Monday, July 1, 2013

If You Can Read This....I Still Have A Blog

A couple weeks ago I found an email in my spam file from Blogger. I read it quickly and didn't give it much thought. It sort of said something about taking down blogs what had links to porn sites. I think.

Then I got on Facebook and saw many others were concerned. I looked at my blog and the only thing that I think would qualify as monetizing my blog are the links to my books since I am also enrolled in Amazon Associates. That means that if you click on one of my books and either buy that book or buy something else on Amazon I get a few cents.

I was bugged about Blogger saying I couldn't do that since I don't think that my books are porn. I also don't think that if you also buy a box of diapers or a frying pan while you're on Amazon and I get fifty cents that I am somehow doing something wrong.

I don't much care for being told what to do.

On the other hand, Blogger is a free service and they can set their own rules.

Plus, my monthly earnings from Amazon Associates is usually about $2, hardly worth getting worked up over.

So, I made a couple changes. My books are still available and I hope you'll click on the covers and go buy them. But, if you also buy a couple other books or a pair of shoes, no kick back for me. Frankly, I can probably make as much picking up loose change in a parking lot.

Should I stand up against censorship? Yes. Is what Blogger is doing (or threatening to do) censorship? I don't necessarily think so. Blogger is a privately owned for profit enterprise. I can choose to participate or not. At this point, I am not planning to go anywhere, more because I am too lazy to bother, but also because I don't think it will affect me.

FYI---in case anyone is wondering. This is not a free speech issue. Freedom of speech has to do with government actions, not the actions of private enterprise.

So, if you can read this, I'm still here. If you can't... well...

14 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I received the same email and yesterday removed all of my links. I did not want to wake up with no blog. But, I worried about my friends with blogs with links to their books. I am glad you are still here on Blogger.

    Hug,
    joey

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    1. Joey---it was actually a comment you made somewhere that made me a little less annoyed about the whole thing. I think you basically said "they can set the rules and we can choose to follow them."

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  2. A well-reasoned post. Glad I can still read your blog.

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    1. Thanks Cara. Now I'll have to post some stuff that's worth being here for.

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  3. I'm glad to be able to read this this morning! I don't think I got the notice, if I did, I ignored it. It did scare me thought and in case my blogs disappeared at midnight I was frantically saving material. Good luck in your change hunting endeavors.

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    1. It is sort of like coming out of your house after a big storm and looking around to see if your neighbors are okay.

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  4. I'm glad you are still here too. I don't think I received a notice but then if I did I probably thought it was spam and just ignored it. Hope they are just being full of hot air.

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    1. I haven't heard of any blogs being removed, so we'll see what happens.

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  5. My blog is just like yours, Celeste, and I made it too. Nothing happened. I too am an Amazon affiliate and my book covers link to the Amazon store. I had decided that if this was "monetizing porn" and I got nuked, I'd just rebuild somewhere else. But, here I am and here you are and it's all good.

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    1. I'm glad we both survived. For once, I didn't panic. LOL

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  6. Well I am still around too. Crazy world we live in. The stuff blogger could worry about it doesn't...

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    1. Good point. It's sort of like "If I'm the kind of blog you're worried about...wow, you need to get a life." Glad you're still in the blogosphere, Minelle!

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  7. Glad you're still here, Celeste! You know, I never got that email from Blogger, and I'm wondering if it's because I slipped through the cracks since I'm naughty and didn't label my blog as having adult content. If you go to my blog, there's no warning you have to click to get through to the front page. I took it down because it annoyed me LOL. Hopefully this Blogger issue doesn't affect any more authors.

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