The Rules about Using Watermarked .GIFs and Macros drove me away from this site...

[Ninja Realist]

Dear sherdog.net staff/mods/administrators,

I have posted regularly on this website for the past six years and until recently have always enjoyed it, to one extent or another. I used to post quite often in the regular MMA forums and have recently been a more regular poster in the Off Topic Forums, especially Mayberry and The War Room, as well as the Training Forums, S&P, Standup, Weapons&Tactics. In general, I respect the staff of this website and the hard work they do on a regular basis. However, I have not posted in two months and do not plan on posting in the future for the simple reason that I find your rule about banning watermarked .gifs and macros to be objectionable.

Animated .gif files and image macros often require both time and effort to produce as well as at least a moderate understanding of how to properly use image manipulation software. The people who post watermarks on their .gifs and watermarks are usually merely doing so in order that they can receive some modicum of recognition for their efforts. While it's true that some of these watermarks function as advertisements for other websites, they are generally non-intrusive and do not compromise the end-user experience in any significant way (the .gifs are hosted on another website after all).

It's therefore hard for me to see this rule as anything but an attempt to completely monopolize the use of this board for any kind of self-promotion, even if that self-promotion is done in exchange for rendering a reasonable service unto the internet and even if that self-promotion does no harm to anyone.

That's obviously your prerogative, as you own the boards and do all the work to maintain them, but it's also reason enough for me and other like-minded people to abandon these boards entirely.

But this is all conjecture and if there's a more pragmatic/benevolent reason for banning watermarks, then I'd like to hear it. After all, I am no expert on how to run an internet message board. If there is no other reason, consider this my final post.

Either way, I hope you'll see that this post was not made out of spite, but an honest desire to offer helpful advice. I would not have put so much effort into it otherwise.

Sincerely,

Simon L a.k.a. Ninja Realist

[Nostromo]

The issue is about using this forum as a launch site to promote other sites either through links, watermarks, or other means for the sole purpose of steering traffic from here to another site. We allow users to include a link to their site in their sig, which would appear in every post they make. That should be sufficient for anyone imo.

Edit: I get the sense though that you have someone specific in mind.

[alphaomegaman]

Originally Posted by Nostromo

I get the sense that you have someone specific in mind.

Simon said benevolent...

[Departed]

I thought the watermarks were only an issue if they were hosted on a banned site (that swapped out gifs for pron) or were used to spam another competing site

[Nostromo]

Originally Posted by Departed

I thought the watermarks were only an issue if they were hosted on a banned site (that swapped out gifs for pron) or were used to spam another competing site

I'm guessing the TS is referring to GIFs from a banned poster whose site is currently being filtered.

[Departed]

I got that impression too. Some, be profit. Though TS did refer to people who render a reasonable service onto the site, so I'm confused.

[Wow Exuberant]

So if I make a GIF and just put a watermark on it saying something like "W.E." for wow exuberant, just for some credit, no advertising, is that not allowed?

[Nostromo]

Originally Posted by Departed

I got that impression too. Some, be profit. Though TS did refer to people who render a reasonable service onto the site, so I'm confused.

I have no idea what 'reasonable service' implies.

Originally Posted by Wow Exuberant

So if I make a GIF and just put a watermark on it saying something like "W.E." for wow exuberant, just for some credit, no advertising, is that not allowed?

Nothing wrong with that.

[ZappBrannigan]

is he talking about ZP? Didn't he get banned early last year?

[alphaomegaman]

and here we go...