FAQ - Dmoz/Adult

Archive-name:dmoz.org/Adult
Posting-Frequency:none
Last-modified:2009-09-13 23:34:07
URL:http://dmoz.org/Adult/faq.html
Category:Adult

Table of Contents

1  What is the Adult category for, and what's so special about it?
2  What sites may only be listed in the Adult category?
3  What are PICS tags, and why should I care?
4  Why won't Adult/ show up in my searches?
5  What about links to Adult subcategories from outside Adult?
6  Where should sites go?
7  Do we list Adult sites hosted on servers that prohibit them?
8  The Adult category: Guidelines for Editors
     8.1  Are there other FAQs which might be more specific to the category I edit?
     8.2  What sites am I supposed to refuse/delete?
     8.3  How is editor consensus arrived at?
     8.4  What do I do with sites which behave differently when visited from a site other than the ODP?
     8.5  Can I use keywords in a site's description?
     8.6  How do I structure an AVS category and what tags are used for AVS listings?
     8.7  How do I review the content of an AVS site if I don't have a password?
     8.8  Are there words which I should not use in descriptions?
     8.9  Do we list "cookie cutter" (aka template) sites?
     8.10  What are "spam titles" and what do I do with them?
     8.11  Do we list sites that possibly breach copyright?
     8.12  What if a site uses the same content as another site does?
9  A few general tips?
10  What do I do if I find a site featuring child porn?
11  What do all those acronyms mean?
12  Who wrote this FAQ?

1   What is the Adult category for, and what's so special about it?
It is for sites which many people don't want children to view. Mostly it contains erotica (galleries, literature, businesses etc.) - but it can contain other Adult content. Please see the Adult Guidelines. The name "Adult" is an American euphemism.

It's special, because

  • the category does not show up on the front page,
  • every page in the Adult subtree is protected by PICS tags, and
  • links within this subtree are restricted to coming up only on searches including "Adult" keywords or already from within the Adult subtree.
The existence of this category, with these protections, is the result of a hard-fought compromise between those editors and staff members who believed that these sites should be openly mixed in with the main category tree, and those who wanted to not list them in the directory at all. See also Society/Sexuality.
2   What sites may only be listed in the Adult category?
Sites which show, describe, or advertise explicit sex or sexual nudity with the intent to arouse, rather than solely to inform, belong in Adult/. Sites that belong in Adult/ include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • adult entertainment such as pornographic or explicitly sexual image galleries;
  • sites which have explicitly sexual personal ads or message boards;
  • sites which sell sex toys as a primary focus, or along with other merchandise intended for sale to adults only;
  • sites which show the sex act or aroused people for other than medical or educational reasons;
  • sites which have sex stories, without substantial literary or educational context;
  • sites which have sexual images or explicit text in advertising;
  • sites which have vulgar language inappropriate to the context;
  • sites which have explicit text in meta tags;
  • sites which primarily serve to drive traffic to sites with Adult content, such as links lists or tame "teasers" for Adult sites;
  • sites which contain depictions of gratuitous violence (reference this post).
3   What are PICS tags, and why should I care?
Every page in the Adult/ structure is protected by PICS tags. That's this line:
<META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content='(PICS-1.1 "http://www.rsac.org/ratingsv01.html" l gen true comment "RSACi North America Server" for "http://www.dmoz.org/Adult/" on "1998.06.10T22:44-0800" r (n 4 s 4 v 4 l 4))'>
or the equivalent, at the top of every Adult page. It is best described at the embedded URL, but basically it says that this page could well contain maximum levels (4) of nudity, sex, violence, and language (n, s, v, l respectively).

So what? Well, most modern browsers and child protection schemes understand these ratings, and will filter pages based on them if asked to. For example, in Internet Explorer 4, click the menus View:Internet Options:Content:Content Advisor:Enable, and you will be presented with options to set password-protected restrictions using these RSACi N/S/L/V tags. If you have set any of these to less than 4, your browser will not show any pages in the Adult tree.

In other words, if you don't want your children, your potted house plants, or your dog, to see these pages, just set these settings on your browser. None of that nasty parental discussion of values and morals stuff necessary.

4   Why won't Adult/ show up in my searches?
The entire Adult structure can only be found if a visitor conducts a search for an 'adult term' (such as 'sex', 'xxx', 'nude', or 'porn'), or if the search is done already from an Adult subcategory (not necessarily restricted to Adult, just originating there). This is to stop inappropriate sites appearing when minors conduct a search.
5   What about links to Adult subcategories from outside Adult?
Currently there is no linking to adult categories from anywhere outside of Adult/. This does not apply to category charters and those World/ categories where a different decision was made.
6   Where should sites go?

Firstly, no sites should be listed directly under Adult/ - you have to find a more specific category than that! :-)

Secondly, if you want to find out which category is the most applicable, have a look at the description which should tell you which sub-category is most appropriate for your site.

Thirdly, you could always search for a similar site to yours in the directory (your rival perhaps?) and suggest to that category.

7   Do we list Adult sites hosted on servers that prohibit them?
It depends on the host, the site, and the category, and requires experienced editor judgment.

We don't list sites that tend to be removed by their hosts as soon as the hosts notice. Many popular free web hosts have policies that apparently prohibit much Adult material (Yahoo! GeoCities Terms of Service, Tripod Terms of Service, AOL Hometown community guidelines, NBCi Terms of Service), and the hosts are quick to remove these sites as soon as they notice the material. Adult photo, or Image Gallery sites are especially quick to be removed, and should not be listed. There are many free web servers that allow Adult material that site owners don't need to use servers that specifically don't allow it.

However, there are popular Adult Literature sites on mainstream free web hosts that have been up for years. Apparently they don't violate their hosts' vaguely phrased policies, or maybe these policies are just not enforced against text sites? In any case, the sites stay around. After much discussion, we have decided to list those sites that editors experienced in the subject matter believe will not disappear.

Finally, not all sites in the Adult category would violate even a strictly enforced "no Adult sites" policy. Some sites that are suitable to minors have been placed under Adult because they are most useful to users of Adult categories (for example, a site on the care of latex clothing).

Policy changed, as of September 2000. Editors can view the Free hosts, Yea or Nay.... thread in the Adult forum for details of the discussion.

8   The Adult category: Guidelines for Editors
Please see the Adult Guidelines. Editors should also carefully read the Category Guidelines for Adult.
8.1   Q: Are there other FAQs which might be more specific to the category I edit?
A: Yes, a few:
by elper at 2009-09-13 21:37:12
8.2   Q: What sites am I supposed to refuse/delete?
A: Do not refuse/delete a site simply because it doesn't belong in the category in which you are editing. It will be assumed here that the site in question does potentially "fit".

Aside from the cases outlined in the Adult Guidelines, it was also decided by consensus that sites which make obtrusive modifications to a surfer's browser settings should not be listed.

by elper at 2009-09-13 21:47:00
8.3   Q: How is editor consensus arrived at?
A: There is an EXCELLENT thread on editor consensus.

Sometimes, when topics brought up in the forums are deemed significant enough to warrant a change in standard editing practice, and when a clean consensus does not emerge from the discussion, a vote can be called. However, achieving consensus through discussion is by far the preferred method of achieving change.

by elper at 2009-09-13 21:55:20
8.4   Q: What do I do with sites which behave differently when visited from a site other than the ODP?
A: This issue was discussed in the forum. In brief, such sites should be posted to a thread in the Adult forum where others can double check and a consensus reached on how to deal with them. This is also stated in the Adult Guidelines.
by elper at 2009-09-13 22:11:14
8.5   Q: Can I use keywords in a site's description?
A: Yes you can, with the following conditions:
  • Do not repeat keywords in the description which already appear in the title
  • Avoid as much as possible repeating any part of the category name in the description
  • Do not repeat the same keyword more than once in a description
N.B. Keyword stuffing is considered abuse.
For other information and discussion on descriptions, please see this thread.
by elper at 2009-09-13 22:22:00
8.6   Q: How do I structure an AVS category and what tags are used for AVS listings?
A: The correct category names and structure can be found at Test/Adult/Image_Galleries/AVS.

This is a partial list of AVS tags and has been taken from the respective websites. Please use the exact capitalization and spacing shown below:

4WomenAVS
AccessForLife
Adult Admit
Adult Age
AdultBouncer
Adult Check
Adult Check Gold

Adult For Life
AdultKey
Adult Pass
Adult Patrol
Adult Rated
AdultSights
AdultVerifier
AdultVerifier Diamond
AdultVerifier Ultra

AgeKey
AgeOath (now SitePass)
AgeOath Premium (now SitePass Premium)
AMpass
Applegate
Bear Pass
Certifier
Certifier Diamond
CyberAge
CyberAge Preferred
CyberAge Platinum
CyberAVS
CyberAVS Maxime
CyberSex Network
CyberSex Network Prestige Plus
FetishVerify
FreeAgeCard
FreeGayAVS
FreeNetPass
FreeNetPass Premium
FreakPass
Gay Mega Sites
Gay Passport
Gayport
Global Male Pass
Gold X Pass
IDPatrol
IDPatrol Jade
KeyShield
MANcheck
MANcheck Plus
ManSites
NakedPass
NetSignature
NetVerifier
NetVerifier Pro
NetVerifier Elite
nuPASS
Password+
PCAVS
ProAdult
ProAdult Quantum
RainbowAVS
RealFreeAVS
SexCheck
SexKey
Sex Pictures Pass
SexyAVS
SitePass
SitePass Premium
Token Systems
Transsexualsights
UGAS
UGAS Platinum
UltraPass
Universal Pass
Validate
Verified
XCheck

Discussion for this change was accomplished in this thread.

by elper at 2009-09-13 22:30:19
8.7   Q: How do I review the content of an AVS site if I don't have a password?
A: To review a site we need to visit it, thus when reviewing AVS sites we require passwords. DMOZ has passwords for the majority of AVS services, and they are distributed on a need-to-know basis. Any meta or CatMod has access to the password database, but it's probably best to only ask those specializing in Adult/. The services for which we have passwords for are listed here, and will be modified as and when circumstances change.
by elper at 2009-09-13 22:36:19
8.8   Q: Are there words which I should not use in descriptions?
A: Yes. The Adult Guidelines list a few. And others are listed here.
Note: The terms "boy" and "girl" may be used in descriptions if the context does not suggest child pornography. See here for a discussion on this, and the resulting vote.
by elper at 2009-09-13 22:40:51
8.9   Q: Do we list "cookie cutter" (aka template) sites?
A: Yes we do. What matters to the surfer is, above all, content. In Adult/Image_Galleries, content is generally images. The fact that several sites share the same layout has no bearing on the content, the images. Refusing to list a site because it has the same layout as another is not good editing.
For a brief discussion of this subject, see this thread.
by elper at 2009-09-13 22:52:57
8.10   Q: What are "spam titles" and what do I do with them?
A: A spam title is one which is clearly designed to achieve high placement for the site within a category. For instance, "Aaba Abounding Big Tits" is a title which will clearly result in the site being listed at or very near the top of a category, and it clearly crafted specifically for that reason. Such titles are not acceptable.
For how to deal with such titles, see the (currently ongoing) discussion in this and later threads.
by elper at 2009-09-13 23:03:16
8.11   Q: Do we list sites that possibly breach copyright?
A: This is answered quite eloquently in this thread in the ODP Culture forum. In short: "we are not the Internet police". Please refer to that thread for more information.
There is also a category which lists some other threads on the subject.
by elper at 2009-09-13 23:10:54
8.12   Q: What if a site uses the same content as another site does?
A: This is covered in the Adult guidelines, which basically say that if you find two sites using the same content, list only one. However, this must of course be placed in a context of practicality. Please see this thread for a discussion of the issue.
by elper at 2009-09-13 23:13:50
9   A few general tips?

  • The Adult "Mantra": We are here to list sites, not to find reasons to delete them.
  • If you are totally new to the ODP, don't touch anything until you have read this, the Directory Guidelines, the Adult Guidelines, and browsed through the editors' fora, in particular General and Adult. Then for one week pretend that what you read in this FAQ are laws until you get used to it all. :-) There is also a category with pointers to other threads containing useful information. N.B. These old threads serve to document why things are the way they are. They do not supplement or replace the guidelines.

  • Many editors would profit from a study of Common Errors in English.

  • Avoid indicating quantities (e.g. number of images, prices) in the description. These things change and we can't be expected to keep track of them constantly.

  • Don't sit around waiting for users to submit sites to your cat; go out and look for sites you can add. A user submission is a gift; the real work is looking for new sites.

  • The cat you edit does not belong to you. Someone else might sign up for it, or a higher level editor might make changes. If you have different ideas, discuss them with the other editors in your cat or higher levels cats, in the Adult forum or via email.

  • When you edit or move a site, always leave an ODP note saying what you did and why. This can be of great use to other editors, and even to you.

  • Don't wait for users to submit sites to your cat; go out and look for sites you can add.

  • Every now and then, go see what other editors are doing in their cats. This might give you inspiration on how to better your own.

  • Feel free to refuse submissions or to ignore sites if they contain nothing useful. Do not feel free to accept sites without having visited them to ensure that the description given is accurate; if it isn't, correct it. Do not feel free to delete sites which meet guidelines.

  • Never express your own opinion on a site. Some people like the color red, others don't. Use supplied descriptions if they are accurate, otherwise simply describe what the site contains. Don't say that a site is slow, the problem might be temporary or even caused by your own ISP. Don't say that a site is useless; if it contains no useful information, don't list it, otherwise just say what it contains.

  • Check the fora periodically to see what is going on. If you have ideas for improvements, please express them. Try to work with other editors.

  • Do not use the date field in the site edit page unless you are adding media references (e.g. news articles, maybe events).

  • Don't wait for users to submit sites to your cat; go out and look for sites you can add (maybe this was said before?).

  • If you find a site in your cat which has gone down, do not delete it immediately. If it was on one of the many free servers like GeoCities, then it was probably removed due to adult content. Otherwise it might be an ISP problem, in which case move the site to your bookmarks (with a note) and try again in a few days.

  • List sites according to what they really contain, not what you might know about the site owner. A specific example here: let's say you know a porn star who also escorts, and you are editing an escort category where the star's site could be listed. If the site makes no mention of escorting, it should not be listed there, whatever your personal knowledge may be.

  • Marking your own site as "cool" or drawing attention to it in any way (like having the title all in caps) is a big no-no. Please don't fall into that trap.

10   What do I do if I find a site featuring child porn?
One or more of several things. First of all, make a clear note on the site, and then move it to Test/See_Editor_Notes_Adult/Child_Porn/. A meta will then red-note the site and blocklist it. You might also want to send feedback to a meta to alert him/her of the site once you have moved it. Some additional information can also be found here.
11   What do all those acronyms mean?
Yeah, there are a ton of them, aren't there? Well, thanks to a helpful meta (who shall remain nameless here), here are a few sites which list them:
12   Q: Who wrote this FAQ?
A:
This FAQ was recovered from http://web.archive.org/web/20060106200535/dmoz.org/Adult/faq.html in 2009 by elper, the original was written by ffabris and others.
by elper at 2009-09-13 23:34:07

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