anonsally:

aivley:

[snipped]

1. There is a way to block all sponsored posts by blocking the $ symbol on them. But I don’t remember how to do that and it certainly won’t work forever.

Using Tumblr Savior, I think you can blacklist sponsored_badge_icon ?

2. I don’t understand their algorithm for handing out these ads. I’ve had neither of the horror movies (so far…) but I did have vh1’s Lets-Objectify-Women ad.

My best guess is, there is no algorithm at all. They just have a few ads and they show up at random, with no relation at all to what is on your blog or dash.

3. Mostly I’m frustrated because tumblr could have come up with really cool ways to do advertising* but instead they chose the absolute most boring and, incidentally, the one that is the least consumer friendly.

Exactly.

4. I understand if you choose to leave but I will miss you.

That was addressed to lies, and I want to echo the sentiment.

*For instance:

 – have us choose one “ad-blog” to follow per 100 regular blogs. (this would be a pretty great way to do it i think.)

 – have us select a classification rating (eg G, PG, M) and/or the ability to block certain topics (like tags!) like: suicide, nudity… etc??

 – have us select, from a list, several topics of ads.

I like these ideas for other ways they could handle advertising that would be more friendly. So, signal boosting.

Thank all of you who’ve been willing to think and post about possible solutions for this.

Just to clarify, I think I’ve almost always seen the horror movie sponsored posts on the Tumblr iPad app, rather than when browsing Tumblr on my computer. I believe sponsored posts were introduced first on the app, before they ever appeared on the website, and it appears that sponsored posts are still more intrusively implemented (with more ads/worse ads) on the app. I think that was true even before I started using Tumblr Savior in an effort to block the sponsored posts when viewing the website (which I’ve now done).

I don’t know if the ads being worse on the app is intentional, or if it’s just a side-effect of the development pipeline for the app working differently than the one for the website. Having worked on development teams that were delivering both app-based and web-based interfaces, it wouldn’t surprise me if updating the app takes substantially longer than updating the website, which could mean that even if Tumblr chose to respond to the complaints there might be delays before any changes filtered down to the app (or they might choose to just leave the app with the old behavior, even if they backed off from running the horror movie sponsored posts on the website).

Besides technical issues, there could be business issues involved as well. For example, it might be that Tumblr entered into a sales agreement that commits them to running a certain amount of horror movie advertising. Even if a negative response from their users made them decide that they didn’t want to continue running the ads, there might be a big difference for them between letting the current agreement expire without renewing it, versus canceling it in mid-stream. I could see that being a factor in the noncommittal responses they’ve been making to the complaints.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/56031013920.

From: John Callender <callender.john@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Tumblr Support] Re: I’m being surprised by content I find offensive (ticket #1723482)

Date: July 20, 2013 4:29:20 PM PDT

To: Tumblr Support <support@tumblr.com>

Thank you for the reply, Beth, but that’s not a sufficient answer. I’ve heard the same response several times now: a polite promise to share my views with the team. And that’s it. Nothing substantive. No attempt to justify Tumblr’s policy, but no mention of changing it, either. These responses from Tumblr Trust & Safety are like cotton candy: They look substantial, even have a certain sweetness. But when you bite in there’s nothing there.

From what I’ve read of Tumblr, I assume this was David Karp’s decision. He decided that disturbingly graphic, violent horror movie ads are fine, that people like me are just being too sensitive, and that Tumblr will continue injecting them into our dashboards. You could just admit that. Or you could deny it. Or you could explain how the situation is actually more complicated than that. But saying you’ll share my views doesn’t really help at this point. Unless the previous responses were lying, my views were already shared. But the horror gifs keep coming.

This is a bug report, Beth. Something is broken on your website. It is forcing me to follow a creepy guy who keeps posting untagged horror in my dash. I’d like to unfollow him, but your software won’t let me. You can resolve this ticket as “won’t fix”, but if so you should tell me that, rather than giving me vague assurances that don’t actually mean anything.

I think it’s morally incumbent on Tumblr to support users like me in our desire not to see disturbingly graphic images of horror. It’s a basic norm of human behavior that you not force us to look at images like that against our will. To deny us the tools to avoid seeing them is inconsistent with the principle David expressed in his post.

Tumblr is willing to support me if I don’t want to see porn. So why is it forcing me to view violent horror? That’s what I’m asking, Beth. What’s the difference in those two cases? Why is one something you will help me avoid, while the other is something you actually go out of your way to force me to see?

When you’re sharing my views with the team, please ask them that. Or just tell me what you think, Beth. Because that’s what I really want to know.

You’re a human being. I’m a human being. Your website is all about creating new and innovative ways for human beings to communicate with each other. We should communicate about this.

John

On Jul 20, 2013, at 2:13 PM, Tumblr Support wrote:

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Your request (Ticket 1723482) has been updated.

You can respond by replying to this email.

Beth (Tumblr Support)

Jul 20 05:13 pm (EDT)

Hi John,

Thanks for your feedback on this issue! We’re always looking for ways to improve Tumblr, so we’ll share this with the rest of our team. Let us know if you think of anything else.

Thanks,

Beth

—

Tumblr Trust & Safety

abuse@tumblr.com

[my original message follows]

John Callender

Jul 20 03:35 am (EDT)

In this “staff” post today:

http://staff.tumblr.com/post/55906556378/all-weve-heard-from-a-bunch-of-you-who-are

…Tumblr CEO David Karp wrote:

> Making sure people aren’t surprised by content they find offensive is also incredibly important and we are always working to put more control in your hands.

Although the post was specifically about sexually explicit content, it jumped out at me because of my recent concerns about violent horror movie advertising on Tumblr. I’ve previously written to support about this; see Tickets 1721975 and 1643254 for details.

I agree that making sure your users aren’t surprised by content they find offensive is incredibly important. I don’t believe Tumblr is currently living up to that standard. In the last 6 weeks I have repeatedly had such content injected into my dashboard without my prior knowledge or consent as part of the “Sponsored Post” campaigns of univervsalhorrorfilms and theconjuringmovie. Two images in particular have a vivid place in my memory:

* an animated GIF of a woman in a mask lurching toward me down a darkened corridor while a sword dripping with blood dangles from her arm.

* an animated GIF of a man staring blankly into space while behind him I see the gray feet of a female corpse, presumably a suicide victim who has hanged herself, slowly swaying.

I don’t mind if other people want to see that sort of thing (well, I’m concerned about the effect such imagery might have on their longterm mental health, but that’s a different issue). But I absolutely do not want to see it myself. It is deeply offensive to me, and I think a strong argument can be made that it is at least as disturbing and offensive as the NSFW content David was talking about in his post.

With the NSFW stuff I realize that Tumblr is dealing with a large number of content creators who are hard to control. But the horror ads are different. Those are being injected into my dashboard by Tumblr itself. Removing them would be as easy as flipping a switch, if Tumblr had the will to do so. Conversely, giving me the tools to block it would be trivial, since Tumblr could (and by rights, should) require any participant in the sponsored posts program to tag violent, disturbing imagery so people who are sensitive can block it.

That Tumblr is choosing not to do that, that people like me who have written to Support have been replied to only with vague platitudes and inaction, makes David’s post today deeply hypocritical.

I’ve been trying to figure out why this bothers me so much. Usually I’m the sort of person who’s more inclined to just tune out unwanted content, to ignore it or, if that’s too hard, just go somewhere else. I think one reason I’m so bothered in this case is that Tumblr’s users, by and large, are so young. Most of the users I encounter on Tumblr are closer to my children’s age than my own.

Children today are exposed to a lot of icky stuff that was much rarer when I was growing up. Responsible adults have an obligation to do what they can to help them navigate the new information landscape, in particular by helping them avoid unwanted exposure to content that they lack the life experience to effectively process. Inappropriate sexual content is part of that, and it’s good that Tumblr is working to do a better job in that area. But it’s only part of the problem. Disturbingly graphic violence and gore is every bit as problematic, and Tumblr needs to treat it with the same attitude: Making sure users aren’t surprised by content they find offensive, and putting the tools in their hands to avoid that content when they want to.

This email is a service from Tumblr Support..

Message-Id:SHYC640Z_51eafd7ff382e_775ce787c47021b6_sprut

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/55998106165.

My latest email to support@tumblr.com:

From: John Callender <callender.john@gmail.com>

Subject: I’m being surprised by content I find offensive

Date: July 20, 2013 12:35:06 AM PDT

To: Tumblr Support <support@tumblr.com>

In this “staff” post today:

http://staff.tumblr.com/post/55906556378/all-weve-heard-from-a-bunch-of-you-who-are

…Tumblr CEO David Karp wrote:

Making sure people aren’t surprised by content they find offensive is also incredibly important and we are always working to put more control in your hands.

Although the post was specifically about sexually explicit content, it jumped out at me because of my recent concerns about violent horror movie advertising on Tumblr. I’ve previously written to support about this; see Tickets 1721975 and 1643254 for details.

I agree that making sure your users aren’t surprised by content they find offensive is incredibly important. I don’t believe Tumblr is currently living up to that standard. In the last 6 weeks I have repeatedly had such content injected into my dashboard without my prior knowledge or consent as part of the “Sponsored Post” campaigns of univervsalhorrorfilms and theconjuringmovie. Two images in particular have a vivid place in my memory:

• an animated GIF of a woman in a mask lurching toward me down a darkened corridor while a sword dripping with blood dangles from her arm.
• an animated GIF of a man staring blankly into space while behind him I see the gray feet of a female corpse, presumably a suicide victim who has hanged herself, slowly swaying.

I don’t mind if other people want to see that sort of thing (well, I’m concerned about the effect such imagery might have on their longterm mental health, but that’s a different issue). But I absolutely do not want to see it myself. It is deeply offensive to me, and I think a strong argument can be made that it is at least as disturbing and offensive as the NSFW content David was talking about in his post.

With the NSFW stuff I realize that Tumblr is dealing with a large number of content creators who are hard to control. But the horror ads are different. Those are being injected into my dashboard by Tumblr itself. Removing them would be as easy as flipping a switch, if Tumblr had the will to do so. Conversely, giving me the tools to block it would be trivial, since Tumblr could (and by rights, should) require any participant in the sponsored posts program to tag violent, disturbing imagery so people who are sensitive can block it.

That Tumblr is choosing not to do that, that people like me who have written to Support have been replied to only with vague platitudes and inaction, makes David’s post today deeply hypocritical.

I’ve been trying to figure out why this bothers me so much. Usually I’m the sort of person who’s more inclined to just tune out unwanted content, to ignore it or, if that’s too hard, just go somewhere else. I think one reason I’m so bothered in this case is that Tumblr’s users, by and large, are so young. Most of the users I encounter on Tumblr are closer to my children’s age than my own.

Children today are exposed to a lot of icky stuff that was much rarer when I was growing up. Responsible adults have an obligation to do what they can to help them navigate the new information landscape, in particular by helping them avoid unwanted exposure to content that they lack the life experience to effectively process. Inappropriate sexual content is part of that, and it’s good that Tumblr is working to do a better job in that area. But it’s only part of the problem. Disturbingly graphic violence and gore is every bit as problematic, and Tumblr needs to treat it with the same attitude: Making sure users aren’t surprised by content they find offensive, and putting the tools in their hands to avoid that content when they want to.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/55945299057.