Living In The Light

Ever since this whole blog photo stealing mess started on Tuesday, I have been a wreck.

I am so mad and upset and downright angry that one person could steal four years' worth of work from me. I have been doing my other blog for four years in March. It makes me so mad that I would have to quit blogging about my family (which is my life's work) just because of one random weirdo.

If you're just hearing now about this, here is the short story of what happened:

On Tuesday, I was contacted by someone whose child's photos were stolen and posted on a blog. She told me that photos of my eldest daughter had been taken off my blog and that the fake blogger was calling her by the name "Courtney." She was passing my baby off as her own child.

I immediately left messages on the blog telling the person to take the my photos down. I contacted Blogger immediately (Tuesday night). I contacted Blogger again on Wednesday, but so far they have not responded. Yesterday (Thursday), the fake blogger took her blog "private"- so she can invite whoever she wants to read the blog (up to 100 people) and I have no way to know what she is doing with my photos.

I am working with an IP Attorney to go after the blogger who stole my photos. I have also enabled right-click protection on my family blog (so you can't right-click and take my photos). Also, my flikr account is now protected for all new uploads.

The police were contacted regarding the incident, as well.

The whole thing has made me so sick and I have been going out of my mind with worry. Obviously.

My original impulse was to take my family blog private. But when I woke up yesterday morning, my email inbox was flooded with requests to be added to the private reader list (the blog can have up to 100 private readers).

I added 100 people, but so far, the requests have just been a little overwhelming, and I have to say no. It sucks, basically.

So, I am not sure what I am going to do.

I don't know how the big bloggers protect themselves. There are obviously lots of "mom blogs" with HUGE followings. How do they handle these types of situations? It must happen to them, too.

I know some don't use their real names on their blogs, and they don't disclose where they live. I always thought that was pretty cheesy, and like "who do they think they are?" Same with watermarking photos. But now I get it.

I think the best thing for me to do is start blogging in a more anonymous, protected fashion.

I realized after I set up the Skinny Tuesday blog yesterday that I don't want to blog just about my weightloss. I want to blog about MY LIFE. And I am not going to let one weirdo ruin that.

So, I am moving. Please follow me here.