Posted by DR on July 17, 2005 at 04:35 [67.83.76.91]
In Reply to: Re: webshots treasury posted by Pampers Kid on July 16, 2005 at 05:13
Thanks for your reply. I disagree with much of it, but I appreciate that you took the time to write back with such a thorough response.
Regarding employers finding an employee's pictures -- you shouldn't assume the employer finds out from his own browsing. Employers learn about such pictures in many ways including: anonymous email tips, from compliance officers, from co-workers, and worst of all -- from clients.
I'll argue a bit for your side -- ultimately the responsibility for the risque photo lies with the subject regardless of how many times its copied, linked, or distributed. If an employer is going to fire because of the photo, s/he may not care if its been proliferated to, or linked from fetish websites. That a single photo is out there -- even on a vanilla site like Webshots -- means that its *everywhere* in the minds of some employers and is more than enough cause for some employers to fire, particularly those with at-will employees. Also, many employers might not care about the photo at all unless the employee works in a front office position and the company reputation is at risk.
That would be a fair and true argument, however the overall risk to the employee is certainly greater the more times the risque photo is distributed or linked -- particularly among fetish sites. Let's remember that the distribution flow is not simply from vanilla community to fetish community, but is a huge circular flow, also returning from fetish community to vanilla community. For example, some diaperist might find a photo linked through your site, then later post that photo to a vanilla community similar to Webshots. Simply said, the more a specific photo is linked, the greater the overall risk of it being found.
Which isn't to say that you're responsible for the entire chain -- link to distribution to link to distribution to link... and so on. Rather, you're responsible for one point in that chain -- drawing the attention of hundreds or even thousands of others to these diaper Webshot photos. True, you're not responsible for what these hundreds or thousands of diaper folk do with those photos subsequently -- but then again, you've made it much easier for a large group of people to find these pictures.
As for fetishizing the photos -- understand that you may not be posting them side-by-side with diaper porn, but you're posting them within two or three clicks from diaper porn. Let's remember that you advertise your website on WetSet, which is an adult, fetish forum.
Consider this -- I'm at ABkingdom looking in one of the albums and I see a thumbnail of a Webshot diaper photo right next to a thumbnail of an ABsource pic. With one click, I see the ABsource pic. Second click takes me back. Third click I see the Webshot diaper photo and the second photo is thus fetishized.
Now consider this -- I'm on the WetSet forum, reading diaper fetish posts and I see your advertisment for "New Webshots." With one click I'm reading your post and the link underneath it telling me to come to your site. Second click takes me to your website. Third or fourth click and I'm looking at Webshots, linked from your site. In three or four clicks I went from diaper discussions to diaper photo on Webshots. No typing necessary. No Google browsing.
So in a sense, your website is really a middle-man for the diaper community. Capture their attention on diaper fetish sites -- go to your site -- you don't have pictures, but you know exactly where to find them. That's fetishizing the photos IMO.
But most important of all -- these guys and gals in the Webshots photos never consented to their pictures being spread across the diaper fetish community. As mentioned in my last post, I doubt they ever imagined these photos would be. Sure, they are responsible for their risque photos, but aren't we exploiting them by drawing unwanted, unanticipated fetish attention to their fun? And when those pictures are subsequently copied and proliferated -- perhaps even to other vanilla sites, aren't we calling undue attention to them, possibly endangering their jobs, and creating questions for family, friends and colleagues?
As an afterthought, I'll also mention that its difficult to be sure exactly how old these Webshot guys and gals are -- many of whom may not be adults when their photos were taken.
I hope you understand Pampers Kid that I'm not attacking you -- simply questioning whether its ethical to proliferate or link such sorority diaper photos. Towards this end, I hope we'll discuss the topic in greater depth and flesh out the relevant issues.
Finally, I admire your committment and hard work -- even if I disagree with the purpose of your site. You've obviously given considerable thought into the way you wanted to link these Webshot photos, and the ethics behind simply posting them to a fetish website -- and that's commendable.