Understanding the Help Desk: Appeals

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Deviation Actions

RogueMudblood's avatar
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Concerning Appeals

This is a collaborative article. DA's CEA staff was consulted on how best to address this matter and provide the relevant and correct information to deviants. Kind thanks to y2jenn for her assistance with editing and wording segments so that they are clearer and more concise, and for providing generic Help Desk responses. Thanks also to aunjuli and moonbeam13 for their involvement.
RogueMudblood


We've all found deviations we're concerned about being on the site. Sometimes, as art appreciators, we find something that we're concerned might violate the community standards and guidelines set by DA. On occasion, you might find something that you feel needs to be reported to the staff for review of those policies.

If a deviant does find themselves concerned about the content of a deviation, and clicks the “Report Deviation” link, sometimes they will be greeted with a message which informs them that the staff has already reviewed this piece and that it doesn't violate the policies in place, such as this one:

Hd1 by RogueMudblood


But the content may still raise questions, and those concerns aren't alleviated by the message. As such, the logical next step is to be certain that the material in question actually does violate the site's policies. The best place to do this is with the FAQs provided at help. In this instance, the concern is pornography, so reviewing
FAQ #565: You prohibit the submission of 'pornographic imagery'; what do you consider this to be?
will provide an explanation to the site's definitions on adult-oriented content. After reading that, if there is still some concern about the piece, a detailed explanation of the site's policy for determination of pornography is available here: CEA UPDATE: Clarifying the Definition of Porn.

But what do you do when the deviation you're concerned about appears to clearly violate that policy, yet the determination being recorded on the deviation keeps you from filing another report? How do you present your case to the staff in order to have the work reviewed again?

This is where the Help Desk comes in.


Individually, each staff member has their own tasks and areas of expertise. You might know one staffer because of their visibility with a specific project or area of the site, but you shouldn't contact them via note or a comment on their profile if you have an issue that needs to be addressed. Just because ikazon, danlev, and Heidi are some of the most visible and known staff names to the average deviant (because the site updates are posted on their accounts) doesn't mean that they are the proper people to contact. Appeals, or questions regarding a staff decision on a piece, should be sent to the Help Desk. Just as not everyone in a factory puts caps on toothpaste tubes, not every staff member of DA works on the same projects or has the same duties.
In reporting it to the Help Desk, you not only reach the appropriate staff member by categorizing your question properly, you are also far more likely to receive a timely response. This will also give the staff an official record of the inquiry. That's important, because they need to know if there's something that's not being addressed properly, or unclear in the information being provided to the general public.

When you're filing your report, it's important to make certain that you observe some guidelines.

  1. Be sure you're clear in what you perceive the violation to be. Don't vaguely approach the staff with, "This is porn!" It might not even fit a legal definition of pornography, much less the one which is used by DA.

    Instead, provide them some details. Let them know that you've read the materials available on the subject and that the deviation still appears to violate policy as you understand it.
  2. Be respectful in your tone. If you're abusive to them, they can ban you from the Help Desk. You will have little recourse open to you at that point if you need assistance in the future.

Your appeal inquiry should read something like this:
I'm curious about why the penetration in this piece is not considered to be explicit pornography by the staff. [link] You may include specific details of the deviation in question here as well, to give them an exact area to look at the content.

I understand the definition of pornography used by the site is explained in realitysquared.deviantart.com/…, but after reading it I still believe the piece contains prohibited material. I request a review of the piece, or an explanation as to why it has been allowed to stay on the site. Thank you!

You'll notice that I made reference to having read the pertinent site documents, so they do know that I'm at least familiar with what DA's policy is, and I'm expressing concern for my understanding of what is included in that policy not appearing to be applied to the image in question. This shows the staff that you're actively trying to understand, rather than simply lambasting them with a complaint they've heard dozens of times.

Accepting the staff's decision might not be easy.


But you do have to understand that they look at hundreds - if not thousands - of these images every day, so they know what they're looking for specifically. The CEA team is composed of individuals who have been trained to review these deviation reports, and large decisions are made after the group has conferred on the deviation and reviewed it as a whole. There is a key word in realitysquared's article that comes into play when they make their decision: suggested.

A typical staff response to your inquiry may look something like this:
Hi there!

Thank you for your concern and inquiry to understand the staff's decision on this piece!

The deviation has been the topic of discussion for the CEA many times. It was deemed to be pushing the boundaries of our policies, as it is quite obviously a sexual piece. However, we cannot take action based on suspicions about what is happening between the characters, as no penetration is actually visible. It's undeniably open to interpretation and your report is understandable! But, the visible material is within the limits set by policy. Thank you!

As you can see from the response, the issue is that the material is suggesting penetration - but it's not visible. Personal disagreement with this statement doesn't change the criterion. While not everyone will agree with the staff's decision, that does not give any deviant leave to be abusive in commentary to either the artist or staff.

If you have continuing concerns over the staff's decision, you should always feel free to ask the staff for further clarification. Please realize that while their first response to you may indeed address specifics about your complaint, it is mostly a generic response. As such, if you feel that some part of your concern hasn't been addressed, you should certainly feel free to discuss that with the staff. Bear in mind, though, that while they're happy to discuss your concerns, they will not debate their ruling.

Your report may also point out to staff something that was overlooked in the initial review of the deviation. In those cases, the staff response may look something like this:
Hi there!

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We may have originally overlooked something in the deviation. This piece is being reviewed by our team, and if we find it is in violation, we will take appropriate action.

Thank you for contacting the Help Desk!

The bottom line is that if you want to understand the staff's position or appeal their decision, approach them with facts in hand so that they can understand your complaint on the matter. And when addressing them, please remember that opening a dialogue is much more productive than flinging accusations.

Further Information


Where should I go to file a report on a deviation?
FAQ #155: How do I report a deviation which I think breaks the rules?

Which option should I choose at the Help Desk to file my question regarding a staff decision?
Policy Inquiry is the best option. You can find a good description of the Help Desk categories here: :faq264:

Where can I find CEA updates that might not be in the FAQs?
You can search “CEA Updates” in the site's main search bar. While that information has been integrated into FAQs, the update announcements do provide far more detail on many policies and procedures to enable better and more complete understanding of a topic.

Some which may be of interest with respect to adult content are:

Are there other FAQs which address DA's policies regarding adult content?



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MadamBlackWolf's avatar
Excellent, I love it! :D Great job! ^^ (Also, what does CEA stand for?)