Site blockers

Gar · March 10, 2010, 04:44:56 AM

My comic's website is blocked at work as being 'tasteless', and I'd say it's probably similarly blocked at a lot of other workplaces, which is losing me a big bored-office-worker audience.

Anyone know how to get around this, and if it's possible to do so retroactively?

Dr. BlkKnight · March 10, 2010, 07:48:37 AM

Only way to get around that is to bug your IT people.

amanda · March 10, 2010, 10:19:39 AM

Aww, that's too bad =[

LegendWoodsman · March 10, 2010, 10:40:45 PM

Yup! That's happened to me. Sometimes, for the most idiotic reason, your site can be blocked. Some places will block a comic site for "humor". Your horoscope can be blocked under the category of "witchcraft and occult". I tried bugging my IT person to unblock my comic site and I was required to submit a ticket that would explain how unblocking it would help my job productivity...

I couldn't come up with a convincing argument. :(

Dr. BlkKnight · March 10, 2010, 11:17:52 PM

Quote from: LegendWoodsman on March 10, 2010, 10:40:45 PM
Yup! That's happened to me. Sometimes, for the most idiotic reason, your site can be blocked. Some places will block a comic site for "humor". Your horoscope can be blocked under the category of "witchcraft and occult". I tried bugging my IT person to unblock my comic site and I was required to submit a ticket that would explain how unblocking it would help my job productivity...

I couldn't come up with a convincing argument. :(

It improves your job productivity by keeping you from worrying about your next update all day.

Gibson · March 11, 2010, 01:27:34 AM

I know my work is read by an entire office or two, and I have wondered if the recent NSFW content that's been pretty blatant in the comic has affected that or not. I haven't heard yea or nay, so I guess fingers crossed that it hasn't. I guess the question for yours in particular is why it's been rated as such. I'm unfamiliar with the criteria of why some sites are considered unacceptable and others aren't. Maybe our esteemed leaders have more insight into that process?

Gar · March 11, 2010, 03:32:50 AM

Well there was a christmas comic a while ago where Neko got confused between Easter Jesus and Christmas Jesus, so we ended up with baby-on-a-stick. There's some religious stuff like that (it's pop culture that doesn't go stale!) and some sexual references and thinly-veiled drug references. It's nothing worse than Something Positive or Girls With Slingshots, which aren't blocked.

It could be there are just keywords in the blog that are being picked up, I might try setting up a DrunkDuck mirror which just has the comic on it.

Gibson · March 11, 2010, 10:48:39 AM

Try a Smack Jeeves mirror instead. It's light years more user friendly than Drunk Duck, which is infuriatingly buggy and near impossible to customize. Don't let the reputation of the place scare you, it's a more functional site and the kids leave you alone if you don't talk to them.

Knara · March 11, 2010, 05:18:18 PM

Quote from: Gar on March 10, 2010, 04:44:56 AM
My comic's website is blocked at work as being 'tasteless', and I'd say it's probably similarly blocked at a lot of other workplaces, which is losing me a big bored-office-worker audience.

Anyone know how to get around this, and if it's possible to do so retroactively?

Web filter lists are set by the vendor your workplace happens to use and are notoriously arbitrary. We've had problems with our own ads being blocked by our filter. For a couple days every year, msn.com ends up blocked by Websense.

I think the only recourses are: Have the admin at your workplace unblock ("white list") the site or find out how to file an appeal for reclassification with the company that makes the filtering software (if that's even possible).

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Site blockers