Userpics

[deepblue]

I have a suggestion regarding userpics. Since in this community, someone's personal tail is as personal as their face, no one should be allowed to use a picture of a personal tail that doesn't belong to them. Using someone else's tail as your pic is like using any other image of them without permission.

I don't see it happen often, and it should go without saying. But it does happen on occasion, and it's something fellow members could easily report.


eta- a little clarification, as I said personal the first time and not the second.

[MermaidMichelle]

I can agree with you in this, and think you have a fine idea; it helps to personalize each individual mermaid in their mermaid identity.

To cover all bases, of course, in case one uses a tail of which multiple copies exist or which is iconic (such as Madison's tail from Splash!), then they should certainly be let off the hook, as it were.

[AniaR]

I agree. For some reason though I cant get mine to change. Its still my old mertailor!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[ShyMer]

I don't know if I like this idea yet. It seems like it'd be tricky to decide what's okay and what isn't. Many of the photos and art we use as profile pictures on this site don't really belong to the person using them anyway. If I am using an image that belongs to, say, Ariel starfish, but I don't have permission to use it, then of course I would have to take it down because it's not my picture.
What about people who are using a picture of a movie mermaid tail? Why should they be excluded from the rule? What about people who are using a photo of a tail that they ended up selling to someone else?

I think I get that this is a courtesy thing, and you really shouldn't use someone else's tail for your profile if it doesn't actually belong to you, but it seems like it could become troublesome to enforce unless it's about copyright.

Besides, is this really enough of an issue to bother making a policy about?

[deepblue]

Note that I used the phrase "someone's personal tail"- images of famous tails from films and shows don't fall under that category.

It's not as if it's a policy that takes a lot of effort for creation- if the admin decided this is something to implement, it simply falls under userpic rules- don't use a picture of someone else's personal tail or design in your userpic or avatar. It's pretty simple.

And considering someone is right now using someone else's tail for their userpic, and the ever growing popularity of mermaiding, how many people will be heading here with no idea how to conduct themselves on a forum and will lack forum etiquette (as we've seen), then I imagine we will see this problem occur again and again.

[AniaR]

There are afew people doing this and I do find it confusing as to whose account it is

[deepblue]

I cannot understand how those people think it's okay. That's like me saying, "Oh I like Raina's makeup, I'll just use her face for my userpic."

[Jeblily]

Hmmm my userpic is not of me it's from a song..... I also know that the production sold their tail so I wonder if I should change mine????

[MermaidMichelle]

Is it from a music video? That should be alright in any case.

[Jeblily]

Yep it is thank you!!!!

[Winged Mermaid]

Sounds good in theory but can be difficult to enforce. For example someone is using a photo of Patch's tail for their userpic, but there were 2-3 others made along with that tail that are almost exactly the same.. and that photo was taken before it was sold to her. It's not like she's in the tail when the photo was taken, and it's a commercial tailmaker's tail that can be mass reproduced. Also there are some tails that look the same but there are multiple, even dozens of them. But we can associate it with one to a dozen different mers, like the gold-turquoise mertailor ones. What about those? Are all commercial tailmaker photos off limits becuase in the end the tail in the photo will belong to someone?

Also if this was a rule, we would only take photos down if a person reported them, and provided proof that it was another mer's personal tail. (I really don't have time to go hunting that kind of stuff down.)

[Winged Mermaid]

I agree. For some reason though I cant get mine to change. Its still my old mertailor!

I honestly thought you just really liked that photo or something. Well you can PM me and I can change it for you through the control panel. Maybe one change will unstick whatever glitchy issue it is that you're having.

[deepblue]

Makes sense. And of course if someone's tail was being used, I'm sure they can report it themselves and it would be attended to.

Thanks for taking the time to read the suggestion, Iona.

[Echidna]

How about a regulation that userpics must either show oneself, or be a free stockphoto?

Why would one use a pic of another mer anyway?
Or the photo of a tail one doesn't own for that matter.

[MermaidMichelle]

I would assume the answer to that question to be related to how far one has gone into the mer subculture. If one has devoted so much of their time and money to being a mermaid or merman that one has an ultra-realistic beautiful tail, then of course one would probably want to show it off and be identified with it.

However, many of the people on this forum are still in that process or, if they choose not to undertake such a process, probably still admire those that do. I, for example, do not yet have a realistic tail but have a design in the works from the best in the business, so I have decided to just show my neck and bronze mermaid pendant until I have pictures of this tail to share. It doesn't give me quite as much "sea cred" as I might like en ce moment, but at least it avoids confusion with those who already have such tails.

[Fun123joker]

How about a regulation that userpics must either show oneself, or be a free stockphoto?.

D:




... would i still be able to keep my icon?

[MermaidMichelle]

I'm...fairly certain that that picture isn't of anyone else on this board, so it's yours and cool and 80s!

I also like how your name is Fun123joker and you have exactly 123 posts...lol

[Mermaid Kelda]

But it's not a stock photo (I'm assuming) so by Caltuna's suggestion it wouldn't be allowed.

I don't really know how I feel about the whole thing. I don't own my avatar, but I like it and everyone on every forum ever uses random pictures from the internet. I think as long as you don't claim it as your own, it's fine. I do agree that using photos of another person's personal tail is weird and confusing though, and should probably be advised against.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

But it's not a stock photo (I'm assuming) so by Caltuna's suggestion it wouldn't be allowed.

I don't really know how I feel about the whole thing. I don't own my avatar, but I like it and everyone on every forum ever uses random pictures from the internet. I think as long as you don't claim it as your own, it's fine. I do agree that using photos of another person's personal tail is weird and confusing though, and should probably be advised against.

The blue elephant belongs to me. I made this little guy 2 years ago during a school holiday play day with my nephew. Its the same as my fb avatar.

He sits on my big speaker with his ears flared and his beady little eyes staring at me...

I'm using this because I haven't found a fish or tail I like yet.

[Echidna]

But it's not a stock photo (I'm assuming) so by Caltuna's suggestion it wouldn't be allowed.

I said that because "random pictures from the internet" includes pics of other people, some of which might be registered here.
I've nothing against anyone using a drawing or painting they didn't make themselves.
Not sure how the artist feels about it tho.

It's just something to keep in mind nowadays.
The "if it's up on the web, it belongs to everyone for free"-attitude is not shared unequivocally.