Frustration?!…. Please let me know.
Please do me a favor, read this post and give me your opinion:
I need to do a little venting… Please bear in mind that I am due to have a baby within the week and so hormones may not be at completely stable levels and please be understanding- but I really need to make some things clear.
Let me give you the background to this little vent.
I was contacted yesterday, by what seems to me to be a gossip blog aimed at mom blogs. The person contacting me stated that she had received the assignment to write a post about my blogs because that they had received a single anonymous tip (with no proof) that I was copying other bloggers without permission and that they are upset about my featuring other blogger’s posts in full. (she- the lady who contacted me, is btw the author of a crafting blog that features other people’s posts too) Just so you know (including the anonymous tip) is only the third complaint I have ever received in the last 2 years out of 1,300 published posts. BUT I have received a LOT of thank you email for features.
So, I would like to address that accusation of blog copying openly- right now, right here, for all to discuss.
I have never featured a story without express or implied permission! EVER!
First:
Let me explain how I feature other bloggers so we can be perfectly clear:
- Email Submissions projects
- Party Highlights
- Requested permission to share great stories that I find.
If I feature an entire blog post in full on my blog it is with the author blogger’s consent either implied or express as stated about everywhere I can put it on my blog, from the be featured post, the contact post, every party link… and it should be sorta obvious from the posts we feature. But here is what I mean by implied or express:
- Express consent from emails asking me to feature their projects.
- Implied consent from bloggers linking to parties with rules clearly stating that by linking to the party they give me FULL permission to post the feature in full. (which I have not been doing lately BTW, since no one reads rules before participating, and somehow that is my fault?????)
Second:
The rules to be featured are listed in my “Be Featured” post, linked in my contact post and on every party I have. I have also started re-emphasizing the full feature policy in my reply emails to be sure people understand that is what they are agreeing to. Is it wrong that I expect people to:
- Please read the rules before participating in my blog, by party or email submissions.
- Contact me directly, if they have a problem with a feature of their work.
Third:
If you are frustrated by the “full” features, I would really appreciate you contacting me directly. Ask yourself these questions first:
- Did I read the rules completely, before submitting a project or joining the party?
- Is it my story that they featured? (if not- you can bet that I did not feature it without permission granted in which case you have no right to say anything- the blog author has granted their consent- it has nothing to do with you!)
Fourth:
You may be surprised to find out that I have had my share of frustration over other blogger’s featuring my projects without my consent, as it was not listed in any rules for participating in their linkys, etc . Or readers being inspired to try one of my projects (yea- isn’t that the point?), directly coping my projects, taking their own pictures along the way of the steps I showed them and then passing it off as their own idea- ugh, very frustrating!
BUT and this is a big BUT (no I’m not talking about the one I am sitting on!) I cannot take back the traffic they gave me from features or links. I cannot take credit for my blogs growing on my own. It is all about the blogging community. Once a new reader finds a blog from a link or whatnot and they join my blog, I cannot take that traffic back, I owe it to the blog who featured a project and gave a link and I am thankful they are helping me to build my blog. I may wish they didn’t feature it in 3 months, but guess what they did, I gained new readers from it and that is that.
I should mention that I am not talking about it being okay to copy a full post without permission and posting it on a blog, that is wrong, Let me make it clear that I have never done that. I won’t ever do that, and I would be thankful if people didn’t wrongfully accuse me of doing that. Thanks!
Venting session over.
Am I being melodramatic?
Am I being unreasonable?
Please let me know what you think.
AND if you have been featured and it was a positive experience, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU- I could use some support! Please leave a comment!
>I would not even worry about it. It is not your fault that people do not read what your site is about. People come to your site to see others work and it's a great thing. I have been featured a few times and I really appreciate it. Please, I know you are feeling angry right now. But remember, this is blog land and if you have a blog you have to put up with some criticism. Congrats on the baby!!
>you are doing a wonderful thing and I appreciate all you share and the people i get to visit because of it! you go girl!
>Oh…I am so sorry that you are having to worry about something as silly as this when you should be relishing in the arrival of your little one. Well, as much as you can relish the last week! I am a newbie blogger and am already so frustrated by other bloggers putting me on their site then taking me off, criticism that isn't constructive…just mean, etc. You have a great blog, keep calm and carry on!! Best of luck to you and yours. Oh and yeah, something good came out of this, well at least for me…I will be following you, #4301, yay!!
>That is just crazy! What blogger doesn't want their projects to be featured…especially on a great blog like yours! One of my projects was featured here and I had no complaints at all! I do get frustrated when I feel like someone copies my ideas then give me no credit, but your blog has always been about featuring others not stealing their ideas! Now I really want to know who this person {and the annoymous tipper} is:)
>It was very nice of you not to name the guilty bloggers involved. Too nice.
You have a great blog–lots of great ideas. I don't care if the posts are yours or if you found them for me from another place and asked to post about them. Your blog is well set up, interesting, and easy to read.
Of course other people are going to be jealous! Add to that the number of people who are themselves misunderstanding what is taking place, and you have an amazing record with so few complaints.
Ignore it. If something negative comes from it, you have lots of followers who are willing to set the record straight. You just need to go rest up for that baby.
>First of all you have featured me and my tutorials before and I AM SO GRATEFUL that you have! I love your blogs, I love all of the projects you share with us, and I love participating in your parties.
Second of all, the internet has very few checks and balances, so if you're putting something out there, you HAVE to know that it MIGHT get picked up by someone. That being said, your rules are stated clearly and no, it's not your fault if someone doesn't read them before participating in some form or fashion on your blogs. If you don't want people using your tutorials/posts, etc…don't put it on a blog!
Thirdly, who made this woman the "blog police?" I mean, if she does the same thing on her own blog, it's suspect. If they've only received ONE ANONYMOUS tip, it's suspect. If they have no proof or specific post to site, it's suspect.
DO NOT WASTE ANY MORE OF YOUR TIME AND ENERGY (which we all know is in short supply this late in your pregnancy!) WORRYING ABOUT THIS WOMAN OR HER GOSSIP BLOG.
We all love you (all 4343 of us)!
>Cassity, so sorry that you had this experience. Last thing in the world you need right now. I suspect the accusation in question is unfounded, or worse, possibly invented.
You manage your blogs in a very professional manner and in my opinion, there is no grey area for concern regarding copyright infringement.
Blessings–take good care 🙂 Diane
>Holy Macarele!! I would love to be featured on you blog and I wouldn't even give you permission to be featured. I would take it as an HONOR!!! Keep up the great work and posts. It is very inspiring!
Tara
~A Mustard Seed Dream
>personally, i don't see how anyone featuring another's blog could be bad. someone featured me-and i had not contacted them at any point-and it was only when someone commented and said where they were visiting from did i know the feature even took place. the blog doing the feature should have at least emailed me to let me know, hey, i'm featuring you today. luckily, it DID give me a lot of traffic, and they DID give me proper credit and linking, but they clearly just "took" it in the first place. i would never think to email them, asking why did you feature me. they did, i got comments and traffic, it's good!
as for your rules, i have seen many times where you say you are giving consent to use the post by linking. heck, whenever i see a new post from you or other parties i link to, i HOPE they're using my linked post as a feature!
>you are totally not being unreasonable. i love your blog!
>I'm relatively new to the blogsphere so it's taken me a little time to learn blog etiquette. Before blogging I had no idea that such a thing even existed. Since I don't completely understand how the blogosphere works, this is just my humble opinion.
I think the person who sent you the email was trying to provoke you since they didn't have any proof. You are not being melodramatic. I would be very upset, too. I think you reacted just like I would have if someone accused me of something that wasn't true. I've never been featured, I've only linked up a couple of recipes to your blog. One of my best friends (Angela at Unexpected Elegance) has been featured a couple of times and she was so honored to be on your blog. We were so excited when we saw her projects! Your rules/guidelines are very clear when it comes to being featured.
I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself and putting it out there. It's clear you have nothing to hide.
It's easy to say this since it's not happening to me, but try not to stress out. Your baby and your health are the most important things and your loyal followers know the truth.
>I love your blog and both times I have been featured I have seen a jump in readership! Thanks for all you do and never let stupid people bring you down 😉
>You've already received 47 comments on it, but I agree with all of the above advice. Your blog is fantastic, and I look forward to reading it every day. To my knowledge, I haven't yet been featured on your site yet (though I welcome the opportunity anytime), as do hundreds of other blogs looking to gain readership on their own sites. Your site is a great source for inspiration and fully embraces the "You CAN do it yourself!" motto that we are all trying to live by.
What in the world is a gossip blog that isn't about celebrity gossip? Hmm…
>I think you vent very nicely!!!
As for the person who contacted you….that's what Karma is for 🙂
>It sounds to me that someone is asking permission to bash your blog so theirs will be more popular. You don't get 4000+ followers from doing bad things so I would forget about it and focus on the new baby. I've never submitted anything to you to feature but you are welcome to feature anything of mine. You always credit the blog it came from so it's good for both parties. Anytime, stop by, visit, feature away!
>i can't imagine anyone complaining about being featured/highlighted on your blog. i was featured on your blog in the summer when i had just started out my blog and it was just so so exciting and encouraging to know that other people liked my content enough to share it! i think what you do is great!! don't change a thing. who even wants to read a blog about gossip about another blog? wth!
kimberly.
>Oh. I can totally understand you being upset, but as you said you've done nothing wrong.
You featured my blog and I was overjoyed that you showcased some of my renovations.
Don't let the opinion of one or two people get you down. There are many hundreds who support you and think your blog is great. xx
>Well you just featured me and everything you said I had to read I did. You are clear and concise. Hello? People need to read what they sign up for.
What I noticed was people posting about me with a picture, without contacting me…that is rude kinda, but, they did feature me with a link so I guess it was OK?
People just need to use common sense, and repsect other work by being polite.
I did not think you over reacted. You are entitled to clear your name and boldly state your policies. The fact that you did this is credibility to the fact you did not do what she claimed.
Have a good birth by the way and you have a great blog.
Melissa at Pink Satin Sashes.
>I'd just tell her it's none of her damn business. ha ha
Anyway, you've featured me before and I recall that you asked first. Not that it would've mattered. I love being featured, especially on the larger more popular blogs.
I feature peeps who link up to my tiny link party, but I figure that's the whole reason they're linking up. They want traffic and they want a feature. That's why I link up to parties.
Just try not to let it bother you while you have a few more days with it just being the three of you. It'll never be the three of you again so just try to focus on that. 🙂
>You have featured my projects before and it has helped me gain readers and I am very grateful for that. One of the great things about your blog is that you can find great ideas from al over blogland and make new friends that you may not have found otherwise. I have always seen links to where the posts came from and I think that is in no way "copying." You have a great blog. Don't let a few "haters" get you down. Especially right before having a baby. You need to be getting all the sleep you can right now and NOT worrying about something so dumb. The reason you have so many readers is because we love your blog, we love the inspiration you share, and we LOVE having our work shared with others.
I'm mostly just surprised that their is a blog that does nothing but rag on other blogs. Get a life!