Papamoka Traffic and Visitors

I’m thinking that my little political blog site Papamoka Straight Talk is an enigma machine that can not be explained. From my calculations from sources I use to track this site we have been seen in some form or another by over 500,000 visitors from feeds, links, and mutual interest contributions since December of 2007. In that respect I’m a little bit humbled since I stumbled on this information today. To see my written work in so many places made me proud and yet a little bit intimidated. When you consider the sources that have linked to this site it is just a little bit breath taking. Many of the sources linking to this site use the posts free of charge and I have never charged anyone for linking to any post I've written. Never! I'm cool with that because my work has been seen by 500,000 people all over the world. Who knows, it could be more than that with links from links and links from that link etc.

I’ve always tried to just write what I feel and I was amazed to find out where Papamoka shows up! Google search Papamoka yourself and we are here, there, and everywhere. Even in languages I do not speak they have Papamoka post links.

What simply baffles me is that on some search engines, this site is above many of the main stream media houses. I’m not one to even second guess how that works but I’m happy that it is what it is. This Worcester Mass a Two Sticks blogger is proud of the work he has put out there on the internet for anyone to read. Maybe the old advice for bloggers is still true that it is after all about content.

Just something for me to think about when writing what I do, I guess. Thanks to all the folks putting us out there and everywhere. God bless you and keep you happily coming back to this site for more of what my contributors and I have to say. No charge per word, just a kind link back to the original post is much appreciated.

The question remains, if Papamoka Straight Talk is linked to a post, is there any legal damage if someone quotes my work? I put it out there on the internet that is a free media source. Is that not the same thing as any main stream media house that puts their work on the internet? I thank them all for using my works and encourage more of the same status quo. I have no monetary gain from blogging, it's a work of passion. I love writing and if you are reading it somewhere else that links back to my original work then I'm good to go. In that respect, bloggers need to credit the sources of the material they write on. But, by all means feel free to keep borrowing the work here! Traffic is growing...

Papamoka

Feel free to borrow or steal this post!

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MBA Clears Up AP Issue

I owe the Associated Press a huge apology. With all the hype over AP allegedly going after the Drudge Retort with a law suit, the whole matter was a very large misunderstanding. In an email from a fellow blogger I received a link to Media Bloggers Association that has all of the facts behind the AP issue with Drudge Retort. You can read it here. MBA is a group of volunteers that mediate on behalf of bloggers. They are a bloggers best friend when it comes to freedom of speech on the internet.

After reading all of the facts I have to say that I agree with the AP. Drudge Retort was posting entire articles including the headlines from the Associated Press and that is copyright infringement.

Wrapping this story up with a huge apology to the Associated Press.

Papamoka

****My friend over at the Gun Toting Liberal has linked to this post with his own thoughts on this issue...

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Associated Press Blindsiding Bloggers

*****UPDATE From Media Bloogers Association


On my own site and others that I post on I am a stickler for linking to the site the quote comes from, the author when listed also. Over at the Associated Press they are going after bloggers for monetary damages for using quotes in their posts that originated from AP.

You can check the Associated Press thought here.

What I just don’t get is the terms of their definition of “Fair Use” in the news and blogging world. My good friend is a retired Newspaper Editor and she has this definition of “Fair Use” listed on her blog. I may be way off the mark on who knows what is “Fair Use” policy in the printed media world but I’m going to trust my friend BJ. God forbid the Associated Press would go after someone that used to buy ink by the barrel that has a blog. I would be the first one to go to her defense with a fat check for her lawyer if the AP attempted to sue a retired editor that is slowly loosing her vision. I’ve deliberately not linked to her site to protect her happy retirement life from AP lawyers thinking they are on the scent of blood and bloggers… Sorry BJ.

"This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of current issues. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes."

Tell me I’m wrong and that the Associated Press is making up there own rules for the internet use that they post on the internet that people read every single day. Most legitimate bloggers link back to the persons originally credited with the article which in exchange drives people to the AP post that was paid for by the news service posting it. That in turn pays the advertising bills for the site and thus money is made by the original site. For that fact to be true then Crooks and Liars can steal my work seven days a week if the link back benefits my advertiser. Daily Kos, feel free to hold my entire posts hijacked on a trip to Cuba. As for the Huffington Post, I don’t want those bastards stealing my works. What the AP is doing is picking and choosing what web sites or blogs they want there work to appear on and that is wrong. The law is clear and the AP does not write the law. Legally I don’t think they have a leg to stand on but I will defer that to the people in the know of the law, AP lawyers not included.

As a blogger I read dozens of blogs a day and each one is more or less opinion of the article written than content theft. In that same thought I have found myself clicking on many AP articles to read the associated quote from many sites across the internet. I’m not talking about just AP articles but many other sources of news in the “Fair Use” presentation of the articles posted online. If any organization posts its writers articles online then they are open and free to interpretation just as much a letter to the editor is in your local paper. Or are you guilty of theft if you send a letter to the editor in opposition to an article labeled “XYZ on ABC”?

Some of the folks in the undergound blogger union have spoken of a united front to boycott the Associated Press and I’m finding myself looking favorably toward that position. We bloggers have our own secret handshake and manifest destiny that compels us to rebel against the institution of society. And there is that other thing where we are just one person writing opinion where the media has no clue as to the real world in America.

At the next meeting for the local chapter of Bloggers I’m going to raise the resolution to ban AP from our posts. From now on I will be only quoting over the fence news from my neighbor. No, that won’t work. Maybe I could use this search engine called Google to find relevant information? I’ll have to just check that out.

Papamoka

Feel free to link to, borrow, steal, or call this post your own. A link back is appreciated though!

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