Follow-up: The Backloggery's Terms of Use.
http://backloggery.com/terms.php
The Backloggery is a site similar to MyAnimeList, except it's for games. At least I think it's similar, that's why I'm interested in signing up.
It appears to have...a far simpler terms of use, complete with some snark and lampshading.
POINT THE FIRST
"Users of all ages are warned not to provide profile information without weighing the risks and benefits, and never to provide their phone number, address or other critical personal data on-line."
Somehow, so many Facebook users forget this point. Y'know, especially with those pictures of themselves drunk and acting like idiots at late-night parties--the sorts of pictures that their professors and bosses will most easily find.
POINT THE SECOND
"Users may not use The Backloggery to injure, threaten, stalk or harrass someone."
Well, looks like I can't diss Final Fantasy VII if I know that a member of my audience will hurt themselves because of it. But that's better than not being able to diss Naruto at all.
POINT THE THIRD
"Your username may not be an insult, either general or specific. I'm amazed someone tried."
It's not that hard. There's a guy named (yes, legally named) Pro-Life in Idaho. His old name was Marvin Richardson; he ran for the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by Jim Risch (R) in 2008. Yes, his one trick seems to be putting his name on the ballot to make a political point. (For the record, Wikipedia says he got 1.3% of the vote, in a very-non-close election.) Given that internet usernames are pretty much anything people want, and many people use their usernames to show their fandom of a certain character or series, using a username to make a negative point is not that far of a next step--and, as sad as it is, is a common practice.
POINT THE FOURTH
"Your user name and other details may not be calculated to impersonate someone or some organization, including The Backloggery."
This sort of statement appears on many terms of use documents. Which makes me wonder...do fictional characters count as "someones"? what about fictional organizations as "organizations"?
POINT THE FIFTH
"BY USING BACKLOGGERY.COM DIRECTLY OR THROUGH A MEDIUM LIKE A COMPUTER WITH A KEYBOARD AND MAYBE A MOUSE ATTACHED YOU AGREE TO TAKE THESE IMPORTANT AND CONSEQUENTIAL TERMS OF USE SERIOUSLY EVEN THOUGH, OR EVEN BECAUSE, WE HAVE ONLY ONE SENTENCE AT THE END IN CAPITAL LETTERS."
1. I see that they're addressing laptop users as well.
2. Thank you for only having one sentence.
3. You forgot that I can sue you if your content is not accurate, reliable or correct, or if your service does not fit or suffers interruptions or discontinuity in its use for my particular purpose of using it as a monitoring device on nuclear weapons stockpiles. And if my dog is nonplussed by the font of your website's home page and decides to protest this fact by contracting rabies, I will be collecting damages.
Oh, and if we decide to settle out of court for issues valued at US$10,000 or less, I CAN VISIT YOU!!!
The Backloggery is a site similar to MyAnimeList, except it's for games. At least I think it's similar, that's why I'm interested in signing up.
It appears to have...a far simpler terms of use, complete with some snark and lampshading.
POINT THE FIRST
"Users of all ages are warned not to provide profile information without weighing the risks and benefits, and never to provide their phone number, address or other critical personal data on-line."
Somehow, so many Facebook users forget this point. Y'know, especially with those pictures of themselves drunk and acting like idiots at late-night parties--the sorts of pictures that their professors and bosses will most easily find.
POINT THE SECOND
"Users may not use The Backloggery to injure, threaten, stalk or harrass someone."
Well, looks like I can't diss Final Fantasy VII if I know that a member of my audience will hurt themselves because of it. But that's better than not being able to diss Naruto at all.
POINT THE THIRD
"Your username may not be an insult, either general or specific. I'm amazed someone tried."
It's not that hard. There's a guy named (yes, legally named) Pro-Life in Idaho. His old name was Marvin Richardson; he ran for the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by Jim Risch (R) in 2008. Yes, his one trick seems to be putting his name on the ballot to make a political point. (For the record, Wikipedia says he got 1.3% of the vote, in a very-non-close election.) Given that internet usernames are pretty much anything people want, and many people use their usernames to show their fandom of a certain character or series, using a username to make a negative point is not that far of a next step--and, as sad as it is, is a common practice.
POINT THE FOURTH
"Your user name and other details may not be calculated to impersonate someone or some organization, including The Backloggery."
This sort of statement appears on many terms of use documents. Which makes me wonder...do fictional characters count as "someones"? what about fictional organizations as "organizations"?
POINT THE FIFTH
"BY USING BACKLOGGERY.COM DIRECTLY OR THROUGH A MEDIUM LIKE A COMPUTER WITH A KEYBOARD AND MAYBE A MOUSE ATTACHED YOU AGREE TO TAKE THESE IMPORTANT AND CONSEQUENTIAL TERMS OF USE SERIOUSLY EVEN THOUGH, OR EVEN BECAUSE, WE HAVE ONLY ONE SENTENCE AT THE END IN CAPITAL LETTERS."
1. I see that they're addressing laptop users as well.
2. Thank you for only having one sentence.
3. You forgot that I can sue you if your content is not accurate, reliable or correct, or if your service does not fit or suffers interruptions or discontinuity in its use for my particular purpose of using it as a monitoring device on nuclear weapons stockpiles. And if my dog is nonplussed by the font of your website's home page and decides to protest this fact by contracting rabies, I will be collecting damages.
Oh, and if we decide to settle out of court for issues valued at US$10,000 or less, I CAN VISIT YOU!!!