Posting Someone ELSE'S work

PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

Posting Someone ELSE'S work

A New Category?

I would love to see a gallery for all of the stuff that is posted as 'someone else's work' and just put it all in there, whatever it is. There, you can split it into categories (walls, boots, etc.).

If the work being posted is originally created by a non-member and is posted by a WC member, I think it needs to be separated from the original work of WC contributor's.

I realize this will 'piss off' some people...that's not my intent. I also realize that this would involve defining 'other people's original work' and 'altered and/or improved on' and/or 'adapted for a specific proggie' and/or of course ports. All should include permissions and that they are included should be posted in the description.

It just doesn't seem right that someone gets ratings, points, etc., for work that someone else did..whom is not even a member of the site. I think if it is going to be posted here, it should have it's own category to distinguish it from everything else...no ratings or points..and not be allowed to consume front page space that can and should go to original works of member's. (Not that I have specifically seen anything 'not-original' on the front page)

IMHO
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ZubaZ

Join Date 11/2001

+917

My interpretation of the end result was that WC is designed to showcase the art, not the artist

If that's the case, then why have ratings and top author lists etc etc?.

Two things (well, three):

that was "my" interpretation. I could be wrong.
Just because the sites goal was to showcase the art doesn't mean it can't report on the artist
I am learning to spell check. Thank you all for your continuing support.

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vStyler

Join Date 11/2004

+919

I could be wrong

Always nice to see a mod admit to that

I am learning to spell check. Thank you all for your continuing support.

WWW Link - Invaluable , but useless against typo's.

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

I really need some help in understanding what the sam-hill is going on anymore.

First...please let me know if I am supposed to let this drop, but the walls and the boot I asked about and was told (the boot at least) were being removed are still up. Did I miss a response to these, regarding the fact that they were rips (three of the walls have text enclosed stating the images are not that of the uploading authors...no permissions enclosed...the fourth has a watermark and the boot was determined to be a ripped image)

Second...a while ago, I had a wall sent to my personal gallery because it only merited four stars. I was okay with this when it was explained. But how do you explain these walls at 2, 4, and 4 respectively.
https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=31149&libid=8
https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=31143&libid=8
https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=31141&libid=8

a cartoon, fanart, and a photo

mine was...
https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=29419&libid=8

Now there are 2 more on that page at the same rating and more on the following pages.

I'm down with the jokes and all. I love a good laugh. But could I get an answer on this stuff so I can get back to laughing? Please?

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downloads, ratings and comments are just a marketing incentive stardock uses to get people obsessed with their products...

rofl im so cynical today

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vStyler

Join Date 11/2004

+919

im so cynical today

join the club, how can you not be?

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NightTrainthedark

Join Date 07/2003

+255

Here's another that needs attention.
WWW Link

Apples terms of service are quite clear here regardless of the author's excuse.
WWW Link

Po, the wall of yours you linked to wouldn't make a good wallpaper. It's a decent piece of work but the blinding spot, dead center will probably get rejected everytime.

I farted. Now you can laugh. it was loud

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

downloads, ratings and comments are just a marketing incentive stardock uses to get people obsessed with their products...

Not cynical. It makes sense.

You post your work, you want recognition, feedback, etc. The idea of a possible 'high' rating is appealing. In this sense, it's a hook.

To use it to distinguish different work is helpful to the downloaders and such and further incentive for posters with points and 'overall' ratings.

I could go on. I just don't get why so many people say they can 'do with-out' them, or mods saying they aren't that important. If this is the case, then make it an option for the artist to turn off the ratings on his work. Now, that would be interesting.

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Frogboy

Join Date 03/2001

+2420

I've always taken the view that that as long as you have permission (or if it's covered under fair use) then you can submit it.

It probably wont' get featured or glorified like an original work would but it still should be allowed.

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

Po, the wall of yours you linked to wouldn't make a good wallpaper. It's a decent piece of work but the blinding spot, dead center will probably get rejected everytime.

Okay. I was never given a 'reason' on it. Jafo had commented that this was something new they were doing..

'Current Wincustomize.com thinking sees this approach as 'softer' than outright rejection through moderation as the work still is uploaded for public access. This means that the more 'strange' works get an airing where before they would have been deemed too 'odd' aka unsuitable as walls.'

I guess after all this talk of quality over quantity and stuff, I don't get how posting a Family Guy 'wall', fan art and a skyline pic with a Canadian leaf photoshopped on it get through. I realize it wasn't my best work, but just from my gallery it got almost 200 downloads. I see these walls and have to wonder how much better it would have done in the main gallery, compared to what they will do in downloads.

I am editing back and forth trying to follow all this and I see Brad has jumped in. Maybe, for me, he can answer what I posted earlier.

Okay.
So, who does the site consider it's priority? Artists and posters? Downloaders and readers? -

I'm not trying to start anything, Brad. I just can't get this clear in my own head. It seems there has been a recent flood of stuff that you normally wouldn't see here, or wouldn't think would get through moderation. I wonder where it all is leading. Then I see my stuff get buried behind some of it or sent to my personal gallery. I know I am not a Master artist and a whole slew of people are better than I will ever be, but some of the stuff getting in...I just don't know anymore.

I'd be happy to hear what you have to say on all of this, and let it go at that, wether I finally get it or not. lol.

edit- The works mentioned above have no permissions, though I imagine the boot would fall under 'fair use'?

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Fairyy~

Join Date 02/2004

+49

Did I miss a response to these, regarding the fact that they were rips (three of the walls have text enclosed stating the images are not that of the uploading authors...no permissions enclosed...the fourth has a watermark and the boot was determined to be a ripped image)

2 of the walls were removed " Collage-2" and " Flowers"
There were 2 more walls by the same person " Collage" and " Rainy" - both Zips contain the same Text notepad that states:
The original photos of this wallpaper are not my work.
Deda D
Links to both walls:
WWW Link
WWW Link

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vStyler

Join Date 11/2004

+919

The original photos of this wallpaper are not my work.
Deda D

I believe some of their walls were actually made with images from a wallpaper site that advertises on Wincustomize. ..and isn't it ironic.. don't you think..la la la

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

Is that why they are still up?

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NightTrainthedark

Join Date 07/2003

+255

Hate to say it but the libraries are loaded with hacked up rips. From Windowblinds to Bootskins. Anyone with an eye for pixels can tell them apart. You don't have to go any further than the first page of the wallpaper library to pick out a few beautiful examples of cut and paste. I completely understand a wallpaper artist not getting that special feeling for getting a wallpaper approved at WC anymore. 4 years ago , things were different.

A recent windowblinds skin was partly made from screenshots and the other images were ripped from other skins. It was pretty popular too. Rippers suck but I gave up the fight awhile ago. As things grow, so does the bullshit. Ripping and image hacking has been happening for years now. It won't stop and will only get worse as more people come to the site.

With the growth comes alot of nice friendly artists and customizers as well so it's not all bad.

I feel it is first the moderators responsibilty to weed out as much as possible. I have been there and I know how cumbersome moderating uploads can be. It's work, for free. However, a little more caution and god forbid a little more stricter action is taken against repeat offenders. It really erks me to see people in the forums that were exiled for ripping and or simply being a asshat. I completely understand how years of sorting uploads can dull the spider senses.

Yup, I know. I can go start my own site but that wouldn't be any fun. I can't pull the strings of authority that way.

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unclerob

Join Date 08/2006

+40

maybe I'm not understanding something here, when you say points, you're referring to download #'s or are we accumulating some other form of "points" that I don't know about.

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Phoon

Join Date 10/2001

+382

It's a complete slap in the face to those of us that do legit work. Then it's a slap on the other side of the face when nothing gets done about it. Oh well, that's just the normal of life anymore.

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Quentin94

Join Date 08/2006

+119

I completely understand a wallpaper artist not getting that special feeling for getting a wallpaper approved at WC anymore. 4 years ago , things were different.

it's sure that is hard to have a wall approved here AND available in general wallpapers gallery but why rip other what kind of auto satisfaction you get with rip? nothing.
It's simply sh*

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I.R. Brainiac

Join Date 05/2003

+281

I hated it back in the day,7 out of 10 walls rejected.Now I long for that day...I tend to avoid the walls and logons section now...its a disgrace.Ripped and hacked graphix in the WB section is pretty noticable...especially when you can see obvious differences between the quality of images.

The bootskins section I dont mind as much...probably because I upload fun stuff there that I would never upload anywhere else.
But they are just 16 color images AND I spend considerable time in PS making the image from 'fair use' images.

I would pull them ina sec if Winc would start cleaning house.

I already moved a few to my personal pages because I had some that I did little to.

I earned my status here and now any noob with a photo editing program(not even needed now it seems)can run willy nilly thru the website.Winc is slowly lowering its standards to become another Deviantart...a place I avoid because of its chaotic nature.

I am exclusive to Winc now and I would like to think that means something.

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I.R. Brainiac

Join Date 05/2003

+281

Crazy thing is...its STILL the best.

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I think one of the problems that will only get bigger with this new policy of letting walls from somewhere else with permission, is that Moderators actually have a life.

They don't spend hours going to different sites, looking at skins and walls and whatever else. So lots of things get missed that many of us that spend too much time on the computer will catch.

And I'm pretty sure they don't have the time to open every zipped skin or wall to check the permissions either, like the ones mentioned in this thread.

I don't know how mods are picked, who can be a mod...how any of that works. But I think if possible volunteers that have more free time to spend should be considered if they make it known they would take on the responsibility and they have some time here and are trusted by the Admin.

As it stands now with the new wallpaper policy, I think it's going to get quite a bit worse.

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

Crazy thing is...its STILL the best.

It is.

But I'm having ThemeXP flashbacks.

It reminds me of when XP came out and ThemeXP was flooded with XP stuff. A lot of it was cut and paste of the new logo on a ripped background. And there was a lot of it. The fan art and plethora of super model walls and scans of girls from Maxim was overwhelming. Not to mention Bart Simpson and anything else you could cut and paste. There, it became about the money. If you didn't subscribe, your download was a zip that was also loaded with adware and spyware. If I remember right, you had to install the crap to get to the original download in the zip that you wanted. Something the site didn't mind inflicting on you to make a buck, as well as allowing the flood of crap that came with it in submissions. I think it still operates that way.

I see the walls in question are still up, as well as the Family Guy paste job and other stuff that I mentioned and has me asking why my wall went to my personal gallery.

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I.R. Brainiac

Join Date 05/2003

+281

I see the walls in question are still up, as well as the Family Guy paste job and other stuff that I mentioned and has me asking why my wall went to my personal gallery.

Moderator is a Family Guy fan?

A fan art section would actually be a good thing.seperate the original creations from the fan art...fan art is very popular and I dont have a real problem with it til it shoves original content off the page.

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Phoon

Join Date 10/2001

+382

I'm still giggling at a permission.txt file that says...

The original photos of this wallpaper are not my work

and leaves it at that.

Then... here it just get's hilarious...
It gets to STAY there!! Even after this comment from the Chief...

Reply #83
I've always taken the view that that as long as you have permission (or if it's covered under fair use) then you can submit it.

So, in order to ease my laughing fit.. Can someone at least define "Fair Use"?

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NightTrainthedark

Join Date 07/2003

+255

Can someone at least define "Fair Use"?

Only "the man" can.

Wikipedia says it best. WWW Link

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Phoon

Join Date 10/2001

+382

Here is a clip from the Wiki. Thanks Craig..
------------------------------------------------------------------
Because of the deliberate ambiguity of fair use, it is commonly misunderstood. Here are some of the more common misunderstandings with explanations of why they are wrong:
.....

Acknowledgment of the source makes a use fair.
Giving the name of the photographer or author may help, but it is not sufficient on its own. While plagiarism and copyright violation are related matters—both can, at times, involve failure to properly credit sources—they are not identical. Copyright law protects exact expression, not ideas: for example, a distant paraphrase that lays out the same argument as a copyrighted essay is in little danger of being deemed a copyright violation, but it could still be plagiarism. On the other hand, one can plagiarize even a work that is not protected by copyright, such as trying to pass off a line from Shakespeare as your own. Plagiarism—using someone's words, ideas images, etc. without acknowledgment—is a matter of professional ethics. Copyright is a matter of law. Citing sources generally prevents accusations of plagiarism, but is not a sufficient defense against copyright violations (otherwise, anyone could legally reprint an entire copyrighted book just by citing who wrote it).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Based on this and what I have seen, this entire issue revolves around the ethics of the people that falsely proclaim "fair use" and those that are allowing it to happen.

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

I have to go back to my original statement. I believe it covers a lot of what is being discussed here. I think this kind of stuff needs it's own gallery. I believe it would benefit everyone. I have asked ...

So, who does the site consider it's priority? Artists and posters? Downloaders and readers? -

and I haven't seen any of the 'downloaders and readers' responding that they would be upset if the non-skinner work was seperated and put in it's own gallery. I haven't seen any balk at it at all. I have seen artists and uploaders who think it may not be a bad idea.

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