I just sent an email to peebs.net as follows:
Some time has elapsed since our previous discussion, such as it was. I am prompted to write again by a conversation I have just had with a brethren visitor about my blog.
As I told him, the reason my blog is not publicly accessible is not my concern for the brethren's feelings, it is purely that I cannot live with the degree of exposure it was getting before. I even offered to let this brother into the list of invitees, as I don't have anything to hide in it, and it looks like he may well take me up on the offer.
So, my question is whether you would consider altering your previously stated position of republishing anything you see fit, regardless of author feelings, and leave my blog alone if I removed the protection on it. The protection is a pain in many ways, not least because there are new friends who I would like to be able to see the journey I've been on, and it isn't fair to make them jump through hoops to do so. My writing has become more personal in the time since you made free with it, and I shan't risk the same happening again, but I'd love to let the blog out of its prison.
I've said before that my musings are my own attempt to make sense of the life I've experienced. Reproducing them in the context of your site turns them into an attack on the brethren. That isn't what I ever intended, and nor am I in a position to withstand the possible legal onslaught if I am perceived to be an attacker regardless of intent.
Each time I've been in contact before, I've come away feeling absolutely infuriated, so I suppose this is a triumph of hope over experience. Still, the ball is in your court.
I'll also post this in my blog, so my readers (a select group I very much value) know that I've been trying to make life easier for them.
"The Survivor"
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17 comments:
I only discovered today that my blog has been reproduced by peebs.net without any discussion with me.
Peebs net made a big point about one comment from someone, in reference to Bruce Hales.
"If you have nothing to hide, why are you (BDH) hiding?"
Seems that peebs net didn't quite get the point.
I have tried talking with them along similar lines to you -no success.
I hope they listen to you survivor but I know from experience that 'they' are deaf to appeals of this kind.
You automatically own the copyright of your own writings, and are legally entitled to say who may or may not reproduce it.
Anyone can legally reproduce minor parts of it for the purposes of research, debate, criticism, education, dissemination of news, and various other forms of fair use, but I think to reproduce a substantial proportion of it against your wishes would be viewed unfavourably by a court.
I think some legal precedents have indicated that reproducing proportions more than about 10 per cent could be deemed to exceed fair use, depending a bit on other factors, such as the total length of the writings, and whether you are being deprived of profits or other benefits as a result of the copying.
All told, the law seems a bit vague, and is also difficult and expensive to enforce.
Besides the law, of course, there is also the question of courtesy.
Also, I don't understand why they reprinted the contents of the blog when it was still open.
Giving the url was adequate.
If you get a reply from them and the last line is "Have a nice day" you are a marked man from now on!
I wonder if this is why extracts from the ministry books stopped?
I have had a response, and it finished "good luck", if anyone wants to interpret that. The main sticking point is that it seems to be very difficult to understand why I should want to be public, yet not to have big signposts pointing towards me. We shall see whether I have managed to explain adequately.
I was aware of the copyright situation, and I changed the heading of the blog to show I was aware of it rather than for legal effect. If the deep pockets of the brethren haven't succeeded in getting anywhere with the site concerned, though, a moneyless individual like me hasn't a hope of forcing the issue. I can only appeal to decency and good manners.
Here's the exchange.
"We're not sure what you're asking? We think you're saying "Please don't draw
attention to my Blog even if I start to make it publicly available".
... you're on the Internet - the largest most wonderfully chaotic and
information-filled communications network the world has ever known. If you
publish (= make available) any item of information that relates to the EB,
either we will find it or a Peebs.Net member will submit it or a member of
the public will tell us through our News Desk or a rabid Blogger will find
you or ... there are a billion+ people you should be writing to!
We would recommend you stay exactly as you are right now. There is no
magical way to prevent you from being found unless you invest in your own
domain/web site and deny robots access to your site. Blogspot has some
information on attempting this but frankly we wonder if it truly is worth
the effort.
An alternative might be to have two blogs? One is public and the other is
as you currently have it. In this way you can draw attention to yourself and
yet also restrict access. Although we do not understand why you chose to use
the public internet for something you don't wish to publicly share, there
are ways to protect the information. Blogspot allows a private diary, an
invitation-only audience or ... the world. There really is no 4th option.
Blogs are designed to spread words across the Internet - you have chosen the
perfect environment to do just that. We totally understand the 'exposure'
you mention - it is what a Blog is designed to do. Peebs.Net thrives on it.
If are sent anything of potential interest relating to the EB, we archive it
by placing it into our database. We have always done so and it is our job.
We agree that some of your material is not of great interest to the general
public, but there is no way we will agree to not use any item of publicly
available EB-related information we find on the Internet.
We will agree to not personally highlight material gleaned from personal
visits to your website should you decide to 'open your gates', but if we
find anything via Google, Yahoo, Tecnorati, our range of
Web/Information/Blog feeds or from any 3rd party that quotes anything of
interest from your site, we reserve the right to do so. As we said, this is
the Internet and we are in the business of accruing and storing information.
You need to decide whether your 'musings' are a private diary or a public
journal. You have already chosen the ideal option in our opinion to maintain
a select group of visitors. The requirement to create a Google Account is
not really a problem as the login screen offers a 'remember' facility.
As for your fear of a 'legal onslaught' - we think you can probably rest
easy! If you have named names and/or have defamed anyone and go public -
then sure, you might get a legal letter or two - but they have to find you
first. As long as you stay with your select group, take care with your use
of email address and how you sign your communications, you will almost
certainly fly under their radar. The moment you go public however, the issue
comes down to content.
If you continue to find our response 'infuriating' we are sorry - although
hopefully we have given you some ideas as how to maintain your selected
audience and yet avoid being found.
Good luck,
The Peebs.Net Team"
"Thanks for the response.
Just to be clear, the brethren already know the blog is mine. I covered my tracks just enough to be sure there would be time for it to get off the ground, and no more. I wanted the confrontation, as I despaired of getting my thoughts across any other way. For some reason anything I do gets swept under their capacious carpet.
Nor do I object to publicity. I have a personal website that is openly available, and will pop up if you google my name. I'm not hiding. My blog is not a private diary because I find I need to imagine readers to be able to write. I like to think of people reading it.
But as I expect you can imagine, the peebs.net site is public enemy number one for the brethren management. The subtle details of how and why things appear on the site will completely pass these people by, and I will (I assure you) suffer for the inclusion if it happens. It is your site in particular that is the problem, not assorted other people who may come across my writings by other means. A signpost from your site, especially an approving one or one that gives the impression that it's with my blessing, instantly brands me as the highest grade of troublemaker. Life is difficult enough without that.
I think you are saying that you are willing to refrain from drawing direct attention to my blog, but reserving the right to include elements that have already been picked up elsewhere, or link to them. Is that correct? Because if so, that's all I'm asking. I've been using the internet long enough (and coding my own pages, come to that) not to ask the impossible, only an avoidance of being touched by the peebs.net "brand".
You have chosen full publicity protected by anonymity for your mission. I have chosen a figleaf of privacy such that anyone who wishes can find out who I am, because my aim is more personal and I think it would be dishonest to hide, and in consequence I can't afford the direct connection.
Perhaps you could clarify your thoughts in the light of that?"
"We don't wish to extend this convo unnecessarily - and we're sure
you have better things to do.
We're glad you made the statement: "For some reason anything I do
gets swept under their capacious carpet." We believe that when you
find the answer to that, you will know a great deal more about
yourself!
We're not so interested in your 'mission' or how you choose to
conduct it as we are in your philosophy, psychology and attitudes.
At the end of the day ... there is very little of value in your
writings as far as we are concerned - althought they are of great
interest to the small very professionally qualified group that
attend you.
As we very clearly stated, we will not personally visit and copy
chunks from your blog just because it is there. But we will report
anything of interest that quotes your blog. Just so you understand
- if Google Blog Search finds you, we can report; if Joe Blow sends
us something interesting, we will report; if we come across another
Blog that quotes an interesting snippet from your blog, we will
report. But we will not report without nominating and including
the third party. So - if you manage to keep yourself real quiet on
the Internet, we might never be able to quote anything you say!
Oh ... but we should mention that if you attack Peebs.Net, this
agreement is immediately null and void! :-) Before going public,
carefully scan all your pages - one negative comment from you and
your entire Blog will be mirrored. That applies only to your
commentary - we are not interested in your Blog visitors.
Sounds cool to us! A new era!
Good luck,
The Peebs.Net Team"
It would be interesting to learn of any communication "escapee" has had too.
If any.
Well that last bit sounds like a threat - do as we say or we will punish you. Are we sure peebs.net are ... oh no I had better not say anything or you will get it in the neck!!
Oh not it doesn't apply to me a blog visitor - ok then - "are we sure peebs.net really have left the EBs? they sound like them sometimes"
You said you were going to try to appeal to peebs.net's "decency and good manners". Gmmmmmphhhffft.
Quite often with this individual (identifiable by tone, IMO) those two qualities seem to go awol... particularly once he feels he's got his teeth into a 'virtual' confrontation. Sad.
I have had no communication with peebs.net
I am not a member of peebs.net and do not have an entry in their guest book.
Forget PN! There are other ways to extend the readership and its "community interaction" without going completely public at this point.
Would it be OK for each of your present group to extend invitations to a few others as a starter? With the understanding that the postings are not to be disseminated beyond the recipient. For now.
I had considered whether to post the remainder of the correspondence, but it really isn't very edifying. I'm not sure whether I'm more baffled than hurt, or vice versa.
The only charitable thing I can conclude is that I've stumbled into something sensitive that's going on and accidentally hit a raw nerve or appear involved in whatever it may be. I don't like to think there's no reason at all for the attitude.
In wanting to go public, I wasn't so much seeking extra readers as wishing it was easier to access for people I mention it to in passing when I meet them. There's a difference between saying to someone "rather than talk about my weird background now, you can read my blog", and saying "you can read my blog, but you'll have to watch for an invitation and then register and log in ..." etc etc.
However, if anyone knows of people who'd like to read it, then feel free. I doubt it's of hugely wide interest, but I'm not trying to hide it away.
For me, it is no great hardship to log-in every time I visit.
I think I understand what you were hoping for. The ideal would have been for it to be readily available for reading by any curious person seeking information - but it seems that for now it means working around an unfortunate situation.
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