I don't know how else to explain this. MichelleA did give reasons for the removal, the model was playing with her breasts. If you want my blunt explanation - the picture looked like a porn site ad. We don't want this site to become another Renderotica. We also don't want to become another Disney, either. We're trying to be somewhere in the middle.

As Spike pointed out earlier, even if you post an image that's against TOS, you are simply IMed the reason the image was pulled. No action is taken unless you keep violating the TOS deliberately, such as posting kiddie porn, reposting the same yanked image over and over, etc.

Here's the general process for a disputed image:

1. Mod either sees an image they feel is over the TOS or receives a complaint about an image and tags it. (I don't know which it was for gilo25, and I don't care. The net effect is the image is brought up for a vote.)

2. Unless the image is seriously over TOS, such as kiddie porn which is immediately yanked, the image is posted for the Mods to look at and take a vote on.

3. The Mods vote, giving their reason(s) why the image should stay or go. Majority rules. (We don't always agree, but not even the Supreme Court has unanimous rulings and they're trained in legal interpretations.)

4. If the image is deemed okay (and, yes, this does happen sometimes) then it stays. If someone had complained about the image, they're informed that the image has been deemed suitable for the community. If the image is considered against TOS, then the Mod who asked for the vote IMs the poster and give the reason(s) why the image was pulled. Depending on the Mod, it might be a short summary or a longer description. The member is free to contact the Mod for a more detailed description.

If the artist disagrees, they can go to the Admins or even the site owners to argue their case.

The replies in the gilo25 thread weren't meant as "sod off" responses to people asking legitimate questions to better stand the TOS, but if you enter a heated argument, you may get some strained responses. Instead of telling you to shut up, despite a very provocative thread title, we've asked you and everyone else for suggestions on how to improve the TOS. I don't think that's treating members badly.

Consider how the thread went:

1. gilo25 posts that we're censoring his pictures because one was removed. As he quotes MichelleA:

One of your gallery items has been removed by the staff at Renderosity.com for the following reason:
We received complaints on this image and after a lot of deliberation it was decided that this image is unsuitable for the gallery. It has an overt sexual feeling running thru it. In general images of breast touching haven't been allowed either, so that is another reason for it's removal. As this is supposed to be a PG-13 site something like this is probably better suited towards sites like Renderotica. I'm sorry for any problems this may cause you.

The message he quotes does spell out why the image was rejected. He also tries to post the image that he had already been told was rejected from the site. He also accuses MichelleA and the rest of us of being bigots in the first post:

If you continue with this arbitrary acts of censorship I will have no choice but to leave this site. I have no problems with that, as there are plenty of other sites where one can post without suffering the rigors of such bigot censorship, but I would like to know first what the Renderosity community thinks.

2. AgentSmith pulls the image. If it's not allowed in the gallery, it's not allowed in the forums, either.

3. gilo25 likens AgentSmith to the KGB and insults the Mods of Renderosity in general:

One more element here for you all to judge upon: I was trying to upload the incriminated image to give everybody a chance to judge, but it was being removed as fast as light by agentsmith, whose name reminds very much of a KGB spy. Looks like this is the climate we live in, here at Renderosity.

This was partially in response to AgentSmith's IM to gilo25, where he put in a smiley face in an attempt to soften his message. This was taken the wrong way by gilo25 and AgentSmith did apologize to him for that misunderstanding privately, but not only was the apology not accepted, but the comments against AgentSmith continued.

4. At this point, AgentSmith and MichelleA both pop in and again say that this is nothing against gilo25 but the image does not fit the site. They also state that we try to be consistant, but with borderline pictures, it is a case-by-case basis. (I also pop in as well to try to explain the decision as my name was indirectly dragged into it with an incorrect reference to a Poser thread.)

5. There's some general arguing as to what pictures have breast touching and which don't. Other members join in.

6. gilo25 likens AgentSmith and Renderosity to a military junta:

Kevin, I am afraid you are talking like a spokesman of a military junta here: 'And your image was so deemed by the moderator team. We each looked at it and came to a decision. The image is unsuitable for this site.' Sounds like when they arrested Aung Sang Sukyi for her own good... mmhhh.. And, as it is often the case for the statements of military juntas, your words are not supported by facts.

7. At this point, the Mods start getting annoyed, including myself, being accused of having no regard for any members of Renderosity and of persecuting gilo25. Until that point, all the Mod responses have been polite but firm. After the last accusation, the responses get blunt. Even though we've been accused of being on par with the Burmese militia, at no time do we start insulting gilo25 back.

8. MichelleA actually did give reasons that the picture was deleted. gilo25 posted it in the initial post of the thread. gilo25 didn't like the reason but gilo25 did not respond back to MichelleA's message for further clarification. (Or if he did reply, she never received it. She asked the other Mods if they'd been contacted by gilo25 because she never had, that's how I know she hadn't been contacted. I have no reason to believe she'd lie on this.)

9. With all the insults that gilo25 tossed at us, I personally feel that "stiring things up" isn't that far from the truth. He starts off swinging, threatening to pack up and leave and calling us bigot censors. If he'd simply posted something like, "Could you please clarify the TOS?" or "Could you please explain why my image was removed?" and given us time to answer, then it would have been something entirely different.

I hope this better clarifies things.

Crescent
Renderosity Moderator
(Writers' Forum. Does it show?)