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sonofzeal
2012-05-25, 05:52 AM
Situation: I have a link to some free creative content (not by me) that I would enjoy sharing with participants of a certain thread I'm in. However, the creative content also contains a large number of off-color jokes which would normally be inappropriate for this site.

I went to the ToS to try and work this out, and got the following:


The following topics are always off-limits on these forums, no matter what (hence, Inappropriate Topics). Any posts including these topics will be edited, and any threads started to discuss these topics will be locked. Please note that, as specifically stated below, these topics remain off-limits even where they intersect with gaming or other activities discussed on these forums, and that putting an alert for "Adult" or "Mature" content on the thread does not allow circumvention of this rule. Likewise, if you can't post something under the Forum Rules, please don't link to that content.

Real-world religions (including religious reactions to gaming)
Real-world politics (including political reactions to gaming)
Graphic violence
Illegal drugs
Illegal/Criminal activity
Explicit sexuality
Even a single comment, reference, or post on these topics violates the Forum Rules. Please read these terms with the widest possible breadth and avoid such comments.

However, I also found this:


You may always advertise or link to works of art online, such as other webcomics, fiction sites, music sites, or anything else that generates original artistic content—even if that site also makes a profit off of that work. We don't want the rules against advertising to prevent people from discovering new creative works that they will love, and we don't want to penalize artists for trying to make a living off of their work. However, if a site only resells creative work and does not have any of that work available online, then it is primarily a commercial site and cannot be advertised here.

How do these two policies interact? Do off-color jokes about marital aids and pimps qualify as "explicit sexuality"? Is off-site original artistic content held to the same rigorous standards as this site, or a lower standard since it's somewhat removed? And finally, if the page I link to is clean but other easily-accessible pages on the same website would potentially violate board policy, how is that resolved, and could I make reference to that off-color content as long as I don't link to it directly?

Thanks!

Roland St. Jude
2012-05-25, 08:09 AM
Sheriff: The latter quotation is merely regarding the advertising nature of the link. It doesn't alter the subject matter limitations. Regarding subject matter, if you wouldn't post it here, don't link to it. Err on the side of caution. Providing a link to an appropriate front page helps but it's not a complete dodge. If a website is all about graphic violence, gore, and criminal activity, linking to the clean front page that is mild enough to meet our standards isn't going to help.

What you describe sounds milder, but you have some doubts. I always advise listenening to those doubts and erring on the side of caution. There's not really any clear line or description I can give you that would cover all cases.