Does anyone read the rules ?

  That sure is Unfortunate. I haven't been a member that long,(2005) but I do know you always should give credit and ethics are ethics no matter what you are doing. MOTHER IS ALWAY WATCHING!!!!!!!!!! You know you just expect people to be honest. Thats where is all lies..... I am standing beside you with this one Fairyy~

Dealt

I totally understand Karen.

People think because they download something they can "share" it and it's ok...no permission....because they "like" it. And it happens all the time and nobody questions it.

They download cracked versions of Stardock software, and come here when it doesn't work, and people "KINDLY" tell them it's not a legal program also.

The worst part is that none of these people give a shit. They just take stuff and do what the hell they want...nothing matters at all to them. I just don't get it at all.

Plus, the massive amount of bitching about paying for skins and dreams.

Is it any wonder the "Old Guard" is leaving???

well to be honest i've downloaded wallpapers though i did not burn them to cd i did use it in my UT2004 map WWW Link if you play UT2004 you can check it out..

  me too, Sir B.

Right on, RoseNell

  
I see it now and then, and when I do, I try and first send a pm to the author, and let them decide whether to pursue it or not. What I really want to do is find the physical address of da rippa and go to rippin' myself.

Hopefully, this will teach him (and others) a lesson in politely and respectfully giving credit where credit is due.

hello Fairyy~i must say this is quite frustrating and I love to see someone who still fights the "good fight"....(and off the subject, in your files link, I was flattered to see my "splitsecond" wall! )

  I don't think they give a damn about the rules Karen!

They know the rules are in place for copyrights to the authors.

But, has anyone asked this person, "Do they give a damn?" Or better yet how’s this for attitude, "let's see what else I can get for free, hell I ain't payin' for nothin'!"

I'm no sociologist but I've seen this attitude more and more in life since the turn of 2003 and it's scary, almost a trend not giving a damn about anything!

I looked at your shot in question Karen and what went down is just pathetic!

But it also exemplifies this trend or attitude or what ever you want to call this destructive bent on going straight to hell behavior! It has no color and no age, it's just messed up!

It's a pity that something like this could happen to someone so giving, that's what irks me the most!

My 2 cents worth means nothing, but I’m behind you 100%.

Cp

did ya get the old bootskin too?

Should be drawn and quartered then hung by the short hairs for good measure. I'm with you too Fairyy...hang in there.

Just sad

I feel your frustration.

WOW, after seeing that logon I was so impressed that I requested the wall. Received an e-mail from the link here yesterday that the wall was available. I responded, thanking the user for so kindly e-mailing but that it would be a day or 2 bf I was able to download it. Received an almost instant reply thanking me for my kind comments.

I did not get back to that page so did not see any responses after mine. i always read the forums when I first log in. It truly saddens me to see this.

You do not wear ethics like a coat that you remove when you feel like it.

Thank you Fairyy~ for keeping up the fight

It's My Secret

Well once links are removed its hard for others to comment on what they didn't get to see.
But, maybe I can just highlight the point I was trying to make besides the fact that the Rips needed to be removed. This was just once instance as of late. I've tried to close my eyes to all the rips because its just too frustrating for me to constantly try to want to care when I feel that its best I just shut up and let it go. But..its not that easy for me to just close my eyes when i know how much effort so many of you put into your work.
The following were the comments on the removed Logon Vista:
*******************************************************
Comment #1 Other member : I do not use Vista nor logons but that image is stunning. Would love to see that uploaded as a wall.. This is a 10 plus

Comment #2 Member that uploaded rips: Thanks for the great comment . You flatter me . I did upload the Wallpaper just for you .

Comment #3 Me: How sweet...you uploaded the wall JUST for her....too bad Ive had this wallpaper for 2 years and its so pathetically easily recognised and you didnt even change the Title of the wall ...for shame...

Heres a little screen shot of MY files.

Comment #4 Member that uploaded rips: no problem , why didn't you share it ? I'm not trying to hide anything . Just shareing what I have found . I have 3 DVD's full of Wallpapers .

Comment #5 Me: Try reading the RULES..you've been a member since 2002 ... Its called ripping when you upload work that you did not make. You gave no credit to the original author or even state that you were not..this is pure bull. So what your saying is all the other logons in your gallery are also RIPS ?
*********************************************************
On the removed wallpaper the uploader states " I did not get the wall from webshots, my friend sent it to me "

What I find disturbing is that yes, there are times that people do not think or just make a mistake etc. But...I'm tired of being " nice" all the time to people that either do not read the rules or feign innocence when caught. Maybe once you might make a mistake...even twice ..but over and over again you upload stuff and right after you upload you see this message:
Upon submission I am agreeing that I have read and accept the terms and conditions outlined in the the Rules and Guidelines set forth by WinCustomize.

Note: Please give credit where credit is due if you have based your skin off the work of others. Skins submitted to the Stardock File Library may also be made available in archives, collections, compilations, libraries, or the like without prior additional notification (all author credits will be maintained).
So please do not ask me to feel sorry for anyone that didn't know the rules..especially a member listed as being one since 2002.
Also...
I find comment number 1 disturbing.
If this person does not use logons or vista ...why on earth did they comment
that " This is a 10 plus " Why would anyone here be rating anything they did not even download and check to see if it worked ? Have any of you seen me in the Logon section ?
That would be a " No " because I do not rate or comment on skins I do not download and check to see if they actually function.

Everyday I notice more and more people disappearing - its sad to say the least.



Skinnit...I look at a lot of stuff here, I may not always have the time to comment ( I do have chores to tend to at home ) But I always look and I save stuff
That is why I recognise so many wall RIPS. Before I came to WC long ago ( Because dragged me here by a good friend against my will) I belonged to several Email PSP clubs and wall and graphics clubs. My average emails were 200 to 300 a day. The walls I received were not from WC. I have a good memory but I also do not have time to track down every wall to find the original.

Perhaps maybe its time for me to just stop caring.

***But..maybe it might be a good idea to revamp that upload process so the first screen you see after you click that upload to site button is : If this is not your original work , have you included permission from the original author to use his work or have you linked to the original work if its considered fair use "

And please stop feigning the " I just wanted to share " because thats just not cutting it.

PS: There is still a bootskin with same Ripped wall that has not been removed.Its by a difference Member.
" Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
WWW Link

Thankyou for removing the logons and walls Jafo.

I agree with you Fairyy~, it's getting old, real fast, and it's getting to be more frequent as well.
It also chaps my ass when I see Vista blinds that are in all likelyhood, rips of someone elses work, and/or captured images from Vista.

Are rips a problem?  Yes.

Should we go around accusing people publicly of ripping work?  No.

If you spot a rip, the appropriate course of action is to PM or email with an admin such as Jafo who can then go directly to the member in question and figure out what happened.  The reason for this is because sometimes, just sometimes, it's not a rip.  I was speaking with moderators this morning on the matter and a few of them remember instances some years back where an artist used a different nick on a different site and because of this was accused of ripping his own work.  He responded by pulling all of his work from the site and moved on.

Just a few months ago there was a concern over some photo walls, where the user actually had permission (but was new to the site and didn't know the appropriate way to include it) from the original author to repost here.  They got slammed publicly by other members.  The result?  They left the site and likely won't be coming back.

9 times out of 10, rips aren't maliciously intended, they're there because the user was in some way ignorant of how we work here, having used unmoderated sites like DA.  Or in some cases the work is theirs and an overly eager user has jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Admins and moderators on WinCustomize are selected in part because they have proven more delicate and diplomatic in the past and are more likely to get to the root of an issue and get things cleared up without anyone getting bent out of shape. 

And give admins time to respond.  We're scattered around the globe, and work on very different schedules so we may not be able to get to a rip report immediately.  This weekend is a prime example, for any of our American mods and admins, this was a three-day holiday weekend that typically involves people traveling or just staying away from their PCs in general.  Everyone on the admin/mod team here does their best to respond to issues as quickly as possible, but we all need breaks from time to time. 

Wait for the moderators or admins to take care of it, it's part of our job.  You all help by being additional sets of eyes to spot the problems we can't, so continue to keep an eye out, and let us know via PM or e-mail when an issue comes up.  We will deal with it as quickly as we can.

I might also add that some MODS camp on the stardock irc, which can be easily accessed to by using SDC.  Might be faster at times to get 1 of us.

Some things however, by their very nature warrant heavier scrutinization by moderators though before they are approved.   

The reason some of us are getting so chapped is that this scrutinization seems to be waning as of late and more and more rips are getting past moderation when they shouldn't be.

I'm not saying that you can catch every single one, but I know from what I have seen here in the past that better moderation is in order now.

No..we should not publicly accuse... and I did not put it here in forum until they admitted they were 'sharing' work a friend sent.

Did you think I did not check my facts first ? I had that wall and it showed where it originated from...the site lists the original authors unless its there own stock wall/photo. I presented the facts ...they confirmed it was sent by a ' friend' they did not deny it was not their work.

For ever wall that I report in private to Jafo I let 10 more go. I would not have posted this if I didnt feel it necessary. Maybe the rules need to be printed in plain language that everyone will understand...

Or whats the point of rules ?

Most of the time when I see something that is a rip I leave a comment and state the guidlines hoping the person will relise their error and remove it themself...it never happens...

Has anyone removed the bootskin of the same wall ?
WWW Link

You want the members to be involved - yet I always end up the ' bad ' guy...

Perhaps you could print the 'directions' I have never used IRC...maybe just once but no one answered me when I typed a question years ago..but then again..I may not of been in WC IRC.

I'd love to know how you would do it so it was better.  Please help me find the search engine that allows me to upload an image and find similar ones.  Please give me the words to tell my wife why I am researching wallpapers instead of playing with the kids.

-sigh-

I don't mean to be bitter . . but the volunteers here bust their asses so that the mass of people get good quality work and that the artists are protected.  When a problem occurs, mods make every effort to define the problem and resolve it quickly.  When stuff falls through the cracks we depend on the community to responsibly bring it to our attention. 

It's not a perfect system but it's a good one that needs community support.

Or just becoming less and less involved in the community out of frustration.



sigh. I feel like a human yo-yo struggling with the same issue.



So many 'suggestions' and idea's have been brought forth by members regarding 'recoding' for this and that. So many times, they go 'unanswered' leaving the person(s) feeling 'ignored' or just 'ignorant' for taking the time to say 'can we fix this'. Some kind of periodical update on these suggestions made and what can be done, can't be done, and is in the works would be nice...specifically regarding these 'trouble' area's or area's of 'high concern' to the community members. Especially when you have a thread where many members are in agreement over the need for some kind of change, including the lomg-standing ones that you don't want to see go or become less involved.



I agree. I also agree these kinds of threads have to be getting old as well, as well as being someone who keeps posting them. You start to feel like you are banging your head against a door that just leads to a brick wall.





I agree about how it should be reported. But then, it gets pretty frustrating when you do follow this and your PM site for days on end unopened or you get no response in the IRC, which occasionally happens. So, I understand the frustration that leads to publicly outing the RIPS in the forum, though it may not be appropriate.




I think a lot of people are aware that not every RIP can be caught. I also think, from looking around the site, a lot of people feel that the number of RIPS has climbed since the new, more 'relaxed' effort at allowing more work in has started. Even though not everyone may agree with this effort, I believe even though that do would like to see more of an effort or something done to help weed out the more 'unwanted' elements that come with this. You don't have to look hard to see that there are a lot of RIPS coming through. I have seen stuff I knew was a RIP and it took me a great deal of time to track down the original. It almost seems, at times, some of these people go out of their way to find original work from months and months, if not a year or two to RIP just to try to avoid having it caught as a RIP.

Just another rant, from Po' Smedley.

I understand that you can't change everything, re-write every code, the Mods are only human and so many...so I won't waste any time saying 'Can we try this?', I feel lately, I have wasted enough time doing that. I'm sure for some, that comes as a relief to hear. Less crap from Po' Smedley. But I will always be willing to be heard should 'someone' actually 'want' to hear.

The sad thing is, their are people hear that should be heard and/or paid attention to and some of them are going to run out of steam, give up, not care, or just leave. My only question, anymore, would be to ask...

What's going to be done about that?

No, you aren't the "bad" guy Karen. WAY too much of this happens for a "moderated" site.

It's always seemed to me that the mods never go to any other sites...they don't know what is out there and don't know what is a rip.

I know they don't get paid for this stuff, but they should be people that spend a fair amount of time on other sites looking at walls, skins, etc. Some do, others I don't think so at all.

If a site is going to have "moderation" they should use people that spend a lot of time on the internet looking at other skinning sites, or this is going to happen far too often and you might as well just live with it.

And thats what I have always tried to do...the site needs the members to be involved.
But some are too busy actually making skins to hang out in the forum or go shagging after rips.

All Im asking is for once..just don't make me look like im the bad guy here for publicly talking about this. Rippers are coddled lately and some are just taking advantage of the relaxed rules. The rules before were too strict but now I think its just way too many are feigning ignorance of the rules...

I have never been wrong about a RIP...but I do my homework and Im very careful of accusing anyone of ripping - I know very well people have different user ids at different sites.

But how hard would it be to state the rules on the first upload screen rather than after the upload is complete ? In a big BOLD text...sometimes its just a matter of getting their attention...

And the point of this whole post is I'm hoping that the next person that thinks they found a hidden wall on a remote site that no one will ever find out that its not their work...maybe this post will make them realise that some of us are not " New in Town "
and yes, someone will notice.