Opinions on featured content and why it bothers me

[noxfox]

Thank you @michaelson for the feedback. I'm quite happy about the survey you sent, though it could have been a bit more elaborate on what exactly the feature would be, to whom it would be available or not, and include a question about how we'd feel about the function being accessible through the App only. I appreciate however that you let an open question in the end to give more personal insight. Mine was a concern about whether it would be ok to monetize episodes that don't have comic content in it (ie: concept sketches), or WIP pages. I'm somewhat curious to know how this would work, and if it would only be "pay for what you want to see," or could include a subscription system like "peek anything to this series for 3 months" or "peek any series for 1 month". Maybe that would deserve another market study survey to see what business model people would be interested in, as readers, and as creators.

The only problem I can see w/ this is the bandwidth to constantly curate these.

That's a technical issue I had never considered because the Popular and Trending sections can still be browsed by categories (which then reveals more series). Maybe it could be eased by having a less instantaneous curation, instead going for a weekly digest of which series fared best? Then again, it's hard to make accurate suggestions without knowing exactly which are the constraints.

We screen as much as we can, and will focus more of our attention to screening the snacks more heavily.

I still would like to know if the NSFW filter or a guidelines update will ever be addressed.
It would really help everybody if it were possible to filter negatively and positively various types of contents. Maybe it doesn't have to be so different in architecture than the current genre categories.
As a side question, are the tags we put on episodes useful in any way? (besides allowing us to write stupid stuff there to give our readers a laugh)

@scythe please, read the content of above posts.

[indagold]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[UzukiCheverie]

haha Back on topic guys, leave casual conversation to PM's and shiz lol Thanks! <3

[elixiadragmire]

Ok thank you @michaelson
I think I'll have to do a bit of soul searching then. If the app readership is much larger but different and I've seen a lot of stagnation on my project then either my content isn't right for the new mobile demographic or there's a problem with my content, along with other numerous reasons.
At the moment I have to say on Line my progress is triple of what I see here, that could be due to the number of readers they have. But I have been on there desktop in the weekly roundup for a month also.
I think I'm going to have to mule this over to see what would be the right thing for my project in the future and pin point problems and plan out a new course of action..

[Zikul]

You benefit from every series on the site, that is true, but direct financial support is not the same as indirect (indirect being ad revenue per individual artist), and it is because of this that the choice is concerning and potentially negative for your public reputation. That is what makes Learning Curves different from indie content, and also why it reflects on Tapas Media as a brand when other content might not. Bureaucracy is unfortunately nothing that alleviates those implications.

"Screen as much as we can" could mean anything. Do you, or do you not, read through the entirety of the content you feature, not just in the snack, but in the staff picks on tapastic?

[Roxanneh]

This was not a failed tv show, it was a pilot script that was being sought after by other studios and there was care put into the construction of the series. Most creators don't set out to make bad work.

True, and sorry for calling it a failed tv show pitch. But that doesn't mean the work isn't bad and the transition isn't bad. It's bad and the transition is worse. The fact that you chose Learning Curves as your very first Tapisode raises questions about transparency, the ability of your team to choose quality products, and the quality check/editing ability of your editor team.

"Screen as much as we can" could mean anything. Do you, or do you not, read through the entirety of the content you feature, not just in the snack, but in the staff picks on tapastic?

I second this question.

These creators aren't obligated to mention us in a social media post. The absence of them mentioning us shouldn't be indicative of their how much they care about the platform or their own story. There are a lot of creators we feature or publish with us that don't mention us in social media.

Fair point.

There was reformatting added to the Tapisodes based on the scripts. I.e. certain descriptions being taken out and others being added in, how the dialogue appears, and etc. The inclusion of character faces next to the dialogue among other things are indicative that the scripts have been modified.

Then why didn't it occur to you that reading with CAPITALIZED BOLD and CAPITALIZED ITALIC is a chore? Were there no single editor who stopped on their track and said that this needs further editing and rewriting? You've just proved how unprofessional the whole thing is, from the writers' to the editor team. This is paid content, isn't it? What are you going to do after this has been pointed out to you? Will you fix it or will you leave it as unprofessional as it is now?

The creators of Learning Curves are working on a show for Amazon titled "Just Add Magic" and writing for Buzzfeed shouldn't be something to cruelly ridicule. And to speculate that we only featured them because they were our friends is absurd. We have professional working relationship with agencies and publishers that introduce us to creators and works.

Well sorry, then maybe next time prove it to us by providing PROFESSIONAL content. They're professionals, you're professionals, it's PAID content, so what I'm asking for is actually elementary, right? I didn't ridicule their previous job, I pointed the hypocrisy of the marketing of what your CEO said the quality is (Hollywood writers) vs the actual quality (BuzzFeed lazy writing quality).

Your Senior Editor said it himself that your team doesn't do poor quality, it's not in your DNA. Well, what's this then? Until then I won't be convinced that there's no some sort of favoritism going on because how else such POOR quality content managed to be up there, endorsed, featured and financially backed?

To say that we blatantly ignore original creative work is just wrong.

By ignoring I meant that you chose to create different products (novel and tapisode, even the coins are not for webcomic creators) as an excuse to hire outside people (those who never worked in webcomic/comic industry). You could've make them open for public like your webcomic or hire select artists like you did with premium section but you acted as if they don't exist.

If the products you're selling are actually of high quality done with love and care I wouldn't complain at all. I would think that you're trying to set a bar for them to follow but no, the quality check is so bad it's almost nonexistent. With erotica novels and CP tapisode, I think you're going on a desperate path to make money and you don't care where they come from.

However, please note that Tapas and Tapastic are separate platforms. And as Tapas grows, its reach and audience may become more broad than that of Tapastic. That means the policies of one platform may not be the exact policies of the other...and that's ok.

No, it's not okay. Most webcomic creators' audience in Tapastic are general people with teens being the main target. By making the app 17+ you're already limiting or eliminating their audience from the get go. Is it okay for video rental to rent porn? Yes, if they put it separate from general video. Is it okay for porn rental to rent kid's animated shows? Yes, but who will buy them?

Learning Curves is already a perfect example. It's a tapisode that fits Tapas' rating and audience but once you promote them to Tapastic's audience, it becomes very out of place. How about stories which are aimed at kids like your very own admin @CindyFoster 's webcomic? Will the kids be able to convince their parents to buy something from 17+ app? Will parents even bother to search something for their kids in Tapas?

Tapas should've been a different app, webcomics in Tapas should've been everything aimed at 17+. You might say that the app enjoys growth but how certain are you to say that they're the same diverse audience as before and not a new audience who're only looking for mature content? This mentality shows that you no longer care about webcomic and the artists behind them. If you decide to abandon webcomic, or that it's no longer your main focus, please be honest about it. Don't use webcomics as a bait to attract people then ask them to spend money on things they don't care about.

It's okay if you chose that though, your company, do what you want. But please be TRANSPARENT and do what YOU SAID. Don't say you care about webcomic and the creators but then backstab and abandon them (eliminating support program, making the app 17+ while previously you were strict with NSFW contents and making NSFW creators unwelcome, even new pay feature is not for webcomic creators). Don't say/demand professional and high quality then produce poor, unprofessional quality yourself. Live up to your words and the standard you set. At this point, your actions don't match your words.

A few days after my post about you're not caring about creators, suddenly you're giving out survey about a plan that was already leaked few months ago. I don't know your intention but the timing is so horrible, I can't help but laugh bitterly. Well I guess it's good that you're finally starting to give attention back to webcomic creators again. I'm willing to give you one last chance and I can only hope you're staying true to your words now. Hopefully you will release that feature in near future, instead of giving them false hope and only release them infinite months later.

I apologize if I sound harsh or if it seems like I'm trying to smear Tapastic, I'm not. I love Tapastic, I love the creators, I frequent the forum and I know who's who (quite disappointed that some frequent forum posters don't say anything here and some who did immediately take a stance of blindly defending Tapastic and just hope for the best), I even taught my friends how to whitelist Tapastic from their adblocks. I feel absolutely betrayed by Tapas/Tapastic's action for the past few months, this was the last straw and I need explanation.

Just to be clear, I have no issue with 17+ rating and content, but I think Tapastic should have a different app so creators with general content have a place for their webcomics. I also think it's okay for Learning Curves to exist, or for Tapastic to feature them if they want (but please no email/Tapastic website feature, because email and Tapastic website are not 17+, put NSFW where they belong). I'm not against it or want it taken down since what's done is done, even though I'm concerned about the story having underage children sex (I don't know about Google store but I heard they're pretty strict with CP). I do want them to edit/rewrite them properly since it was just lazy and I hope the editor team will choose better quality stories next time.

I also agree that no one should be policing what's healthy and what's not, let readers decide. Better NSFW filter is good, even though I feel it'll be redundant in the app, but don't censor/ban artists for the things they create. I only have issues with the whole process because it was unprofessional from start to end. It reeks neglect, double standard, favoritism and hypocrisy, and showed how far Tapas/Tapastic have fallen when it comes to webcomics and quality, something I honestly don't wish to happen.

[PotooGryphon]

it would just require the series to be taken down from Tapastic and only available on the app, which for many creators is far from ideal. The option is available for anyone to apply for.

We also sent out a survey earlier today to all creators with something that can be applied to existing series - however, it won't be available for the desktop version of the site in the foreseeable future, which again, is disappointing.

This is very disappointing and seems counter productive and really like you guys are stretching yourselves too thin to the point you're breaking into two different companies [Tapas/Tapastic]. I honest fear this choice will be the death of both. The app should be a compliment and a companion to the site and not a different entity.

Creators are so excluded from the app, it feels like we're not reaching our full audience on just the site alone and readers with no app are only getting half the experience that app users are able to get. And asking creators to switch to solely posting to the app, a feature fully not made for the creator's comfort/uses, alienate the audience they've grown with on the site, for a key/coin system many are currently not comfortable with, it's no wonder many haven't signed up for that. This split in app vs. desktop is hurting creators more than helping us.

Can you guys see this? And why continue to put so much time and effort for a brand new/different company [Tapas] then grow and maintain your current one [Tapastic]? Are the stats on the app really that much higher than the site? If so, why not try to make the site more like the app? Where's the consistency?

How about stories which are aimed at kids like your very own admin @CindyFoster 's webcomic?

Just a forum mod, not employed by Tapastic or an admin but valid concerns for sure and questions that I do ask myself. I've already had a concern reader email me with concerns about how mature the app is and how Oops didn't feel like it fit with that sort of material. @_@

[Kayke]

This split in app vs. desktop is hurting creators more than helping us.

This x1000.

If the app is going to be so different from the site and host different content, that's fine. But I don't think there's going to be much of an overlap in demographics between the people downloading an app where they can read romance novels and the people who want to read most of the webcomics that are currently popular on the site. As others have stated, the site seems like it's audience is primarily teens and young adults.

Asking the creators who make YA content to focus on the app which is rated 17+ is asking them to halve their audience, which is why most creators will probably not make that leap. Which is also fine, I know it's not mandatory. It's just hard to see where things are going when the disconnect between the platforms is so large and most of the focus seems to be on the app.

[gateofselidor]

I don't disagree that there's a divide between the app and the desktop site that isn't really beneficial to us creators, and that some of the content they've chosen to feature is questionable, but the 17+ rating has not come about because of Learning Curves or that awkward smutty fiction someone found the other month. The Tapastic desktop site allows some NSFW content in its webcomics, and there are plenty of comics not suitable for kids that turn up in popular and trending. The only reason the Tapastic desktop site isn't 17+ is because there's nobody to stick an age rating on it like there is on the App Store and on Google Play.

[noxfox]

"Screen as much as we can" could mean anything. Do you, or do you not, read through the entirety of the content you feature, not just in the snack, but in the staff picks on tapastic?

@michaelson I know you used to do it, you used to spend a lot of time and energy reading comics. Sure, now there are more than one can follow, but if you can't do your job alone, maybe it's time to hire assistants. I honestly think it's not fair to let the community do your job in your stead while we're not even being paid for it. That's a bit too convenient...

Tapas should've been a different app, webcomics in Tapas should've been everything aimed at 17+. You might say that the app enjoys growth but how certain are you to say that they're the same diverse audience as before and not a new audience who're only looking for mature content? This mentality shows that you no longer care about webcomic and the artists behind them. If you decide to abandon webcomic, or that it's no longer your main focus, please be honest about it. Don't use webcomics as a bait to attract people then ask them to spend money on things they don't care about.

I agree with the entirety of @Roxanneh's post, and especially this part. As well as what @CyndiFoster and @Kaykedrawsthings said. I have a hard time keeping mad at people because I'm just always hoping for the best and wanting to be constructive, but I don't feel like Tapas/tic is being constructive as of late. I very honestly want to kick the whole staff in the butt – in a friendly, constructive way. What's going on? What the hell are you doing? Why do you do what you do? Why exactly can't you give more details? Are there so many enemies waiting an opportunity to steal your ideas, your technology, etc? I honestly have a hard time believing so.

Do you know about Discord App? When I see how those folks work, I can't help but think "they're doing it right." They rely on community suggestions, they work on features that are being asked for (and give more while they're at it), polish the bugs out, smooth the corners out – they go as far as to give consideration to people whining about small details, because that's how much they care. I'm actually hyped about their updates.

What makes me sad is that Tapastic used to have this cool feeling of "staff listens, staff cares," and now it feels like you only care in your words, not so much in your acts. I'm worried about each and every update, for due reasons. It gets worse and worse, you don't do what you say you will (how many times did you say you'd make it possible to unsubscribe from comment thread notifications and never did it?? how hard can this be to do???) If you're not going to do what you promise, don't promise it. Be honest, be frank, say "we can't," "we don't care," "we have no time for this," but don't take us for fools. You're just breaking the trust.
Tapas and Tapastic are so different it doesn't even make sense to keep them connected. I'd rather those two split completely, while just advertising for each other in some "we also do this btw" service promotion.

I'm probably a naive idiot for having thought "I'll publish my series on Tapastic only, it's so great here, I can root for them." But I guess I'm done feeling betrayed, and will soon start posting on LINE. If it works well there and if Tapastic doesn't get better for creators in ways we ask for I guess I might end up doing the complete switch.

[michaelson]

Thank you @michaelson for the feedback. I'm quite happy about the survey you sent, though it could have been a bit more elaborate on what exactly the feature would be, to whom it would be available or not, and include a question about how we'd feel about the function being accessible through the App only. I appreciate however that you let an open question in the end to give more personal insight. Mine was a concern about whether it would be ok to monetize episodes that don't have comic content in it (ie: concept sketches), or WIP pages. I'm somewhat curious to know how this would work, and if it would only be "pay for what you want to see," or could include a subscription system like "peek anything to this series for 3 months" or "peek any series for 1 month". Maybe that would deserve another market study survey to see what business model people would be interested in, as readers, and as creators.

In regards to WIP or concept sketches - we haven't come to a conclusion about it. While we discourage this practice in general, if it allows creators to earn a better income, then I'm all for it. There wouldn't be a "pay what you want" or "subscription" option at first, the initial version if built would be very simple. Creators would mark scheduled episodes to have the additional option of being able to unlock if paid for. Then when the scheduled date arrives, the episode would be available for everyone on both desktop and the app. There wouldn't really be an option for perpetual locking.

We'll be sending out more surveys and also following up with an analysis of the surveys to further open up dialogue.

Maybe it could be eased by having a less instantaneous curation, instead going for a weekly digest of which series fared best?

This could be a possibility - but would be in addition to the daily snack rather than a replacement.

I still would like to know if the NSFW filter or a guidelines update will ever be addressed.

We have a ticket for this but have not moved it to anything beyond the brainstorming phases. We do have your original mock ups to work off of.

I think I'll have to do a bit of soul searching then. If the app readership is much larger but different and I've seen a lot of stagnation on my project then either my content isn't right for the new mobile demographic or there's a problem with my content, along with other numerous reasons.

I was doing another study that was never completed around the idea of "series growth rate" i.e. the longer a series runs on Tapastic the higher probability that the reader growth will plateau unless introduced to different reader segments. My results were inconclusive. I might publish the random findings on the forums at a future date - something long form like my post about social media (http://forums.tapastic.com/t/building-a-social-media-presence-with-no-budget/8565)

If you want, we can take this conversation offline and look more into your readership and figure out why that's the case.

I strongly recommend that every creator post on every webcomic platform and find the ones that really work for them. I don't really see Line and Tapastic as direct competitors because the webcomic readership community is not a zero sum game. Both our companies are trying out different things in order to build out the readership size.

"Screen as much as we can" could mean anything. Do you, or do you not, read through the entirety of the content you feature, not just in the snack, but in the staff picks on tapastic?

Yes, we do. However, for the case of Learning Curves, we obviously did not realize the negative impact it would have. This has been a learning experience for us.

Will you fix it or will you leave it as unprofessional as it is now?

We'll revisit it at a later date.

A few days after my post about you're not caring about creators, suddenly you're giving out survey about a plan that was already leaked few months ago.

The survey was created before your post. But I understand. The timing wasn't great.

Can you guys see this? And why continue to put so much time and effort for a brand new/different company [Tapas] then grow and maintain your current one [Tapastic]? Are the stats on the app really that much higher than the site? If so, why not try to make the site more like the app? Where's the consistency?

We don't have enough bandwidth to develop out both concurrently. Once the tools have been put into place on the app, we can then start implementing similar functionality to the site - however, we still have some limitations regarding which services can actually allow us to duplicate these processes.

We can see this. We are working on better tools for creators on the mobile apps.

We have not actively pursued asking creators to switch to posting on the app specifically because of that reason - we are waiting until we can apply the new system to already existing series until we begin asking. Until then it's a voluntary system.

What makes me sad is that Tapastic used to have this cool feeling of "staff listens, staff cares," and now it feels like you only care in your words, not so much in your acts. I'm worried about each and every update, for due reasons. It gets worse and worse, you don't do what you say you will (how many times did you say you'd make it possible to unsubscribe from comment thread notifications and never did it?? how hard can this be to do???) If you're not going to do what you promise, don't promise it. Be honest, be frank, say "we can't," "we don't care," "we have no time for this," but don't take us for fools. You're just breaking the trust.

I want desperately to show that the staff cares, and I'm trying.

We have a long list of things we want to build comprised of things that creators and readers have asked for. It's not an easy task to build a website and app and maintain both concurrently. We are trying. We are working REALLY REALLY hard to make this possible.

[dododeemomo]

This thread brings up so many intriguing points that I made an account just to post this. I've been a lurker of Tapastic for at least a year now and watched it make the transition into Tapas. I do not not want this to be another long assessment of the numerous decisions that got executed and went terribly wrong. At the end of the day, Tapastic is, after all, a start-up and effed up as things can get, sustaining a start-up is tough (and "tough" probably doesn't even do it justice).

I'm feeling very sorry that @michaelson has to grind through these comments because that is his job. The team needs to be at peace with the fact that you really can't satisfy everyone's needs--not when things have gotten THIS complicated. It's like you're patching up one hole after another with new features or categories and it is never-ending. This is very painful to watch given that the collective rage has finally gotten public here on the main forums.

Tapastic and Tapas models are so different, one needs to ask why make things even more strenuous for such a small team? It may be at its point of no return with all the business partners involved, but please simplify everything down. Yes, it's a learning experience for everyone, but I'm sure you guys have a hunch of the obvious things that bother you, too.

[PotooGryphon]

I want desperately to show that the staff cares, and I'm trying.

[GoldenPlume]

but valid concerns for sure and questions that I do ask myself. I've already had a concern reader email me with concerns about how mature the app is and how Oops didn't feel like it fit with that sort of material. @_@

Having sat at a Tapastic table at SacAnime Gives Back we can tell you, there are young readers. AND MOMS. They walked up to the table and asked if the site was kid friendly.

We said yes.

Some 10-year-olds (guessing) came up and asked if there was "any comics about fairies".

We said yes.

This all however was before Leaning Curves.

Now we have to ask ourselves . . . since moms are giving their kids approval to download Tapas back in May . . . and then this happens in July via a snack . . . what are parents to think? Consider it another way. How many here would want their child to get another Learning Curves or a Fifty Shades in their snack? (This is not an attack. Just a diffrent way of looking at things.)

What has happened with Learning Curves, and what is currently happening, namely this thread, is likely to happen again. As long as Tapastic remains open to all stories of all kinds and does not make any changes to things as they currently are or their screening process, then another uncomfortable situation is going to slip through.

There has to be a better way. Can there be a Tapas Jr. app?

Also, we have to ask ourselves, what kind of demographic are we really going for? Because is it really possible that Oops Comic and Learning Curves can coexist on the same homepage of the same mobile app as it is currently coded?

Something has to change. Tapas can publish whatever they choose to. Creators can continue to create what they wish to. The issue for everyone is if Tapas is going to continue seek out, contract with, and promote a Fifty Shades of Learning Curves genre on a consistant manner. If so, that is their choice, but then they should tell everyone "here are our plans" so we, as creators, can make a fully informed decision. Because what Tapas/tic chooses to promote ends up reflecting on everyone. What about heavy violence? Massive swearing? BDSM? Is there a line? Where is the line? Because some creators of these series want to be promoted and ask to be. The MPAA has a rating system. Should we? Should Tapas draw the line at PG-13 at what it actively promotes? Or since its a 17+ app, should Tapas as an R rated movie promote R rated stuff?

These are serious questions and serious thought should be put into it. Some of us creators are putting 1000s of hours and $10,000s of dollars into building up our intellectual properties. Some of us choose to publish exclusively to Tapastic in good faith. When stories of questionable polish and questionable material are published and promoted, some of us question the decision process. Do we want Tapas/tic to gain the unfavorable reputation of publishing and promoting anything? If so, then it becomes just another vanity e-book dumper. Or do we want Tapastic to reject for the sake of quality (e.g. your keys are worth the money you paid)? Publishers reject a lot of stuff. Tapastic should be willing to do the same in order to create a culture of excellence, at least with the stuff they have their brand on.

If Tapas/tic is "Staff Picking", "Bannering", "Snacking", or "Spotlighting", those works need to be held to a higher standard. And then let us creators know what that standard is. Everyone will be more happy if they know where the line is not to mention where this ship is sailing.

[noxfox]

In regards to WIP or concept sketches - we haven't come to a conclusion about it. While we discourage this practice in general, if it allows creators to earn a better income, then I'm all for it. There wouldn't be a "pay what you want" or "subscription" option at first, the initial version if built would be very simple.

If it's something very simple, are you sure you need –we need it now? Yes, we're cringing over the key/coins system, yes, we want an alternative, but is it what's burning the house down currently? I don't believe so. And if you fuck up the next feature, that will just be drama again. I cannot stress enough that trust is in a deplorable state, as much as your image of professionalism. The situation is bad and you cannot afford a hasty move or half-assed feature.
I implore you: go back to basics.
Invest time and energy into building a feature that community has required a lot, like an improved NSFW filter (which would be a good answer to the current LC feature concerns). Or a way to improve multi-owning of series for co-authors, and showcase guest artists. Well, you know where the feedback section is:
https://tapastic.uservoice.com/forums/176534-general/filters/top

We don't have enough bandwidth to develop out both concurrently. Once the tools have been put into place on the app, we can then start implementing similar functionality to the site - however, we still have some limitations regarding which services can actually allow us to duplicate these processes.

We can see this. We are working on better tools for creators on the mobile apps.

We have not actively pursued asking creators to switch to posting on the app specifically because of that reason - we are waiting until we can apply the new system to already existing series until we begin asking. Until then it's a voluntary system.

If you don't have the bandwidth, why did you come there in the first place? Is the investment repaying enough? Being where you are now, would you say it was a wise choice? Do you feel like things are going the way you imagined?

We have a long list of things we want to build comprised of things that creators and readers have asked for. It's not an easy task to build a website and app and maintain both concurrently. We are trying. We are working REALLY REALLY hard to make this possible.

I quite want to give you a hug, like @CyndiFoster, because there's no denying that you're trying, but I would really like a planning in which you'd tell "that's where we are, this is when we hope to be done working on this, and start working on that, and meanwhile we'll be planning this and this feature with some more community audition and the help of some community core members."
It's not knowing where we're headed that is scary.

Something has to change. Tapas can publish whatever they choose to. Creators can continue to create what they wish to. The issue for everyone is if Tapas is going to continue seek out, contract with, and promote a Fifty Shades of Learning Curves genre on a consistant manner. If so, that is their choice, but then they should tell everyone "here are our plans" so we, as creators, can make a fully informed decision. Because what Tapas/tic chooses to promote ends up reflecting on everyone. What about heavy violence? Massive swearing? BDSM? Is there a line? Where is the line? Because some creators of these series want to be promoted and ask to be. The MPAA has a rating system. Should we? Should Tapas draw the line at PG-13 at what it actively promotes? Or since its a 17+ app, should Tapas as an R rated movie promote R rated stuff?

I second this. The issue is complex for everybody. I wouldn't want that whole genres be excluded of promotion just because they're deemed unsafe as a genre, with no regard of the actual content (that would be very unfair discrimination and people would grit), but I would really love to know that if I see a feature of a series of a genre I'm usually not comfortable with, it still means it must have a unique value to it. If it's violence, maybe there is something in the artistic approach that makes it into something deeper and fascinating; or maybe there is an educational value. And if it's romance, I clearly do not want it to be yet another unhealthy romance with glorified abuse.
Feature content should be safe no matter the topic – that doesn't mean sanitize, only mindful and thoughtful.

If Tapas/tic is "Staff Picking", "Bannering", "Snacking", or "Spotlighting", those works need to be held to a higher standard. And then let us creators know what that standard is. Everyone will be more happy if they know where the line is not to mention where this ship is sailing.

Higher standards please, yes. The standards I set for the series I've been looking for for the "safe and progressive" Collection I suggested are the sort of standards we should have for features (with a bit more flexibility in some places).

[keii4ii]

I would really like a planning in which you'd tell "that's where we are, this is when we hope to be done working on this, and start working on that, and meanwhile we'll be planning this and this feature with some more community audition and the help of some community core members."

I don't think that should ever be publicized, at least not in full. You can't expect total transparency... that's just not how businesses run.

That said, if you want to continue the transparency discussion, it might be better to do so in a different thread? This thread isn't about features; it's about content appropriateness with regards to the topic of teenage pregnancy and possible sexualizing of underaged characters.

[noxfox]

Ah yes, of course I don't expect total transparency, but something that would at least give us clearer expectations about what is or is not going to happen (preferably no "maybe", "someday", "in an unforeseeable future" and such vague terms).

But more back to topic, I finally found LINE's guidelines about what content is deemed inappropriate, and while I had to send a mail to get more detailed about how strict are the rules when it comes to certain points, I found them to be very interesting and positively engaged: http://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/operationalPolicies

Excerpt:

Contents which violate public order and social ethics mean the contents that
ㆍ Glorify or encourage suicide; describe methods of committing suicide or encourage mass suicide;
ㆍ Glorify, encourage or promote crimes;
ㆍ Discriminate or criticize a certain social class or religion;
ㆍ Glorify or encourage racism;
ㆍ Solicit, encourage, or promote murder;
ㆍ Include execution scenes or corpses, causing a strong aversion;
ㆍ Glorify, encourage or promote violent acts against women and children
ㆍ Promote a superstitious or unscientific lifestyle; or
ㆍ Glorify, encourage, suggest or promote terrorism.

Some points might be a bit unclear, but overall they do put some standards.

[Zikul]

And so, how does that work for series you've featured that have only one or two pages up?

[scythe]

Well, I broke one of those in my first two pages, and they've promoted me heavily almost since day one.

Also, don't criticise religion? Or promote a superstitious or unscientific lifestyle?

WAH? I was just reading a satire on the christian god there and that other rule reads to me like it means no stories about magic.

If you're going to have rules like that, you may as well not have any rules at all.

[Zikul]

From what I understand, Line's moderation system relies on their readers reporting rule breaking content - but this is probably something you're better off taking up with them.

It's getting a bit off topic...