Places to Chat
Censored Threads
Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket
Censored Threads
Censored Threads
As you may or may not have noticed, the Admins have been editing, cutting, snipping, deleting, ... you get the idea (I prefer to think "censored") ... several of my comments on a regular basis. I am thoroughly peeved when this happens, on many levels, all depending of how much of an impact the edit made and how important the comment (or part of the comment) was to me.
The first time I saw it happen to me, I was a little creeped out, because I didn't previously know the Admins could do that. Then I was outraged, feeling the attitude that that was MY writing, and I wrote it, and that the Admins had had no right to censor it! I have eventually gotten used to it, but every time I notice it, I am still annoyed and frustrated. There was one edit they made once that sort of befuddled me, cause it was the sort of humor you see in the average kids movie that's rated PG for "rude humor" and such, but that was the only time I did not feel annoyed at their edits. The rest of the time, I have felt frustrated on many levels.
It limits my freedom that I have here, and the sort of subjects I've tried to chat about that are sort of just for teens and older (and there are quite a bit of teens here, I note) but not really for younger audiences, have been deleted. I don't see any good reason to take images out because of "copyright", for the reasons that, one, the internet is a place where if you're going to share your work, you should be prepared for people to pass it around among themselves throughout the bowels of the Web and put it on other sites.
So, you may now be wondering, if I am so unhappy, why not just stop posting here and go somewhere else?
That is simply explained. Leaving the Chatterbox would be like leaving a very endearing, though annyoing, brother. (Not saying you guys yourselves are annoying, just the things I've stated.) I have made some of the best friends I have ever had here, and I would not leave them for the world, the same way I would not abandon my annoying brother (who I wish I really had) on the side of the road, no matter how much he annoyed me. I simply cannot abandon this site. You fellow CBers (and Admins, although you often get on my nerves) are much too friendly for that. So I shall continue to bear the annoyances of the little brother in the analogy, however much it gets on my nerves. I have always enjoyed the company of the wonderful CBers, and will stay as long as I can. You are all (Bill and Ted lingo strikes again) most bodacious!
JDD, we appreciate your sharing your feelings. However, Chatterbox has rules and guidelines that must be upheld. The copyright issue is so complex that we have a whole department to handle it, and we're not allowed to post anything without specific permission from this department and any copyright holders. You just have to learn to live by the rules. You're not the first who has questioned this. We're glad you're staying.
Admin
submitted by Joe Dosie Doe, age 14, Censored Vortex
(June 15, 2013 - 9:12 pm)
(June 15, 2013 - 9:12 pm)
No offense, but the job of the Admins is to keep every person on the Chatterbox safe. It's like a continuation of the Cricket magazine, all the stories there are appropriate for all readers.
You might want to try Cicada's Slam. It's not a discussion forum like the Chatterbox, but anyone between the ages of fourteen and twenty-three can share their writing there for critiques. If you want, you can post your stories there. I know there are some rules abut what's appropriate and what's not, but I think they are a little looser than the Chatterbox because the minimum age is fourteen.
We sometimes have nine year olds on here (I think Butterfly still comes around occasionally?) so it's important to just make sure that what you say would be appropriate for a little sibling of about that age.
Well said, Ruby. Thank you.
Admin
(June 16, 2013 - 11:47 am)
Steve's nine, but he's hardly ever here.
@JDD, I am glad you're not leaving. I think the only times that's happened with me is the Outcasts of Space thread, because of toondoo, which I can understand, and on an SI, when my name was cut short out of confusion, since it was very vauge, and that too I can understand, because not everyone knows about the wonderful fictional character of Petey Otterloop.
That's all I have to say on this subject, I guess. Zaga says "Cxoe." What?! No, Zaga, you're Zaga, not CHLOE! She's another character from the Candleman! Honestly!
(June 16, 2013 - 7:02 pm)
I've been to Cicada's slam page, and its just a place for teens to post their writing, not a chatroom like this.
What I propose is either that a new chatroom is created for us teenagers where the rules are slacker, or that someone creates a teens-only thread so that we can rant about/post what we actually want to say instead of having to carefully select terms that won't be censored.
(June 24, 2013 - 8:13 am)
(June 16, 2013 - 5:06 pm)
I just figure if you don't want your teacher reading it, don't put it on the CB. The only thing I've had with Admin editing is putting a last initial instead of a last name on an SI that is clearly a book or movie character. That doesn't really bug me, though.
(June 17, 2013 - 4:41 pm)
*shrugs* There's a reason we have Admins here.
(June 17, 2013 - 6:26 pm)
I'm glad you're staying. I've never had to deal with Admin censoring before, but I can understand your frustration. Just remember that they're doing it for our safety. Think if it will be safe for all ages to read before you post it.
Ruby, yes, Butterfly does come around. She checks in every day, and posts about every other day.
(June 17, 2013 - 7:09 pm)
I don't really have a problem with the Admins. It's pretty easy for me to follow the rules. What does annoy me is the rule about not posting links. I can understand why the rule was made, but it still makes me a little frustrated, mostly because I can't give other CB'ers links to the music I write.
(July 2, 2013 - 5:04 pm)
Alright, I'll try to list my points on this issue:
At one time, we had a lot of Chatterboxers on who had parents who would check their search history. My parents would not be happy if I was spending time on websites that discussed certain innappropriate topics, and if they got onto this website and discovered even the smallest thing, it could get me into a lot of trouble.
Many times I have scrolled through (organized) debates where somebody pushed
something a little too far, but the Admins kept them in check. Say that
comment had been posted--a person could be having a bad day, and the comment could make them feel even worse. Arguments would break out. Enemies would form. People would leave the CB. We have people with all kinds of beliefs, religious backgrounds, literary influences, and zombie apocalypse plans on the CB, and the Admins make sure that it's a kind place for everyone despite our differences.
I like the Admins; they play fairly in making sure that everybody can take part. I feel happy knowing that a wide range of ages can enjoy the many amenities of the CB because of their editing standards. Also, I feel safe coming here because I know there won't be any annoying ads, viruses, or "shock value" material.
Now, there are some topics that I'm interested in that are very important to the world, but they aren't appropriate for every user on the CB. That's OK. I go on both the CB and other websites that satisfy my research for these topics (ex. Tumblr for certain activism issues) to balance it out.
As for the copyrights: @JDD, you said in your original post: "Then I was outraged, feeling the attitude that that was MY writing, and I wrote it... I have eventually gotten used to it, but every time I notice it, I am still annoyed and frustrated." Well, imagine you painted an intricate, beautiful picture and posted it on the internet. Somebody copied and pasted it, and suddenly, it was up all over the internet with dozens of people taking credit for it, even though it was your artwork. This happens every day with pieces of literature, photos, and artwork. Every day on Tumblr I find posts with titles like "This person is taking credit for my work!" I feel that the Admin's decisions about copyright and artist credit are reasonable and respectful to the creators of works.
Though the Admins' "censorship" sometimes seems unreasonable, it's really better in the long run and upholds the CB's reputation of being a safe, family friendly, inclusive, and fun set of forums. Hopefully this post makes it seem a bit more fair, JDD.
(July 20, 2013 - 12:46 pm)
Sorry for all the weird apostrophes in my rant. I'm assuming possessive Admins are Admins'.
(July 21, 2013 - 7:23 am)
Well, when I posted anything that belonged to someone else, I sufficently acknowledged that I had not made it. And then when the Admin removed it, I reasonably pointed out that the makers had encouraged that people share it. The thing was a "create-your-own" Monsters University card created through a little widget on the Disney site. I also said that what copyright is for is to prevent people from taking credit for your work and that was not what I was doing. Plus Disney had made the thing available for free. If I'd paid for it it would be a different story cause they'd be losing money from all the people who got it for free.
(July 22, 2013 - 8:51 am)
Additionally, by posting the MU card I was advertising the Monsters University movie for them, so they'd likely be more than happy that I was posting it up here. Free advertising! I get something (the MU ID card) and they get something (a few more movie tickets sold, thus more money for them).
(July 22, 2013 - 8:54 am)
Good points, but companies are weird on a lot of that stuff--even when it is free advertising. Once I saw a cooking show where the chefs were required to use Oreos. Except they couldn't say Oreos--they had to use the phrase "chocolate sandwich cookies."
Could the Admins explain this some more?
Copyrights and trademarks can be very complicated and precise. That's why we have a special department to handle just rights and permissions. Each copyright may have special stipulations, but generally if you want to print or in some other way use a story, poem, character, song, or illustration to which someone else holds the copyright, you have to request permission, which may either be granted (often for a price) or denied. Our permissions department advises Chatterbox to err on the side of caution. If we're not sure about the rights, we will not post the item.
Admin
(July 22, 2013 - 3:41 pm)
TOP
(July 20, 2013 - 12:47 pm)
TOP
(July 20, 2013 - 12:47 pm)