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How are my reblogged posts being edited?

  1. hmcleary
    Member

    Hoping someone can help. I thought it wasn't possible to re-edit reblogs, ie:

    http://en.support.wordpress.com/reblogs/#can-i-edit-a-post-ive-reblogged

    However, someone who is reblogging most of work seems to be able to edit my posts.

    I am a (very) amateur photographer and am unhappy about my images turning up on this site almost every day. I contacted the owner of the site about it, but got no reply.

    I tried the suggestion of putting a single pixel image at the start of my posts so that would be the main image in the reblog, rather than one of my own photos.

    It worked when I checked the reblog, but then s/he appeared to edit it and remove the single pixel image, so my photo is the main image again.

    How is that possible?

    This isn't a question about reblogging, and whether it's good or bad (bad!), I'm just curious about how this editing was done when that link says "you cannot edit any parts of the original post excerpt".

    PS Forgive me for not linking to my site or the other, I'd prefer not to name them here.

  2. supportbot
    Support Bot

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  3. timethief
    Member

    This is an issue for Staff to address and I have flagged this thread for Staff attention.

  4. hmcleary
    Member

    Appreciated, thank you.

  5. timethief
    Member

    You're welcome.

  6. raincoaster
    Member

    I would recommend laying a DMCA on someone who edited the contents of a reblog to make it seem as if you'd said something you hadn't.

    You are never obliged to submit to being reblogged http://automattic.com/dmca/

  7. hmcleary
    Member

    Thank

  8. hmcleary
    Member

    Thank you for replying Raincoaster. I should say the reblogs don't alter any text of mine, they're only edited to ensure my main image shows up in their reblog - I still don't understand how that's possible.

    I'd love not to be "obliged to submit to being reblogged", but it seems like WordPress gives us no choice.

    I think there should, at least, be a limit to how many times one blog can reblog another in, say, a week, otherwise it just becomes like a mirror site of the original, which surely shouldn't be what reblogging is all about.

    And if you request that another blogger stop reblogging all your work, surely that request should be respected?

    Thank you for the DMCA advice, if this continues I'll definitely consider it.

    Appreciate your help.

  9. thegiddygoat
    Member

    They may not actually be editing your image (i'm don't think that's even possible with re-blogging). It doesn't matter how small you add your image in your post, because in the Reader it is huge, and if they are re-blogging from the Reader maybe that's why they are getting the larger image. that's just a suggestion, and by no means a fact.

  10. hmcleary
    Member

    Thanks thegiddygoat. Sorry about that, I don't think I made it clear in my original post: the one pixel image I included at the start of the reblogged post was blank, it wasn't one of my photos. That blank image initially showed up as the main image in the reblog but, somehow, the reblogger was able to remove it so that my photo then became the main image - I hope that makes sense!

    Thank you for the reply.

  11. raincoaster
    Member

    You don't understand the full meaning of what I said. Perhaps I was not clear.

    REGARDLESS of what WordPress.com enables in their software, you are never required to allow reblogging. You are fully entitled to contact that blogger and demand that they take down your images. Follow the DMCA procedure and if you cannot find contact information for that blogger, send it to support at wordpress dot com and they will be forced to take action.

  12. hmcleary
    Member

    Thanks for coming back to me Raincoaster.

    As I mentioned, I have contacted the blogger in question, through their own site, but got no reply. It's now at the point where s/he is reblogging every one of my image posts, not just most of them. I've given up trying the blank one pixel image trick because they were able to edit that earlier post - I would still love for someone to explain how that is possible when WP implied that it isn't. It says 'reblogged' at the top of their post, so it's not that just copied my photo in to one of their own posts.

    I'll admit to being a little intimidated by the DMCA procedure, I've never gone down such a legal path in my life and am reluctant to do so over something that really should be pleasureable, ie amateur photography blogging.

    I understand completely that once you put anything on the internet that it's there to be taken by anyone, that's the risk, I just find it upsetting when I get a notification almost immediately after all my posts that this person has reblogged me - it feels like everything I do on my blog is being copied by him/her with WordPress's permission. I kind of feel targetted and bullied, if that doesn't sound silly!

    Thank you again for your advice. Blogging has been spoiled for me by this experience, I just wish WordPress would be more sympathetic to people having this experience.

  13. raincoaster
    Member

    All you have to do is fill out a form and email it to support at wordpress dot com. Here is the form, and it takes less than five minutes to fill out: http://labnol.blogspot.ca/2007/09/dmca-notice-of-copyright-infringement.html

    If you don't want to do that, you can simply go to that blog and on your grey Admin bar, use Report As Spam and then say your piece in the little box that pops up, including a link to this thread. Say you are asserting your copyright and you want all of your pictures removed. They have no legal choice but to make that happen once you do that.

  14. hmcleary
    Member

    Thank you Raincoaster, I will try 'report as spam'. But could they not just argue that they were using the reblogging feature made available to them by WordPress?

  15. raincoaster
    Member

    That is entirely true, and I'm sure they will do that, but it is IRRELEVANT. That's like saying "well, Microsoft made it possible for me to copy/paste your book and change the author to me". It has no standing whatsoever.

  16. raincoaster
    Member

    Trust me. I've been at WordPress.com longer than most of the staff. I really do know what I'm talking about here. I've dealt with photographers and the major sites like Getty.

  17. auxclass
    Member

    Thanks for the link @raincoaster -

    Would it help if the OP tightened up their Terms of use / copyright to say no copying at all - not even the "fair use" excerpt with the implied link to the original article

  18. raincoaster
    Member

    If they say "Fair Use" then what they're doing is inviting people to drag them into court for years.

    Court proceedings have consistently found that "fair use" extends to journalistic organizations using photos of true news value and otherwise to thumbnails of 120px wide. Otherwise, it's just up for grabs, whoever has the best lawyer can win the case.

  19. raincoaster
    Member

    But I do think any court would look askance at someone who was reblogging EVERY copyrighted work from a single blog.

    I do wish staff would suspend blogs which are JUST reblog blogs. It's not fucking Tumblr.

  20. timethief
    Member

    I do wish staff would suspend blogs which are JUST reblog blogs. It's not f------ Tumblr.

    Seconded!

  21. hmcleary
    Member

    Thank you Raincoaster and Auxclass. I have no idea if it's purely a coincidence, but I used the 'report as spam' option last night and since then the blogger in question hasn't reblogged any of my posts (four), having reblogged them all recently.

    I might be speaking far too soon - I probably am - but I'd love to think WordPress told him/her to stop. I should add, s/he has copied two of my photos in to supposedly 'original' posts today, which I know I could challenge them on legally, but all I really want to is to not be reblogged by this person any more. Just seeing my blog's name on their 'reblog' makes me feel ill.

    As I said before, I know once you put photos on the internet they're there to be taken, I accept that, I just don't want to be reblogged because it makes it look like I actually approve of such theft.

    Thank you again for all your advice and help, greatly appreciated.

  22. raincoaster
    Member

    I think that person has probably either seen this thread or got a little discussion from staff.

    We have NEVER said "once you put photos on the internet they're there to be taken" nor would we. We have said you can't prevent theft, but we have also repeatedly said you do not have to tolerate it. I would report them again. And again. Every single time. And then I would blog about it and put the link to that post on Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.

  23. hmcleary
    Member

    Thanks Raincoaster. It looks like I spoke too soon after all - s/he's reblogging me again, my last four posts.

    I need to decide whether just to give up or fight back like you suggest, I'm not sure I could be bothered, it's completely ruined my blogging experience. I simply cannot understand why WordPress won't let people opt out of reblogging, it's desperately unfair.

    Many thanks again for all your advice.

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