Friday, December 05, 2008

Looking up at the sky on Friday

Updated:
Photobucket

TGIF!!! This photo was originally intended for a certain Friday meme that involves the sky, but I was informed this morning that my links have been removed from their site due to their visitor complaints on paid blogging. Sites that do not disclosethat they are being paid for making a review within each post can't play. I have removed all links to this site from mine as not to trouble them with my "paid blog". I'll still have pictures of the sky from time to time, maybe even especially on Fridays because I love to shoot the sky. It's my blog and I will post as I please. I am sorry that I do not meet their terms. Now, I'm off to write about promotional pens and baby clothes. (Yup, just got paid for that link.)
For information on my blog, you can click the badge to read my disclosure policy

Linda, from Are We There Yet had a wonderful idea that those of us who do paid posts and aren't allowed to participate on a certain meme site could get together and do our own meme of sorts. Here is her post. What do you think? Has anyone else been shunned who would like to play along with Linda and myself? I wonder if we could get someone to design us a badge. I'm no good with that. Any thoughts?

Update:
The Leaders of the meme that I was referring to left a comment in this post so I thought it only fitting for me to post it here in the body so that everyone can read it:
Since you do criticize our policy in this post, we think it's just fair, that we do set some things straight. Our measure is not against paid blogging or advertising. It is a measure against misleading visitors. A paid review, that not discloses the fact that the reader deals with a paid advertisement is misleading. Add to it, that 90% of the reviews deal with things that the reviewer never laid hand on and just repeats what the advertiser serves up, does not make it any better. That's why we got numerous complaints and that is why we reacted. In print media it actually is against existing law to do paid reviews without full disclosure and it has become an unwritten law in all reputable online media. And that because undisclosed advertising is defacto misleading. We are sorry to have to exclude some from XXXXX due to that, but seeing that memes are almost exclusively non profit and targeting personal sites, we don't want to send the hundreds of participants to sites, that confront them with misleading advertisement. Like it or not - we do prefer to look out for our visitors and when they have complaints that are well founded, we think it is our duty to respond accordingly. The XXXXXXXX Team

I don't think that I criticized your policy. I can understand your stance on it because there are a lot of junk sites out there that are strictly for making money. I think that your policy, with discretion is generally a good one. With that being said, I do not think that my blog is a junk blog just for advertising. I do good quality posts, or I would not have the return visitors that I do. I don't blog just to get "hits" and I don't think that my posts are misleading. I do not do "print media" either so I don't guess I'm breaking any laws here. When my link was removed from your site, I had your logo and a photo posted. That was it. I don't see where that can be misleading or harmful to your visitors. I think that you are excluding a lot of great bloggers with your broad and general rule and in this instance we will just have to agree to disagree.

51 comments, add yours here:

Anonymous said...

so nice and peaceful...here's mine from Philippines sky! :) happy weekend!

Desert Songbird said...

Not too gloomy, not too sunny. Nice.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

well, maybe a LITTLE gloomy! ha ha ha

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxooxoxox

Debbie@Like a Rose said...

I love that little bit of pink. Great photo.

Linda said...

Clouds rolling in or out??

Very nice, Tisha! One of these days I'll start doing SkyWatch Friday but I just don't know when!

Crazy Working Mom said...

Linda, I can't take credit for this shot. Hubby took it at deer camp. I'm not sure which way the clouds were rolling. I liked it because of the bit of pink (as Debbie mentioned) on the right.

Thanks, everyone for stopping by!

Happy Friday!

Linda said...

Well no matter who took it - it's lovely!

And as for the rest - you go girl!!!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Hello, Tisha. Thanks for your visit to my Ouachita National Forest Sky Watch. It's always nice to hear from a fellow Arkansan. Your hubby took a very nice photo. Thanks for sharing it.

Linda said...

Check this out, I just couldn't help myself!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for pointing me over here. I see we're almost neighbors! Great picture.

Anonymous said...

That's too bad about SWF. I have wondered about this since I am going to start to take on advertisers. I love SWF and would hate to not participate. I will go look at WATF's idea.
If I do get booted, we could just link to each other on Fridays: Skies in Arkansas to skies in California.
Thanks for you comment on my blog. You have a lovely site here.
Suz

mick said...

Great photo of a beautiful lnadscape

Anonymous said...

I say start your own...and go for it!!!

Patois42 said...

Love the photo. And I'm wildly confused as to why you can't participate. It's not like you're doing a paid post within the sky one. Or are you just totally sneaky like that? Are you being paid by God to promote clouds and the sun?

Crazy Working Mom said...

Patois:
You can't participate if you don't disclose on EVERY paid post that it is a paid post.
I am not being paid by God, but if you have some connections I'm interested. ;)
*LOL*

Lapa37 said...

Thanks for stopping by we would love to have you join our meme.The very same thing happened to my friend Tina from Mummy Diaries. She was kicked out of the meme for doing paid posts.I started this meme for her and all of the other working mom bloggers.

Gretchen said...

Very pretty scene

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Hi, thank you for stopping by my SWF. You have posted a pretty countrysite, the sky is soft and serene.

Akelamalu said...

You start your own Friday Skies and blow'em Tisha. Great shot m'dear.

dot said...

Love your sky picture! I couldn't help but laugh at your comments on that certain sky meme. (I'm known to laugh at things other people don't see as funny.) I started the original Sky Watch Friday but I've just about quit participating for several different reasons. I understand what you are saying but I also understand the way the Sky Watch people feel. I know nothing about paid blogging but so far I haven't seen anything offensive on your blog. ALL these memes get tiresome after a while. When I was running Sky Watch I got put down for using Mr. Linky and for a few other things. Sky Watch today is not at all how I intended it to be. Long story. lol. Thanks for you visit. I'll be back in time to see what's going on here.

Anonymous said...

Good Idea.

People are so picky. Like a tiny little link is going to ruin their day. You always make the link fit into whatever you were already talking about. fussy people

Crazy Working Mom said...

Akelamalu:

Thanks!!! I'm thinkin' seriously about it.

Dot:

I'm so glad you came by. I say it's their loss. I can understand them not wanting trash blogs linking, but in my opinion (ya know they're like ass holes, everyone's got one) as long as you're posting and linking back, you should be allowed to play! Ah well...no sweat, their loss I say.

Maggie:

I didn't have a paid link in the original post. Just the picture with their logo linking back to them. I added the link after the fact just because. :D

Patti said...

I'm here from Linda's. I like the idea of you making up your own meme. I don't participate in SWF and had no idea people are so fussy.

Pretty photo of the sky you posted, no matter who snapped it :-)
I also like the bit of pink on the right.

storyteller said...

Intriguing mix of colors in this threatening sky ... and lovely countryside too. I'm sorry the SkyWatch folk don't want to allow everyone to participate, but I believe this 'rule' was created to stop the blatant 'spammer ads' from linking to the Sky Watch hub. Creating a mini-Sky Watch of your own is a wonderful idea.
Hugs and blessings,

Anonymous said...

Since you do criticize our policy in this post, we think it's just fair, that we do set some things straight.
Our measure is not against paid blogging or advertising. It is a measure against misleading visitors.
A paid review, that not discloses the fact that the reader deals with a paid advertisement is misleading.
Add to it, that 90% of the reviews deal with things that the reviewer never laid hand on and just repeats
what the advertiser serves up, does not make it any better. That's why we got numerous complaints and that
is why we reacted. In print media it actually is against existing law to do paid reviews without full
disclosure and it has become an unwritten law in all reputable online media. And that because undisclosed
advertising is defacto misleading.
We are sorry to have to exclude some from Skywatch due to that, but seeing that memes are almost exclusively
non profit and targeting personal sites, we don't want to send the hundreds of participants to sites, that
confront them with misleading advertisement.
Like it or not - we do prefer to look out for our visitors and when they have complaints that are well founded,
we think it is our duty to respond accordingly.
The Skywatch/MyWorld Team

Lapa37 said...

And that is why I created my Friday Through My Eyes meme to allow work from home mom to be able to do their post on it without being made to feel bad for making some extra money.If you would like to join my meme I would love to have you.Paid posts and all.

SandyCarlson said...

Your sky shot is beautiful. I love that kind of gloom!

alicesg said...

Lovely photo for SWF. Thanks for popping to my blog. Have a nice weekend.

Annoymous said...

This view totally lessen my pace here in the concrete jungle im been living in.

Dianne said...

I've been here before but of course can't remember why LOL
maybe it was SkyWatch? or Shadow Shots?

who the hell cares!

I was at Linda's and decided to come see your photo as well.

I participate in SW now and then, as I told Linda it is so huge that it turns me off although I have met some very nice people thru there.

I guess they had to deal with the complaints. I don't really understand the complaints - seems simple to me - you go to the post, you look at the pretty sky, you leave a comment (or not), you move on. Whatever else is going on at the blog so what!? Looking at something for a nano second isn't going to cause eyes to bleed.

I tend to get very political on my blog and I assume my sidebar might turn some people off but that is their right and their loss. I share photos and fun as well.

Wow I've rambled!! Sorry. This just suddenly felt like censorship and I hate censorship.

Oh - LOVE the sky shot, I like gloomy skies, they're sexy ;)

Crazy Working Mom said...

Dianne, thank you so much for stopping by. Your input is much appreciated!

Many thanks to Linda, who posted about this at her place as well.

Linda said...

Love the new header, Trisha - I shall have to put it up on over on my post from yesterday if I can figure out how and you don't mind!

Twisted Cinderella said...

I don't understand their issues! I have nothing at all against paid blogging. I like your blog and you!


(on another note, how did you get into paid blogging? Send me an email at aftertheglassslipper AT hotmail DOT com)

Anonymous said...

I would like to participate next Friday in your new meme. I do an occasional link. I do it like you and try to work it in the story. I don't claim to know anything about a product that I don't know anything about. I also don't think it needs to be disclosed in every post. Unless a person is an idiot I think they can tell the difference in links. Ok Idiot might be a strong word.

Anonymous said...

I loved these pictures, the pinkish side of the sky looks awesome! I would love to participate in your new meme next time.

Crazy Working Mom said...

Thanks, Maggie! I agree with what you're saying. I don't see how doing paid posts even has anything to do with linking at a meme site. It's obvious that this person just has a problem with paid ads in general and is using this meme as their platform. So be it.

Ameda, I'd love to have you participate. There'll be no rules. Just post a photo, stop by and comment. I'll also have Mr Linky. Then you can sign it. I won't have any removals unless someone doesn't actually post a sky photo.

Sandra Carvalho said...

You go girl!
That certain "team" will loose a whole bunch of participants.I don't think it's fair what they're doin' but what a heck!I've joined Tina Lapadula's new meme.You should create a new Friday meme yourself girl! ;)
xoxo

maiylah said...

i never knew ... being discriminated bec of paid posts! geessshh!!! :(

Tina said...

Well you know my feelings on these guys for sure. Should i be offended that they didnt leave a comment on my post about them? lol

I would have published it anyway. Maybe they knew they couldnt reply cause it was that digusting what they did!

Good for you for standing ground, and i loved the idea of you putting the link in for a paid post- you know i thought about doing that with mine rofl!!

great idea with the new meme, ill have to take some more sky pictures now then mate, and remind me if poss! there are so many memes going around at the mo! x

Baruch said...

What a beautiful "Looking at the sky on Friday" contribution. All the best with this new meme of yours

Gayle said...

Your photo is pretty, thanks for sharing it. As far as the paid blogging...first off I don't even get it nor do I want to. I spend enough time doing my own thing! I don't read ads nor do I read reviews of products. We all chose what we read, and if a person is really that influenced by a review in a blog (that wasn't disclosed) maybe they shouldn't go out of the house alone! They don't sound all that bright to me! Good luck with doing your own thing...isn't that what it's all about? Doing something that makes us feel good? Feel good.

Mo and The Purries said...

Hi honey - I have finally had time to go back and read your posts and all the comments surrounding your sky meme.
I say GOOD FOR YOU, GIRL.
Phooey to anyone who tries to tell you what you can and cannot do on your own blog posts. The meme that shall not be named would have been damned lucky to have you grace them with your presence.
As a meme-owner-dude (Manic Monday)I would NEVER tell my meme-participants what they could or couldn't do in a MM post. For me, blogging is about making connections, and having fun.
Not telling people what to do.
I think you were right in telling them where to stick it.
IMHO
mo

Misty DawnS said...

I am behind you 100%!!! I read what had been said to Tina, and I haven't participated in that other meme since Thanksgiving. I've had 'discussions' with that meme's administrators before because I came to the defense of some bloggers on other issues... then, when I read the things said about those of us who do paid posts, I had had enough.

I would love to join your meme, if you'll have me. Oh, and Camera-Critters (the weekend photography meme all about critters) welcomes bloggers of all shapes, sizes, colors, opinions, and professions ;-)

Crazy Working Mom said...

Misty Dawn, anyone can participate...no permission needed! Hope you'll play soon. :D

Anonymous said...

Ooh, beautiful hills and sky! Happy holidays!

Anonymous said...

Hi, i come across your blogthrough ec dropping. i saw this meme and thought that it was similar to Sky Watch Friday. I have 2 blogs for SWF before but now only 1 is working because they have deleted my other blog.

The meme here is friendlier i think. :-) Maybe i can join next Friday - if i won't forget.

Anonymous said...

Aw that's too bad! I recently stopped doing that Friday meme because of their notice. They didn't remove my blog though but I just stopped.

I say do your own meme! It's much fun anyway and SWF is a bit crowded already... :)

I can design a badge if you want.. :) Just give me a holler if you would want me to design it for you.. :)

Shosh said...

I can't believe I just found this. I love the sky, but I do paid post also. I'm so glad you're doing this. I feel horrible when they'd e-mail me about my post and links being removed.

Me said...

I would like to join your meme

Regards,
My Children N Me

Coca Cutie said...

My bum blog was banned too because it had bums! And they clamed that i was using it to promote my blog. My blog doest need promotion because it has LOTS of visitors! LOL
I was angry at them for many months because it was too stupid and now for some weeks I've been playing with my Coca blog. But I'm mooving here :)
Thanks

Amanda said...

I like the sky pics! Go Tisha!!! Just as God made the sky vast and wonderful, you've made your own website vast and wonderful, too bad others don't want to be apart of it. :(