Regarding NSFW Links and Rule 6 (videos from other sources)

So the other day was a bit of fun, but it is unfortunately time to get back to some serious business. :(

As I have spent the past 2.5 weeks looking at every.single.video posted that is not removed by the bot I have seen 2 areas that need to be addressed.

The first problem is NSFW links. This is NOT a NSFW sub, but we do allow links to NSFW content provided they are properly tagged as such. So what qualifies as NSFW in this sub? Any depiction of sexuality in any form (every gachimuchi video, for example), any cuss word in any language ("damn" included), and any depiction if violence or gore (one person punches another? NSFW that). There is also a grey area for "offensive material" to consider. If someone might be offended, it's best to mark it as NSFW.

Now, the grand majority of content here is not NSFW, the problem is that the few NSFW links that are posted are being tagged maybe 1 out of 10 times. This is a bannable offense and in the coming weeks I will be enforcing this with 30 day bans for anyone posting NSFW content and not properly tagging it. Per Rule 5, if you are unsure, then it is best to err on the side of caution and flag it.

The second problem is Rule 6 violations. As a refresher here it is:

Videos taken directly from a movie, TV show, commercial, trailer, major production of any kind, or are re-uploads to YouTube from Vines, Vimeo, LiveLeak or other video hosting sites are disallowed. If the clip has been edited and modified in some meaningful way, then it is allowed.

We recently expanded what this rule covered without making an announcement but it was part of u/BrastaSauce's recent post regarding what this sub is. This sub is meant to be for hidden gems of a more "user created content" variety. That means videos that are made for mass consumption are not a fit for this sub. It also means that videos that were popular on other platforms and are re-uploaded to YouTube are not a fit. Also, since this is a YouTube focus sub, content intended for another platform is not a good fit for this sub, though there is some wiggle room here (for example a recorded concert may be ok depending on the content but Vines re-uploads are never ok). Finally, we allow parodies and edits of such content to be posted, provided it is meaningful. Simply reversing the video or cutting together 30 second clips is not meaningful. Also, just changing the audio track from one song to another is not meaningful unless it seriously changes the context of the video.

This area is tough because we can't make the rules too explicit because there will be those who try to skirt around it on technicalities. But we don't want it to be so broad as to give us mods so much power that if we simply don't like a post we can remove it. But, this rule is almost 100% a Mod judgment call. So, as a mod, let me impart a non-exclusive list of what I consider disallowed by this rule:

• Advertisements of any kind (except for parodies)
• Movies that had theatrical or direct to video releases in any country (anything with an IMDB entry is absolutely not allowed).
• Music Videos by produced artists in any country (this excludes those people who make their own content and upload to YouTube provided they are not popular or well known)
• TV Shows from any country
• Radio shows from any country
• Non-YouTube podcasts
• Anything from a popular YouTube channel
• Vines re-uploads
• Vimeo re-uploads
• LiveLeak re-uploads
• NicoNico re-uploads
• Newgrounds re-uploads
• Atom Films re-uploads
• Movie Festival candidates and entries
• Any major studio production of any kind from any country
• Backtracks, reversed, or flipped videos

You will notice I have a lot of "from any country" listed. Just because it was on TV in a country you don't live in doesn't make it deep. Just because it comes from a culture you are not a member of doesn't make it deep. I get it, many of you think Japanese commercials are weird and maybe they are to a western person (or even the Japanese people). But they are still commercials and they are still trying to push a product and that just has no place here. Now, cutting up a Japanese McDonald's commercial to make Ronald McDonald look like a stalker/serial killer, that's acceptable.

One person complained to me that these rules and restrictions are kind-of-hipster-ish. If you haven't realized, that is kind of the point of this sub. This sub should be for content that has not been seen by the masses (any masses, even those outside of the US). This sub should be a source of content that goes viral, not a destination for it. Something should be posted here that is weird and little known and then gain traction because it was posted here. r/videos should get our sloppy seconds! ;)