WordPress.com Forums » Topic: ban blogs that only reblog content

spiritoftherainbow on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

spiritoftherainbow — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:57:07 +0000

LOL.. Well.. I am very Glad to have found this sooo quickly after Joining.. I have 2 friends that use this site and I had a moment of... "Gosh" I need to start posting my thoughts... Today.. one of those friends posted something that was totally in line with my current mindset.. I copy/pasted to my site... like a journal entry in my mind.. then read a couple more of her recent post and tried to post.. or re-post and HATED the way it looked.. a link that said nothing.. meant nothing to me.. so just commented to her asking How do I re-post??
Personally I am on here for Me.. If I get readers I would be surprised
I am at a point where I feel a Need to write my thoughts. and sharing someone's writing with myself that fits my current mindset Seemed Fitting ;))

But I will sure be careful about sharing someone's work work I enjoyed from now on
Thanks.. Newbee

7rin on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

7rin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:24:26 +0000

"Since reblog-only blogs don't actually get wider exposure for existing posts"

They don't?

"And a filing cabinet filled with other people's stuff. :)"

*hands over funniest accurate comment award*

"We assume"

Aaah, see, now that's your problem right there.

raincoaster on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

raincoaster — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:14:31 +0000

I have one, on Tumblr. Since reblog-only blogs don't actually get wider exposure for existing posts (thanks to staff disabling the normal SEO-friendly features) there really isn't any point to them other than storage, and if storage is the only function, it's appropriate for them to be Private. In fact, I wish I could make my Tumblr private.

thesacredpath on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

thesacredpath — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:01:38 +0000

And a filing cabinet filled with other people's stuff. :)

raincoaster on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

raincoaster — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:00:12 +0000

Because WordPress.com is a home for original blogging, not like Tumblr, which is an aggregator. We assume that anyone participating in the community to the extent of having a blog here will put their original thoughts on the line. Having a blog which consists solely of reblogs denigrates the platform to the level of a filing cabinet.

7rin on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

7rin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:42:54 +0000

Oh dearie me.

I have a reblog blog. Actually, I have two reblog blogs now, because I realised one of my 'normal' blogs had morphed into a reblog blog due to poor state-of-mind leading to diminished writing ability.

The reblog blog is purely for sharing stuff from WP that doesn't fit into any of my other blog categories because there are tons of awesome posts out there on WP that deserve a far wider audience than they already have. The other blog started out as sociology and social policy oriented blog to catalogue stuff that I found during my research for my degree of the same subjects. However, due to the dodgy mental health issues, the degree's been failed, but the stuff that's being put on there is still based around those subjects, and so just yesterday I decided to officially rebrand it as a reblog blog for that subject material.

Why do I reblog? Well it's certainly not to drive people my way, because all my way does is point out everyone else who's managing to write so much better than me. It's not about me as a blogger, but about those blogs I reblog. When I share something through a reblog, people who browse my interests/blogs/etc. are going to find those other bloggers.

I'm confused as to why so many of you are so against these things, because all they do is point a wider audience to the reblogged posts.

But yeah, yay for taking action on the truly spammy type.

microdevil on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

microdevil — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:36:57 +0000

yeah, that's good.

wishing the wordpress would ban the re-blogger

davidemeron on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

davidemeron — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:04:46 +0000

I have not been overly concerned about this; however I have noticed that such blogs are useless even if one follows and likes them. I perhaps have too many followers now to investigate this too closely: however, when they come to my attention, I have been reporting them. I do notice that the most egregious of them do get banned or limited in some way after a few months.

I also have used the reblog function; and I also do not like the way it looks, the way it removes formatting, the way there is little control of how it looks. I have, rather taken to using the "Blog this" control instead. The result looks much more aesthetically balanced and is completely customisable. Still, there are occations wherein I use the reblog simply because it is available in the reader, and I can type a short comment. I have three blogs and limit my reblogs and such to one only.

raincoaster on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

raincoaster — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:11:12 +0000

I would suggest going to that blog and Report As Spam, giving exact details like links.

martineeellis on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

martineeellis — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:50:15 +0000

@catrymer I have a situation where someone is re-blogging most of my content and very little of anyone else's. They post very little original content. So their blog basically is my blog! I am not against re-blogging in principle. I also agree with original commenter that blogs which purely re-blog should not be allowed. But the situation I have outlined is about re-blogging etiquette really.

momniazpopot on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

momniazpopot — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:11:34 +0000

i wish they dont? ahyst

timethief on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

timethief — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 02:50:57 +0000

@absurdoldbird
LOL :D

absurdoldbird on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

absurdoldbird — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 02:45:47 +0000

@TiTi... Never! ;)

timethief on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

timethief — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:35:41 +0000

@absurdoldbird
No offense to intended to catrymer or anyone else but I think the tune I hear between the lines is the same old, same old ...
♫What every blogger wants is more traffic and follower, right?
Well, that's what this is designed to do for you. ♫

Boomers like you and I have tonnes of life experience and it includes cyber experience. In my offline life I don't march to a different drum. I am the drummer and I set the tune. I sense you may be the same, hence, ... well you can complete the rest ... just never let your sense of humor go on vacation now, you hear. ;)
♥TiTi

absurdoldbird on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

absurdoldbird — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:24:10 +0000

@catrymer - thanks for your reply. I'm glad you do deal with the spam ones. Sometimes I report them, never really knowing if any action is being taken or not.

I don't have any problem with blogs that reblog posts as long as there are posts of their own too.

catrymer on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

catrymer — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:23:40 +0000

Some blogs that have a lot of reblogged posts are spam, as they are trying to push readers to another URL or to an affiliate link. We do deal with those as needed.

However, there are some blogs that have a large number of reblogged posts as they are run by users who do a lot of reading of other WordPress.com sites and want to share the good stuff they have found on WordPress.com with others. Those blogs are considered to be legitimate and in the vast majority of cases are going to prove to be beneficial to the originating content as they send readers and traffic back to the original.

absurdoldbird on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

absurdoldbird — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:46:59 +0000

With respect to those who have other thoughts on reblogging and permissions for it, my original posting here on this thread - which started the thread - was about blogs that are set up specifically to reblog other people's posts. Not about reblogging per se. Anyone can reblog a post, anywhere, at any time with copy and paste. (And generally if you don't want your content to travel beyond your own blog you should not be putting it online in public in the first place.) That's not the issue. The issue is that something should be included in WordPress's terms of service that says that blogs which only publish reblogged material and none of their own material, should be regarded as spamming or similar.

Now I'm going to mark this with 'Modlook' so that at least we'll be sure that staff will see it. I, for one, would like to have a response from one of them.

maxexam on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

maxexam — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:40:11 +0000

Reblogging is ultimately just linking to someone else's blog posts, and you can't stop people from doing that (unless it's all they do). The issue seems to be with the amount and nature of the content that's being reproduced. Some people think it's fair use and others see it as a kind of plagiarism. Maybe the simplest solution would be to have a section in the Dashboard where you can set how many of your words get reposted -- say, from none (i.e. just the title) to the full post -- and whether or not your images get reposted.

teresasilverthorn on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

teresasilverthorn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:07:21 +0000

Excellent suggestions!

jameskaliway on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

jameskaliway — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:54:28 +0000

Is this really the first time we as a community have come to the collective conclusion that the reblogging tool needs revamping? Apparently I'm not the only one around here who likes to mix a little cannabis with their blogging. :P

It's okay, I won't tell on ya'll. :)

Anyway, now that I'm done trying to be funny, we have three very good ideas laid out here. I really want something to be done about this, so for the sake of facilitating that and further ideas on the matter, I'm gonna lay out what we got so far.

Problem: Reblogging facilitates and encourages undesirable blogs as defined by WordPress.com itself. Furthermore, it lacks even the most basic configuration options necessary to properly cite the content it reblogs, which also runs contrary to the value system of WordPress and Automattic.

Possible Solutions:

Allow bloggers the option to enable/disable reblogging on a blog-to-blog basis.
Allow bloggers the option to to moderate reblogs of their content on a case-by-case basis.
Mandate a minimum word count for rebloggers. Thinking isn't optional 'round these parts!

On an unrelated note, the forums need a preview option. Not much fun going through each html tag to make sure you closed them all.

ifmomsaysok on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

ifmomsaysok — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:51:36 +0000

@windwhistle I know I would appreciate being asked first. I've had content plagiarized before, and finding out was like a gut punch. That's how I felt the first time I saw something of mine had been reblogged without prior approval.

windwhistle on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

windwhistle — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:44:44 +0000

@raincoaster Then the rebloggers shouldn't mind at all if all reblogs are made private.

@ifmomsaysok That takes us back to an earlier, very logical suggestion that reblogs be held in moderation until the reblogger seeks and receives permission from the author to reblog his or her content. Asking permission is the courteous and proper approach.

ifmomsaysok on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

ifmomsaysok — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:29:29 +0000

I've had a few posts reblogged and at first was stunned to find my images and/or words show up on another blog. I don't think I would be nearly as bothered by it if the reblogger engaged me in other ways too... say leaving a comment on the post they liked enough to reblog (other than the default notification), or any other post for that matter.

raincoaster on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

raincoaster — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:24:15 +0000

but reblogs, as stated above, are a completely ineffective way to draw traffic.

windwhistle on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

windwhistle — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:22:44 +0000

@raincoaster That's a nice sentiment from WP, but people who reblog are usually looking for an easy way to draw traffic and they won't get it if they mark their blogs private. If WP really feels that way, they should just make all reblogs private by default. Then rebloggers could have them for their own private enjoyment but couldn't use them to improve their readership.

raincoaster on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

raincoaster — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:05:45 +0000

staff used to say if your blog was nothing but a duplicate of a blog elsewhere, that it be set to private. seems logical that if blogs are only reblogs, they should be private as well.

hbs1991 on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

hbs1991 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:21:16 +0000

I am so glad for this forum topic, have wondered about these sites that basically steal your post, and re-post the whole thing, when I looked on the site it was just what you guys are talking about and wondered what benefit it is to the person owning the blog?
I am in favor of "requesting permission to re-blog" nothing worse than writing your post, publishing, then finding it on another blog, have courtesy to request permission, one once did I re-blog a great Rhubarb recipe but at least I wrote to the blogger and asked permission.
Thanks for starting this thread.

windwhistle on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

windwhistle — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:58:45 +0000

@jameskallway Excellent idea if WP can implement it. Like any legitimate quote that is included as part of a larger discussion, a reblog should be accompanied by commentary by the reblogger -- his thoughts about the reblog and why he thinks it's important or relevant, putting the reblog in some kind of context, or adding something to the discussion. That would help cut down on those people who fill their blog with reblogs without any apparent reason for reblogging the post in the first place.

However, it does not change the fact that the reblog function is ill-considered, enables rather than protects from scrapers and plagiarizers, takes too much written material, takes all the images without retaining their various credits and attached information, and fails to demonstrate or expedite the proper form of quotation and attribution. It is a disservice to WP bloggers who devote time and effort to creating original material for their blogs and instead aids in the taking of that material by others. Instead of being a tool for those bloggers who work to make WP.com the success it is, it punishes them by ensuring others can easily take their work and make it a prominent post on their own blog with the simply click of a button -- without limitation, without comment, without putting it in context or even explaining why it was taken.

teresasilverthorn on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

teresasilverthorn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:53:45 +0000

Hmm..I reblog some of my subscriber's posts - because they are excellent and I want to share them and give them a bigger audience.

I didn't realize that some people would think that I was wrong to do so.

Maybe I shouldn't reblog? I thought I was doing someone a favor?

absurdoldbird on "ban blogs that only reblog content"

absurdoldbird — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:31:25 +0000

I'm NOT against reblogs, I just want to make that clear. What I'm against is blogs that are set up just to show reblogged posts.

A reblog that is done with the original blogger's permission, is fine.

Never confuse reblogs with reposts - a repost is the whole post. A reblog is just part of the post.

However, I agree completely with windwhistle, above. When reblogging was brought in as a link in the reader pages, etc, my art site here that I now use as a website, was an actual art blog and I found - by reblogging one of my posts myself on another blog - that the essential details didn't transfer to the reblog. That, in my opinion, is wrong. All wrong.