featured Content sites. I’ve been shocked to see what makes it there and the gateway to porn it provides.
Keep up the good work – you guys are awesome!
Support!!
Protected sites are sites that are known to the person posting, so that would be a good idea. I wouldn’t subscribe to someone who wrote regular posts with adult content, although I might browse some sites periodically – my choice – so I take the chance of reading something offensive. Also my decision to quit browsing those sites! A good idea.
I have been WAITING for this… especially because often there is nudity in the sites listed on the xanga page for “featured content” !! this would help weed out those sites so minors don’t accidentally find them.
There really needs to be a distinction between “adult content” and “pornography”. As it is right now, adult content is being treated AS pornography, which it most definitely is not. Not all of us are kids who post here. If xanga is designed ONLY for children, let us know. If I decide to share parts of my life that happen to be a bit more explicit than I would normally post, then I should be able to and not be constrained by the fear that children are reading adult posts. I’m not luring children onto my site, nor am I even addressing them in any way. But at the same time, I don’t post pornography in any way, shape or form. Yet, I would not be surprised by some uptight moron seeing one out there post and immediately wanting the cops of Xanga to read me my rights I don’t have anymore.
I’m all for it and say you should define “adult content” pretty strictly. Regardless of whether nudity is classed as “art” rather than “porn”, it is still nudity, and not proper for minors.
It’s a difficult subject to discuss if there isn’t an agreed definition of “adult content”. Does it apply equally to nudity, sex and excessive violence? Does it apply equally to photographic, drawn/painted and written content?
I certainly don’t see a need to allow photographs (or realistic art) of nudity, sex and excessive violence on Xanga… I think lesser degrees of strictness might be applicable to other art and and written content.
I’m tired of hearing all this about “free speech.” Underaged nudity is, umm… a FELONY. Get over it.
I’m tired of hearing all this about “free speech.” Underaged nudity is, umm… a FELONY. Get over it.
Yes, what is adult content….. I’m all for protecting kids, but again, giving too much power to someone who has strong views one way or another… that scares me a little. I’m hoping that there is more than one person making these decisions and I’m hoping that if a post is removed that you have a way to at least address it instead of getting sent into the “never never land of faq’s and no answers”.
Hi, I am a concerned xanga citizen and I would like to report a site.
The following site has DRUGS and PORN!!!
Non_Featured_Content
Please censor this site immediately.
“Um . . .can you tell me, no show me some adult content???? I don’t think I know what it is. I saw some boobs online once but they were so pretty . . . like art. Everyone should be able to appreciate art. I just don’t understand. Besides, isn’t it, like, my constitutional right to show off my body?”
Come on people! How can you not know what adult content is?! No one is messing with your right to post it or view it, whether it’s “porn” or not, we just want to keep our 14 year olds from accidentaly opening a site with some naked chick sitting spread eagle in her profile pic. Thank you xanga staff for trying to keep a decent place where decent people can stay.
I am for this one, but I am also for a very clear definition of what “adult content” means. It’s very subjective… there are people out there who think you need “XXX” before it is adult, while others might consider “they kissed passionately” to be an “adult” statement. Careful about your definitions before you release this one.
I agree we need to clean up Xanga. The porn has to go
I agree this one is needed…right now anyone can search for porn on xanga and look at it
support the first amendment
defend our freedoms
I have to agree with Welsh_Kabob, and his statement he made. I’m tired about this, and I think people are too shallow minded about this sub. If u don’t wanna view the “adult content”, then don’t look for it. Most of it, unless it made it to the featured content, can’t be found unless u’re looking for it. Everyone knows that. If tha’s the case, the quit making it featured content, and that may reduce the complaints.
.><.
“Adult Content” could mean anything. Even writing things that are personal opinions could be considered “Adult Content”. Porn is one thing but who’s to say “Adult Content” begins or ends with that?
flags are for flaggots, silly narcs.
I agree with raizhafae as well. It’s too hard to define adult content, thus it’d be better just to give people the option to label their blog as such….that way those parties know where to look and innocent browsers don’t see inappropriate material.
“A site that posts adult content in public posts, default profile pics or About Me information.”
Please define “adult content.” That phrase can be taken to mean just about anything and tends to be in the eye of the beholder.
And something else to consider. I used to work for CompuServe. I heard from a lot of adults complaining that we “allowed” their precious little Johnny or Suzie to sign up an account fraudulently. It’s way too easy for a minor to put a check mark in that box that says, “I certify that I am over the age of….” And there’s precious little you can do about it. Especially when you’re not there to oversee in that household while little Johnny or Suzie do it. Are you going to penalize me because some little brat falsified the information and I was not aware of it?
I agree with raizhafae. 1) Better define adult content. 2) limit underage access.
-ACE
Without a definition for adult content, this rule is one of two things: useless, or ripe for abuse by those in charge. Different countries have different ages for viewing different sorts of adult content — you are going to have to be a LOT more specific for this rule to be enforcable or at all helpful to the community.
What’s adult content? Adult nudes? Even if their genitals and any female nipples are covered? Even if they’re statues? What about artwork? Is it okay if it’s visible (on a protected list) to someone who is a minor in the US but old enough to view porn in their own nation?
Does language fall under this rule? What determines if an entry is literary porn, erotica, or merely sensual, and which of those categories will result in getting flagged? Are descriptions of the reproductive system, such as a woman trying to get pregnant might write, adult content since they involve crotches?
I don’t even understand what you’re trying to ban here. It sounds like a catch-all rule that can be dragged out when a post doesn’t violate any other rules, but someone gets a bug up their butt about it anyway and demands that Xanga take action. That is not cool. Please post a definition or else give up on this particular flag.
Hmm darn.. I have to watch my potty mouth from now on.
Like most sites with the adult content problem, I think it’s appropriate ti institute some sort of content filter. Xanga has no right to restrict freedom of speech, but it has a responsibility to protect minors from adult content.
A filter system allowing users to mark their sites as containing adult content gives other users a warning (in the VERY least) of what they are about to stumble across. The people with racier kinds of posts need to let others know what kind of stuff is on there before they look at it. THEN censure or close down xanga sites with adult content that aren’t properly marked.
Although I think it’d be better to have no nude/ nearly nude pictures on xanga in the first place, to me that seems inevitable… so I’d have to agree with raizhafae… hoping that the person making the website would have brain enough to actually opt in to it. (& it does seem kind of odd to ask someone to admit to posting naked pictures on their xanga.)
Ghetsuhm also has a good point about the artisians, etc. & ages.
All other important points have already been made in other people’s comments: People can change their age, & “Adult Content” needs to be more specific.
“Curse words” might even be considered “adult content” to some… and there are sooo many people who use curse words.
Those who need adult content defined sound suspiciously like they looking for a loophole. Cries of censorship are pointless, as not only is this a private website, but it is also free, unless we choose to buy a premium membership. Protected posts with adult content, fine. But lets not let xanga become yet another meat-market, porn-infested web community like myspace.
first amendment, bitches.
I do not believe a feature that allows adult content for 18 and older should be created. It seems to me that would defeat the purpose of restricting adult content. If a person wants to have such content, I believe it should be private, if at all, so as to eliminate any opportunity a minor may have to come across it. (Prompts/screens that require a declaration of age would not be as effective as mandated private posts. After all, minors lie about their ages all the time.)
I believe adult content could be more clearly defined, but I also believe that would only be necessary for people who would try to find loopholes around the flag in order to continue to display inappropriate content.
I am a fan of this flag.
Some of the porn links to commercial sites, free advertising really. One site down, another one up, no big deal if its business.
Ok, Here it is from a minors point of view.
I was addicted to porn, and many other teens still are. Putting a warning on adult Xanga that warns the viewer of adult content and asks the it theyh are eighteen or whatever age wound not have stopped me. Even if they came up with a way to keep me from viewing such material wouldn’t do anything but make xanga more complicated. All i would need to do is set up another xanga site with my age set to older. Its not we don’t want to view porn, in most cases it’s quite the reverse, but we should not be given the opportunity to. Not in the place I go to communicate with my friends.
I’m not against free speech, but if you want to let people look at you masturbating or showing off you body “artisticlly”, then do some research and learn how to make your own personal website where you make people sign up or verify their age before they are able to look at you. Its been said before, it shouldn’t be the Xanga Team’s respondsibility to do this, but for their own well-being, they are forced to.
For those of you who dont understand the concept of adult content, think about it: kissing, swearing, talking about sex aren’t considered. think about what is allowed in a public place: like on a city street or a fast food restraunt: underdressing, toplessness, bottomlessness, public masturbation.
not everyone will have the same ideas about what constituted adult content or what seperated it from porn, but i think the xanga team knows what they mean. If they deem a site as adult content the i will not dispute it. i and my friend have known Xanga to be fair in their decisions.
we need this
Uh, what do you consider adult content? Soft nudity? Taxes? Rugby players in underwear? Go ahead, launch this one and you’ll lose 25 percent of your members. You might want to double-check with your investors before you do all this stuff.
Ghetsuhm has a good point. We all have a different view of what is offensive. Sex and nudity are common themes in art, and there are bound to be some people who find some erotic art distasteful.
Crimson_Zephyr is on to something with the 18+ entry page. My thought was something more like the Yahoo! Profiles, where you can mark your page as ‘Adult Content’ and users can adjust their personal settings to filter adult sites out. Blogs who fail to self-flag their adult pages can be easily spotted and appropriate action can be taken.
The greatest thing about having a personal online journal is the freedom to express what you wish, and share that with a network of people who share your interests. That’s what makes Xanga AWESOME.
I’m in!
Many people create accounts only to post nude pics.
Wastes server space.
Xanga could be a good, clean, safe place, for all if adult content weren’t allowed – period.
I’m hoping, since I am writing about my life on my “real” xanga page, and not an imposter there or an Rpr( I plead the 5th when it comes to any other xanga I may own) I can use my own words…sensative in nature as some might be, because I want people to gain an impression of who and what I am. I don’t intend to put up “nude” pictures but some of my language may be on the”salty” side. I want to “keep it real”
I too agree with raizhafae. I was going to suggest it myself. . . guess she beat me to the punch!
how about no rules on what you want to post? fuck everyone’s opinion…
absolutely for this one!
Exercise your judgement. If it doesn’t like like a good site, don’t click on it. You see something you don’t like, leave. It’s not that hard.
I don’t go around looking up stuff i’m not interested in, and I also don’t judge people by what they are.
I have xanga because I can keep in touch with my friends.
Sometimes it seems like you people are just going out and trying to find trouble.
Leave them alone, and it won’t amuse them anymore.
And if you are concerned about your little brothers and sisters, why don’t you just take them outside and DO something with them, instead of just letting them sit at the computer. They can’t get access to it if you are spending time with them and giving them something better to do.
what do you consider adult content?
lol,,bout darn time. one of the members here used my information and my profile pic on her site!!! so i agree with this one,,anyone wanting this person’s name just ask me
mos def cause too many kids are lookin at it
I totally agree with this one. Such content definitely belongs under the Protected posts tab.
I guess the best thing would be to review these flags case by case. All this talk of what defines adult content is beside the point. Xanga can allow or forbid whatever it wants. If people don’t like the rules, they can blog elsewhere. I think someone on the Supreme Court once said that you can’t define pornography, but you know it when you see it. Some broad guidelines should be prepared that outline basics of what Xanga means by ‘adult content’. These will be broad and open to interpretation. Then if someone sees something they think fits the definition, they should be able to flag it and the system administrators can check into it and render a verdict. If the content is deemed too ‘adult’, the user should not be shut down immediately, but be given a deadline to clean up the blog or it will be closed. Thus, the user cannot say that they did not know what they could not post before being closed down. This might take a lot of time and manpower, but it seems like the best way to proceed.
I’d have to say I’m all with Welsh_Kabob here.
Yes, there are minors, but, even with flagging, it’ll never COMPLETELY go away. Some people will do it because it’s fun to break the rules. Some will do it because they think it’s wrong to just block it like that. It won’t just go away.
Minors won’t necessarily know that something is bad for them to see. However, those of you who do realize that something you see or read is bad, can just leave the site. If it offends you, plain and simple, DON’T LOOK AT IT. You have the ability to leave it, and not come back. Decide for yourself what you think is bad. Don’t drag everyone else into your morals if they don’t agree.
That’s the beauty of the Internet. If you want to express yourself, you can. If you don’t want to see something, no one’s forcing you to go to a site containing it.
Mentioning that this is a site that minors have access to really doesn’t make a difference. If you can type, and use a search engine, and realize that you can say “Yes” to the “Are you 18 years of age or older?” questions, you can find adult content.
Hey, instead of pissing off your paying customers, the ADULTS, why not just ban kids? Making a 16+ or 18+ requirement to join only pisses off kids, and they aren’t giving you any money anyway. A kid doesn’t need a blog, or to look at blogs. They’ve got more important things to do than come here, like homework. If they lie to join, not your problem. None of your business. Why are you people insisting Xanga take the parent role in this situation? It’s not xanga’s responsibility to be a crusader of your moral view. That’s YOUR job. Xanga doesn’t have a moral view. It has only legal and business obligations, nothing more. This is a site dedicated to letting people express themselves however they want. Enforce the rule of actual law, yes, but not some dumb asshole’s morality who’s blowing time on the internet instead of actually watching their kids.
How does the “opt-in” suggestion help when people randomly advertise their porn xanga sites to minors and anyone else who doesn’t want to/need to see them?
Yes, adult content is vague. Not everthing for adults is porn. What about the appreciation of erotic art, the discussion of serious topics without having to worry about who you are going to offend with your unapologetic language, and adult conversation about the things all adults deal with? What about freedom of speech? This could really turn into a witch hunt.
Adult Content comes with the internet..you get what you pay for..
everything had adult content now a days..
Maybe its just me, but I think Non_Featured_Content’s site has some adult content. I was shocked. I mean its one thing to trash the people you are getting a free blog from, but the excessive porn? No thanks. If i want to see that, i can get it in person, I don’t need it from random internet predators.
thank goodness I hate how people comment me and when I look at their xanga its porn.
Hey
well we should have it or just kick the nasty porn people off then lol well see ya!
Please, yes.
There is just a very fine line between indecent exposure and socially acceptable.
But this situation can be easly avoided with a better age system. Say users >=18 can have the option in clicking a box defining if they have the intention in showing nudity on their blog. If that user has checked this box, users under 18 cannot view their blog what so ever.
. On the other half, you can get your pr0n somewhere else.
Or, they can just use protected posting, but thats a little more work on their behalf. Afterall, that degree in programming means you gotta do something
So if someone were raped and wrote about their experience publicly in their blog, that would be considered “adult content” regardless of the detail given. So much for blog therapy.
i agree with this 100%
of course.
I’m with raizhafae on this, too. You are NOT our parents. Sorry, but it’s not up to you to decide what we can / cannot look at by flagging it for us.
raizhafae’s idea seems good, as do the ones about a prompt screen to say that you’re of age to view adult content. But the problem is that anyone can say that they are any age they want to say. If the screen says “only click if you’re 18″ and I, being 16, click it anyway, who is there to stop me?
All this is just pointing out one problem. Not to mention all the other problems I see with porn sites. Xanga is a blog site, not a market for porn. I think these sites should just be shut down altogether, to tell you the truth.
Agreeing is what I do best
No Porn Please. Let’s keep Xanga pure.
Totally need this one!!! I am really tired of all the porn. Does flagging this site mean that people can’t access it anonomously? it would be great if the viewer first had to be friend/subscriber before they would be able to view the site. Keep the youngins safe ya know.
Just read LetMeHearYourBattleCry ’s comment and I agree big time.
1. “Adult Content” is wayyyyyyyyyy too vague. Many, many, many Xanga posts deal with sex in a variety of contexts. 2. This type of “flag” is really censorship and will have a chilling effect on people’s freedom to blog about whatever they like. There’s nothing worse than morality censorship police on the net trying to sanitize everything. It has ruined AOL. 3. Permitting it only for the protected list is useless for many people attempting to reach a wider audience that doesn’t already know about it. Readership would decline so much as to make the blog useless. 4. Xanga should cater to adults, not minors. If Xanga permits children to blog on the service, they should be the ones who are restricted, not adults. 5. Adults who use Xanga should be able to say “Yes I am an adult and I don’t mind seeing sexual material that may be offensive. 6. It’s unfair to start enforcing strict policies against bloggers who have sexual oriented blogs after they have already been created and perhaps even paid for lifetime accounts here. 7. Why should the most conservative prude determine what the content on Xanga should be?
Well, what constitutes “adult content”? A man without a shirt? You could find that in a few public places, yet the way you have it phrased, that could get someone banned. What about cursing? Who does it really hurt? That kinda goes against the first amendment right to freedom of speech.
i agree with raizhafae on this one!! i do think there is way too much nudity on the internet!! amen, xanga!
definitely need this one
To the people who say “there’s too much nudity or sex or whatever on Xanga” … If you don’t like what you see, avert your eyes. No one is being forced to visit anyone’s Xanga.
“Flags are only a warning sign, not censorship.”
I saw that comment on a random site just a little while ago. It reminded me a lot of what people were saying when Hitler wanted to “flag” the jews. Don’t believe the jews didn’t see Hitler coming. Because they did. They just didn’t do shit about it. They let some crackerfool slowly invade them and take away their rights. First thing Hitler did was what? Anybody know? Any of you vuvlaheads know?
The first thing Hitler did was to LABEL the jews. Once they were clearly labeled and distinctively marked, he could then easily round them up and toss them in ovens. WTF?? Now ask yourself, why did the jews let themselves be labeled?
Flags = Labeling.
Why did the jews allow Hitler to pass a law which prevented jewish people from owning firearms? Why did the jews allow Hitler to burn their books?
People really have no clue huh doc? They have no recollection of history. Just a bunch of strungout computer monkeys typing away about their day at the local mall, not realizing that they are either part of the solution, or part of the problem.
BXU! -member for life. (Viva Revolution!)
No flagging! Create an adults only area!
hmmmm.
What is adult content? Obviously nude photos…but what about swearing? I say it needs to be way more clearly defined…and if we aren’t allowed to swear, then I expect a full refund.
Dear John,
I, Tariq Azehku have just upgraded to a premium xanga. I must say I am deeply shocked by the many web sites that feature women not wearing their burqa or a head scarf. I want to report these sites, they should be banned. Over the next days I may report some 1.247.983 more sites.
Thank you,
Tariq Azekuh,
A concerned muslim
Too vague. Therefore pointless. Kiddie porn, OK I see the need for desperate measures, although you should still look for other ways to police Xanga than to ask Xangans to spy on Xangans. It smacks of Hitler’s Germany; it smacks of Stalin’s Russia. The “crimes” are different, I know. The so-called criminals in those other countries were attempting to exercise religious freedom or daring to express opinions that didn’t agree with the State. It’s a different situation here. Child exploiters, or those who incite hatred — they’re violating laws that are on the books for valid reasons and they should not be able to use Xanga to harm others.
But this method is wrong. Hire more people if you must. But do not institute this flagging system, where Xangans report each other. It invites abuse.
I recognize that you need to cover your ass. But do it in the right way, not the wrong way.
And make no mistake. That’s ALL you’re doing, is covering your ass. You’re not protecting anyone, especially not the kids. They’ll find ways to get into the trouble you fear. Just not here on Xanga. Fine. Cover your ass. But don’t try to pretend you’re protecting the victims of predators, or anorexics or bulimiacs, or the victims of hate mongers. This does nothing to protect them. It only protects Xanga. That’s your right and your duty, to protect Xanga.
Just do it the right way. Hire more staff and pay them to police the sites. Don’t use Xanga users to do that. That would be wrong.
i def. think anything considered adult content should be banned. this is not a porn website.
****************************************************
!!!! Your site is in VIOLATION and will be flagged !!!!
****************************************************
“If you value your Freedom of Expression, If you value all the hard work you have done on your Xanga Pages, If you hate Online Censorship and the rapidly increasing loss of your blogging freedoms then it’s time for YOU to do something about it. Read Non_Featured_Content. Support the efforts of BXU! Send a comment to John and Flags showing your disgust of the loss of your blogging freedoms and the criminalizing of your Freedom of Expression and that you will tolerate it no longer. Send a comment to xanga and as often as possible. Tell them “That’s enough!”
We are not going to be able to do this by ourselves that’s for sure and there are power in numbers. It either stops now or it never will.
!BXU!
SEND A COMMENT TO John and Flags and tell them your disgust of the FLAGGING and CENSORSHIP and as often as possible!
(((((((((( Spread the Word )))))))))))
~VIVA REVOLUTION!!
BXU
Hi, we’d like to report user -independent_atheist- for threatening to physically harm illegal immigrants. He also threatened to harm the founders of BXU! Also, he flagrantly used the word “dipshit” on our blog when clearly that is an obscene word to our sensitive eyes.
We would appreciate your quick and firm response to shutting down this user who has clearly violated the sanctity of our community.
!BXU!
I agree with Welsh_Kabob.
You don’t like porn, don’t want to see it? DON’T go to those sites, or any other porn site. You don’t want your kids to see it? Be a PARENT and restrict access through YOUR rules or the options available on the computer itself. A minor lies to get access? Not XANGA’s fault, and the person who gave the fraudulent information is accountable, minor or not.
It’s funny, when I don’t like something, I stay away from it, because I know not everyone’s taste/interests/hobbies/whatever are like mine. If I’m “accidentally” exposed to it, I get away from it. If a minor “accidentally” comes across a xanga, or any other site, containing “adult content”, they may have a question or two for their parents, but part of being a parent is dealing with stuff like that. It’s not Xanga or anyone else’s job to raise other people’s children. It’s their parents’ job. (And yes, I am a parent. And my child knows the rules and I have restrictions set on his computer to avoid “adult content”. Because that’s part of my job as his Mom.)
This is a touchy subject and I think Xanga is walking a fine line on losing some members. And that would be a shame because I love Xanga and have been a member for a long time.
Censorship is reeeeaaaalllly dangerous territory. I agree with Raizhafae and Judah_Ben_Hur, and everyone that says we need a definition of “adult content.”
I am a big fan of the website ebaumsworld.com. I enjoy a lot of their content, but i am also offended by a lot of it. So, i enjoy the content that looks appealing, and i avoid the content that looks like it might be offensive. Even within myself, what offends me is fluid. There is some content that on some days i want nothing to do with, and on others i seek. How can you expect to cnesor us effectively when we as individuals vary within ourselves? A couple of months ago, my (Baptist) college’s censorship program tried to block ebaumsworld. Even though i am offended by some of the content on that website, i was the first to demand it be unblocked. I kind of expect the same kind of experience with Xanga.
how about these sites… DriiPiing_WeT
and… Horny_Clit_Girl
I completely agree, I was shocked to find out that people do this…
To fix the problem of xanga users accidently stumbling upon a porn blog, allow users to adjust their own settings to filter out adult content. Give us the ability to mark our own blogs and posts as adult or PG. Most porn-blocker software works like this. Forcing us to make adult posts protected will not solve the problem. People with adult blogs will either ignore the rule or just leave xanga.
porn is gross and addictive. It has ruined many peoples lives. I tottaly agree with this
Definitely not a good move. I’m completely against the flagging system.
For obvious reasons.
raizhafae is right, this flag should become availabal ASAP
As a European, I have always been jealeous on one of the masterpieces in history, a part of the Bill of Rights:
…or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…
And you guys are throwing this away
SHAME ON YOU
Just to be complete, I did not want to give eProps, unless I could give negative eProps.
This is really bad.
I think having an adult section would be a better solution to this, but c’mon people, if you want to see porn you can go anywhere else on the ‘Net. It’s not like porn is that difficult to find, and personally, I feel that if you can only express yourself through sex your expressions are pretty limited and weak.
And this does need to be defined better… I think this is one of the foggiest sections of the flags. I’ve always considered there to be a huge different between porn and artistic nudity – Where are you guys going to draw the line? Could I mention sex casually? Masturbation? How much is too much?
I’m for the flag system, but there needs to be a lot more clarity on this.
there shouldn’t be adult sites on xanga period. i do like raizhafae’s idea, however xanga is not a porn site. if people want porn, they can go somewhere else for it. the rest of the internet is teeming with dirty pages, and i respect xanga for not being one of them. adult content shouldn’t even be associated with this site whether it’s on a seperate list or not. it’s easy for a person to fake their age and get onto this list.
this is pretty much close to what should be flagged.
like this random guy just comments me and he comments random sites and he doesn’t even know them. it’s stupid. and he has nasty pictures.. but they’re not porn.
and then this other guy commented me right after he did and he was a perverted freako too! (again no porn)
so this pretty much supports this cause.
Define “Adult Content”
I’m for this one…
Please clearly define “adult content” and show some examples if you can.
What exactly do you mean by “adult content”? Does this mean that I cannot use profanity on my site?
I’m also very unhappy about my posts being searchable by people not logged into the Xanga community. Did you make a deal with these companies to include our blogs? If so, why would you do such a thing?
In half of the “adult content” sites people have mentioned above, the posters’ profiles say they are 15! Why have they not been shut down?
This one, I agree with, but at the same time, I’m not so sure. I mean, they could just make all their posts protected and no one but them and the people on their lists would even know what was posted. So how would you know if someone was posting stuff like porn if everything was protected?
I just want to say something for all the amatuer Constitutional scholars (aka ignorant idiots!!!) who think that Xanga would be censoring free speech by putting flags on:
The First Amendment only restricts the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT from restricting free speech. The Supreme Court has since extended the Bill of Rights to apply to the states as well, so that means that only the GOVERNMENT cannot restrict free speech.
Just as an employeer can restrict free speech during work time and on company computers, Xanga is fully within their rights to limit the content that is published on their servers.
If you don’t like this, then find another blog service, or get an HTML book out of the library and make your own damn porn site!
Let’s help the Xanga Team keep Xanga clean….
I agree with this one. The exististence of adult content on Xanga recently caused ALL OF XANGA to be restricted from my favorite wireless web portal (not a religious institution– Panera Bread!) so now I can’t even go to my own (perfectly clean) blog there. Clearly some serious cleanup is in order.
How about we define “adult content” as “anything that if included in a movie would cause it to be rated R”? Simple enough.
We need to understand that, though there is freedom of speech, that includes the prerogative of the Xanga admin to make Xanga be whatever kind of site they want it to be. If they want it to make it a family-friendly non-adult site, that’s a legitimate administrative call–and it’s Free Speech that allows them to do it. The pornographers can go someplace else like, say, the rest of the entire Internet.
What defines adult content? If there is already a flag for nudity, then does adult content become “objectionable material” such as adult language? Because if it becomes a matter of adult language being flagged, I think that would greatly inhibit the sense of freedom bloggers enjoy here on Xanga.
FREE XANGA!
There are plenty of “safe” conservative anti-adult blogging communities already. Why turn our Xanga into another dilluted sorry excuse for a blogging community?
Help us keep Xanga FREE! from restrictions.
Help us keep Xanga FREE! from regulations.
Help us keep Xanga FREE! from flagging!
Support the efforts of NFC.
Join the BXU! and help us FREE XANGA!
I agree with raizhafae.
Maybe xanga isn’t a place for porn (I tend to agree… there’s million’s of places for porn on the web), I think it can be a legitimate place for exchanging thoughts about sexuality. I’d be very sad to see this possibility gone.
On second thoughts: Why shouldn’t there be porn on xanga? Please let people post whatever they want and find a way to register blogs as adult sites, so there’s a way to prevent underage people from looking at them. I’d be much more likely to do that than to mark each post as protected and get all my friends to subscribe to xanga so I could put them on my protected list.
i agree with razhafae
ummm deffinetly.sometimes….wait..what are we talking about?
I want to further agree with raizhafae.
A little programming now, in terms of a feature like she describes, will save you a lot of “moderating” work down the road as you track and police all the flags you’ll be getting.
YouTube has a similar “opt in to adult content” button on their site.
YES THIS ONE IS A VERY GOOD IDEA!!
porn sux cuz its addicting, porn shouldnt be able to see nudity on xanga, but AGAIN, its there online journal/diay and they can whatever the hell they want, as long as there not trying to get random people to go to there site.
im with raizhafae
I am up for this, because there are sick people who put pics of them in the nude or pics of guys penis’s and naked girls (such as Fear_In_Love) and it is wrong. And I disagree with raizhafae, no one should put that where anyone can search for it even if there is a block! it is still wrong!!!!!!
best flag idea i’ve heard. too many sickos with too much time on their hands.
r we talkin bout pornographic pictures… or curses? cuz swear words is adult content, too, but in venting posts, u can’t help but just!!!
Amen!
unless the purpose of xanga is to be a host of adult sites, i think this is much needed…
I agree with raizhafae
What is the definition of Adult Content?
I agree that nudity, graphic descriptions of sexual acts and requests for sexual favors are not appropriate for Xanga; although, Adult Content needs a strict definition. I would hate to see the vague language of this rule be taken advantage of.
yes =]
This doesn’t include cursing, does it? That could be classified as adult content. The flag is too general.
Hmmmm This really smacks of censorship. I think what you need is better control of what memebers can access what areas. Most of us who do have adult content from time to time police our blogs pretty well. I also think that. I see a bunch of comments above about people who find it personally distasteful well then don’t read it. It’s just like TV change the channel. Done painting a bullseye on my forehead.
I disagree. One’s personal space is one’s personal space and you have the choice to look at it. I think that trying to control what anyone sees on the internet is useless as most twelve year olds can find anything they want on here. Instead of making it the site’s responsibility to protect one from “possibly damaging material” how about teaching children about positive sexuality and not to be afraid of sex and the naked body. Let go of your fear and teach acceptance, then there is no possibility of damage. Once a child has been taught about positive sexuality then even they can make the choice as to whether to stay at a site where they see a naked picture or click the back arrow.
YES, please no nudity or “adult ” content of any kind!
No one needs to see that and you cannot verify a person’s age, so I do not buy the arguement of requiring a person to be of a certain age.
Needs further explication.
i think if you explained EXACTLY what you meant by “Adult Content” then people would be less concerned about what u were talking about… in a way… because alot of people seem to be unclear of what you are talking about by adult content and as Welsh_Kabob said… where are you going to draw the line?
How in the world are you going to verify that someone is 18? I personally know kids who are younger than 13 that have sites, and aren’t supposed to. There is no way that I can figure out how you would know their TRUE age.
Keep the porn out, there is enough of it without allowing it on Xanga.
Yeah, I agree that adult content needs to be more clearly defined. Otherwise, we end up with a pretty slippery slope. Most people who have said anything positive about this flag seem to reference photography — specifically nude/pornographic photography– but what about all that other adult stuff? (the stuff that makes being an adult great)
like:
profanity
graphic or non-graphic discussions of sex and/or sexuality and all those political and religious implications.
graphic or non-graphic discussions (or photographs) of the consumption of cigarettes and beer (or wine or liquor)– that’s pretty adult, right?
again– profanity. I like a nice peppering of curse words– it helps build a sense of character. — and the words are just wonderful sometimes.
discussions (graphic or non-graphic) of acts of violence (be they a punch in the gut or something involving a crowbar and a dude’s kneecaps)
metaphors or similes containing any of these elements ( e.g. man, my physics test was a kick in the teeth — or — “She walked into the room. She was a mink h___job in ether heels.”)
and then there’s — like — dissent against this or that hegemonic institution. (legal figures, the government that be, JudeoChristian religious regimes and so forth) that sort of thing is pretty adult. Right?
and my girlfriend, who’s been teaching junior high, says that the kids aren’t even allowed to use psuedo profanity — “friggin’” and the like.
Come to think of it, jobs are pretty adult. You can’t get a job if you’re not of legal age, so we can stop talking about that.
And paying taxes.
And taking your car to the shop and finding out you need a new pair of strutts in front and then you’re like: “Oh. How much will that be?”
and the guy’s like: “you want a quote?”
and you’re like: “Sure.”
and the guy’s like: “I’ll call you later with a quote. give me your telephone number.”
and you do.
and then he calls you later, and he’s like: “Is this Dan?”
and you’re like: “yeah.”
and he’s like: “This is Jerry from Big’O'Tires. You wanted a quote for new struts for a ’97 Plymouth Breeze?”
and you’re like: “Yeah.”
and he’s like: “The struts plus the labor will be $345.00. plus tax.”
and you’re like: “Oh. Thanks. Have a good night.”
and he’s like: “and you need a tune up as well.”
and you’r like: “oh.”
and he’s like: “That’ll be $60.00.”
and you’re like: “Oh. Thanks. ‘Night.”
“Night.”
and you realized earlier that day that you’ve only got fifty bucks in your checking account and twenty five in your savings.
and your girlfriend’s birthday is coming up.
Man, what are you going to get her?
Dang.
definatly use this
definatly
Adult content. There shouldn’t even be such a thing in existance. The world is plagued by sin. I believe very strongly, that there should be NO Porn or anything of the like on Xanga. It’s should be forbidden period. Such things distort and destroy the minds of anyone, adult or otherwise. No Porn. No Adult Content. Period. That’s what I believe in.
im totally for it
~Colby~
A FORMAL PETITION
The parable of the village
(Dedicated to NFC.)
There was once a community I knew and loved. I lived there for three years. It was a very friendly, nice, open town– one of the ones you see in old movies, where everyone knows each other, and even if they didn’t they’d take time out of their day to say hi. Even though it was big, it was still familiar. You could stay there a night or ten thousand nights, and still feel the same: as if you belonged. You could always find your place where you’d be appreciated.
It sat in a county with other communities similar to it. You know, kind of like the suburbs: drive for twenty minutes and you’ll find an eeirily similar replica. But the wonderful thing about this one was its openness. Really, it was unparalleled. I think that’s why it went wrong.
Of course we had our problems. People living there weren’t perfect; no one is. I remember some horrible things happening; the kind of things local news programs just eat up. Mostly theft. A kidnapping and a few rapes, I think. And of course there was death. Where there is life, there is, ultimately, death. But whenever there was a death, the community would rise up in a wave of support. Though most had never met the dead, they would still give their comments of support for the family, or wishes for a content afterlife. Even though someone had left us, it was still almost an uplifting experience to see everyone living and going on in spite of what happened.
It was diverse without meaning to be, too. That’s also why I liked it so much. The place I live now is basically all one skin tone, mostly conservative Christian, and even the liberals are more moderate than anything else. Radical thinkers need not apply. But where I used to thrive was teeming with new people, new ideas– as close as you can come– and even the silly kids (emos, goths, annas, the like) were endearing if only because they added to the mix. I could be in a bible discussion full of middle-aged moms one week, and an argument about whether Elliott Smith or Conor Oberst would win in a fight with some indie kids the next.
But most everyone ignored the glaring differences and focused on the similarities. They all wanted the same thing, that’s why. They all wanted a community where they would be accepted and appreciated and loved. Together, we were all able to deliver that. Only together did it work. If you didn’t want to be friendly, you wouldn’t make problems; you would simply stay in your little corner. There was a certain amount of conformity involved in the community: be nice or we won’t really tolerate it. It was a conformity in exchange for a relatively safe, hapy community. I didn’t mind. I liked it. I felt safe and loved and intellectually stimulated.
Then. Oh, then. The reason I moved away.
The neighborhood town village whatever thing next to us had this huge investigation. Apparently there’d been more than the usual amount of underage illegal activities. The place I live now is going through this as well. Lots of underage drinking, drug use, and of course everyone’s confused about the cutting and anorexia obsessions. Plus, all this stuff was leading to more rapes and kidnappings. A lot of out-of-towners were coming in and, instead of joining the open community, were staying on the fringes and causing trouble.
Parents were getting worried, paranoid, and distrustful of newness. Kids, if they weren’t getting paranoid too, were getting taken advantage of.
I remember the day I realized I had to leave. I went to a neighbor’s house. It was a neighbor I wasn’t all that close with but we still recognized each other and talked occasionally. When I knocked and no one answered, I went to open the door. This isn’t unusual; usually if you did this, nine times out of ten you’d get an open door. People were used to their friends and neighbors dropping by unannounced and making themselves at home. That’s why we were all so close.
But the door was locked.
This sounds absurd, in retrospect. But it was like a physical blow at the time. It was the first realization I had that now, we were not a community. We were individuals who happened to live close together. We were protecting ourselves from each other. It was ridiculous, I thought; why would I need to be protected from the people around me? We all want the same thing. Why would someone want to ruin that? And why, if there were people like that, would we allow them to continue to exist?
But then I wondered how, if not through protection, we would be able to get rid of those strangers who didn’t share our vision for the community. I didn’t know. I couldn’t think of anything. I wanted to protect everyone, but I didn’t want to lose our openness. I wanted to have it so that everyone was safe, but so no one had to think about it. Basically, I wanted the impossible.
But my community? My lovely, open community? No. It couldn’t be happening.
Things went downhill from there.
Like me, most people didn’t know where to start. They didn’t really want to protect themselves, and so eventually they were taken advantage of, or made to protect themselves. In an attempt to curb this violence and paranoia, the police, or the mayor I don’t know I wasn’t really paying attention to politics then, tried to put some curfews and new regulations in place. This didn’t work at all. They were too rushed, too vague, too restrictive for a community that was used to seeing their police officers in the bar with them on Friday nights, laughing about the weekly gossip and antics of the teenagers in the Commons. Now, they had to enforce rules they didn’t want to; they witnessed things they never thought they’d see. They had left to get away from this. In the deep of their minds, it felt like the badness had followed them.
Everyone had that feeling.
I live now in a place where no one would ever think to leave their doors open, or even their windows. They know what to do with people who mean harm: lock them up, drive them out– or, even better, never give them the chance to enter in the first place. Everyone has security devices and all this fancy stuff that I mostly don’t understand. I don’t understand because I never had to deal with it before. I was never threatened before.
The fun, the innocence, the basic goodness that made the community so special was being destroyed by the unstoppable waves of change, the bleak change that local news channels love to just eat up.
My life was in that community for three years. I left before I could see it die completely. I felt it for a place that was already dead.
-Ren
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To: The Xanga Team
On April 21st, Xanga announced that it would seek to establish a system of flagging in response to recent litegation involving other online communities. Effective immediately all user interaction in exercising free thought and expression will be stopped and/or regulated.
This is a formal petition to please ask Xanga to reconsider their decision and continue in preserving this last bastion of FreeSpeechOnline -as the Only remaining free_thought internet community that we so dearly cherish. For a more detailed description of the situation please see this effort and support: http://www.xanga.com/Non_Featured_Content -the no_censorship community
Sincerely,
TheUndersigned
i agree with raizhafae and believe that they have come up with a much better solution for this than the plans. i believe you guys have a great idea but you are going about this all wrong. you cannot give others the opportunity to kick people off of this site. it will be used wrong and you will have no users anymore. almost everyone could admit that they have at one point and time done something to fit under at least one of the categories.. does that mean no one should use xanga? honestly… make a poll… just ask people on here how many of them have honestly never done any of the things that can be flagged whether they wrote about it or not.
This might be a step in the right direction. But there are some good questions. Just a few:
How is this going to be enforced?
How are flags distributed? By the users themselves?
If so, has it been considered how it can be abused? How can one prevent someone from using flags against someone with which they have a personal vendetta?
Is the flag nothing more than a symbol? Does it bring the page to someone’s attention? Does it have an impact aside from simply being a flag?
I see that the intention is good, but unless we have good answers for these questions, we may not be ready for this just yet. Regardless, I’d like to see how an idea like this plays out.
more: tired_of_normal_sex
i see why this issue would concern the staff for all the minors that are on xanga, but as many others have already stated, anything that takes away from what xanga is supposed to be is LAME. xanga is a neat place to express yourself, it’s one of the few places i know that can have 13 year old girls complain about their gym class but also have sophisticated 40 year olds talk about politics and stuff. if you do this (as well as much of the other flagging) i can guarantee xanga won’t be as great anymore.
as far as safety, why not go with the protected sites idea? people of all ages should have the common knowledge to know that if they click a site with the username “cumlickmeeee” they’re asking for trouble. pornography isn’t legal for minors, fine, so put your security use to block out minors against sites with adult content.
making this option is taking away freedom from some people because it would be like saying “come to xanga, where you can express any and all feelings you have, write about whatever you want, and get your emotions out… except if you like sex. then you’ll get flagged.”
that’s what i think.
yeahh.. word to raizhafae.. though most underage users can go ahead and lie about their age anyway. fyi, there are many blogrings out there (eg ‘masturbation proclamation’ i think is the name..) that really shouldn’t be on here. i mean if myspace moderates the pictures they have on there, you should too.
i think if u r the legal age u sould be aloud 2 c pron on peoples xangas!!!!!only if the porn is legal like if it has littel kids in it then they should be band for ever from xanga!!!!!!!! cuz that is just rong haveing childern pron!!!1
There are a lot of people involved in this conversation who don’t even seem to be of legal age to view such content.
Regardless of our own stances on the morals of pornography, I think we all can agree that, at this moment, laws exist that govern who can and who can’t view such content. The question is, is Xanga required to uphold those laws? Is Xanga responsible for shielding its younger members from content provided by its older crowd?
Or, you could think of it this way: Is Xanga responsible for the actions of its members?
Personally, I think not. Every so often when we hear a story about a postal worker going on a shooting rampage, the United States Post Office is not blamed for his actions. However, I think it would be wrong for Xanga to stand aside as crimes are commited in its corner of the Web. I think the flagging system is a good start at preventing minors from viewing adult content.
I have seen adult content xanga sites in the featured content box on the main page. Minors dont need to be seeing half the names that show up there, or clicking on the links to go to the sites. There sick and wrong. Is there away you can make sure sites with adult content stays off the featured content and recently updated list?
this is the most important one. there is nothing worse than looking at different sites and coming across something gross by accident.
this is Awesome… thanks Xanga!!!!!
great idea!!
ok the flagging system may be a violation of freedom of speach but the owners of xanga have the right to refuse service but they must check the flagged sites themselves not just kick a user because then some jerk could flag the persons site and it gets deleted for no reason the anorexia thing is wrong and people talking about self mutilation those shouldnt be on the list we all have our own life styles now suicidal instructions or an advertisement for a porno company would be terribly wrong
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to knohow is it hard to define adult content i rele don tget that not tryin to be mean but ya know. If ur a christian it’s not at all hard to know wut actually is “adult content” but yeah it’s bout time they finally got a flag system huh
whoops, i mean how hard is to not be able to know wut “adult content” is.lol SRRY
oh and the other thing bout they didnt define the adult content, that rele isnt hard i mean comon guys rele tho think bout it.
oh and the other thing bout they didnt define the adult content, that rele isnt hard i mean comon guys rele tho think bout it.
I disagree. I have no idea what adult content is. Is it profanity? Is it talking about drinking or sex, both of which are generally adult activities? Adult conternt is not synonomous with pornography.
look, if its porn, its adult and should not be on xanga period
I would really like to know what ‘adult content’ is defined as, there’s a person who keeps spamming ppl…including some of my friends, and I would like to do something about it. This person talks incessantly about drugs and sex on their site. Is that adult content?
omg you took away all of my fun!!!!!!!!!
thank god. i’m guilty of using a tracker ::sorry!!!:: and when i looked back at people’s sites, i REALLY didnt want to see those nasty pictures. is there any way you can get rid of the nasty blogrings too?
If you really want to crack down on adult content in posts, shut down all sites that pop up with the user search word of sexy. I don’t want to go into them to flag them for you. I’m not putting that stuff in front of my eyes. But, it’s easy to get to and something needs to be done about it.
Yeah. Some people put incredibly sick stuff on here and it needs to be stopped.
I think I accidently flagged myself under this category.not really knowing what it was………………….i dont have anything illegal here……please unflag me!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess this message is totally unparalleled.resources