Originally published Monday on my Patreon
I just got detailed replies from Leticia Roncero Portas, Manager of Community at Flickr, in response to an email I sent to her and Flickr's CEO, asking about the recent rash of reported bannings and suspensions among the Second Life community who share images on the platform.
Contrary to what some SLers have asserted, she tells me, there is no concerted effort by Flickr the company to target Second Life users on the platform. In fact, she notes that Flickr has actively promoted the SL community in recent years:
"[W]e celebrated Second Life's 20th-anniversary last year (and have celebrated SL on multiple other occasions) on our socials and through our blog/newsletter," she tells me by example, noting that they even created a special membership promo for the celebration. "My team is constantly planning initiatives focused on this and other active communities that engage on Flickr."
Indeed, Flickr's original founders, Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, were Second Life users themselves back in the day. (I was still at Linden Lab when one staffer shouted excitedly, "I saw Caterina and Stewart logged in!") The platform itself was first created in 2004 as a tool for a virtual world, called Game Neverending.
Now, Flickr the company is even crafting policies largely tailored to serve the SL Flickr community:
"[T]he Guide to Safety Levels for Nudity and Sexual Content--and the update on the Commercial Use Policy we're working on--are in part initiatives we took on to help Second Life members in particular (but not exclusively) navigate our Guidelines," as Portas puts it.
She estimates that there are "hundreds of thousands" of Flickr accounts are SL-related -- which suggests quite a lot of the active Second Life user base also uses Flickr on a regular basis.
As for any increase in bans/suspensions, she tells me there is no heightened focus penalizing SL users on Flickr in particular:
Above: one the largest and longest-running SL-themed groups on Flickr -- founded in 2004
"Flickr does not break down our enforcement operations according to Second Life vs. non-Second Life users, and there is no specific targeting of the Second Life community," as she puts it. "When content that violates Flickr’s Community Guidelines is brought to our attention via community reports or other means, we have to address appropriately. Our goal is to ensure that Flickr is a safe and healthy community, and that members are able to comply with our platform policies and guidelines."
Neither has there been an increase of SL accounts penalized for excessive tagging, Portas tells me:
"Tagging people or creators in posts is generally allowed as long as it is not done in an irrelevant and spammy way. While we can only discuss specific enforcement actions with the impacted user, we can confirm that there was no widespread suspension or banning of Second Life users on Flickr for spam tagging. " (Emphasis mine.) "Generally, we also do not ban or terminate the accounts of well-intentioned members for first time violations of our Guidelines. Placing accounts with content that violate Community Guidelines in a temporarily suspended state ensures members have the opportunity to address any issues while minimizing the impact of violating content on the platform."
The company's intent, she suggests, is to maintain the Second Life community on Flickr while also fostering the overall Flickr userbase:
"Our mission is to connect people through photography by elevating the memories, artistry, and impact of all of our members’ photos," she tells me. "We understand that Second Life users rely on Flickr and we welcome them on the platform. We’re here to support the development of thriving and active communities, and we ask of all our members, including Second Life members, that they simply learn about and engage in good faith with our guidelines and policies."
As for how Second Life users can make sure their Flickr account remains in good standing, Leticia Roncero Portas offered these guidelines:
"There are no specific rules that apply only to Second Life members on Flickr. However, we understand that Second Life members use Flickr in particular ways, and we absolutely want to make sure to provide them with appropriate resources that help them navigate our Guidelines and Policies. In addition to our general Community Guidelines and Rules of Flickr, Second Life members should pay particular attention to the following policies:
Safety Levels: Safety Levels let other members know that content might contain nudity, sexuality, or graphic imagery. Moderating content appropriately is important to help users filter out images they might want to avoid. Free accounts are limited to posting Safe content only. We recently published a detailed Guide to Safety Levels for Nudity & Sexual Content to help members better understand how to evaluate their content and select the proper Safety Level.
Commercial Use: Only Pro members may use Flickr for commercial activity. The policy generally applies to members who use their accounts for commercial purposes or otherwise monetize their posts. This includes accounts that consist primarily of promotional or sponsored content. We understand the Help Center article could be improved, and we are actively working on publishing an update to clarify the policy."
As I doubt this will be the last word on the recent controversy, let me know if you have any follow-up questions on this, Patreon subscribers and NWN readers!
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