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category archive listing Category Archives: Net Effects on Society

Google Adsense: DMCA policy

September 26, 2006 – 9:18 am

Following up on my earlier posts: It turns out that Google has a policy for its Adsense program regarding abuses that involve infringement of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They explain in detail how to file DMCA-related complaints.
Note that this is not a strictly online process. They require a written and signed complaint [...]

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Resources, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)

Shutting Down Sploggers via Google Adsense

September 25, 2006 – 1:48 pm

As I mentioned before, as far as I’m concerned, hunting down and shutting down individual splogs is a waste of energy — because a splogger can set up another (or dozens) of new sites quickly and easily for each one that gets shut down.

Many bloggers have been discussing this issue, with a deluge of often-heated comments in the wake of these posts.

Somewhere in that multilayered discussion, I saw someone mention what seems like a way to take constructive action against sploggers that’s more meaningful than shutting down a single splog. My apologies, I can’t recall who offered this suggestion.

Anyway, Google Adsense is the most common financial incentive program used by sploggers. I can’t remember seeing a single splog that didn’t carry Google ads. One Adsense account can support a multitude of splogs. Google ostensibly doesn’t approve of splogs, and apparently will cancel Adsense accounts for sploggers who abuse the program.

Therefore, when you find a splog, you can report it to Google and ask them to close the associated Adsense account.

Back on July 10, Quick Online Tips explained how to do that…

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Content Style & Business, Resources, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)

Why hunting sploggers is a waste of energy

September 22, 2006 – 3:49 pm

The 8th circle of hell: Future home of every splogger on earth.

Several popular bloggers, including Shel Israel, Allan Jenkins, and Jeremiah Owyang, lately have been voicing consternation over the last few days over what appears to be a large-scale, wholesale theft of their content by a splogger site: Bitacle.org. (No, I’m not linking to Bitacle, [...]

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Conversations, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (1)

How Movie Theaters Might Thrive in an On-Demand, Long Tail World

September 10, 2006 – 4:02 pm

Last night, my husband and I went out to the movies — something we rarely do, since we think movie tickets are drastically overpriced and prefer the convenience and selection of Netflix. However, every once in a while we still get the urge.
Since we were in the mood to mock, we went to see the [...]

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings | Comments (0)

Personal vs. Professional Blogging: A look back at my survey

July 29, 2006 – 6:09 pm

I’m sitting in a BlogHer 2006 session, Next Level Naked, and it’s really cool. If I get a chance, I’m going to mention the survey I did last year after the minor flap I found myself embroiled in following a disclosure I made during last year’s “Naked” panel.

Here’s the link: Survey: Online Personal/Professional Overlap

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Amy's Adventures | Comments (0)

Grapes of Wrath and Communications Technology

July 3, 2006 – 11:51 am

Lately I’ve been fascinated with learning about the Dust Bowl, thanks to Tim Egan’s excellent recent book “The Worst Hard Time.” This book inspired me to finally get around to reading John Steinbeck’s classic novel of High Plains refugees, “The Grapes of Wrath.”

One thing that struck me about Grapes of Wrath: I doubt that particular story could happen with today’s communication media, even that available to the poorest of the poor. Here’s what I mean…

By Amy Gahran | Comments (0)

Why You Should Link to Legislation

June 30, 2006 – 12:45 pm

(NOTE: I published a slightly different version of this article today in Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits.)

News organizations, bloggers, advocacy groups, think tanks, and others routinely cover the legislative process – especially about the real or potential effects of bills and laws. In most cases the full text of those bills and laws, and information about their status, are available online.

Why, then, is it so rare to see an online news story that links to the bill or law being covered? Or that at least cites the reference number so people can look up and follow the legislation on their own? It just seems odd to me that many organizations (especially news media) routinely cite the party and state/district of legislators, but omit brief citations and links to the products of their efforts on our behalf.

For example, today’s Washington Post includes this story: House Passes Bill Ending Ban On Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling. Nowhere does that story cite the specific bill number, let alone link to the bill text and info via the Library of
Congress’ Thomas online database. (For the record, the bill discussed in that story is H.R. 4761. There – see how easy and brief that was?)

Similarly, an AP story which ran today on Philly.com reports on the Penn. General Assembly: “School districts would have to conduct exit interviews with students who are dropping out or withdrawing from school, or who have accumulated more than 10 unexcused absences, under a bill passed by the House 164-28 and sent to the Senate.” Which bill? Hey, statehouse legislative info is online too! I found this bill: HB 1729.

Here’s why this common oversight bugs me so much…

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings | Comments (0)

Jay Rosen on \”The People Formerly Known as the Audience\”

June 29, 2006 – 2:00 pm

(NOTE: I’m cross-posting this from Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits weblog, which is read mainly by mainstream journalists. But I think Jeffrey Treem — noted below — is right: this topic deserves examination beyond newsrooms.)

On June 27, NYU professor Jay Rosen published a bluntly worded clarion call to mainstream media organizations: The People Formerly Known as the Audience

Here’s my favorite quote…

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Media Musings | Comments (0)

Corante\’s Comment Spam Problem

May 13, 2006 – 6:37 pm

Obviously some people over at Corante know a few things about doing blogs well. Why, then, is comment spam such a pervasive problem on Corante blogs?…

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (1)

Are \”target audiences\” a problem?

May 10, 2006 – 8:21 pm

Wow, I’m gratified that my recent Right Conversation post on strategic commenting attracted so much attention – including praise from the famous Apple-maven-turned-venture-capitalist Guy Kawaski!

I’ve been slamming on several client projects lately, but right now I’m going to take a few minutes to address some of the points raised in the rich comment thread that article spawned…

By Amy Gahran | Also posted in Content Style & Business, Conversations, Media Musings, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)