What happened to the hot guy game!?!

I only have limited time so apologies for making this short, but I think Filip and Lex have pretty much covered what I'd have said.

As Lex said, the thread has been pulled whilst we discuss what way is best to proceed with moderating it. It's a bit of a kneejerk reaction to simply remove it and not re-open it again, but it has become increasingly clear that our current way of moderating it isn't working. The first thread was barely moderated and eventually got restarted, and this current thread was started with a list of 'guidelines' for what isn't acceptable, and every single one of them were violated just on the last 2 pages alone. It wasn't even a case of just having a few pubes visible because some of the hotlinks came from sites far beyond EC's PG-13 rating.

One of the things we have considered is, as Eldanesh suggested above, pre-moderating all images before they appear. I know that some people enjoy the more 'saucy' pictures that are in there, but you should really use a different browser window for that instead of posting them on EC.

The thread is likely to be restarted again once we can resolve a way to moderate it more effectively. It's a popular thread so we will explore the options to allow that to happen, but until then it's just a case of waiting patiently. I don't think anybody here wanted the thread to be removed, but it had become impossible to moderate in its current state because of the images that weren't considered appropriate.

Perhaps the guidelines are a little too ambiguous, but the staff also expect members to use common sense when deciding whether an image is PG-13. We can outline the basics (no bulges/outlines etc), but it's virtually impossible to give a crystal clear outline on what isn't appropriate due to the range of pictures out there.

But anyways, just keep a look out for the thread.

 

That sounds a bit dramatic. I'd also remind anybody who does have such a problem with it that it would be a lot easier to remove the thread and not allow it to be restarted, as this isn't the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth time it has caused problems this year. Hell, it isn't even the first time we've had to remove this thread and restart it again.

I think what people need to remember is that it doesn't thrill the staff to have to take precautions with threads. Having to approve images due to guidelines only creates more unnecessary work for us, and it would be a lot easier to simply keep the thread removed instead of finding a compromise. I don't want to start pointing fingers here, but any backlash directed at the staff is misguided considering they're simply enforcing EC's Code of Conduct. They weren't the ones who broke the rules in that thread.

The thread has various images far beyond 'close to the bone'. For example, a few recent images contain a copyright notice linking to an adult pornographic website.

Regarding subjectivity, the staff aren't going to be thrown into the deepend and told to just watch the thread. It's fair to say that common sense is subjective, but the guidelines that we put to you, and the guidelines that will be drafted by staff for enforcing the thread, will not be. It doesn't really take much interpretation to stop images that are aimed at an 18+ age range, nor is it subjective to identify pictures of cock/balls outlines.

Sure, there will be a grey area with some pictures, but we're perfectly capable of communicating as a team to make a staff decision. I'm not going to stand here and say that we are trying to develop a moderating system that is flawless and won't allow any inappropriate pictures to slip through the net, but we will take measures to ensure that the blatant rulebreaks are caught and prevented from ruining the flow of the thread.

Mistakes will probably happen, but that's why we have a team rather than just one person running the show. The focus from a staff perspective is clearly outlining what fits into EC's PG-13 context, and making sure all members (and staff) are on the same wavelength. Most of you probably know what is appropriate based on the short guidelines from the original thread, but it seems a few like to push those boundaries a bit just so they can post 'saucy' pictures. Unfortunately, doing so has just resulted in the thread being removed again and requiring a new moderation approach.