mod-ish post

Ok, these are more my personal reflections, so I'm putting this in my own journal, but on sort of a moderator capacity. If people could take a few moments to glance through, I'd really appreciate it.

So far, mB has really been great, there are many talented people here drawing in a myriad of different styles, and we have a rich collection of both fanart and original art; it's great fun to browse through the main gallery (and as UUC mod, I do it alot XD) and see all the wonderful and creative artwork that people are submitting. However, as mB continues to accrue members and grow larger, some issues have come to light that I feel needs to be addressed and clarified.

First and foremost, as one of the three User Uploaded Content moderators, my main concern lies with copyright issues and matters of artwork content, both of which are admittedly very subjective. The UUC team have recently been alerted to and resolved sucessfully a case of copyright violation, in which the individual concerned had been uploading works belonging to other artists under their own name. While this is a more severe case, the team has also processed sporadic cases of users uploading policy-violating submissions, most likely in error. In hopes of avoiding future incidents, I'd like to run through what mangaBullet and the UUC team considers to be violations:

a) Copying and Tracing

Forms of Tracing: MangaBullet does not allow unauthorized traced pieces and have a zero tolerance policy on traced images. We consider an image to be traced if its linework clearly matches that of a pre-existing image WHICH DOES NOT BELONG TO THE USER (so photos/drawings that belong to you are fine) in an overlay. This applies even if the original work is credited in the description. Traced images in which details are altered fall also under this policy --for example, a traced image in which the hairstyle and expression has been changed to better suit the user's purposes will nonetheless be considered a trace and be subject to deletion. While various tracing shenanigans are tolerated by a certain other art community, we have seen it all--shaky lines/skewing+rotating to avoid perfect overlays--and we'll probably be onto you like rabid wolfhounds. Please do not tempt fate.

While many people have pointed out that vector tracing requires a lot of work on the part of the vectorer, in the great words of Eddz: "Robbing a bank is a lot of work too." Direct unauthorized vector traces are considered a form of tracing by the UUC team and subject to deletion.

Forms of Copying: MangaBullet does allow copies of existing work provided that ample and detailed credit is given. We consider a piece to be a copy when the artist looks at an image/object and replicates it ("eyeballing"). This applies both to official licensed artwork (e.g. Naruto Screenshots) and fan/original work. Appropriate credit MUST BE GIVEN in order for the piece to remain valid.

For example:

Image referenced from Haruhi Suzumiya Character Soundtrack (artist information and link to image when applicable)= PROPER CREDITING

I remember the picture from a site I found on Google = IMPROPER CREDITING = ANGRY MODS DELETE SUBMISSION

Keep in mind that when dealing with Original Work/Fanart, a link to the artist's website MUST BE GIVEN, and if the artist at any point states that they do not wish for the redistribution/reuse of their work, the copied piece is considered a policy violation and will be deleted. Many artists--including myself--do not appreciate copies of their images, and we urge all users to respect the original artist's opinions and intellectual property when considering what is appropriate for submission.

Individual cases which do not immediately fall under these definitions will be considered by the UUC moderators as a team, and a group consensus will be made regarding appropriate action.

b)Wallpaper submissions:

Mangabullet recognizes that as an Anime/Manga-oriented community, the sharing of modified wallpapers is an integral part of many user's online activities. Therefore we have created a category specifically for the submission of wallpapers created from official licensed artwork. This includes such things as screenshots, promotion images and merchandise--we do request that credit be given, as per the copied artwork that I mentioned earlier in this journal. Wallpapers created from Original artwork/Fanart, however, are not considered valid, as we feel that they impugn on the property of independent artists. If you do not know the origin/status of a particular piece of artwork, please err on the side of safety by choosing not to submit the piece.

Oh, and don't submit wallpaper that you didn't make yourself, ok?

If you take a screenshot of your working screen, please submit them properly under "screenshots," as these are not considered valid wallpaper submissions.

c)Art theft:

Submitting images which you did not create yourself, while claiming authorship is considered to be Art Theft. The mod team, and the art community as a whole has very little tolerance for this sort of behavior, and users discovered to be engaging in such behavior will receive only one warning before they are banned.

The bottom line is: Do not submit anything that you do not hold ownership to mb. Just...don't do it.

d)Permittable Content:

Look, none of us mods are prudes, my mind isn't in the gutter, most of the time my mind is the gutter. But as much as we'd like to make mB accepting and open to most forms of expression, the administration needs to simultaneously keep the community welcome to all users, some of which may not be comfortable with overly sexual or violent imagery. Please try to err on the side of safety when you decide whether your image is appropriate for a mature ranking—and if you find that a mod has mature filtered your submission for you, it’s not because we’re pissy prudes, or that there’s anything wrong with your submission, we just want to lessen the risk of some 5 year old stumbling across nekkid boylovings.

Having said that, we WILL delete the following:
Images which contain the photographic depiction of self-harm or harm to others
Images which contain the depiction of beastiality
Images which contain overt depictions of graphic sexual behavior.
Images which are considered overtly disturbing or obscene
Images which contain hateful or prejudiced propaganda.
Images which are considered Child Pornography.

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Please remember that the mods are here to assist you and to ensure that the system runs smoothly—we are not playing policemen or out to get you. If you spot any violations, please utilize the “report violation” function to alert the mod team, or contact either , or myself via private messages. We will assist with the investigation to the best of our ability. I would personally urge users not to call out suspected perpetrators in their journals/forums, as accusations often lead to drama and confusion. Hopefully with everyone’s help, we can keep MangaBullet drama-free, and a friendly and hospitable environment for all artists.