Of Weasels and Snakes
Arthur Brash | April 22, 2006 | 11:53I found a new referrer link in our web logs today. It was from a forum that just started using the Mocha Skin I’ve released a couple of months ago. As always, I wanted to check out the forum so I followed the link.
To my surprise, the credits with a back link to my site have since been removed from the skin. I looked at the source and it still has the final reminder comment that removing the credits is illegal, unless you paid the $39.00 for the permission to do so. Needless to say my PayPal account has not had any new funds go into it, and the skin credit is still very much gone.
The admin of the forum posted a news flash with a poll informing everyone of the new skin. Most people like the skin which is great. What isn’t so great is that someone is ungrateful enough to remove the dang credits from an otherwise free skin. I mean what kind of a weasel does that sort of thing?
I’m still unsure how I will handle this situation. This is the first time I became aware of someone stealing from me like this, and while I know my options I still don’t know which route I’ll take. I have a feeling that this will either go down quickly and be over and done with by the end of the next week, or a drawn out process that will take a year or more to resolve. I doubt in anything in between.
Depending on the type of forum, I’m sure the operators would be happy to put the link back, if you were to send them a polite email. Many times, a human reminder of such things is enough to make a snake change their ways.
Just play it cool and calm is my rule, even if I’m irrate.
I’m sure you already know why, for example if you were to go and sound of on the forum in question you’de reduce any chance of getting the link back on and ruin your reputation as seen by the members who liked your work.
I know cases where individuals that have been wronged join the community and start off by complaining to the admins in public. Very uncool. Anyway, I’ve sent a private and IMHO resonable letter and am awaiting response. I sat on the issue over the weekend as acting on these kind of things right away is usually a bad idea. It’d be hard to take LJ’s advice if I acted immediately. I cooled off and then acted. Things seem to work a lot better under those circumstances. :)
Thanks to all that replied. Upon sending the notice about the violation, we received a prompt payment for the credit removal and I consider the issue resolved and closed. Admin of the forums was polite which made the decision an easy one.
Somehow, the title of the blog entry does not seem appropriate anymore but I promised myself to always leave things as they were on the date I made the entry. :)