I don't know if it's some misguided sense of modesty or if a few little tweaks would make a difference, or if I should just make the change. I've had the adult content splash page up pretty much since I started reviewing, but now I'm not so sure.
There's no porn going on. I do discuss sex, but we're all grownups here and there's more sex on prime time TV. And certainly on cable. Even with my pictures, I'm definitely choosing more for what's going on than for what's showing. Even Mr. Naked Christmas Boy didn't have anything exactly hanging out, and he's buried in the archives now.
If there was a way to make the splash page turn off after you've been here once and should know what's inside, I'd leave it. But I could just make a couple of different word choices.
It's not that we're taking about guys having sex that should be the only reason for the adult content page. That's a lot like saying all m/m romance books belong on the erotica shelves at the etailers, and that's sure not true. If it's only how I discuss it, I can change the language a little, like I already have to do to post at Amazon. (The perils of machine censorship-I called a character's attitude 'cocky' and got the review kicked. Twice. Took me forever to figure out why.)
I think the splash page at Mrs. Condit's is great, it's basically a scolding to the sniffy reader.Getting something like that here means going to some paid hosting and different software and importing or exporting or basically doing something with the site that I'd have to get some professional help to do. I sure don't know how to do it and if I make Pam do it then she's not spending time writing Mountain novels and we can't interrupt that, can we?
Some sites just have a warning about mature audiences and away they go, others have the whole splash thing. Since I park most of the text behind a cut anyway to keep the home page from being 4 miles long, there's a built in pause before you go clicking. That should give you time to look at the header, right? I can put a warning up in words to go with the two men at the top. Or instead of "read more" on the cut, I can make it be "read more if you're over 18." Or some combo.
Opinions please.
I do not, nor have I ever. Nor did anyone ever click the "omg this is porn" button thus triggering the page when I was at blogger. I don't at WP. Can you have one there?
ReplyDeleteIt's clear I discuss m/m, in general, adults read m/m. And seriously, if some 12 year old wants to come to my page, having a "click here if you are 18" is not going to stop them. LOL It's only going to make them click it more if I know kids. I don't usually have full frontal nudity, very rarely and I put up a NSFW notice in the title if I do. But I use crude words sometimes in my reviews because sometimes no other word but f*ck will work. LOL
So I don't think anyone needs it. If you don't like what I write about, feel free to never click on me again. No one forces you to read a blog.
I think it's the pretending that you are "doing something to protect the young" thing. A lot of places have the "put in your birthday" page, which is an invitation to a lie if ever there was one. I routinely shave 5 years.:)
DeleteOne of my favorite blogspot blogs got deleted for adult content and that was with the splashpage. All it takes is for one idiot to complain. Maybe I should just back up my posts and be ready to resurface on paid hosting someday.
Even before I was 18, I ignored the warnings and clicked anyway. It's not a deterrent. If you'd get in trouble with blogger if someone complained, you might as well leave it up to save yourself the head/heartache of fighting them or restoring your blog if they took it down. Honestly, I don't even see the warning pages anymore since it's an automatic to just click on it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that it costs traffic to have the splash page because some folks are scared off by it, but pretty much anyone who gets here is looking for what I have, although sometimes they think I have pornier things than I do. Or free downloads. (Boo hiss to them!)
DeleteTake it down. I've seen nothing untoward on this site. If someone feels it's necessary, they can report the site and then the splash page goes up automatically. Not that I think anyone would be dumb enough to click on a link unless they knew what they were in for. Unless, there's a group of people out there purposefully reporting websties because they don't agree with the material. I'm sorry. I went off on a tangent there.
ReplyDeleteSome people are just that small minded. (Still feeling the loss of favorite blog.)On the other hand, it would be the spurt to getting the url cleaned up, although it would be hard on anyone who linked in to a review.
DeleteAs others have said above, anyone below the legal age won't be stopped by a splash page. Hell, they'll probably be encouraged! All these warnings on sites with gay content makes me feel weird. It reminds me of that episode of Ellen with the viewer discretion warning, just because she kissed another woman. I know it's not quite the same thing. It just summons a similar feeling. I say we throw open the doors! :D
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of why I've been questioning it. I do discuss the sex, but always behind a cut, so it's not the first thing you see when you come by, and the header is a clue. Most of the Thousand Word Thursday stories aren't explicit either, though some are certainly hot!
DeleteIf you're collecting data, I frankly find those speedbump pages annoying. I could see if you had bona fide porn in here, but you don't, and I'm impatient enough that needing One More Page to load before I can read the post gets me muttering to myself. :/
ReplyDeleteIf the content is good (as it is here) then I click through anyway. If not, I save myself the annoyance. I'll bet that's at least half of the "scared away" phenomenon, rather than actual OMGFear! of what shockingly adult material might be hiding inside.
Angie
Yeah. No waving weiners here. I think I will take it down and take my chances.
ReplyDelete