Remove ALL Adult Content from SW? 🔞🚫

[c=#4C0073]Hi Andrew,
My vote is to leave it as it is now.
Conflicts will always happen between members of any social platform, if it's not over Adult content, it's going to be over other stuff.
This is a norm in every single social media platform out there.

The one thing to keep in mind, i feel, is that most often, the loudest ones are usually not the majority.

The tags were introduced for a reason. People should use them :)

Also, can you please re-word that 4th option in the poll, it is a bit misleading and can be misunderstood.[/c]

Haven’t you guys provided us with the ability to click out of seeing adult posts? And now you additionally have added nudity tags? So the members complaining about nudity or adult content have intentionally bypassed all the barriers you have provided? That is on them . If you turn this into a G rated site , most of us will find another site that isn’t forcing that type of censorship on its members . You’ve done enough ! Those who really don’t want to see nudity have been provided with ample tools to make sure that they don’t ... and yet they choose to view them anyway and complain . What’s wrong with this picture? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I already made a decision on the poll, so I'm done with it. And now, all I want to say is...

[b]I never knew we have such a HOT admin! This is my first time to see you, Andrew! [/b]

Okay, this comment has nothing to do with the post, but I just want to let you know that I think you are attractive. That's all. :)

I’m gonna sound selfish but here it goes.
Love this site cause it’s fun.
Keep [i]most [/i] of the content but
Get the pedos out! There was one user who worded his question so he sounded like a victim of prudish attitudes towards nudity. His photo albums have pics of pre-teen girls with lewd comments.
You do a great job! Thanks!

Hello Andrew..

Thank you very much for your thoughtful changes...

As you know, time difference will not allow so many members see his poll and it will only be fair, if this is seen by all members and voted by most of them.

Therefore, I hope that you post it as a featured one by SW on top of this page.

Thank you.....

I'm leaning towards "remove all extreme allow [b]up[/b] to adult-mild nudity". Seems like a common ground to please most members. It apparently is a problem or you wouldn't have to deal with so many reports and complaints. But it needs to be narrowed down better, not so many options. It's impossible to please all, but a common ground could work.

Think ya need to look at where you want this site to go, the future of it and it's purpose. If you allow too much fetish and trashy content, it attracts certain types, like predators, pedos and fetishists. Specially if younger girls are posting nude shots (Yep I've seen them). It drags the site down. If ya want more of a support-quality site and better content, then less adult content.

Exhibitionists will of course use this as their playground and vote to keep it all, same with pedos. The way I see it, there are hundreds of sites that cater to this, Fetlife being one. That is it's entire purpose. Let them go to those sites instead of bringing this one down. You might attract more supporting members with less too.

Thanks for posting and allowing us feedback and thanks for all your efforts.

I see that a clear marking and definition of what is what should be implemented and enforced, that being said, if people choose to click it's their own choice and they have no right to complain. It's just that easy. Don't want to see, don't look. I have friends that post some of the most beautiful writings of adult content and should they be penalized because someone else "accidentally" clicked on their work and didn't like it? If I don't want to see someone nude, I don't click on their post. Can't be any more simple than that.

I think people that choose different lifestyles and care to share it should be allowed to, others that are either inquisitive about or share those thoughts and interests should not pay for someone else's lack of interest or offense by. Again, I repeat, if you don't want to see it, don't click on it.

Also, there are different levels, as stated before, of what is adult content. Nudity, sexual interests, fetishes, even talking about suicide and deep feelings of one's on self worth can fall under that title if it's dealing with real feelings and thoughts. I know some of mine could come into question, maybe.

All I'm saying for this is make the label noticeable, make it well defined, but don't get rid of everything. Find a way to compromise. Believe me, I'm not into everything that people post on here, but I just pass by it. No damage done to me or them.

One last thing...if you start to take things away because people are offended by them, you better include things like talks about politics and religion, only because someone will ALWAYS find offense with those that don't agree with them. I know it sounds drastic and stupid and not even the same, but what we are talking about plain and simple are that subjects some people are offended by. Doesn't matter what the content, they are just not liking it. So, find a way to placate them, keep the posters happy and contributing, but don't let the crowd tell you how to run your site. That has destroyed many sites and companies. Run it the way you see fit. If people don't like it, they don't have to stay.

Okay, my rambling is done. Hit me if you want to on here, I'm going to watch Netflix.

We have the choice to not look at it.

However, there needs to be some strictness in the dealing of paedophile fantasists, and I use that term loosely.

I don't think any of the options you suggested are workable in the long term.

The way I see there's two separate issues, [b]content[/b], and [b]access to that content[/b].

[big]Access to content:[/big]
On the issue of access to content I'm not against sexualised posts as such - but I believe it would benefit both the site and users alike if access to adult content were selectable by a switch in individual users settings.

I'm well aware of the current [b]adult[/b] switch but it really isn't fit for purpose for various reasons that have already been discussed elsewhere - the most obvious one I think being the failure to mark posts appropriately in the first place.

The "BLOCK" button likewise is akin to using Thor's hammer to crack a peanut... user XYZ might well enjoy posting in an adult environment... but using the BLOCK button on XYZ automatically preclude anyone from seeing the wholesome side to their character and creates a totally unnecessary and false divide between [b]them[/b] Vs [b]us[/b] which forces people to take sides. Real life doesn't work that way... your parents were obviously sexual beings - but I doubt they talked about it in your (or their parents') presence just for the sake of entertainment.

What I'd like to see therefor is for all groups to carry a flag describing their content. And for undesirable groups NEVER be offered in the feed without the individual user concerned (of appropriate age) having fist checked a "[b]Show Adult Groups[/b]" box in their personal settings.

I'd also like to see "[b]Hide Adult Groups[/b]" become the default setting for all users both new and old alike so that everyone can start over and decide for themselves whether they want to see it. I don't condemn people out of hand for having a sexual side... I just want them to talk about it in a room I don't have to enter rather than here in the family room where all the kids the uncles the maiden aunts and the grandmas spend most of their time. If a user decides to subscribe to an adult group, fine - allow that group to show up in their feed - and if they don't subscribe - don't allow it.

[big]Content:[/big]
I'd like to see the separation of adult and non-adult content better enforced. If a post arrives in the HEALTH category and a scan finds adult keywords then by all means automatically move said post to a flagged adult group and send a notification to the user informing them what happened. If the user disagrees and can give a sensible reason why not they would be able to appeal in which case a human would take a look and make the final decision. Keyword selection might be a bit hit or miss at first till you decide what works and what doesn't but even that's not rocket science.

I'd also like to see a far more open and robust decision making process regarding the report procedure than there is at present. That report I sent in citing the user who was posting about "consenting incest" between a 13 years old and an adult was handled appallingly. [b]You don't deal with a user [/b]who's patently pro-incest and claiming to be a mental health professional [b]by hiding the age of their victims[/b]. That's nothing short of despicable. It's still talking about incest in a way forbidden by the ToS and it's not that users first post on similar subjects so why on earth simply hide the true nature of what their doing and pretend it's done? It was not done. It was far from done, and users who persist in talking about any sort of "consenting" sexual activity with minor should have no place here. The post should have been deleted on sight, the poster given a public warning to the effect that pro-incest content had found in their post, and any repeat offence of any sort should have triggered an automatic ban.

That's how you beat this stuff IMO. By giving honest to goodness adult individuals the option of a private place where they can talk as sexually as they like with each other within the realms of decent society and the law without being discriminated against, by making the SW default settings as wholesome family friendly and well protected as possible, and by making the worst of the hard core fetish fanatics feel distinctly unwelcome here.

I cuss a lot and post a lot of "adult" things but I'm only here to connect with people and to have a place to share ideas without censorship.

I marked "No Change" but if you made an "Adult" section of the site I'd probably just post there and not use any other part of the site. Unfortunately the amount of sexual-attention-seeking posts is large, and it would be annoying to get washed away in a sea of them just for cussing or talking about my bedroom habits mixed with my usual banter.

I appreciate the block feature, being able to delete comments, & limiting profile to certain age groups. Sometimes these features are abused but overall they are safe & effective. Beyond that, it's up to the parents to know what their kids are doing online.

Everyone has the ability to mute posts. The admin's job is to make sure the site works, not to dictate the content. Let the community post what it likes and let each user choose (through muting or blocking) the content they personally see.

PS: Obviously criminal content (eg child porn) is the exception. That needs to be stopped.

I believe that the members that engage in the extreme end of adult content will leave this site 🙏🏾 if you remove that option.
I believe the boundaries of what fits in each category needs to be looked at, because people are getting clever. I know for myself there are topics I wish to discuss but they hit the mildly adult content the moment I use the word sex, but sex I try not to use it in a gross way.

There are users that play down their fetishes just to talk to non adult users... I personally can say that I don't want to ever engage with those people.

And that makes me feel quite cheated when they do.
The Internet is a minefield. But what I hate is that this site is firstly viewed as a place for freaks and pervs before people see the kindness here.

The underage thing I really think needs to be looked into and the gross comments that come when younger members treat this site as an Instagram feed for their selfies.

'Safeguarding' needs to be looked into a little better.

I like what I am reading here with what you are proposing. I like the fact that this site allows adults to be adults and that it is not moderated with a heavy hand. Most sites cannot say the same.

With that said, I would be over the moon to see the outright fetish stuff gone. I try and get a few more friends to come join the fun here, but they see some of the subject matter and say, "thanks, but no thanks."

While I could live without the "in your face" type sex topics myself, I wouldn't be looking to take it away from others completely. I know it's a fine line between risque and not so risque. I don't use the adult filters because I don't want to be shielded from adult talk which is not always sex.

Perhaps if we could block posts containing certain words, I think a lot of content that some of us don't want to see would "go away".

I am happy to see more of the really bad stuff like sexualizing young teens gone from this place that really never belonged here to start.

Thanks for asking for the feedback. I wish continued success to a place I enjoy quite a bit myself.

Personally I believe this is a free speech issue and even greater latitude should be allowed with even more filter options.

Also to prevent the moralists from eventually banning users who post fully marked images, there should be a way to prevent them from reporting such properly marked images. They are using the system to push their morals on those that are only trying to do things the right way.

It only makes sense if you have nudity checked you shouldn't be able to report a properly tagged image. With further options that could even go to the new options. Say Restricted nudity instead of PG nudity which is a currently accepted standard.

What is now allowed is in truth already apart of the Parental Guidance (PG) standard. See any PG rated movie on public television! They do allow nudity! Sometimes even R rated late at night.

Added edit:

It might also help some if a user could make ALL their posts as Nudity

I for one would be perfectly fine if no adult content was here, there are other sites for that kind of thing. But either way, whatever you decide, i'll still enjoy SW immensely, it looks like the majority want it to stay the same,,and that is also fine by me, if there was a way then to make it adults ONLY.

If nudity and fetish was removed people are still gonna post it anyways 🤷🏿‍♀️ I say just leave it

Plus theres always the option for people to have that blocked 😴

The nudity posts don’t bother me because I can filter them out. Though there’s a wide range of adult posts, ranging from mild to up so I feel like if I filter adult posts out, I will lose too many posts. I have no problem with most adult posts. I do done some extreme. Though as I’ve said it’s hard to differentiate between the two. I don’t know if that makes sense. I say leave it the same but improve filters.

[quote]Safer for younger users & women.[/quote]
Why do you equate women with children? Sexism like that is more offensive than any of the "Adult Content". Why not say "Safer for younger users & men"? We're quite capable of looking after ourselves without being mollycoddled by sexists.

This is why I left SW. I’m back only briefly.

I feel like everything but adult topics like truama and content with strong language should be removed.

I support freedom of speech and freedom of expression, even when I don't personally agree with it.

Well, I always thought this site was better before you guys allowed nudity in public views.

--- To Add ---

[b][u]Regarding the "Nudity Tag/Option" which was introduced after initial development:[/u][/b]
[i](We have seen this mentioned many times before - so addressing this now.)[/i]

[b]The addition of the "Nudity" option/tag actually improved things for those who did not want to see any nudity at all,[/b]
as many explicit images were being pasted all across the site, in full view of everyone.

[b]Ever since introduction of the Nudity tag, it greatly controlled (reduced) this issue.
[/b]
[i](We could definitely tell that this was the case, as reports of inappropriate images landing in the wrong place greatly dropped,
and much fewer incidents of unwantedly coming across nudity on SW.)[/i]

The option was added to help contain content that rule-breaking users were posting anyway, while breaking our TOS.

[i](Not to make SW into a more "Adult" site. Many seem to have this misconception.)[/i]


If we do fully remove allowance of "Nudity", and other "Adult" types of content,
we will be definitely placing more more advanced, automated features, to be sure the same does not happen as did before.

NSFW Image Detection [i](with high accuracy rates)[/i], for example, is something we have been discussing and working on, to help make SW much safer for users.

[i](This, and other features is already in the works, either way.)[/i]

If people have the ability to block, filter, or mute what they do not want to see then leave things as they are.

I'm personally not into adults wearing diapers, so rather than complain I just mute the user. You've made it very easy to do so.

Plus, I think if adult content were removed then a lot of people would move to a different, less restrictive site 🤷‍♂️

I think as long as everyone is following TOS and marking posts appropriately then you can leave it like it is currently. I like to take breaks from the "adult" "fetish" areas and I simply change my account settings to do so. I have seen others complain that they get little content when they change their settings and I experience that too, but it is because a larger portion of users are posting what is coded as "adult content ". I'm sure you have data that will tell you what percentage of persons post adult content. You have to do what is best for the site and the longevity of it, but more than a few would probably stop coming here if it were a non adult site. I can read feel good blogs all day or I can write on other sites (which I do), but if I want adult interactions and not simply feedback on my writing style, I come here.

No adult content will be the end of me on this site. I came here to celebrate and embrace aspects of myself that I can't acknowledge in real life and, if I can no longer do that here, then I might as well deactivate my account and go.

Remove some adult content 😒

A lot of people end up posting nudity related material without tagging it as such.

Maybe you can add the filter option that blurs things out like it does in messages, for all those who do such things.

Some of the content is pretty revolting..
The diaper fetish stuff when people talk about how wonderful it feels to shit their pants in public 🤢
Even posting pictures of it..
And the proliferation of spanking groups and stories that all seem to focus on "bare bottom" stories mostly about pre teen children..
Most of these people are dangerous predators and pedophiles, there's no other reasonable explanation for constantly focusing on the same underage theme..
And the incest stuff, it's harmful to victims and attempts to normalize abuse that should be unacceptable..
There is plenty of room for adult topics but the extreme "fetish" stuff should be eliminated completely.. people stay away from the site after seeing it..

i think removing fetish and full on nudity would be best, i don’t mind people posting mild nudity for body positivity and what not even though i don’t post any but the presence of fetish and full on nudity creeps me out. i think it would be a much more nicer community without it since most of those posts never garnish anything but disgust especially when it comes to those diaper posts.

While I am torn about this ... objectifying humans, I still stand on the side of freedom of expression.

I do think violators who inflict unwanted nudity and sexuality on passersby should be allowed one and only one mistake.

Just because I don't care to participate doesn't mean it should be outlawed for all.

However, when it comes to underage inclusion, I say unequivocally NO.

I mean, I'm kind of torn. I feel like a lot of regular users post tasteful adult content and light nudity. But people that randomly make spam accounts to post photos of nude women and weird incest stories? Not so much.

For me the issue is not so much the adult content that you allow but that there are minors on this site.

The second a female minor starts posting there is pressure from other users...mostly men.. to adjust their age settings so they can chat.

When I have reported minors on adult accounts in the past I have been told it is the parent's responsibility.

I really feel more can be done to protect them, for a start you can offer them some vip privileges such as who is checking their account.

Now I said the adult content not so much bothers me..... the stuff that does is the extreme fetishism such as child abuse stories and rape fetishes.....those that describe the sexual act rather than discussing the trauma I find hugely disturbing.

No, thanks. I already have access to a version of SW without adult content; it's a click of a button away in the profile settings. Besides, this site's idea of 'adult' is ridiculously restrictive; even SWEARING can get a post tagged. I know this is just a discussion, but that's a terrible, horrible idea.

I do not mind adult content, as long as it does not contain necrophilia,, zoophilia, pedophilia and its variants, rape and non-consensual sharing of nudity pics of others, physical abuse and humiliation to children..Basically what is illegal and harmful to others in most places.

People posting their own nudes is none of my concern. I can just avoid looking, [i]when I don't like it. Lmao.
[/i]

It came to my understanding that new users don't have access to the website without them setting a filter, adult or non adult.

Just a note, I think without signing in and choosing the category of posts you will have access to, you can't see fetish content, or at least I hope so. Which means it won't drive away any traffic if that's the concern of members.

I can see from the poll that most are happy with the level of adult content. I am in the minority and accept that. I really appreciate the filters that you have provided as it prevents me from having to see things that I would rather not. However many don't mark things appropriately and some of it has been awful! Not sure what you can do about it but you asked for our opinion and that is mine.
Please allow me to take this opportunity while we are under quarantine to thank you for keeping the site up and running. It's nice to be able to still connect with others while alone in our homes.

Remove it. The site was better before without it and those that want to engage in the posting of it can find other outlets to do so in.

It also brings in much that violates the TOS as set by SW and many are extreme fetish and never labeled as such and have no place here. This is not "Similar Worlds for those with sick fetishes". It's just SW! And that leaves it to us-the users to report it and monitor this behaviour.

You could have created a family friendly site. This is not it. Yes we can report but how many minors have seen what we just reported? You did it for site hits as site hits and ad clicks generate income. Business over safety.

That does not even address the data mining you are engaging in which also generates income and violates privacy!

The diapers wearers, the pants pissers, the emena lowers, the "I shit myself because I felt like it" losers do NOT NEED HERE AS AN OUTLET. Fetish or not.

Most do not even know HOW TO MARK A POST FETISH/SENSITIVE. It's not easily shown!

As far as nudity does ';m sick of of the objectifycation and sexualization of the human body- overwhelmingly female but male as well. We get that enough in our daily lives and more. It 's no wonder women come on here as MEN. To get away from the BS we put up with IRL!

I don't care to see anyone's wife or watch anyone's wife and I don't care if you are so emasculated you have to watch another man do what you can't. Your impotence is not something to be celebrated. And girls, we have all seen what your man has. Chances are, unless we identify as lesbian we have seen. Keep it private.

But nothing will change. At least not in the way of nudity, exploitation, sexualization, denigration, and the changing of a policy. Have you ever thought more may join if the is were not a nude site? And if those that joined there may actually be more PAYING members thus offsetting banner ad clicks?

When the app happened on EP-the 2012 Metoo app, not the 2009 confessions app, old members left in drove and it was those members that were the supporters, financially, of the site (before data mining existed) . The app brough in those has no need to be there and they wanted nudity. Nudity that EP did not allow anymore.

You could learn from them.

Hi Andrew,

Nice to meet you & thanks for the post. Given the fact that this topic generates so much animosity/reports & disagreement, I feel perhaps the best option would be ‘Remove Extreme Content’.

The reason for my preference is because, as you say, this site is open to minors & also is family-orientated, with members of all walks of life coming together to chat/discuss all kinds of day to day topics, etc & often whilst at work.

Therefore I don’t feel that the extreme fetish posts sit very well on the whole with what you are working so hard at trying to achieve. There is also the danger of child abusers finding it easy to familiarise with/seek like-minded individuals by these types of posts & in the process, deriving gratuitous kicks on the illegal subject of sex with underage/minors.

So for me, it’s the Utilitarian approach, that is the greatest amount of good for the greater number of people. Keep the majority of your members happy & ensure the reputation of ‘Similar Worlds’ as a valid, good quality & positive experience in a world whereby society as a whole is rightly discouraging abuse of any individual & gearing towards modern, open & transparent internet usage, where extreme fetish may have its place - but that place is certainly not within the realms of the main, public postings.

Best Wishes 💙

I love a beautiful body just like the next person but after the change to allow public nudity on the main feed, I feel the general tone of the site and the types of users it attracts has made the enjoyment of the site go down and the loss of users, especially long time members, go up. If a special feed for those that feel the need is set up allowing those of us that want to enjoy the company of others to opt out or filter certain types of content, things would improve. I’ll add that the admins are doing a great job keeping the site safe.

I thought the whole purpose of this site was for people to speak freely. Pleass do not restrict people's freedom of speech. Please do not change a thing.
There are enough filters in place for people who are offended by certain topics. There are muting and blocking options for them too.
Admins are available to remove people who are trolls, or those who violate the guidelines in place.
There's no need for anyone, who's using the site properly, to be censored.

You need to decide as a business what kind of a site you want. Yes it's important to ask users what they like and dislike but it's up to you to decide what you want on your site. People adapt to their environments until they no longer can.
What attracts people to the site and what causes them to leave? You should have that info in your stats.
At times, the site seems afraid to lose users and allows them to manage the site. That's bad business. Accept feedback and be concerned about the product here, but don't give the site away to the group of users who will always try to manage content here.
Is what you allow here right or wrong for this business?

As long as users have the ability to block content they don't want to see (such as content marked "adult" or "fetish", nudity, etc.) then I don't know that any further action is necessary. I'm okay with "adult", but I have nudity disabled. There's always going to be stuff we're not interested in that gets past the filter, but that's why we can mute and block. I like being able to tailor the site to my liking. I don't need more content removed at the outset.

I think a difference with EP is that the way stories were structured it meant the sub-groups who were on the more offensive side could exist in their own little hub. You almost had to search through story topics to know they were there.

Here, the stories and the questions are almost interchangeable. They post in almost exactly the same way. So it's more confronting for those who find it distasteful or offensive - even if they are not trying to offend anyone.

I think everything is fine as is. You’ve provided the nudity tag. If people don’t want to see nudity they can scroll right past it. Another idea might be blurring public images they way it is in PM. That would allow an extra feature for people who don’t wish to see nudity.

I know I engage in a lot of adult content here and nudity as well. I’ve hosted two body positive posts. Summer 2019 had almost 21,000 comments and New Years 2020 had close to 8,000. So obviously there are many who enjoy nudity. Both male and female. I make sure the posts are within the TOS and do not allow negative comments or arguing. I know there have been counter posts mocking those who participate in my posts. However none of those counter posts ever get 100 comments. I think that speaks volumes.

Leave it as is. This isn't a site just for kids. People can label things as "adult" or mark it as "nudity". This site will go downhill fast if censorship picks up and starts limiting what adults can or cannot share on here.

One more comment, I didn't vote as there was not an option I personally wanted. Part of the problem for me is seeing this site through the eyes of a new user, who just arrived, not knowing what the place is like. I have got it down to an ok experience because I have muted a lot of users, I know what posts not to open, and even blocked a few users..it's a long process and a steep learning curve.

I do not want to recommend this place to friends and family as it is. I have every confidence it would grow hugely if it was family friendly as soon as you touch down. But it is disappointing that I don't feel confident in sharing the site in it's current form, as it offers so much once you get past a lot of the garbage.

I think extreme content of fetishes/nudity should be removed. Some of the groups that are full of it as well. There are other places on the internet for that sort of thing. 😎

In all simplicity I think it's more a question of people stick to just post things where they belong it and not useing it abusingly. It's covered by the TOS, could maybe be strengthened but aside from that it's a matter of quicker reactions on abusive behavior around the site to make people acknowledge that there are consequences.