The Picture Debate

[Lizard]

In another post (http://getdare.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=9540) the thread veered off course into a small discussion about why the posting of pictures on this site is frowned upon. Rather than continue to take that thread off track, I thought I'd start one, with a title that might attract the attention of those who might not have taken any notice of the other, to post my views, and to see what comments might be attracted.


The two quotes from the other thread that caught my eye were:

Originally Posted by Dominantjohn

I'm more of the mentality of "pics or it didn't happen."

Originally Posted by sum1(2)

I'm guessing because for one thing the site is international, what's the fcc? Secondly it is, i would assume, a damn site easier to have a blanket rule of no pics with people than to say no pics that could be considered offensive, the site is likely on dodgy enough ground in places as it is. You have to remember that the minum age for here is something like 13!

I think sum1(2) has a point, and I also have to believe that managing the site from a disk space perspective is far easier when there are no pics to worry about.

Personally, while a picture might be worth 1,000 words to some, I'd rather have the words; embellished or not. Rather than a pic, or two, of some stranger standing and doing something, I want to know what was going through their head at the time. Things that cannot be captured in a picture, like: what did they do to prepare for it, how many times did they balk, what were they feeling just before, during, and after. A picture is only a milisecond of the whole event, and I want to read about the whole event, and when one has words to read, in my humble opnion, the pictures only add clutter.

(I realise that not everybody will agree with that, but that is why I'm posting this!)

One of the reasons I decided to join GetDare was because it wasn't clutterd with pics. A few years ago there was a site on Yahoo -- Dare Tiffany. That site was about the story telling of a few brave souls and the dares that they did. I loved that site, and was pretty irritated when the group just disappeared.

The GetDare site is very much like that Dare Tiff site -- an international community, good dialog, and lots of words which allow me to make the pictures in my mind!

Kudos to Depp, and the GetDare stafff, for organising such a success.

LIzard crawls down from the soapbox and seeks a nice patch of blazing hot sun to bask in.

[Hampers]

I remember seeing somewhere that this site isn't intended for people under 18.
That made me laugh.

So really, if you're under 18, GET OFF THIS SITE. It's for grown-ups who can enjoy seedy pictures.

But moving away from fantasy land, I guess pictures are ok as long as they're in sanctioned threads I.e. Google Image Guessing Game [excluding the obviously phallic metaphor of the banana] or the Getdare's Hottest Member thread. I think Getdare has stayed far enough away from photos becoming a commodity of proof. We're all trustworthy enough that we don't have to post pics, right?

Right?

All I hear is the chirruping of cicadas

[depp]

My response to the pic situation has been the secret project that will launch soon. I don't feel that a more open picture policy on getDare will ever be much of an option for a buch of reasons I don't want to talk about publicly.

[andom4444]

Originally Posted by depp

My response to the pic situation has been the secret project that will launch soon. I don't feel that a more open picture policy on getDare will ever be much of an option for a buch of reasons I don't want to talk about publicly.

Agreed, a adult version of this site for 18's or over with some sort of verification would be the only place for pictures.

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by andom4444

Agreed, a adult version of this site for 18's or over with some sort of verification would be the only place for pictures.

Depp, maybe you should think about something like that

[Dominantjohn]

Originally Posted by andom4444

Agreed, a adult version of this site for 18's or over with some sort of verification would be the only place for pictures.

Like I said it depends on the pictures. Adult pictures, yes, 18+ only. But other pictures would be the same thing as if you went to the beach.

As for your points Lizard . . . I agree with you somewhat. Pictures can enhance the post. Towards the psychological end a picture will reveal nothing about the experience. It also wouldn't reveal a lot and in that sense a picture is very limited.

. We're all trustworthy enough that we don't have to post pics, right?

I would like to BELIEVE so . . . but after being on the internet for 12 years and talking to lots of people, you'd be surprised how many liars there are out there. That's the beauty of the internet, you can create an alter ego that no one knows about or become anyone you want to be.

IMHO the best way is a combination of the two approaches. Use pictures to enhance the whole thing rather than a blanket denial. Also, in realizing that many people don't see eye to eye on it you can always create another sub-forum. *Warning: offensive content [may include pics]*

Again, I'm not advocating solely pics (which may have come accross it) but it's a nice thing to see.

[Sum]

For me pictures would not enhance the site in the least, you'd just end up with loads of image heavy threads and threads that were basically nothing but pictures.

If there were as you say things like you'd see at the beach, with the age of a lot of the members here, i don't think i would come here anymore, and i would think that could hold true for a lot of the other older members.

[andom4444]

the problem with image site (there are a few tord image sites) is that they get spammed by fake users, especially guys trying to be girls!
the only way to have an effective image site is to have it 18+ and also have some sort of moderation system, i.e. before you are able to post images, you have to submit a private photo of you holding a piece of paper with the sites name on. That doesn't get published, but lets the site ownere know who you really are!

[Dominantjohn]

Originally Posted by andom4444

the problem with image site (there are a few tord image sites) is that they get spammed by fake users, especially guys trying to be girls!
the only way to have an effective image site is to have it 18+ and also have some sort of moderation system, i.e. before you are able to post images, you have to submit a private photo of you holding a piece of paper with the sites name on. That doesn't get published, but lets the site ownere know who you really are!

How is that any different then a fake user posting a response post of the dare? For me personally I'd rather know that they were fake, cause then I wouldn't bother with them.

you'd just end up with loads of image heavy threads and threads that were basically nothing but pictures.

I'm not saying every thread needs to have a bunch of pictures. But I am saying that if they are related to the dare then why not?

If you're not into them, fine. I'm not saying they need to be allowed everywhere. What I am saying though is that they should be allowed in SOME areas. As far as the whole beach thing goes I was trying to suggest "PG" rated pics for those under 18, and whatever for adults.

If you're not into posting them, seeing them, whatever, that's fine, but it doesn't mean that there should be a carte blanch ban on them. People who aren't into the D/s lifestyle don't go in the slave master area . . . so if you're not into pics don't go in the pics allowed area.

[SubMissChievous]

You know this 'pics or it didn't happen' stuff irritates me. I've been involved with the s/m area & in contact with enough people to know that this "argument" is most often used to get another person feel like they "have to" provide proof. And I don't think those who use this argument in other sections are much different. If a person shares pics it should be because they want to & are comfortable with it & not because horny guys use that lame "I need proof" sentence & they then feel obliged to do it.

From a moderator standpoint I see also a problem with the pictures issue. Every week I get PMs of members who ask me to remove email addies from previous posts or other personal info that they posted & then regret. Now imagine how many pics would have to be deleted from threads...

Dominantjohn, I'm not too sure why you're being so insistant about this whole picture thing but maybe you should re-read depp's reply below (especially the 1st sentence) & try to be patient.

Originally Posted by depp

My response to the pic situation has been the secret project that will launch soon. I don't feel that a more open picture policy on getDare will ever be much of an option for a buch of reasons I don't want to talk about publicly.

[Sum]

Originally Posted by naughty_chloe

From a moderator standpoint I see also a problem with the pictures issue. Every week I get PMs of members who ask me to remove email addies from previous posts or other personal info that they posted & then regret. Now imagine how many pics would have to be deleted from threads...

Additionally if it was set up so that under 18's were only supposed to post "pg" pics what happens when one breaks the rules and posts something that's not meant to be posted. In that instance we find the site has broken rather a few laws, as has anyone who has looked at it, the poster themselves. And don't forget the poor mod whos job it'll be to patrol this part of the site.
And mark my words there would definatly be people who'd break the rules, you get enough breaking them actually asking for pics now, imagine if they were relaxed on this issue slightly.

On your suggestion that people wouldn't have to go in there if they didn't want to that would mean the section would need it's own title formatting, which again if people broke you could find people in there very easily. I personally, as i know a lot of people do, use the unread posts link at the top of the site. I don't read what part of the site I'm going into just the name of the treads.

[Dominantjohn]

Originally Posted by naughty_chloe

You know this 'pics or it didn't happen' stuff irritates me. And I don't think those who use this argument in other sections are much different. If a person shares pics it should be because they want to & are comfortable with it & not because horny guys use that lame "I need proof" sentence & they then feel obliged to do it.

Dominantjohn, I'm not too sure why you're being so insistant about this whole picture thing but maybe you should re-read depp's reply below (especially the 1st sentence) & try to be patient.

Chloe:

I'm sorry that this irritates you. My argument to this is still the same . . . no one is forcing anyone to do anything here, it's there choice to post the pictures or not. If they are not comfortable doing it then they shouldn't. I'm not being insistant about anything. I'm merely arguing the "pro" side of the debate and this thread wasn't even started by me (well, indirectly it may have, but someone else asked my thoughts so I'm sharing them). Again, I'm not saying this needs to happen now or anything like that so I don't know where you're getting the whole insistant feeling from. I'm always for options, and if pics are another OPTION, then why not?

As far as the whole "having to" provide proof isn't that in essence of what a dare really is . . . to get people to do things they normally wouldn't do? No one is forcing anyone to do anything . . . the choice is always made up to the poster.

And it's not that I *need* proof, but I want it. I like knowing what's going on and I'm a visual person by nature. The fact is as of how it stands right now I'm denied that. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I was asked why so that's why I'm engaging in this at all.


From the moderator aspect:
People can't delete there own posts? Or at least edit to remove pictures?

Additionally if it was set up so that under 18's were only supposed to post "pg" pics what happens when one breaks the rules and posts something that's not meant to be posted. In that instance we find the site has broken rather a few laws, as has anyone who has looked at it, the poster themselves. And don't forget the poor mod whos job it'll be to patrol this part of the site.
And mark my words there would definatly be people who'd break the rules, you get enough breaking them actually asking for pics now, imagine if they were relaxed on this issue slightly.

Sum . . . I see your point here. I guess the only option would be to restrict posting of pictures of any kind to people over 18.

As far as the recent threads go . . . maybe have an option in the CP to allow pics or not. Then display them on that flag. (possibly even a dynamic hide?)



Anyway, I hope you realize that I'm merely responding to people's questions and trying to show a different view on things. I"m not in any way saying this is the way it has to be or that I demand it be this way now. I'm curious to see what Depp has come up with as an answer to this per his post.

[Hampers]

To answer your question, regular members can only delete or edit their posts for a certain amount of time after posting (in my experience something like just over a day). That's why we have to ask friendly mods after a while.

[SubMissChievous]

Okay John I admit that my reply was kinda cynical maybe but it wasn't directed on you personally I think I was responding from a getDare female member standpoint here as we are very sollicited to send/provide pics. Some use "subtle" hints in their sig, some others even go as far as to PM girls with stuff like "Can I have a pic of your pussy?" (Yeah, I've received those...)

As far as the "proof" part is concerned I am maybe not the best judge as far as dares & TorD are concerned as I'm more involved with the D/s community of this board. But from this standpoint I can tell that as much as "proof" maybe important, trust is just as much. When I seeked for Master I received a countless number of replies with the 1st question being : Do you have a camera? I never lied about having one when I got it but why should I send very private things from the get-go? So if that applies in a M/s relationship, when it involves only 2 persons then imagine posting... Again, not directed to you personally but this whole "I want proof" stuff is being used profusely & the majority of those saying it don't want proof, they want skin... Let's face it, really...

So yeah my response was more general than only to you as I would have used PM if it would have been the case

[MM18]

Why does Depp just allow members to ask for pictures in a thread, or offer pictures in a thread, and let the member do it via email or post on Yahoo GetDare group? There are no further resources being used. Just a thought.

Now for my point of view on requiring pictures.

A slave/sub gets his or her pleasure from being told what to do, when to do it how to do it etc.
For me, as a master, I get my pleasure 2 ways, from seeing pictures sent by the slave showing that they have completed the task AND from a good conversation with the slave telling me how they felt when doing the task, this conversation usually last a little while as I like to ask a lot of questions, this combined with the picture(s) is where I get my pleasure from.

Now as for fakes. When I interview a potential slave, yes I ask for pictures, usually 2 or 3, and one must be holding a sign that says whatever I ask them to write. I do this for 2 reasons, 1) If the prospect says she is female, then this proves that she is, 2)It shows they are serious about what they want to do.

As for nude pictures, yes I do ask for them, and in a lot of cases this is where the interview ends, but as I tell everyone, you do not have to show your face or you may mask it. Any kind of picture can be found, just got to Google, http://images.google.ca/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi , turn off the filter, then search for pretty much whatever you want.