Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 72

Ok, I know I am going to get some flak from this but . . .

The banner ads that I am required to post on my site are inappropiate. My 6 yr old son likes to watch me surf the internet at times and when I opened my site the banner had a UGO ad that asks "What would you rather have between your legs?" It shows a scooter and a woman. My son read the banner and I was going "What? Where'd you read that?" He showed me.

This is not the only one, I have seen others that show almost all the skin.

Now I am a male and it doesnt bother me alone, but do I have to screen my site before I let my son watch me surf?

Just give me an idea on what I should do, is there an alternative choice for ads?

Thank you

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Without Remorse
"I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh:
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you."
Proverbs 1:26-27
[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/bandits"]Bandits Incoming![/url]

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 2894

Actually, I'm agreeing with you! I don't like them, either.

It's not so much the almost nudity, it's the sheer tastelessness of them...

But, I don't know how much hosted sites can do about that...

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[url="http://www.dopefish.com"]swim...swim...hungry...[/url]

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 416

I find several VWBB ad banners offensive (or almost offensive) too. I just ignore them; however, you can't expect a 6 year old to do the same.

Edit: I don't see why you'd get flak from that, Guardian... you are 100% right, at least in my opinion.

[This message has been edited by DarkHorse (edited 01-04-2001).]

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Somewhere in Germany ;)
Posts: 1625

True. Since they are required by Telefragged, I think you (or VW staff) should talk to Telefragged.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 1477

I would talk to Telefragged and UGO as soon as I could if I were you.

If you get no where with contacting them, if you're willing to spend the money $60 dollars (US of course) to have an attorney draft a formal letter will scare the bejeezus out of them.

I agree that many of UGO's adds are tasteless, gamers aren't all people who try to be "l33t HaX0rs." (well half of them are, the GameSpy Daily Victim two days ago poking fun at "Clans" wound up with some malicious replies, even though every joke they made is totally true...)

If I wanted nudity and hot chicks who don't have brains enough to talk back... I would be in High School... oh wait I am... nevermind

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Ace
Webmaster
adamantpacified.org
[url="http://adamantpacified.org/"]http://adamantpacified.org/[/url]

Staff member
FreeSpace Watch
[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/"]http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/[/url]

[This message has been edited by Ace (edited 01-05-2001).]

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 57

Im gonna get a little deep here.

Please don't take offense to what i say.

Im not being judgemental.

I believe, that kids should not be sheltered.

When you hide them from what happens in the world, and they find out themselves it tends to have negative effects.

I believe parents shouldnt protect their children from swearing etc...

Its there, and they will see it someday.

The trick is to explain why its bad and try to reach him on some sort of guilt level.

Not make him feel bad, but more or less give him a sense of right and wrong.

"Look son, this ad is wrong, because they use sex to sell, which is demeaning to everyone especially women."


I know its easier to keep him from it, but to tell the truth my parents did the same things.

The more they said was bad, the more i experimented. The bigger deal they made about something, the more i wanted to do it.

Kinda dumb, but thats the way humans are.

Remember, things are only as bad as you see them, and as bad as your son sees them.

You saying its bad, is not good enough reason alone.

you must share all your beliefs, and encourage him to learn all he can.

Yes he is young, but that makes no difference. You can either watch him grow up, learning all he can, or you can shelter him from it all and hope it never gets seen by him (which is impossible unless u lock him up)

So my suggestion is to not hide anything from him, and teach him the concept of right and wrong through these examples.

hiding it makes it more appealing to children.


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"The Schwartz is a Mystical weapon of Great power, FEAR it."
The Unofficial SekMAster

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 57

Really, this is just my opinion, im not saying Guardian is bad, or wrong. Only offering a friend some advice

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"The Schwartz is a Mystical weapon of Great power, FEAR it."
The Unofficial SekMAster

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Somewhere in Germany ;)
Posts: 1625

I don´t know how old that kid is, but I don´t think you should explain everything to him if he is too young. Explanation is good, but he might get confused and doesn´t understand what ure trying to tell him.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 72

It doesn't matter if I tell my son the facts of life or not at any moment. That is my decision. That is not my reason for this post.

I am talking about the fact that without asking us, the hosted members, the ad people put stuff on our sites that is inappropiate.
Telling my children about the facts of life is my business, not the business of UGO.com.

Yeah I know that sex sells, but I can just drop this whole website business if my site has to show this crap.

I didnt ask for it.

NOTE: I am not blaming Freespace Watch in anyway.


------------------
Without Remorse
"I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh:
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you."
Proverbs 1:26-27
[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/bandits"]Bandits Incoming![/url]

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: at a computer. somewhere.
Posts: 1339

There isn't a whole lot we can do about it, considering we get to "live" on these servers for free in exchange for displaying their banners so it remains free.

I apologize if they are offending to you or your children ... my suggestion is to write a complaint letter to UGO. Not much will probably be done, but it is worth a try.

The joys of gettin things for free.

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Ben "Remora" Dekarske - remora@volitionwatch.com
Director of Operations - [url="http://www.volitionwatch.com"]Volition Watch Network[/url]

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Apple Valley, MN
Posts: 2403

Ugh.. we can always just change to a theme besides action. I've learned that most of the other themes aren't crammed full of the sex ****. Summoner Watch is on the RPG rotation and is usually a lot cleaner.

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Kyle "Orange" Spahn
Assistant Director of Operations - Volition Watch Network

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 416

I see what you're getting at, Lonestar, and I agree with basically all of it, except there's a little flaw in there. Until a child reaches a certain age, you can explain all you want but he/she just won't understand what you're getting at. Fortunately, that age is much younger than 13 (in my opinion, anyway). At 5 or 6, I think they'd be able to understand. But before then, what's right and wrong is only what they're told is. And they wouldn't see why demoralizing ads were so wrong.

As for cussing, until a certain age, they don't realize why it can be offensive to certain people. That's the reason why children are forbidden from doing this - they might end up making the parents look REALLY bad. Though you probably knew that already.

Of course, one may ask how we know what's right and wrong, and why it makes a difference. But I'll leave that out of here.

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