Always Be Nice on the Phone

Especially when you don't have a leg to stand on.

As many of you know, I have a position at Pajamas Media as the Blogger Relations Representative, so, occasionally I have a chance to answer the phone in their offices. Such was the case today when John Aravosis of AMERICAblog saw fit to give Pajamas Media a call asking the editors to stop linking to his self-described lefty blog (and other blogs with a similar political bent) in a certain manner: by excerpting a particularly provocative and/or well-written portion of a post and attributing it to the author at the top. Pajamas Media has been doing this since its inception, giving its signed bloggers priority but not limiting itself to them or even to a set point of view. The fact that PJM would link to Aravosis (post since removed)--who is somewhere left of the Daily Kos--should make that obvious.

Anyway, when Aravosis explained his problem to me, I said that we would never link to anything of his again and that if he would give me a list of the other blogs who had this same problem, that I would also put them on our no-post list. That wasn't good enough for Aravosis, however. After he ...um...unhelpfully informed me that he was a lawyer, he asked to talk to someone who presumably had more power in the formidable Reich Wing edifice that is Pajamas Media than does your humble (hah!) servant. Since no one else was available, I tried to get Aravosis' number and email, but he was more in a mood to demand things rather than to facilitate reasonable "communication." For instance, though he had spoken in virtually one long run-on sentence during the entire conversation, he demanded that I "stop talking for a minute" so that he could continue the run-on. I complied by hanging up on him. That probably won't go down in the annals of great blogger relations techniques, but it was done in lieu of me going all South-Central LA on the good counselor.

I happen to know that Roger and Charles are trying to feature a variety of opinion at PJM, regardless of whether they agree with it or not. So, basically, when Aravosis complains about the PJM link, he's complaining that Pajamas Media is giving his opinion a fair shake.

No good deed and all that.

Under the less-infuriating and more-entertaining heading fall some of the comments to Aravosis' lament of PJM's "sleazy and illegal" :::snort::: link to his post.

Q. How does the right wing spell "research"?
A. P-l-a-g-i-a-r-i-s-m.

Yes, sure. When you excerpt someone's post and give them credit for their words, it's "plagiarism."

They did this to a whole bunch of other people, including Matt Yglesias, Steve Gilliard, Jeralyn at TalkLeft, me, people from TNR and Slate, and a film critic from Die Welt (and that's just in the last few days.) I wrote yesterday asking them to change it; no response yet.

Sure, PJM is out to "do something" to leftist bloggers--not to mention poor, defenseless German publications--by linking to them.

And this one needs no commentary:

How are they getting the content? Is it your RSS feed?

The moral of the story is: some folks will look for reasons to threaten lawsuits--no matter how ridiculous the grounds--especially when they believe they are being made to look bad in front of their adoring public. The second moral of the story is: don't try to bum-rush someone over the phone.

By the way, John, don't call me anymore.

UPDATE: Who says that the Left and the Right can't get along? Though they have opposing view points on Pajamas Media's linking methods, Hilzoy of Obsidian Wings and Jeralyn Merritt of Talk Left have handled the situation in a very classy manner. Thanks, ladies.

Comments

[beautifulatrocities]

He's a lunatic, & a sniveling little McCarthy wannabe, who smeared Jeff Gannon simply becaues he didn't agree with him politically. He's a typical malignant narcissist - it's all about him, & the only issue of our time is Gay Marriage, & how it makes him FEEL.

Calling Dr Sanity...

[Jeff G]

I saw Aravosis on CNN once. I wouldn't give him a second thought.

[hilzoy]

The issue is not that PJM links to us; it's that it does so in a way that does not make it clear that we are not affiliated with PJM. Our names are in exactly the same place, font, everything as your actual posters. Linking like this makes it clear what's going on; linking like this makes it look as though Josh Marshall is a PJM affiliate or poster.

I did not call you up and rub you the wrong way. I have made several attempts to contact PJM, without response. So here's one more try: feel free to link to my stuff in the way PJM in SYdney links to Ed Driscoll. Please do not link to me like this. Thanks.

Oh: and someone calling himself 'Glenn Reynolds' is posting at the Poor Man, along with someone calling himself 'Roger L. Simon'.

[baldilocks]

Thank you, hilzoy. Obviously, this issue needs to be addressed among the PJM policy-makers. I have some objective solutions in mind.

Your graciousness is much appreciated.

[Ottnott]

hilzoy has pointed out what should have been obvious to you--what you call "excerpting a ...portion of a post and attributing it to the author at the top" actually looks like a byline.

And when you then borrow the same photo used with the post at Americablog, it looks like a syndicated piece.

And when you give the piece a new date and time stamp, you create some confusion about when John's words were actually posted.

John had every right to be pissed. The fact that he was both pissed and unpleasant is just a distraction.

Do the right thing on your end, and then give the manners lecture. And merely adding a blog to a do-not-link list isn't doing the right thing.

[Scott Lawton]

baldilocks: I see you posted a friendly reply while I was typing this; I'll include it anyway. (I have no skin in the game either way; I just found Hilzoy's post via memeorandum.)

While I don't see any grounds for legal action (since it's only an excerpt), I agree that there is a reasonable chance of confusion. I think EVERYONE (PJ Media, PJ bloggers, non-PJ bloggers, and readers) would benefit from a clear distinction between posts by PJ vs. non-PJ bloggers. Someone is creating the excerpt; that's the logical author. Or, just create a neutral "PJM" or some such author, and have the blog entry itself link to the post.

Hilzoy actually linked to "ok" and "not ok with me" examples (perhaps in the comments section), and I agree that the distinction appears consistent with how bloggers excerpt & link.

[baldilocks]

Thanks, Scott.

Ottnott, read my reply to hilzoy directly before your comment.

I agree that this troublesome issue requires further clarity, even though no disrespect is intended. And I most certainly intend to submit my suggestions to solve this problem.

However, the blunt-instrument remedies displayed by the featured blogger in this post--who assumes bad faith; especially when *good* faith is intended--require far more rudeness than I put forth here.

Thank my parents that I didn't put it forth.

[Mialexa]

I got copied pasted and linked for days by leftwing bloggers Tboggs, Mr Powers, I hope they get cancer and Norbusiness. I made the mistake of signing the Euston manifesto and linking it to my blog. I was cyber attacked badly and linked to porn sites. Very few of them would comment directly on my blog but they would scurry back to their hidey blogs and excoriate me soundly for my fascist opinions. I couldn't even read the things they were saying about me, they were so horrible and I'm pretty thick skinned. My traffic went up hugely though. When I pointed that out to them, they sank back into the cesspool that is their milieu.

[Wannabeleader]

You guys could always link to me. I wouldn't have a problem with it, haha...

[baldilocks]

Wannabeleader:

This sort of thing (from your site) doesn't make it likely:

"It's normal for Republicans to suck each other..."

It isn't the criticism but the obscenity.

[GOP4Me]

Aravosis is a swine of a man. This is actually more polite than I would have expected him to be.

[wayne]

Of all of the people I have met in my life - from the poorest farmer to the richest corporate CEO; there is no more obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-righteous, asinine, arrogant, scumbag examples of the dreks of humanity than liberal lawyers.

They are so close-minded as to be only filled with the sound of their own voices to the exclusion of all else.

Everyone of them is a mini-fascist in the making with delusions of their own godhood and the nobility of the law and especially of the rectitude of their version of the universe.

Every last one of them needs to be rounded up and dropped naked and bound somewhere in a deep valley in Northwestern Pakistan.

[benning]

Aravosis sounds like a very stupid man, and probably an incredibly poor lawyer to boot! It seems as though he doesn't have a clue how the Internet works, or even how a web page works. Kinda silly to bitch about the links when you don't know what a link is or does or anything! Yeesh!

I loved how you ended the conversation! LOL What a great post!

[dymphna]

If I were smart, I'd do a trackback. But since I'm not, I wrote a post instead:

Being a Progressive Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry.

Anyway, I said it was obvious he wasn't Raised Right and someone should talk to his mother.

Lawyers -- especially the D.C. variety -- are worse than neurosurgeons.

[don surber]

I would not paint all lefties with the brush of one "lawyer"

The right has its jerks as well

[baldilocks]

Don,

Perhaps you missed the update.

[Grokodile]

Well, I am completely upset. I have a bunch of obscure blogs that I'm sure absolutely nobody has read, would be willing to read or ever will read. Why in the thundering hell have you not linked to them and stolen my content and otherwise made fun of me?

I'm going to call incessantly until you get a restraining order for the unfairness of the world. I'm sure somehow it must all be your fault... especially if you have the discourtesy to actually answer the phone.

Umm, thank you.

[baldilocks]

Heh.

[skinner]

Miss Baldilocks I Beg youre apologies ..... because All I read was the title " ALWAYS BE NICE ON THE PHONE " I think in some cases this isnt true !!!!!!
I found this magazine on the road to day with all these pictures of these girls that were
all dressed up ER were kinda dressed up and they said "CALL ME TODAY" 1 900 easy, So I called, because they seemed lonely and it was a toll free call. I asked the girl what was the Matter? And she said "I was the matter and Where are you "I tried to be polite like you said But she made me take off my clothes right there in the Phone booth and a cop came by and asked me "Who the hell do you think you are SUPERMAN " and I told him no but I was talking to a really nice poor woman called Needy Edy and by the time I was frisked and cuffed and let go the phone was still hanging there but this new other meaner french gil named Francis DePancis was on and she just kept telling me to Obey her I didnt like her so I went back home to the basement. ... new revised stupid entry I really didnt mean to subject you to two of thes Have a secound bowl of post toasties... on me,,, oops thats what that last girl said

[skinner]

Once Again I Missing someone
Miss Teal Marie Im worrying
" CEREAL " You used to be a standard , You used to support my DUMB , I hope youre well I'm Gonna try SPOOKY STUFF .........

DRIZZLLE DRAZZLLE DRUZZLE DRUM
A hello skinner gets you A
Half pint of rum We miss youre vinegar and youre ugly scorn But Mostly The eloquence , with which you were born ...... O.K. so what if it was a load of B.S, Miss
Marie , Please say something so WE Know youre O.K.

[Teal Marie]

Hello, Skinner!
Now, where's my rum?

[skinner]

I'm emailing you a fifth of
Bacardi's 151 But if you want a mixed drink Jamaica youre own
Oh GOD I'm so sorry
...... sounds like my prayers
anyways glad youre still around
I thought maybe you flew south
[As a retired duck hunter ]
I think of blue teals , you should drink that rum and make stupid comments so I dont feel so lonely here . "Remember were all in this together, keep youre stick on the ice, If women dont find you handsome they should at least find you handy" RED/GREEN
OOPS never mind your'e a woman Its OK Ill tip a few with you ANYTIME .