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Too Many Things Today – Prevent Content Theft
I don’t know where to start today because there are just too many things bugging me. This is what’s bugging me today!
Now, I normally tell you what’s bugging me and why and then try to offer my solution. Today I’m not sure what the solution is and I don’t want to go into details now. But I do suggest that you read the following and take the necessary steps to protect the content on your blogs if you haven’t already done so.
Instead of just giving you the link to the page at WordPress.com, I’ve chosen to include it in my post because I know that many won’t click-through but if it’s here you will at least give the list a scan.
Let’s just say this is part of what’s bugging me today and why I have finally added my copyright to the blog and Copyscape.
I’m suggesting that you think about this and consider doing the same.
Prevent Content Theft « Support — WordPress.com.
TOS & Copyright
Prevent Content Theft
Related
There are several steps that you can take in order to prevent your material from being used in an unauthorized manner. Keep in mind, however, that there is no way to fully guarantee the complete protection of your work (after all, this is the internet).
If your content is found to be stolen, please review the necessary steps to file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notice:
1) Include a very clear copyright notice on your blog. In this, be sure to specify what you will allow and will NOT allow. Here is an example of a valid copyright notice that may be placed on your blog:
© [Full Name] and [Blog Name], [Current Year or Year Range]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Your Name] and [Your Blog Name] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Place the copyright notice in your sidebar so that it may be visible at all times; this can be accomplished using a text widget from Appearance -> Widgets in the menu. Moreover, be sure to include a copyright note in each and every one of your blog posts (either at the beginning or end of the article).
Your wording of the copyright notice should differ, depending on the type of blog you currently maintain. The aforementioned example notice is most appropriate for your standard blog. If you have a photo blog (or blog that is highly focused on some sort of document type), you may want to modify the language accordingly.
2) Obtain an appropriate Creative Commons License, according to how much you are willing to share. You can, similar to the first option mentioned above, designate precisely what you will and will not allow regarding your personal work and obtain an official license according to these guidelines. Free licenses may be obtained here. Even if you decide to obtain and use a Creative Commons License, it is recommended that you still include a copyright notice, as illustrated in the first point within this article.
3) Configure your RSS feed so that it displays post summaries. This will add an extra layer of protection against scrapers using RSS feeds to illegally obtain their content. You can set this option from the Reading Settings.
4) Search for your content using Google. This is fairly easy to do; simply take chunks of your blog posts, and search for the identical contents on Google and/or other search engines (enclosing the contents in quotations helps). Otherwise, you may never know if your content is being stolen or scraped; bloggers are not always aware of unauthorized use that is taking place. If you do, in fact, discover that your content is being stolen, you may take the necessary steps to file a formal DMCA notice.
5) Set up a Google Alert to scan for your name or blog name/title. You can set up a custom Google Alert here – http://www.google.com/alerts. Note that you do need a Google account.
6) Use Copyscape. You can use the service’s search feature to check for unauthorized copies of your pages and even include a free banner on your blog. There are also even paid services, including automatic web monitoring.
7) Protect your images and other documents, as well. Although you are not able to completely prevent the copying of your images and documents, it is highly recommended that you place a watermark on them in or order to thwart any unauthorized use. Normally, this can be accomplished within the files’ respective editing programs (Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, etc.). Run some Google searches or check out the documentation of your particular software package for more information on this. There are also several third-party applications that allow you to add watermarks to images.
8) Get some more information and even report sites over at http://stolen.wordpress.com
This is what’s bugging me today!!
Trying real hard to keep the smile on my face.
Quote for today
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller
Related Articles
- or not – Optimism – Keeping A Positive Attitude
- Winners and Losers
- or not – Looking For PEARLS To Surround Me
- Missing My Blogging Buddies
- or not – PostADay2011 Challenge – The Optimist Creed
- Combating Copyright Infringement: DMCA Take Down Notices (ipwatchdog.com)
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Feeling Too Sick To Do Anything
I haven’t been feeling too good this week and I’m pretty sure I know why. It does look like I’m lactose intolerant. This is what’s bugging me today!
Back in December I wasn’t feeling too good and didn’t know why but I had a feeling it might be the milk. I finished what I had and didn’t bother to pick up some fresh milk. Over the next few days I started feeling better and decided to stay off the milk for a few weeks. The terrible cramps, gas, bloating, nausea, diarrhea and extreme pain disappeared.
Now I needed to make sure of this, so this past weekend I picked up a litre of milk and had been drinking small amounts just in my coffee. And Monday I used about 2 oz of milk in a meal I prepared. At first I didn’t even like the taste of milk in my coffee. In just 5 short weeks I got used to drinking my coffee with just sugar.
Monday evening I started feeling a little discomfort but it wasn’t too bad. Tuesday the pain got worse and by Wednesday morning I was in absolute agony. No amount of pain killers could ease the pain. I spent most of yesterday sleeping with a heating pad on my stomach since that seems to ease the pain somewhat. I think I’ve slept more over the past 24 hours than I’ve been awake.
But this morning, most of the pain is gone and I haven’t needed to take anything for it. It’s still uncomfortable but I’m trying to make sure that I don’t overdo it with the pain relief.
I’ve done some checking and to be properly tested for lactose intolerance I would have to drink a liquid that is high in lactose. After the pain I’ve been through and my own little experiment I will settle for that and skip the test for now. At this point, just the thought of experiencing that pain again has turned me off milk.
I know there are products available for those finding themselves lactose intolerant, but from what I’ve managed to read they don’t always agree with everyone. The side effects are sometimes worse than actually drinking the milk.
With my Crohn’s and COPD I am not willing to try anything new right now and have made the decision to just not drink milk. I would like to be pain-free for a while.
This is what’s bugging me today!
Quote for today
One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick.
Rabbi Harold Kushner
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Recommended Reading
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
My 5 of the 50 Most Annoying Things About the Internet
I took too much personal time this weekend & yesterday and I didn’t have a post ready for today. This is what’s bugging me today!
But luckily I came across this and decided to take advantage of the Press This feature.
50 most annoying things about the internet – Telegraph.
Here are five that I like.
3) Messages alerting you to messages
Email inboxes are becoming clogged with non-urgent alerts from Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites. How long before someone invents an app to alert Twitter and Facebook users when they receive an email, creating a never-ending spiral of needless messages?
The following one really hit the spot with me.
4) CAPTCHAs
Only the internet asks its users to prove that they are human. CAPTCHAs, the word recognition puzzles designed to prevent robots from accessing protected websites, may be a necessary evil but even their inventor has said that he regrets their drain on human time. Assuming that each one takes ten seconds to solve, it has been estimated that we waste 150,000 hours a day squinting at distorted letters. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that CAPTCHAs are getting harder, with some effectively indecipherable.
I’m new to Twitter and still haven’t figured everything out. Need to read Twitter101.
5) Social media gurus
Knowing how to tweet should not be a career in itself.
The Internet is definitely staying out of my bed.
How many of you take the Internet to bed with you?
9) The bedroom invasion
First it was in the living room, then the bedroom and now – thanks to wi-fi and laptops – the internet is in your bed.
I was thinking of a blogger when I read this one.
15) It’s always on
If we all agreed to shut down the internet for a few hours a week – perhaps on Sunday evenings – long-suffering parents and grand-parents might get a few more phone calls.
This is what’s bugging me today!
Quote for today
Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to life.
Adele Brookman
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© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Housekeeping Is Easier This Week
Housekeeping sure is getting easier, but there are still plenty of things to do to keep the blog fresh. I don’t know about you but I am spending a lot of time trying to find free images to use on my blog. This is what’s bugging me today!
With everything else I need to do this weekend, this will be my only blog housekeeping chore this week. Because I also want to find some new sites to use, this is going to take some time.
There are still other things I want to do and check out, but there are only so many hours in the day and I’m in no rush. I’m ready for some personal and family time this weekend.
The image sites I’m using now are:
I’ll be sure to let you know what other sites I find some time this week. If anybody has found other good sites for free images, I would love to know what they are.
There are also some other free online tools that I’ll be checking out over the next few days and I will let you know about those too. One of them is probably going to end up as one of next weekend’s housekeeping chores.
Welcome to the newest addition to the Blogging Buddies, postadaychallenge2011 who unfortunately had her last blog hacked. Please stop by her blog and say hello.
One of last week’s new blogging buddies, 1961Girl was Freshly Pressed this week and I think she speaks for a lot of the new bloggers who have taken up the WordPress PostADay2011 Challenge.
And if some of you missed it, I added the Links page to my blog this week.
- Have you backed up your blog yet?
- Do you have the four principal pages every blog needs?
- Have you written your About Me page?
- Are you interlinking your posts?
Check out the related articles below.
Housekeeping chores – this is what’s bugging me today!
Quote for today
Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
John Wooden
Related Articles
- Housekeeping Again!!
- Housekeeping ‘IS’ a Chore
- Housekeeping Can Be A Chore
- Unfinished Housekeeping Chores
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Missing My Blogging Buddies
First I want to say that I’m so sorry that I haven’t been able to visit my blogging buddies over the past few days. Losing the Internet can do that to you. This is what’s bugging me today!
But I’m back in full force now. My Internet is back, I’m putting some time management into place and I can’t and won’t let it fall apart now that I have my Internet back.
I’m going to set priorities of everything I need to do. Both at home, in my personal life and on the blog. One very important thing I need to make sure of, is that I visit my blogging buddies over the weekend.
Piglet In Portgual was worried about me, leaving several comments and sending an email.
1961 Girl said that she and PiP were ready to send out a search party.
Barb19 was worried about me and here I was with no Internet and worried about her and the cyclone that hit Australia this week.
This is such a caring and wonderful community that’s been created here and we’ve become so much a part of each other’s lives.
I love this crazy blogging life!
Now there is nothing bugging me today!
Quote for today
I get by with a little help from my friends.
John Lennon
Related Articles
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Losing the Internet
The other day I lost my Internet connection. This is what’s bugging me today!
While it was annoying I did manage to get a few things done.
It gave me the time to sit down and think about how I was going to start managing my time better. Since there seem to be so many others in the same predicament as me, this is what I came up with.
Write Things Down
I need to use one tool to track all the tasks I need to do. While I still plan on using the reminderfox tool, I will also write things down on paper.
Daily Planning
Every evening I plan to sit down and write my to-do list for the next 24 hours. I’m going to break this list down into two parts. What needs to get done and what I would l like to do.
Prioritize
Once I have my lists written, the next step is to go through them and prioritize them. Writing #1 beside the most important task and continuing through the entire list. Then I will tackle them according to importance. Not everything might get done but the most important ones will.
By working smarter instead of harder, I will get more done in less time.
Controlling Procrastination
I don’t know about you, but I tend to put off the big jobs which can result in more pain than it’s worth. The best way to tackle the big jobs is to break them down into bite-sized pieces that are more manageable. I’m working on this!
I may have lost Internet access and missed chatting with all my buddies but I gained the insight I needed to grab control of this crazy blogging life I’ve thrown myself into. I do love it so!
This should help in maintaining some balance in other areas of my life.
- Health
- Family
- Financial
- Intellectual
- Social
- Professional
- Spiritual
While losing the Internet was a royal pain, I did reap some benefit from it. Have a few more things to do but as soon as they’re done I will be visiting my blogging buddies to see what I’ve missed.
Now there is nothing bugging me today!
Quote for today
Forget past mistakes.
Forget failures.
Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.
William Durant
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© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Not Having Enough Time
There isn’t enough time in the day to do everything I want and need to do. This is what’s bugging me today!
I woke up early this morning from a very long sleep (9 hours), it was only supposed to be a short nap. I guess my body needed it, but I have so much to do. Like so many others this past month, this blog has taken over my life.
Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy writing so much and have so many of you come by and want to read it. I’m trying to deal with all this and don’t want to disappoint that I’m spending far too much time on this blog and not enough on everyday tasks and chores that need to get done.
Oh, I’m going to continue my daily blogging because I’m enjoying it too much to stop now! I just need to get a grip and begin using some of my time management skills again and prioritize my tasks.
I used to be organized with daily and weekly to-do lists, but somewhere along the line I stopped keeping my lists and that’s when things got out of hand. I’m not saying I’m old, but I guess some forgetfulness comes with age along with not being able to keep a normal sleep schedule.
I am thrilled with the set of challenges each day brings.
Challenges are the unexpected plunges in the rollercoaster of life.
Life Success Zone
My blog postings have been getting later and later and I need to put a stop to that.
I am using Reminderfox for blogging tasks but I need to write my lists of everything else I need to do. Only then can I start to manage my time better. I just might have to start some of my blog Housekeeping a little early.
This is my challenge for today. What challenges are you facing today?
This is what’s bugging me today!
Quote for today
Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.
John Randolph
Related Articles
p.s. New page for Links is up today.
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Negative Attitudes
Positivity vs Negativity
Just the other day Piglet in Portugal left a comment about people with a negative attitude on Winners and Losers. I find people who are consistently negative somewhat annoying. This is what’s bugging me today.
It’s not the people like me who talk or rant about things and let you know up front that is what they’re doing. I’m talking about the ones where it doesn’t matter what you say they always have something negative to say. It could be as simple as when you’re talking about the weather. When you say ‘It’s nice and hot today’ they would reply with ‘It’s too humid today’.
As it happens, the very same day a friend posted an article Creating a Positive Winning Attitude on his website.
In it he talks about the challenges we all face in our daily lives and how we choose to view and deal with them.
Your attitude can make or break you. It’s virtually indisputable that your attitude determines how far you’ll go in life and a positive mental outlook can help you achieve optimal success.
Having a positive mental attitude helps you cope with challenges. When you’re put to the test, you’re more likely to find your inner strengths to overcome adversity, and that strength just might be your winning attitude. Whether or not you have the tools, skills, knowledge, or resources, your attitude can get you through tough times and come out on top.
There was a time when I wasn’t as positive as I am now, but thank goodness I came to realize this and what it was doing to me. I immediately took steps to correct this and life has been so much nicer since then.
As many of you know I have my health challenges that I need to deal with. Without the positive attitude I would probably be a hypochondriac and visiting the doctor every time I wasn’t feeling well.
An effective way to train your mind is to look at challenges as opportunities instead of obstacles. A problem is only a problem if you allow it to be one. With each challenge comes an opportunity to learn and improve. So if you search for solutions, you’ll find them.
- Would you describe yourself as a negative or positive person?
- Have you ever given any thought to how people perceive you?
Remember the old saying.
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
This is what’s bugging me today!
Quote for today
It takes 26 muscles to smile, and 62 muscles to frown.
Anonymous
Related Articles
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Housekeeping Again!!
This is becoming a weekly chore that I just can’t seem to get away from, but it is getting easier. This is what’s bugging me today!
I’ve come to learn that the blog needs plenty of maintenance to keep it fresh, looking good and working properly. Just last night I received an email that Alexy moved his blog to his own server. This meant I had to go through and update the links I had pointed at his WordPress blog to the new one. It wasn’t too difficult a task, but it’s done.
Chores for this weekend are to check the earlier ones to make sure I’ve done them. I know I finally tackled my About Me page and boy was that a relief. Thank you everyone for your comments on it.
I would like to say a special hello to Bob Zeller. Reading my About Me page gave him the idea to add a page to his own blog, Texas Tweeties. He’s an avid photographer with some great shots on his blog and his Mockingbird is one of my favourites.
A special welcome to two new Blogging Buddies over the past 24 hours. First to Barb19, a dear friend who I’ve finally convinced to join the WordPress Challenge for PostAWeek2011 with her new blog Passionate About Pets. Next is Julie, 1961Girl who is celebrating all year-long to mark a special day. Please stop by and say hello!
A special thanks to my first Blogging Buddy, Piglet in Portugal for choosing a recipe of mine for her Foodie Friday recipe challenge.
Earlier this week I realized that Housekeeping was going to be a weekly chore and should really have its own category. The posts were already tagged as housekeeping and WordPress came to the rescue with their tool to Convert Tags to Categories.
It’s still early and there weren’t too many posts I would have had to change but using the tool it was done with three simple steps. For those who aren’t familiar with it, you can find it under Tools – Import – Categories and Tags Converter.
This also brings to mind another housekeeping chore that should be done on a regular basis. I need to backup my blog should anything ever happen. I wouldn’t want to lose it all and I’m pretty sure none of you want to either.
Backup on WordPress in 4 easy steps.
- Tools
- Export
- Download Export file
- Save
Done – how simple is that? One thing I did do though is to prefix the file name with the word Backup. This makes it easier to find when you can’t remember exactly which folder you saved it to.
Now that’s an easy housekeeping chore to do. I just have to remember to do it on a regular basis! Another ‘todo’ to add to my ReminderFox.
Now that my backup is done there is one less chore for the weekend. Which is a good thing because there’s another chore I want to work on which is going to take some time.
Set up a new page where I can list the links to some of the sites and online tools I’ve mentioned that many have found helpful. Once it’s set up it will be easier to add new ones and it won’t be such a chore.
I think that’s enough for this weekend. Plenty of blogs to visit and read, bad me – I think I may have missed a few this week.
Housekeeping chores – this is what’s bugging me today!
Related Articles
- Housekeeping ‘IS’ a Chore
- Unfinished Housekeeping Chores
- Housekeeping Can Be A Chore
- Having To Write About Me
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Trying to Find Topic Suggestions
Featured on The Daily Post at WordPress.com
Some like the Daily Post suggestions and others don’t care for them at all and let everyone know by leaving negative comments. There are those who seem to do it consistently and it does get a little annoying. This is what’s bugging me today!
I visit the Daily Post to read not only the topic suggestions to see what the offering of the day is but also the comments. Sometimes I like the topics and have been able to work them into my blog and other times I don’t care for them at all. But I don’t like to leave negative comments and just try to find another topic.
Everybody is allowed to have their opinion, but if you consistently don’t like the topics then it’s time to find other sources. There are those writing on their blogs just for fun and that’s fine. But there are others who have set up their blogs to improve their writing and need a better variety of topics.
Whatever the reason is, we all sometimes need ideas on what to write about – me included.
Some suggestions:
- How to – write a post on something you know
- Top 10 lists – on anything you like, great blogs or posts, favourite things
- Tips & Tricks – what are you good at
- Tell a story – reach back into your memories
- Reviews – movies, books, products, games
- Interview – someone or yourself
Just a couple of days ago Alexy Saltekoff used the interview technique to introduce a 6-part series Bringing Focus Back to My Daily Blog. He was trying to follow the Daily Post suggestions but found that it just wasn’t working for him and came up with his own plan. Read his latest post Finding focus: What’s your vision?
How many of you have used the Press This feature in WordPress? This could be used to link to another post you like. Write a short piece on why you like it, include an excerpt and then link back to the original page. It doesn’t have to be a blog posting, it could be anything you’ve read, even news stories.
Still not enough ideas. Use Google and search for – topic suggestions for blogs. I did this and came up with a few sites. I’ve listed some of them for you.
If you find a topic you’re interested in but are worried that the post might be too long, like this one is going to be soon, then create a series of posts similar to what Alexy has done. This will also help bring your visitor back to your blog to read the post and maybe even subscribe to your blog.
This is what’s bugging me today!
Related Articles
- or not – RandomBlog2011 Challenge
- PostADay2011 – Topic Suggestions are Suggestions!!
- or not – Another Day of Rest
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
ClassyRose
I am not an angry person. Please click on the picture to read why I started this Blog.
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