Sunday, October 14, 2007

Yarn - It Doesn't Always Do a Body Good

Yes, another vague title. This one really has me pissed off.

First, though, some yarny goodness. The YFIT is doing her job.



This arrived yesterday from Woolgirl. We have Painted Skeins in "Tempest" (Jen picked this one out for me) and "Autumn Welcome, and Spunky Eclectic Tough Socks in "Candy Corn". You've gotta love those Halloween and fall colors.

There was also a large amount of skin goodness from Northern Essence - creams, balms, and lotions. I didn't think that you particularly wanted to see a picture of bottles.

I didn't post yesterday because right after dinner, Hubster and I fell asleep right where we were sitting. By the time we woke up at midnight, I didn't have any light whatsoever with which to take pictures, so I decided to forego the post. You can all survive a day (or a couple of weeks) without my psychotic babbling.

Speaking of being gone, tomorrow is my big debut in prison. I'll write about it when I get home. Then we're leaving on vacation Wednesday and won't be back for well over a week. I'm not taking the computer, so I'll bring the camera instead and take lots of pictures to regale you with. I'm hoping to hit a few yarn shops while in SoCal, so maybe I can find some unique things.

So why am I pissed off, you ask? Let me tell you.

I received an e-mail this morning from another blogger who had been poking around on my site. Apparently, she was checking the buttons on the sidebar to see if they were from private sites or free ones. The e-mail I got informed me that I was stealing, gave me a link to show me the error of my ways and how to fix the problem, and then told me to correct the problem as soon as I was able. I was stunned.

First of all, I'm still new at this and still learning. I thought that by putting up buttons from sites I really liked, I might steer others to them, thereby increasing traffic on those sites and maybe giving them some business (if they were dyers or sold yarn or something). I didn't know anything about bandwidth or that I was stealing it. So this lovely blogger made sure that I knew I was a thief, costing people money, blah blah blah. I wrote one letter, sat on it for an hour, then wrote another one and sent it off. The gist of what I told her was that I was clearly in the wrong, would fix the problem when I returned from vacation (it's going to be a massive undertaking, but I'll do it), and stopped just short of asking who appointed her Blog Nazi. It was a rude, insulting e-mail, and you all know how well I react to that kind of thing.

To put the icing on the cake, she substituted a "Stop Bandwidth Theft" button for her regular one, which is what showed up on my blog when I logged in.

To those of you who have private sites and whose buttons I've used, I apologize. I will indeed correct the problem as soon as I get home. I just don't have the time to do it right now - getting ready for a long vacation takes some doing. It was not done intentionally - I was just trying to be helpful. To those of you who have your buttons on a free site, well... you're good to go.

Had she worded her e-mail in a different manner, I wouldn't have been insulted or pissed off. I would have written her back in a friendly manner. But she didn't. So I responded in kind.

Why is it that some people feel they have to police things for others? Do they have so much free time that they've appointed themselves keepers of the public safety and coffers? I'm all for looking out for my friends' interests (and you know I have your backs), but this is stupid.

Oh... I just got another letter from her. Now she's telling me that her referral log showed her that something wasn't right. She also said that hotlinking isn't something that I want to get a rep for. Then she told me to lose the attitude, and that she wasn't in the wrong here. Now I'm really pissed. I told her I was in the wrong - what more does she want? If she thinks I'm going to kiss her ass, she's wrong. I've also apologized to all of you.

Some folks should spend more time knitting and less time on the computer.

In any event, tomorrow will be the last post for a couple of weeks. I'll also resume my reviews when I get back. I hope you're all well and happy while I'm gone, and I look forward to reading everyone's blogs when I get home.

Except one.

7 comments:

Crafty Pancakes said...

I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. Like you said, she could have said things much more nicely. And BTW.. your attitude is what makes you rock! It's not like you were doing anything intentionally with the buttons. Have fun in prison :)

Sorcha said...

Just did a spin thru your buttons looking for "stop Bandwidth Theft" button, but didn't find it. I don't want to be a reader of, or contributer to (money or time) this type of person. I can understand your not wanting to name this person.... Just sorry you had to put up with being treated like this.

Anonymous said...

I agree to both the above, just enjoy getting ready for your holiday, don't give her another thought.

Sheryl

smelk-o-matic said...

I had that happen to me once - didn't feel good at all. I had no idea anyone cared about their bandwidth so much. Honestly, I'm not sure how it's even an issue...I don't know about you, but I doubt any knitbloggers generate the amount of traffic that would make hot-linking a problem. I think there's just a group of people out there who hop on a 'cause and start picking on other people about it...not kidding about that.

Smiles,
Erin

P.S.: I really enjoy your blog!

Skein Queen said...

What a pain having to put up with that nonsense. It was an innocent mistake - not sure I'd have known and thought I'd have been helping to promote other people. If I had a button, you'd be very welcome to it!

Pam Mann said...

Thank you, guys. She apparently won't leave well enough alone, though.

Lone Knitter said...

I wish that more people were as generous as you. I really appreciate that you have my button on my site. I don't have a private site, but even if I did, I'd be very grateful to you for bringing visitors to mine. :) I hope you're enjoying your vacation and are able to get this off your mind.