OPINION POLL: Display an age group icon to all members in the postbit?

[Diana]

THIS IS JUST AN OPINIONS POLL. I would like to hear as many opinions as possible for this particular topic because I am doing some community research!


We have a few recent things that have popped up, that aren't yet major problems for the community, but may become a problem in the future as the membership grows larger and the age-groups start to vary more widely.

What we NEVER want to do is censor the community and tell members they're not allowed to have certain kinds of convos or roleplays. We also don't believe it's necessary to censor these conversations because people at 13 are plenty adult enough. We've made sure to create a appropriate place where everyone can do these things in a legal and safe way for all age groups. :D

HOWEVER,

On the forums and the cbox we'll have conversations and behavior that can be very "adult" and I don't mean the everyday stuff that'll pop up or the steamy stuff that is locked in our Mature sections, but conversations that people would not feel comfortable talking about with a 14 year old member VS a 20 year old member. We also seem to have a lot of situations where members will invite another member to a roleplay, unaware of their age, and then have that awkward moment of saying "Oh you can't play in this after all. :(". As well as moments where One on Ones start taking a mature turn, with partners unaware that the person they are playing with is underaged.

At least in the cbox and in forum discussions we try to remind people "If you wouldn't say that in public with strangers, don't say it in the cbox or post it in the public forum." But that doesn't much solve the issue of accidents. Some people have expressed that they really wished they knew the ages of other members so they could be more mindful of stuff like this.

What we DO NOT want to do is display the actual age or birthday of members by force. A lot of people hide their age for plenty of good reasons. We will never do this, and it will always be optional to display your age.

BUT,

Would the community find it okay and useful if the Under 18/Over 18 symbols displayed publicly for members?

It would not display your actual age. Just that you are apart of that age group. Obviously, it would only display on the members who have joined the permission group, also. So anyone who is NOT in one of those groups, you wouldn't know.

It COULD be a useful way to help people know who they can invite to certain roleplays and what sort of conversations they would feel safe having around certain members.

Some concerns is that if would allow creeping on younger members. But, when we catch creepers we tend to Auto-ban them. So that may not be an issue.


So please VOTE and share your opinions!

 

[Asmodeus]

Yep, I think it would be good.

Some younglings might not get my rhetoric.

 

[Warenai hana]

I agree with the Under 18/Over 18 Symbols as long as they look good xD Maybe under gender or something. You know the thing that says stuff no one really checks unless that particular user said something of interest or because the user is bored. (or they are stalking =P)

Although the other point brought up is a good one. I wouldn't want someone to see I'm under 18 and have a secret creeper on my back =/... then again I really don't care if they creep on me but I know a couple of members who wouldn't like it.

In the end I think its appropriate to put it under gender (or with gender) as a small mark that may say +18 or -18. I think creepers would be able to figure it out anyways and it saves us from some awkward situations.

 

[Phoenix]

I'd be down with an icon that idicates someone being over or under 18. If there's issues with people creeping, imho they should not be on Iwaku at all anyway.
Also, I think it helps to keep the older members from feeling like creeps themself. XD

(Also, I'm a helicopter! More polls should have options like that!)

 

[Juneberry]

I'm not for or against it, but I tend not to notice such things. On the one hand, it's understandable...But on the other hand, it's mostly just for convenience, as it's just as easy to ask someone their age group when communicating to plot out things and such. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Esthalia]

yes! yes! yes!

 

[Zen]

I would especially love this feature in the Cbox. I think you mentioned that somewhere in your post Diana. O.o Definitely think it would be very appropriate in the posting section.

 

[Theory]

Absolutely definitely~

 

[VerbalAbuse]

I have an overwhelming urge to pm everybody who said "LOOK AT ME I'M A HELICOPTER" with this image.

 

[Zorilla]

Seeing as I ask this to almost everyoen I meet i'd love a button that just DOES IT for me xD.

 

[Soren Von-Dorian]

I agree with this. It will clear up a lot of fog in the air and ensure you know exactly what your doing and with whom.

 

[Astaroth]

Personally, I think it's too public and that people should just ask. This is a 13+ site, not an 18+ site, and if you're not comfortable saying something where people under 18 can see it, I think you should not talk about that with someone you don't know well enough to know how old they are. I also think that people should THINK about their partner's age if a roleplay starts delving into Mature territory.

This also only works for people who DO join one of the age groups. Are we going to make joining an age group mandatory instead of just for Mature roleplayers? If we don't, there will still be people who are unknowns when it comes to age.

Come to that, having the age groups be public on profiles also lets EVERYONE know that you're a Mature roleplayer, and not everyone is happy about that being public info. I remember one member actually being very concerned that everyone would know she had joined a Mature permissions group!

 

[Ochalla]

I agree mostly with Osso, and also think this has the potential for stigma. Do we need our younger members feeling like they are not going to be taken seriously because they're wearing a shiny badge? I do not understand this concern of OMG I am talking to someone too young, and people should talk to their partners when things are getting steammy in an RP anyways and not just because of age but differenting comfort levels.

If this is something the admins really want to do, then I suggest that it's not up front but in the mature bio tab. Make people have to look it up not given to them.

 

[BoredAsUsual]

Not sure if anyone brought this up, or if it even matters, but what about the people who are lying about their age? Is there a solution for that? Or do we just hope everyone is honest? I'm just randomly curious on that subject.

 

[Warenai hana]

Wo good points that I didn't think of. Self conscious people not wanting to flaunt the fact that they ar in a mature RP, and the fact that some people, even on Iwaku, don't like talking to people -18 when they are over. Not sure why but even if you had some good conversations with them they don't want to chat anymore >.>

 

[Astaroth]

We do try to make it clear that we want people to be honest, especially since there is NO GOOD REASON to lie about your age, given that there are two Mature areas. When people are caught lying about their age- and we DO investigate suspicious accounts- they are banned, provided that they don't come clean when made aware of our policies. We've banned a number of accounts over this very issue.

 

[Dawn]

I would very much like to know the age group of the people I talk to.

 

[Fluffy]

I voted that it's a good idea because I feel like it's worth experimenting, at least. See how people feel about it during a test run, you know? There are times when we hate an idea and end up loving it once we try it. I can't see the harm in that.

My opinion, though? We should go about this in a different way... In such a way so that our posts aren't shouting out our ages to everyone. I know that smut is a popular genre here, but... We are not an "adult" forum. .__.; It peeves me sometimes that people come here thinking that's all there is to do here. Having to accommodate more for the Mature section just makes the reputation worse. If ALL of our roleplays had potential for mature content, then yeah it would be a fine idea. (Though probably unnecessary, since those types of writing forums are 18+ anyhoo.)

I'm sure there's a less flashy way that we can protect everyone from being accused of wrong.

 

[everstrange]

I think it could be viable to offer an option to not have the under/over 18 be displayed. I think this could address any issues with anyone who doesn't feel comfortable and would rather be messaged to discuss their age.

As far as the chat box go, perhaps there could be some sort of option to discern whether it's for unders/overs only ? Like a checkmark or something. It could help solve problems like this.

Just random suggestions that could help prevent issues.

 

[CosmicWeinerDog]

Eh... I don't think so.

I mean I can see the argument from both ways and as a result I'm kinda torn. In the end though, I think the "Nah" side wins out.

As a person who was once an underage roleplayer, it's just something I wouldn't have wanted people knowing. I've never been a fan of having a Brand associated with my name. Especially if it's a brand saying "HEY GUYS, DID YOU KNOW I CAN'T VOTE YET? AWESOME HUH?" Even with good intentions on the side of the staff, a kid's gonna see that and be a little put off. Which isn't something you want in a community like Iwaku where acceptance and tolerance of all walks of roleplaying is one of the themes of the site.

ANOTHER concept to think about is that doing that would make underage people all that much easier to stalk. Something to think about.