Operation Global Media Domination: Etiquette: sharing the glory

tia.jpgNot that, in our current Photobusted state, there’s much glory to go around, but still.

The sharp-eyed and sharper-brained among you will notice that not long ago I began making my images live links to their source websites (at least for the first occurance; after that it gets harder to keep track). It seems to me that this is the least I can do for the people who make and upload images, and it gives them a bit of the Googlejuice; also, I’ve yet to have a complaint about it.

It all started in this post, which was linked to by ECNPA, a photography association, some of whose forum members became seriously irate that I’d used the images at all. As you can see from the first comment, the photographers in question weren’t nearly so outraged, but it nudged me into thinking about ways to give credit where credit was due: after all, always I do that for text, no exceptions. Why should other art forms be treated differently? And this was the best workaround I could come up with; it shows the image in context and has, at least once, resulted in a commenter leading us to the actual, original source, rather than the bogus blogscraper that I’d gotten it from originally.

So I’d encourage people to post images, and to properly accredit those images with a link. The webmasters will like that as well. The photo agencies currently suing Perez Hilton have publically stated that if they had only been given credit for the photos this wouldn’t have gone to court, and I for one will take them at their word although it must be said that it’s much easier for someone dirt poor to face a lawsuit because the entire realm of monetary awards resides entirely in the theoretical sphere, and everyone knows it. They may or may not be sincere.

Still, picture it: 

TIA, yo 

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Operation Global Media Domination: Operation Ego!

TIABeen awhile since-t we had one of these, so there is much to report on the Global Media Domination front.

Beavers continue to do well, particularly after I scandalized a certain blogging conference with my references thereunto: one gathers they’re far more used to hearing terms like “Analytics” and “Clickthroughs” than anything more vividly … uh … castidoraean. Conclusion: Blogging about beavers is great for hits, but getting other people to blog about you blogging about beavers is truly Web 2.0.

I’m in ur googlez, baitin ur linkz!

Harshing on best-sellers in the comments sections of other people’s blogs is tonic for stats. If I wanted to win this, I’d simply say straight out that Dave Eggers’ prefaces and footnotes blow Jonathan Really Rather Ordinary and Mister Norell away, but I’m not like that…besides, Eggers has annoyed me recently.

Oo! Oo! I should pick a fight with Dave Eggers! He’s got a baby; no way is he well-rested enough to defend himself.

In other news, shoes are even better for hits than flamewars, particularly when the Manolo bypasses the two original-source articles I sent him and links directly to my own post. This takes me to my happy place and teaches me that there is divine justice in the world: those three pairs of fabulous shoes I bought on Robson Street were as sacrifices to the god of shoeblogging, and He looks after His Own, to the tune of perhaps six hundred extra hits over the weekend and a regained spot in the top 20 WordPress blogs and yay, finally! a temporarily regained place in Top Posts of the Day.

Not quite as good as blogging about shoes is blogging about crocheted bellydancing accessories; it may not bring as many hits, but it does bring prey, so that’s something. And, as always, flamewars bring out the necrophiliacs who gather around to watch the battle. I have no issue with people disagreeing with me: I have a major issue with people misrepresenting what I’ve written and being twofaced. And I have no issue at all with dumb, defensive, hypersensitive, condescending people; nope, no issue at all. It’s kill on sight.

Potentially more dangerous, or at least more criminal, are the readers of Court TV‘s forum who are fascinated (if, apparently, confused) by my post on the uselessness of Howard K. Stern‘s sperm. I mean, the rest of him is useless too; how hard can it be to figure out? But they can’t tell when I’m joking, when I’m quoting, or indeed, why any of this matters or if it matters at all. FWIW here’s a roundup: drug-abusing kid dies, junkie mother dies, rich baby held for ransom by lawyer with the paperwork and Larry Birkhead has the most obvious nose job in the history of the world. You’re welcome.

Also, broke 18k on Technorati. If this keeps up at the rate it’s been going, by this time in 2009 I will be the #1 blogger in the world.

*rubs hands together, mutters “eeeeeexcellent!“*

In Ego news, this is not designed to keep me humble; although truly it’s hard to imagine what could. That is obviously not a task to be undertaken by mortals, and Curtis has wisely chosen the easier path of flattery, may Azathoth poop ten-tentacled blessings upon him and ensure that he never glimpses the Unspeakable Pun at the Centre of the Universe and thus goes irrevocably insane.

Cuz then he couldn’t flatter me again, yo.

Curtis‘ technique is emulated by the esteemed and historic Juvenal of Bread and Circuses, although he fails to specify whether I am bread or circuses; I prefer to think of myself as some kind of fusion between the two, a juggling pop-tart, perhaps, or a particularly acrobatic type of crumpet, performing daring stunts on the back of a docile and magnificent Andalusian and no, I don’t mean Antonio Banderas.

In related news, az has posted about the fascinating internet personality type taxonomy site Flame Warriors, and guess which type I am!!!

But I am impervious to insult:

i can has force field!

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Buy this damn thing

I hear that I’m allowed one discreet text link to an item that’s delegated its power to the Capitalist Conspiracy, ie something for sale, so here it is.

Buy This Damn Thing

For the love of god, would you click through and purchase that fucker already? Vicus is going to whine uncontrollably until everyone on Earth has at least one copy, and god forbid he get maudlin about it and start with the weepy Sixties folk tunes. If the book doesn’t sell out, don’t blame me if the blogosphere is subjected to nothing but recitals of bloody Kumbiyah in creaky and wistful Donovan style for the next six straight months.

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Operation Global Media Domination: Technorati: for all your “faith in civilization” needs

Seriously. I never thought of reaffirming my faith in human nature by checking Technorati (particularly as it refuses to promote me from 18,694th place) but this, actually, is heartening:

Top Searches

  1. Antonella Barba Antonella Barba
  2. Youtube Youtube
  3. Clay Aiken Clay Aiken
  4. Dell Dell
  5. Myspace Myspace
  6. Awp Awp
  7. Libby Libby
  8. Baudrillard Baudrillard
  9. Joost Joost
  10. Matt Sanchez Matt Sanchez

Really, it’s most uplifting. Sure, we’ve got a titty model, a mindless entertainment site, a closeted neo-Gospel singer, a computer, a mindless hookup and boast site, the sound you make when swallowing a too-big vitamin pill, and a popular kind of canned beans, but then we also have, in the top ten blog searches in the world at this time, one of the greatest newly-dead philosophers in the world.

Now, if I only knew what Joost was…is it a Tang substitute?

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quiz: are you destined to rule the world

This would be well into the category of blog posts tagged “Well DUH!”

Come Igor, brink ze Versace Tvins: ve haff verk to do…


You Are Destined to Rule the World


You have the makings of a very evil dictator…Which is both kind of cool and kind of scary!
Will you rule the world? Maybe. Maybe not.

But at least you know that you could.

Are You Destined For World Domination?

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