Moderation Guidelines Version 1.02 - Last updated 17 April 2008

1. MODERATING VISUAL CONTENT

The following Guidelines are presented for assistance of Miniclip moderators by defining the type of content Miniclip feels is unsuitable for its users.
Although exceptions may be made to certain individual content this will only be decided by Senior Management.
Please note that guidelines that apply to a photographic image (i.e. a Putty Face) are not necessarily applied to hand-drawn animations (i.e. a SketchStar animation).
Any questions about these guidelines please contact your support manager.

Miniclip will not approve User Submissions which:

1. Depict random, gratuitous, and/or excessive violence including domestic violence and/or abuse.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn featuring decapitation, removal of any body part and excessive blood loss must be deleted.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn promoting a violent/abuse act towards a named individual or group must be removed.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn featuring violence towards animals must be removed.
A hand-drawn animation or image featuring shooting and fighting is acceptable if the tone of the animation is deemed comical and does not feature excessive amounts of blood.
A hand-drawn animation or image may feature blood if caused by non violent act.

2. Are sexually suggestive or explicit, including nudity and pornography.
Kissing is perfectly fine limited to mouth to mouth (tounges are allowed as long as they are integral to the plot and not merely gratuitous), kissing other body parts is fine as long as they are not erogenous zones. As always, use your common sense to make the final decision.

3. Feature urination, defecation or other bodily functions.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn featuring human urination and defecation must be removed.
A hand-drawn animation or image of a animal defecating or urinating if deemed comical is acceptable.
Submissions featuring breaking wind, nose picking, biting nails and general bad hygiene are acceptable.

4. Use profanity or obscenity in any form or language or gestures that could be offensive by prevailing public standards and tastes.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn featuring types of bad language or physicals gestures which are used in a derogatory manner must be removed.
Please remember that bad languages and physical gestures are different country to country. If you receive a report on a image which you may feel innocent please research before disregarding. If in doubt please refer to your support manager.

5. Incorporate or encourage the use of illegal drugs, smoking materials, and/or alcohol.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn featuring illegal drug use must be removed immediately. Images of a Marijuana Leaf are not acceptable.
Any photographic image which clearly shows that somebody is intoxicated must be removed.
A hand-drawn animation or image which features comical behavior while intoxicated is accepted if consumption is not featured.

6. Inappropriately use symbols with strong meanings to cultural or religious associations. This includes symbols that are related to any type of racial, religious, nationalistic, or ethnic group, such as crosses, pentagrams, swatiskas, hell, satan, etc.
Any image both photographic and hand-drawn which makes derogatory remarks against a ethnic, cultural or religious group is not acceptable and must be removed.
Any associated images which promotes one particular ethnic, cultural or religious group must be removed.

7. Include telephone numbers, addresses or any other kind of personal information that’s not already available in the Player’s profile.

8. Feature material directly promoting another website or product.


2. EDITORS PICK GUIDELINES

What makes a 'good' animation has a lot to do with personal taste of course, but the following are some general guidelines to help moderators and editors on this task.

1. Encourage Animation
Vote in favor of animations that contain actual motion, as opposed to just still images.

2. Watch your own reaction
If you find yourself giggling, laughing, dropping your jaw or going “aaaaawww” when watching an animation that's probably a sign that animation should be an Editor's Pick!

3. Copycats
Sometimes a good animation gets copied over and over by other Players, so, when possible, try to pick the original work, not the copy. Unless, of course, the copy improves the original in such an outstanding way that it becomes a masterpiece in its own right.

4. Reward story and humour, not just drawing skills
Animations don't have to be massively artistic to deserve an Editor's Pick. Animations that are not so skillfully drawn but contain good humor, plot, characters, etc should also be picked.
We want to reinforce the idea that anyone with a bit of imagination and creativity can get an Editor's Pick, even if they are not Walt Disney!

5. Use Editor's Pick as a way to draw attention to hidden talent
If you see an author with good animations that doesn't get the amount of votes he/she deserves, an Editor's Pick is a way to drive more traffic and attention to that user's animations.

6. Discourage “color wheels”, “flashing colors” and “bouncing balls” type animations.