PHASE ONE: PROPOSAL AND CALL FOR INPUT

The OFFENSICON PROJECT is an attempt to design a small set of emblems to mark hyperlinks which lead to potentially offensive content.

Already, many Web authors are marking potentially offensive links with brief warnings, such as the acronym “NSFW” (not safe for work). But such a warning is not always helpful, since it gives no hint as to why, precisely, the content may offend, nor what degree of offensiveness might be expected. Is it an attractive model in a bathing suit? Or a severed human head being eaten by rats? The reader doesn’t know until he clicks.

Readers have varying criteria, and thresholds of tolerance, for risqué content. Some don’t mind tasteful nudity in artwork, but would not wish to view an orgy. Others might want to know before clicking whether they are about to see an undressed woman or a man. Still others would not object to profane language, but cannot abide photos of rotting corpses.

But explaining why each link might be offensive would require verbosity. Let’s look at an example to illuminate how Offensicons would work:

EXAMPLE 1-A: Here’s what Bill Ardolino thinks of Canada. (Warning: some profanity is used.)

EXAMPLE 1-B: Here’s what Bill Ardolino thinks of Canada .

The Offensicon takes the place of the text warning. It uses up less area on the page, and provides just as much information.

I would eventually like to see the Offensicons implemented as free plug-ins to the major content management packages, so that the authors need not do the HTML coding themselves.

During this initial, exploratory phase of the project, I am proposing a set of Offensicons for five broad genera of offensiveness (nudity, sex, profanity, yuckiness, and other), with two of these genera further divided into species. I am then opening the floor for input from the world at large. Please comment on this post with your suggestions or questions.
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