Six Apart is at it again.....

[wendyzski]

Taken an idea and totally boggled the execution.

Some of you may know that you can now set your journal to either "Adult content" (which blocks viewers under 18 from viewing) or "Adult concepts" (which blocks readers under 14). There are also options to flag someone journal as "adults only", which puts it into the queue to the moderators who will look at it and flag it for you.

I suppose that given all the possible responses to their fuck-up with Strikethough, it's not a bad setup in theory.

But as usual, the execution is FUBAR'd six ways to Sunday.

1) They implemented it 2 days before the info even appeared on lj_biz or was sent out to everyone's message center. (Did you know you have a message center? That's what I thought)

2) As a default setting, they have EVERY SINGLE JOURNAL set to filter out the "adult content" setting! So if your friends try to do the right thing and mark their porny LJ's appropriately, you CAN'T SEE THEM until you change your viewing settings. Which is kind of hard to figure out how to, even if you know you have to in the first place.

Go to your User Options page, and click on Journal - settings. The Viewing Options page will appear, and all the way at the bottom is a section called "AdultContent Options". Your "Safe Search Options" has been set to "use moderate filtering - filters explicit and adult content".

So if someone on your F-list has recently dropped off the map and you have no idea why, try going here and changing your settings. Otherwise, if their LJ is set to "adult" you won't be able to see any of their public entries on your friends page.

Sigh - I'm so glad I'm not paying for this crap.....

Comments

[aedifica]

Thank you! I knew about the new filtering system, but I didn't know about the default setting on our journals. I'll go change mine now.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'm not thrilled by the new filtering system, but it seems a reasonable way to approach the issue - except for the "flag" part - I anticipate a LOT of abuse of that feature!

But the part where they changed my settings without asking or telling me? Yeah - rather irritated bout that.

[aedifica]

Well, it does make sense. It's a new setting, and if they had to pick one setting to use as a default, I suppose I'd pick that one too. But I do think that aspect ought to have been a bit more publicized.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

When you implement a new feature, the most sensible way to set the default is so that it mimics the previous functionality.

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

Actually it looks like the crappy default setting is for your search function -- not your friends list. Still something I needed to go and adjust though, so thanks for the head's up!

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

You'd think so, but when LJ pulls up your "friends page" it is technically conducting a "search" for updated content from the journals you specify.

The comment below yours just changed her settings, and 24 "new" entries appeared on her friends page.

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

Crap.

Serves me right for trying to apply logic.

Thanks again.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

This is SixApart. Earth logic does not apply.

If this had been defaulted as an opt-in, I'd have no problem with it. And aside from the too-easily-abused "flagging" feature, the rest of it sounds like a reasonable compromise between "OMG we must protect the CHILDREN!!!!!" and "I have the constitutional right to write Teletubbies bondage fic!"

OK idea - BAD execution!

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

May I appropriate your icon?

Sure!

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

The text is my own -- the image credit should be on my userpic page.

And thanks!

Re: Sure!

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Lisa, meet Lisa!

Re: Sure!

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

oooOOOOoo! T'anks

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

Yeeeeeeep. So about 24 posts are suddenly visible. I've chosen to set myself as adult content. Just because.

Idiot children.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

And thank you for posting that, because now I have an example and a concrete number to tell to people who say "Oh, it's OK it's JUST the search function". Um - no.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

It seems that whenever 6A has a chance to make a new setting, they make the default the least desirable for their actual users. SixApart is the best marketing InsaneJournal (and other LiveJournal alternatives) could possibly have.

It amuses me that the LiveJournal spell checker not only trips over LiveJournal, but suggests "Sickest" (amongst other, less amusing, alternatives) to replace SixApart.

[capi.livejournal.com]

*heh* Gotta wonder what they'll make of some of Dani's icons. *LOL*

Thanks for the heads' up, Wendy. I've already had someone's BIRTHDAY WISH come up protected. And it was *nothing*. I guess it was because of the word "natal", eh? YEESH!

So i used your directions and updated my profile. Gave a false birthdate year, too. I hate the idea of anybody being able to find me via accurate birth information. *L* So i lied!!! I *lied*!!!!!!!

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Well, if that person has set their LJ to "adult content" to protect themselves because they talk about sex or write poetry about suicide or write true crime novels, then EVERYTHING in it is marked that way, even if today they are talking about My Little Ponies.

[capi.livejournal.com]

Oh! I did not ken that the setting was designed to protect the WRITER. I thought it was about protecting the VIEWER. OY VEY. I'd better go back and check my settings to see what i've done and what i need to have done..... As if i know! *L*

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Well, "protection" can go both ways.

There were some people who wrote about true crime, or who talk about Lolita fashion, whose journals were caught up in the big "Strikethrough" brouhaha a couple of months ago. Their journals were frozen and/or deleted for "inappropriate content" because things like "murder" or "incest" were found in their "Interests" section. There were also some groups for survivors of sexual abuse who were temporarily shut down until the whole mess was sorted out, and that took weeks. In addition to the people who write Harry Potter porn, these people too are setting their LJs to "Adult Content" so that they can't get into trouble for their interests.

And I have several friends who write erotica and either post it or post links to it on their LJs. If they do the "right thing" and put their settings to reflect "adult content", then EVERYTHING on it will disappear unless you change your settings. One of my other friends had 24 people's posts suddenly re-appear on her F-list once she changed her settings.

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

The really funny thing... at least 3 of the reappearing posts were *about* LJ's latest stupidity.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

And as I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, if someone has set their LJ to "Adult content" then ALL of their posts will be filtered unless you change YOUR settings, even if today they are talking about My Little Ponies. And not in that way, pervert.

[goddessjustice.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I didn't know anything about it.

~Mir (informedly)

[gramercy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads up as I missed this completely. Very helpful.
One of my journals is weird though and my viewing options are greyed out except the "collapse all explicit content". I dun get it?

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Does that account have a birthdate and year attached to it?

[gramercy.livejournal.com]

Noope. That did it! thanks

[alliesutherland.livejournal.com]

Can I copy and paste the explanation on my journal?

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Sure - I also made sure to comment it to the first page of the LJ-biz comments. Because in all the wank about OMG CENSORSHIP OH NOES this little tidbit is getting lost and people are going to wonder why they suddenly can't see people's posts any more

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I'm not paying for this crap....

Ditto!

[liana]

AARGH! Thanks for the heads-up. Yours is the first post I've seen mentioning this, and I didn't get a note in my "message center" about it.

Do you know if all this only applies to public posts?

Despite having paid for an account here, I think I'm going to go throw some money at InsaneJournal.

Grrr.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I think it's public ony, but i'm not sure