Advertising Policy Revised

[Hapori Tohu]

BZPower has long had a very rigid and stringent advertising policy limiting what our members could link to on the site. There are several reasons for this, but primarily we want BZPower to be a family-friendly place, and lets be honest, a lot of stuff on the Internet isn't very family-friendly. But still, times change, and BZPower must be dragged kicking and screaming into the future. That's why today we're announcing a major overhaul to our advertising policy and some new functionality on the site to help us keep our family-friendly focus.View the full article

[Tanu Toa of Earth]

YYYYYES! AT LAST!

*Ahem*...It's nice to see these kinds of major changes finally happening. Thanks a ton, guys.

[Bfahome]

As Norik once said, "You have no idea what you've just done!"

 

(also yay)

[Ektris]

Oh, there's the Talkback.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2t4MBhGAg8Yeah, this has been a long time coming, and I'm so glad to see work being done on it. I still think some things need to be clarified definitively (such as linking to other fan forums of appropriate content, although they have no rules about swearing, for instance), but this might just be the best part of this anniversary week.~|ET|~

[Sumiki]

There is neither font size big enough nor color bold enough to adequately express my feelings for this, the longest of overdue updates.

 

VIVA LA BZP

[bonesiii]

I can't tell you the number of times I've wanted to link to Bionicle content on YouTube and there's that... policy. Honestly, it never even worked in that case. People just said "a certain video site" and every single member knew what you meant. Yayz!

 

Not that this is a perfect solution by any means, of course. But we'll make do.

 

This also means I can link to some of the video-related sources of Bionicle story for my history retelling comments, since I'm citing all other sources and if available online giving links (BS01 mainly). Double yay! Without that, I would have been leaving newer fans largely in the dark as to where to go to get those things. Major plus. *puts on mental to-do list...*

[Mesonak]

Truly an amazing change. You guys are really going above and beyond for this anniversary celebration.

 

I applaud you.

 

-Mesonak

[InnerRayg]

Ooh Ooh! Do the word filter next!

[vataki]

i'm incredibly pleased with this change.

 

thanks BZP staff!

[25K Now!]

This will be fun.

 

Finally I can link suitable BGMs.

[Wrinkledlion X]

We've entered the modern age at last!

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Youtube. Facebook.

 

I've been waiting for the time where I could type these words on a BZP post. A new age for BZP has begun.

[Danska: Shadow Master]

Well, better late than never I suppose.

[Gatanui]

I never thought I'd live to see this day. Okay, that's maybe exaggerated, but this was long overdue. So happy to finally see this happening! Thank you, Black Six and Than!Also, YouTube. -Gata

[PDPsi HAN]

I'm happy with this change. It'll allow users to share a lot more stuff instead of having to go to a semi obscure website to host their content.

[Artezza Magnus]

Its all I've ever wanted <3 now I don't have to think for 3 minutes before deciding whether a link or mention will get me modded or not.

[CHTrilogy]

Well that's good to hear! I've always been anxious on this sort of thing.

[Katuko]

I can't tell you the number of times I've wanted to link to Bionicle content on YouTube and there's that... policy. Honestly, it never even worked in that case. People just said "a certain video site" and every single member knew what you meant. Yayz!

This sums up my feelings as well. Finally this age-old policy gets reworked into what it needs to be, with the simple solution of a "you're now leaving BZPower" message which should have been enough in the first place.So, I guess this means I can now link to my Wordpress blog, so long as the site content stays in line with BZPower's rules? What is the new stance on linking to YouTube vids when it comes to comments? Let's say I want to link to an old LEGO advertisement or something (which would obviously be allowed) but the comment section of that particular vid happens to be filled with profanity. Is that of my concern because the entire page and not just the vid must be free, or does it fall under the "you're leaving BZPower" part and I'm only directly responsible for the content of the vid I link to? Edited July 26, 2013 by Katuko

[Hexann]

YES! Now I don't have to use that Lord Voldetube joke anymore. XD

 

So, yeah, since this day's here may as well say it:

 

YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE.

 

Gosh, this is fun.

[Black Six]

Ooh Ooh! Do the word filter next!

You can expect that to be done in about the same amount of time as this.

So, I guess this means I can now link to my Wordpress blog, so long as the site content stays in line with BZPower's rules? What is the new stance on linking to YouTube vids when it comes to comments? Let's say I want to link to an old LEGO advertisement or something (which would obviously be allowed) but the comment section of that particular vid happens to be filled with profanity. Is that of my concern because the entire page and not just the vid must be free, or does it fall under the "you're leaving BZPower" part and I'm only directly responsible for the content of the vid I link to?

Yes, you can link to your Wordpress blog as long as it meets those qualifications.The content of the video has to be 100% okay for BZPower. We will be more lenient regarding the comments, but there shouldn't be nonstop strings of swears and slurs.

[Kopekemaster]

YoutubeyoutubeYoutubeyoutubeYoutubeyoutubeYoutubeyoutubeYoutubeyoutubeYoutubeyoutubeYoutubeI just HAD to get it all out.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Hahli Husky
Yo kiddo I know you're excited but don't stretch the screen, mmmkay? -HH

[Chro]

I hate to be all negative again, but the "now leaving BZP" thing is quite annoying. I understand why we need it there, of course... but is there some way to, perhaps, disable that warning in our profile settings?

[Kopekemaster]

AAAAH JUST BE HAPPY WITH THE CHANGE CHRO!

 

A disable option in our profile would be cool, though.

[Chro]

Believe me, I'm pretty happy with this. I suppose I'm a bit more frustrated than I should be because it took me four attempts to type that comment due to iPod power failures. XD

[Black Six]

For the time being, the popup will remain mandatory.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

And there was much rejoicing.

[Spiderus Prime]

It's about time,and I'm got some LEGO Video Reviews.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Autobot Grimlock

[Legolover-361]

I'm glad to see this policy change. I probably won't make too much use of it, but it's great that members now have the opportunity to link to any BZP-appropriate site.

[fishers64]

I probably won't use this much, but I'm glad the option is there if I need to embed from that video site.

[Disciple]

Good to see the staff is still working to improve the site, even after BIONICLE is over.

 

Change is good.

[Aanchir]

This is excellent news. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to link to an image or quote a comment from deviantART, Eurobricks, or other sites and have struggled to give appropriate credit. Sometimes I've had to resort to referring to "a member going by _____ on a site I can't mention" and hope Google will serve anyone seeking further information; other times I've scoured sites like Flickr hoping to find an alternate account that person has that IS linkable from BZPower. YouTube videos were another challenge: the only way to share a YouTube video with BZPower was to report it to BZPower news and hope it was considered newsworthy. Blogs or online news articles with commenting systems presented a real challenge. And if I built anything for a contest on another site, I'd have to describe the contest terms here rather than being able to link to the contest topic itself. All in all, these kinds of things were a lot more trouble than they should have been.In this day and age, BZPower has nothing to gain from being insular. By strengthening our ties with the wider online LEGO fan community, we can help maintain this community's relevance. And we stand to lose more members to other sites by maintaining a reputation as insular and out-of-touch with the wider LEGO community than by letting people know other communities exist for LEGO discussion, which they're bound to find out in time anyway.

[Bambi]

Bet this will bring some members back.

[Makaru]

Ooh Ooh! Do the word filter next!

Basically, everything bad will be filtered to "an cool dude".

[krikanalo]

the future is finally upon us

 

thank you, bzp staff

[Lyichir]

So... I have a question about content appropriate for links.My Facebook isn't political. USUALLY. But occasionally I share a politics-related news story on there, or voice my opinion on a political issue.

 

So is it okay for me to post a link to my Facebook page if I'm not linking directly to one of those posts? Is it okay to link to a particular post that doesn't bring up politics, if other posts of mine elsewhere on the site might do so? How many degrees of separation do there need to be between a page I link to and pages that might be inappropriate on BZPower?The way I see it, my Facebook is fairly non-offensive, and I try to maintain the same level of decorum on there as I would on any other site (including BZPower). The religion/politics restriction on BZP exists so that flame wars don't start, and whenever I approach a political or otherwise controversial subject on Facebook I try to do so with a level head and with empathy for those who feel differently.

 

But I grew up immersed in a media landscape, including politics, religion, and all that jazz. I'm an avid follower of the news, and when I find a story I like, or that interests me, I like to share it along with my thoughts about the content and style of said story. If one of my friends posts about a subject I have a different opinion on, I like to engage them in debate so that I can better understand their position, as well as share my reasoning for my own. And I'm certainly not prepared to change my posting habits on Facebook just so I can link there from BZP.So, where do we draw the line? Has my discussion of subjects we would not be allowed to broach on BZP voided my opportunity to share my social media profiles with people here?

[Linsanity]

Lmao, BZP is desperate because they know discussion is slowly dying down and people are becoming more and more inactive. First it was the new member policy and now this.Don't get me wrong though, I think this is a great change.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Vino

[Mr. House]

Hurrah! The Winds of Change come to BZP!

 

[All Or None]

So, forgive me for wanting specific confirmation on this, but does this mean the Dragon Cave is fair game now? I can start showing my dragons in my signature again?

 

EDIT: Quick question: can someone tell me what the things that can appear next to posts mean or link me to explanations on them? Specifically in this case: Why do I have three gears and a crossed Firestaff and Drill of Onua next to my post?

Edited July 26, 2013 by All Or None

[Observance]

Huzzah!

[-Windrider-]

So, forgive me for wanting specific confirmation on this, but does this mean the Dragon Cave is fair game now? I can start showing my dragons in my signature again?

 

EDIT: Quick question: can someone tell me what the things that can appear next to posts mean or link me to explanations on them? Specifically in this case: Why do I have three gears and a crossed Firestaff and Drill of Onua next to my post?

 

The links were removed due to the site's having forums and not due to inappropriate content. I browsed the site a bit and can say with confidence that you can restore the links in your sig now.

 

As for your second question, those are your rank images. They correspond to your rank (currently "Turaga"), which changes as you increase your post count. Normally, only Premier Members have their rank images displayed, but everyone gets Premier perks for BZP's anniversary week.