morfiction
Lore Master
I was talking to a mod and he suggested I ask.
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Could we have a 18and up forum?
- Thread starter morfiction
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What purpose would that serve?
FatCat
Scribal Lord
You could talk about the woes of being a legal adult and smoking cigarettes.
How would you propose this 18 and up forum would be conducted, morfiction? What would separate it from what we have now?
I don't see the benefit of an age segregated forum. This is a writers' community. That in itself should allow for us to discuss any topic as it applies to the art of storytelling - as long as it's done tastefully. Besides, I don't even think this forum tracks age, does it?
Zero Angel
Dark Lord
I think my birthday is in my profile....
But I can understand if people felt they had to censor themselves in a "public" forum or if they wanted advice on say, fantasy erotica?
But I can understand if people felt they had to censor themselves in a "public" forum or if they wanted advice on say, fantasy erotica?
I see. Is there a law that prohibits minors from writing erotica? Are adults prohibited from engaging minors in such a topic on a forums? I ask earnestly, I don't know.
Zero Angel
Dark Lord
For the first one I think they could write it, but they wouldn't be allowed to read what they wrote (depending on location) and for the second I would almost guarantee it was illegal.
Lawfire
Mystagogue
I certainly would not recommend doing it. Many states have decency laws on the books, as well as laws prohibiting contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Not to mention doing so across state lines...
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morfiction
Lore Master
Well, the content of much of my fiction is blood-soaked, violent stuff with a few erotic scenes tossed in there. I'm on a separate website that I mentioned to Reaver... I labeled all my stuff with the "Adult" tags and went into their adults only forum asking for feedback. My message was deleted, was told to ask for feedback in the public section of the forum. Okay... so I made it clear my writing was adult stuff with Not Safe For Work Tendencies and asked for feedback again. This second post was deleted as well. Then I'm given a second PM that says "label all your stuff appropriately" which I already had. The PM reminded me "We have quite a few young people on here."
No freaking, duh. I asked for feedback in their adults only chat because I knew this without being told... So I can't even get feedback over there or a crit because I'm sure each time I ask some other doofus is gonna tell me "The adults only section is not the appropriate place to ask for feedback." ... What kinda monkeys do they have running that asylum anyway?????
So, really if someone wants to let it all hang out AND they have R-rated stories to tell AND they are over 18, they can't share here as is. So thus the suggestion of an adult section.
Butterfly
Dark Lord
You could always create a group here in order to find writers of a similar subject and suitable age to critique each other's work via e-mail.
Group entry would likely have to moderated though just to make sure everyone in it was over 18.
Group entry would likely have to moderated though just to make sure everyone in it was over 18.
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I think most of what would happen in an Adults-only writing forum would bring down the quality of the community and be a major strain on the moderators. Adult content can be done professionally - don't get me wrong - but the internet is swarming with people who want to be tasteless for the sake of being tasteless. I think it would be a bad idea to put out a clarion call for that kind of content.
I don't think there's much of a demand for this. Many of us have formed relationships with other writers and if we feel comfortable with them, we can share whatever. My writing is blood-soaked as well, but I don't share most of that on the forum for a reason. Reach out feelers and see if anyone would be interested in reading your story. There is a Writing Group section now used for that very purpose.
I think if others were clamoring for a place to post more adult oriented material, then maybe this would be good. From my personal stand-point though, I don't really think it's needed at the moment.
I think if others were clamoring for a place to post more adult oriented material, then maybe this would be good. From my personal stand-point though, I don't really think it's needed at the moment.
PrincessaMiranda
Lore Master
having an Adults Only forum would most likely only fuel the younger persons desire to read what was in there. I know I HAD to get into anything off limits just to see. There really isn't a point, but if you do think that your stuff is too adult you could always just put a warning. I don't think it's that much of a big deal.
Mindfire
Istari
I'm with Devor. Making an "Adult's Only" section is like erecting a giant neon billboard that says "Put your porn here!" and then erecting another giant neon billboard next to it inviting all the anonymous weirdos from across the interwebs to come and read/stare at it.
In short, probably a bad idea that is more likely to debase the quality and reputation of the forum as a whole than contribute anything of worth. Sure, the people who are here now are good and decent. But once you put up that "adult only" partition you're practically inviting new people to join up whose primary interest is not writing, but smut. Once that happens it all goes downhill.
I think it's better to include a warning/disclaimer at the beginning of a post for the benefit of the fainthearted/underage (although let's be honest, even if you put up a special section, underage kids will find their way in regardless) than it is to devote an entire section to "adult content". Writing is the primary interest here, "adult" stuff should be incidental to that, not the other way round.
In short, probably a bad idea that is more likely to debase the quality and reputation of the forum as a whole than contribute anything of worth. Sure, the people who are here now are good and decent. But once you put up that "adult only" partition you're practically inviting new people to join up whose primary interest is not writing, but smut. Once that happens it all goes downhill.
I think it's better to include a warning/disclaimer at the beginning of a post for the benefit of the fainthearted/underage (although let's be honest, even if you put up a special section, underage kids will find their way in regardless) than it is to devote an entire section to "adult content". Writing is the primary interest here, "adult" stuff should be incidental to that, not the other way round.
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Zero Angel
Dark Lord
Well that is the other thing too. Unless something is pure erotica, there really aren't age limits on books anywhere, is there? I know I was reading adult fiction from middle school on and the only warning I ever got were that they used big words, to which I was always condescending to the idiot adult telling me that.
In addition to various other arguments against this:
It is functionally impossible to actually determine a person's age online. We can say it is 18 and over, but it wouldn't actually be.
It is functionally impossible to actually determine a person's age online. We can say it is 18 and over, but it wouldn't actually be.
Chime85
Mystagogue
To be honest I see no reason to put these restrictions on. For one, it is impossible to judge someones age. All someone needs to do is tell a fib on their birthday bit in their profile and theyre in. The system would be relying entirely on peoples honesty over the internet. A way around this would be something like enter credit card details, but that is VERY unpopular and not everyone 18+ has one.
Secondly, what purpose would it serve? The argument of course is that it stop minors from viewing explicit content. Thats all well and good, but considering minors these days are exposed to alot of expicit content through music videos, music itself and many other mediums, it seems trite to prevent them from looking up a naughty word or two.
If anything, why not simply have a "explicit content" warning. Something no bigger than a smiley. I Don't know, something like this: xxx next to the thread heading. That way, people would know the thread has explicit content and can decide for themselves wether or not they wish to view it.
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Secondly, what purpose would it serve? The argument of course is that it stop minors from viewing explicit content. Thats all well and good, but considering minors these days are exposed to alot of expicit content through music videos, music itself and many other mediums, it seems trite to prevent them from looking up a naughty word or two.
If anything, why not simply have a "explicit content" warning. Something no bigger than a smiley. I Don't know, something like this: xxx next to the thread heading. That way, people would know the thread has explicit content and can decide for themselves wether or not they wish to view it.
x
1) Labeling a thread doesn't get around the fact that sexually-explicit content and swearing / obscenities are prohibited by the Forum Guidelines. In other words, if your story has that sort of content then it arguably doesn't belong on the site to begin with.
2) Having a way for a user to enter an age (if you were going to have an "adult" forum, which I do not think will happen here) is as much or more about protecting the site as shielding the minor from content. The fact that you can't absolutely verify the age is less important than the fact that you have in place a system where the user has to affirmatively lie to you about his age to access the content.
It doesn't seem to me like there is sufficient call for this content on Mythic Scribes to warrant an "adult" forum. The mere presence of one also goes against the presentation of a site as a family and child-friendly site. Family-friendly sites tend not to have areas of explicit adult content, regardless of access restrictions, and when a person loads the forums and sees that one exists, it gives quite a different impression of the place.
I think the point about inviting certain types of content is valid as well, though if it is all in an adult-only forum, then the content is very easily avoided. On the whole, though, would it bring a benefit to the site, and would the benefit outweight the burdens (e.g. increased need for moderation, non-family or child friendly appearance, need for a system to affirm age and accept the 'adult' content, and so on). It doesn't seem to me that the benefit to the site would be great, so I'm not in favor of the idea. Personally, I don't mind adult content - it doesn't offend me to read it. I just don't think it would fit in well with the character and purpose of Mythic Scribes.
2) Having a way for a user to enter an age (if you were going to have an "adult" forum, which I do not think will happen here) is as much or more about protecting the site as shielding the minor from content. The fact that you can't absolutely verify the age is less important than the fact that you have in place a system where the user has to affirmatively lie to you about his age to access the content.
It doesn't seem to me like there is sufficient call for this content on Mythic Scribes to warrant an "adult" forum. The mere presence of one also goes against the presentation of a site as a family and child-friendly site. Family-friendly sites tend not to have areas of explicit adult content, regardless of access restrictions, and when a person loads the forums and sees that one exists, it gives quite a different impression of the place.
I think the point about inviting certain types of content is valid as well, though if it is all in an adult-only forum, then the content is very easily avoided. On the whole, though, would it bring a benefit to the site, and would the benefit outweight the burdens (e.g. increased need for moderation, non-family or child friendly appearance, need for a system to affirm age and accept the 'adult' content, and so on). It doesn't seem to me that the benefit to the site would be great, so I'm not in favor of the idea. Personally, I don't mind adult content - it doesn't offend me to read it. I just don't think it would fit in well with the character and purpose of Mythic Scribes.
Mindfire
Istari
You know, I keep forgetting we have a lawyer around here.
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