There Was A Time...

...when folks responded to simple, reasonable requests without being complete and utter asses about it.

Sadly, that time appears to have passed.

I won't name the offending party, as it appears the action in question was performed simply to increase the hits to their website. But when someone contacts you and says, hey, you're using my picture in a post without permission or attribution, could you take the post down - or at the least change the title to something less offensive to me - well, you have an obligation to acquiesce. "Borrowing" - I hesitate to use the word "stealing", which is really more appropriate - a picture is one thing. Being specifically told not to use it - especially with a title the originator does not agree with, is another.

The poster in question then comes on the aggrieved party's blog post about the incident and hurls accusations of bullying and threatening - and refuses, for all to see, to acquiesce to the simple request. Not content to coast on another blogger's notoriety, this person feels the need to become embroiled in a pissing contest over who affronted who.

Well, let's clear that up right now, shall we?

• YOU put up the post with the objectionable title.



• YOU stole the picture from the blogger in question.



• YOU refused simple requests to remove or re-title the post.

In the parlance of a local radio station's weekly call-in routine, you're the douchebag in this situation pal.

There's this thing, it's called common decency. If you're using someone else's name in a manner in which they object, you stop using it. Period. Full stop. You don't attack the person whose name you are besmirching. You don't remove comments (seriously???) from the injured party because they call you out. You man up, apologize, and respond to the request. A different title was all that was asked for - this is not an unreasonable request by anyone's measure.

And as it stands, the title - the true bone of contention - is still there, left one can only assume in a pathetic bid for traffic. I'd urge the poster in question to reconsider that business model - I'd wager there's a lot more traffic lost over the poor form shown than will ever be gained by random Google hits. The number of folks who will be turned off from your site - and, by extension, your sponsors, as folks have made them aware of this issue - will outnumber those that click on the link for the title and remain readers.

Please, don't be that guy.

That is all.