As OpenDoor Comics grows, things will probably get more formal and bogged down in legalese, but for the time being, we’ll keep it as simple as possible and lay out the basic rules.

We want to be as open as possible and provide opportunities for all people to share their ideas, stories, and experiences.  It’s impossible to do that if some of those people are trying to drown out others through bullying and harassment.  So, to put it bluntly, that shit’s not going to fly here.

Threats, abusive language, and any other form of harassment will not be tolerated, either in discussion via comments/forums, or through the content of the comics hosted here.  This isn’t a free speech issue; it’s a matter of not being obligated to provide hateful bigots with a platform and pulpit.

Complaints will be taken seriously, and there will be no guilt or recrimination on the part of OpenDoor Comics when it comes to wielding the banhammer.

As with everything here, this policy will continue to evolve, and we look to the community of creators and readers to help shape OpenDoor Comics into the kind of place we want it to be.  This is a place for all of us, and we want everyone to be able to enjoy what OpenDoor Comics has to offer.

With all that said, we do want to promote free expression as much as possible, so we have no problem with “Adult” content, but it must be clearly tagged as such, and it will be included in the “Adult” section of the Index.  Additionally, OpenDoor Comics reserves the right to enforce the use of content notes for depictions for any particularly troubling or disturbing material (assuming it doesn’t actually run afoul of the rules about hateful bigotry and bullying).

Creators agree to allow advertisements to appear on their comic sites and pages.  Advertising is the primary source of revenue for both OpenDoor Comics and Creators.  As a Creator, you may be asked to insert advertising code into your pages, or OpenDoor Comics may insert the code directly.

You are free to post links to Patreon, Kickstarter, or other crowdfunding sources.

Additionally, you may not directly circumvent the display of OpenDoor Comics advertisements on your site or place your own advertisements on your site.

In general, the rules shouldn’t really be that complicated:  don’t be a bully, let people have an idea of the kind of content they’re going to be exposed to, and help make this an awesome place full of amazing content.

Also, obviously any illegal content will be removed, and violators may be reported to the appropriate authorities.

It should come as no surprise to learn that sites that are created for purposes other than posting comics are not allowed, particularly if they are sites with click-baity, SEO-optimized titles intended to trick unsuspecting users into visiting a site packed with ads – remember, creating your own ads is not allowed – and malware.  Any such site (known as a Spam Blog or “splog”) will be marked as spam, the creator will be marked as a spammer, and both the site and site creator will be deleted from OpenDoor Comics.  Comics.  It’s right in the name.  No sites for “wedding photographers,” or “local photographers,” or “Bank of America Still Discriminating Against Minorities,” or any other such nonsense.

However, OpenDoor Comics can be used for hosting portfolios of your sequential art.

Additionally, all creators retain all rights to their intellectual property unless other arrangements are made directly with OpenDoor Comics or its parent company OpenDoor Publishing, LLC.

As mentioned, these rules will always be evolving, so continue to check this space for updates and changes.