Disturbing Confusion.
I would like to know if anyone can explain this for me. It is a blog that I don't have control of, yet it looks identical to mine, features posts previously written by me, has a link to my profile, and my counter, but has different links, a strange search box at the bottom, and none of the layout changes I've made.
I feel violated.
posted by Casyn the librarian
9/08/2004 06:51:00 pm
7 viewers interjected with:
It's as though your blog replicated itself soon after your Garth Nix post, and the copy got frozen in time....time for a cry for Blogger Help?
9/9/04 5:04 pm
I have cried (for help) and Blogger sent me a lovely email explaining why I couldn't post last night. So methinks they didn't read. It's not like the subject of my email wasn't self explanatory:
There is another blog that I don't control that is virtually identical to mine.I will resend...
9/9/04 5:36 pm
That's rather creepy. :-/ How did you come across it? What if we all have evil blogger clones?! ARGH!
I hope that blogger take the time to actually read your enquiry properly and sort this out for you.
9/9/04 6:49 pm
I still get creeped out by it. I've been back to it in the hope that it has disappeared, but it keeps staring me in the face.
I discovered it in my referred sites list in my counter. cause it was my address, but not. So I investigated. It would be rather scary if there was a clone of each blog. Somehow I think it would be a serious issue then, and perhaps my email wouldn't be dismissed so quickly. I'll post what I find out.
9/9/04 11:12 pm
Blogger support seems to be targeted at technical support so if I were you I would head on up the chain to google.
Google privacy policy ... I would email them here to report that someone is using their service to impersonate you. While they don't specifically mention this in their policy they ought to share your concerns. Definitely worth asking.
http://www.google.com/privacy.htmlYou could also try following through as a copyright infringement, though they say they want complaints in writing (not email).
Google policy on Digital Millennium Copyright Act:
http://www.google.com/dmca.htmlOr you could also change your blog design so the sites don't match. Maybe do a custom design so it is harder to copy ... the web being such an open medium though it's not much protection. You shouldn't need to do anything though, you should be able to use the service without this kind of nonsense ruining it >:/
10/9/04 11:40 pm
I realise this is pretty unlikely, but perhaps whoever the culprit is decided they liked your layout and copied the html of the page so they could easily get a similar layout. Your posts (and everything else) just 'happened' to come along with it.
But it wouldn't explain 'slayyer library'.
Or why this person wants a blog if they just want to link to other sites and don't want to write anything original.
11/9/04 12:17 am
I received a reply from Blogger again today and they basically said they don't control content and can't do anything so I should try contacting the person who runs the blog. They may have missed where I mentioned the blog states me as the author.
Ben, thankyou much for the tips, I will get onto that and see what results I get. I said this afternoon that seeing this carbon copy makes me feel very uncomfortable about mine remaining the same. Now I need to spend the time designing a new one. First stop, inspiration.
I wish I hadn't discovered this anomaly. It's just raised a large number of questions I feel I'd be happy not to have to ask.
Draic's theory that the blog is direct source copy makes a strange amount of sense. Yet the same question of why is raised.
11/9/04 1:11 am
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