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]

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]

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]

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.

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...

 

[Ninja Realist]

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

Sorry for being vague: I should have made that part more clear. I often used to post images such as these, which I make myself:

It may seem easy to just slap some text on an image, but it's actually a more involved process then that. First you have to find and capture the right screenshot to convey the emotion you're going for. Usually, for every 20 screenshots I take, maybe one of them will be used in a macro.

The text itself seems simple but it actually takes about 15-20 minutes to get the text effect just right and line everything up properly plus uploading it. So all told, it takes about 30-45 minutes of work to produce one image macro. I think that a watermark in exchange for this effort is perfectly reasonable.

Another thing I should address. It's true that I link to my Soundcloud Page (I do not even attempt to make money off my music, it's all available for free) rather than an anime blog but I only do that because I don't have an anime blog and I don't want to link directly to my facebook for obvious reasons. I would be open to changing the watermarks on the images that I post just for sherdog.net but my watermark will always be a URL of some sort.

After all, if you just use some random signature, as lot of people do (one person used the example W.E.) it won't really serve to identify you very well at all. To most people it will be just some random text with no significance. If I post the right URL, my identity will be obvious.

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.

When I said reasonable service, I just meant that the people who create these .gifs and macros are putting effort into original content so it can be re-shared and enjoyed across the web.

Given that the people who create these macros expect no other compensation besides a watermark to identify themselves as the creator of the .gif I think a watermark is reasonable. If the watermark redirects to the creators personal website that is only so that the creator can be identified, it's not as if the .gif itself was an advertisement.

I realize that some big-name websites put watermarks on all of their content as an advertisement and trademark ( I would give examples but that is also advertising them) but it's easy to draw a distinction between that and a personal watermark, IMO.

 

[Departed]

I've created about 100 Avs and belts for other people on sherdog, and not one has a watermark. I've also created a few dozen shoops in p&m, and again haven't watermarked any. If you want recognition for your work, watermark your user name on it. Putting a link to something else is advertising. The site is funded through advertising, so you can see why the owners are not at home to letting people post ads without remuneration.

 

[Ninja Realist]

I've created about 100 Avs and belts for other people on sherdog, and not one has a watermark. I've also created a few dozen shoops in p&m, and again haven't watermarked any. If you want recognition for your work, watermark your user name on it. Putting a link to something else is advertising. The site is funded through advertising, so you can see why the owners are not at home to letting people post ads without remuneration.

Well I guess I respect the fact that you are willing to do work without compensation but, I guess I do not share that willingness.

I think more important is your contention that I'm somehow interfering with sherdog.net's profits by doing so, when from my point of view I'm doing the exact opposite. Not only did I used to generate hits through my own traffic, but, by posting original content on sherdog, I'm actually potentially redirecting new traffic back to sherdog.net.

For example, suppose someone finds one of my macros in a google search and is linked back to sherdog.net as a result. Also, as someone who posts on a wide variety of forums across the internet, I often used to provide free marketing by mentioning sherdog.net on the other messageboards I frequent.

All in all, I don't see how a user like me is anything but a boon to sherdog.net. I really don't see how what I'm doing is in any way interfering with the website.

 

[Nostromo]

I think this pretty much identifies the issue.

After all, if you just use some random signature, as lot of people do (one person used the example W.E.) it won't really serve to identify you very well at all. To most people it will be just some random text with no significance. If I post the right URL, my identity will be obvious.

I think your screen name identifies you pretty well, as would a link in your sig. It's your site that you want identified, in the hope that people will follow that link there.

[*]Advertising: Posting or private messaging to sell, buy, or trade products or services, links to auctions, affiliate links, links to promote personal or commercial websites, blogs, other forums and so forth is not allowed anywhere without explicit permission.

The rules are clear and specific on promoting personal sites, no links in the post. As soon as we start making exceptions for one person then the rules themselves become unenforceable towards everyone else. At that point we have no justification for denying anyone else a link to their site, without it being perceived as discriminatory or showing favoritism.

 

[Nnedd]

TS, did you get an infraction for posting a watermarked image? Or have and image removed?

I didn't see anything in your posts that is event specific, it seems like you're mostly against the policy.

 

[Nostromo]

TS has never received an infraction for posting those pics/GIFs/whatever

I sure some have probably been deleted though if the images he posted in this thread are real examples of what he's posted on this forum in the past.

 

[Ninja Realist]

TS, did you get an infraction for posting a watermarked image? Or have and image removed?

I didn't see anything in your posts that is event specific, it seems like you're mostly against the policy.

Yes I had a thread deleted by Cool Hand Luke in the Pictures and Multimedia sub-forum.

If you look at the explanation for deletion requests you can see my post and his response.

That was about two months ago and when I stopped posting here. I now post almost exclusively on forums that allow watermarked images.

I think this pretty much identifies the issue.



I think your screen name identifies you pretty well, as would a link in your sig. It's your site that you want identified, in the hope that people will follow that link there.



The rules are clear and specific on promoting personal sites, no links in the post. As soon as we start making exceptions for one person then the rules themselves become unenforceable towards everyone else. At that point we have no justification for denying anyone else a link to their site, without it being perceived as discriminatory or showing favoritism.

I have read the rules and I think I have a pretty good idea of the reasoning behind them. The rules are for the owners of the site to make and I'm not trying to suggest that anything about their handling of the site is illegitimate.

I had already made the decision to stop posting here before I made this thread and that's because I don't expect you to change your rules for one poster.

But given how much time and energy I've invested into this site, I thought I should explain why I have decided to stop posting here, partially in the hope that my explanation might be useful to the owners/mods/staff of sherdog.net and perhaps to other posters.

 

[Nostromo]

I had already made the decision to stop posting here before I made this thread and that's because I don't expect you to change your rules for one poster.

But given how much time and energy I've invested into this site, I thought I should explain why I have decided to stop posting here, partially in the hope that my explanation might be useful to the owners/mods/staff of sherdog.net and perhaps to other posters.

You'll be missed, I'm sure, as will your unique and original manga image memes.

Perhaps you'll change your mind at a later date and return to us.

Good luck to you.

 

[alphaomegaman]

You'll be missed, I'm sure, as will your unique and original manga image memes.

Perhaps you'll change your mind at a later date and return to us.

Good luck to you.

clean off the top...

 

[Ronwah]

I've created about 100 Avs and belts for other people on sherdog, and not one has a watermark. I've also created a few dozen shoops in p&m, and again haven't watermarked any. If you want recognition for your work, watermark your user name on it. Putting a link to something else is advertising. The site is funded through advertising, so you can see why the owners are not at home to letting people post ads without remuneration.

I've only created one and didn't watermark it - shit is priceless too.