MyFreeCopyright.com is a SCAM!

I registered with MyFreeCopyright.com last May at the suggestion of some other bloggers.  In July, I stopped getting my updates by emails.  I just finally had time to check out why the emails stopped coming and someone has registered my blog to another site!  In fact, one of them is named PIRATE -- um, that worries me a bit.

I cannot contact the company from their site nor have I been able to get help in any way from them.  I still have my initial emails from them and now I am worried a bit more.

Doing a google search, I came upon some scary stuff like THIS  or THIS oh and THIS -- even more scary is THIS  and the site just changed owners HERE  and reading through the notes, it says that you only get the free service for 3 months.  So it was almost  exactly 3 months when I stopped getting updates.  I also just came across this post HERE.

I am asking around about what is exactly legal and from what I can gather is that they cannot assign rights to anyone else for my blog.  I have a back up for my blog that is saved whenever I post to it.  I also started using the "send post to my email" function on blogger.  I don't think anyone can steal my work since I do have all the posts in one place.  I haven't been able to google any of my work as showing up on other sites.


I am now finding a lot of other bloggers that this is happening too. I think the whole thing is just a scam since the only way to really copyright anything is through the government.

UPDATE:

I just found this nicely done article HERE

My site is safe! I had a bad link!

Sorry for any problems overnight. 


I had a bad link to blogarama, which has now been removed.  


I guess that it had some nasty malware there and even though it wasn't on MY site, it got flagged for this problem.  

Blog Hop Giveaways - Things that are ticking me off.

VENTING -- SORRY.

1. Word Verification

Seriously, you probably don't need this any more with blogger.  If you turn on comment moderation, it will capture virtually all of your spam.  You can even set it so any comment made by "anonymous" will go straight to spam.  Check that little spam folder one a day, once a week, or never, but don't make me enter those stupid smashed together words anymore.

I have an old laptop, the keys stick and yes, it sucks, but it is best I can do right now.  AND I can't read some of those stupid words smashed together.  If I am trying to go through 100 blogs in a day and have to hit reload to get a word I can read, that takes a lot of time.  I don't have a lot, so I move on to the next blog.

2. Comment Moderation

Seriously, do you need comment moderation AND word verification?  See above.  My computer takes forever to load and then I can't remember if I posted a comment or what by the time I enter the word verification.  I don't mind this one as much, but pick one or the other, just remember if you use word verification, I will skip it.

3.  Facebook

My Facebook account is for my friends and family.  I don't want to be bombarded there with blogging notes, that is why I have google reader.  PLEASE don't make it a condition of your giveaway for me to "friend" or "like" you on Facebook.  I love friending / liking authors, publishers and people.  I have tried to set up a separate account to do this, but alas, I have failed.  If anyone can tell me how to do this, please email me at maryinhb@gmail.com

4. Commenting

Don't make me write what my life plan is for the next five years to enter your giveaway.  (I admit, this is a little snarky on my part.)  Please consider how many blogs are involved in these hops.  With my terrible keyboard, it takes me 10 minutes to type anything over 5 words.  Keep It Simple. I don't mind asking what book I really want or what I am reading right now, but come on, asking me anything more is hard for my little brain and stupid laptop.


5. Adding up my entries.

Seriously, I need a calculator to add anything these days.  If you are using google forms, you can put a note on the spread sheet that will help you, the host, add these up.  Again, this is a time thing and after 100 blogs, my brain isn't functioning (well, it doesn't much anyway) and adding up those extra entries aren't worth it for me. I will always pick "one".

5.  Following on GFC

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE -- put your GFC someplace easy for the eye sight impaired and muddle-brained to find.  I spent more time looking for the stupid GFC log in than anything else.  I LOVE GFC and I wish the world ran on it.

6. My Address

Please don't ask me for my address.  I don't like giving it out any more than necessary.  I always email my winners for their addresses and I let them know when I have sent out the prize or submitted their information to the publisher.  I mean, if I can do that anyone can!  I have no problem in checking back to see if I have won a contest I entered.   I entered one contest where the addresses were shown on the blog.


Finally, why isn't everyone using Google Forms?  Go HERE for instructions. They make entry so nice and easy.  It also makes picking a winner easy as well.

I have a sample entry form that anyone can use posted HERE -- just copy, rename the form, and use it.  You can also modify it.  Again, feel free to email me at maryinhb@gmail.com if you need help.

There, I feel better.

ARGGHHHH - My email was hacked last night.

I apologize if you got spammed from me last night.  I am changing my email password right now. 

Official Vampires Suck Trailer

I am sooo sorry about this one.  I just couldn't help myself -- really, I couldn't.  Oh and there is a dog in it towards the end. 

My Email has been hacked.

My email was just hacked, so if you received anything from my MSN account, please deleted it.  I haven't sent anything from this account since yesterday morning.

If you entered a contest and you are the winner, the email will clearly state YOU WON! in the title and those are safe.

UPDATE:  Everything is ok except that my account sent out spam to my saved addresses.  MSN recommends that you change your password every 3 days.  PFFFT -- like that gonna happen.  I did change it and will try to change it weekly. 

I know several people with AOL accounts that were also hacked in the last week, so I don't feel alone.  

Below Standard (or If Monty Python designed a hotel room)

We stayed in the Standard Hotel in Los Angeles over the weekend to attend my son's graduation from USC.  The above is what greeted me in the bathroom.  I guess if you are really, truly hip, you would probably understand this giant foam rubber foot in the middle of the bathroom.  I guess I have over stayed my time in hipville because I just didn't get it.  All I could think of was the opening montage of Monty Python when the giant foot crushes everything.  You can see exactly how giant this foot is from this next picture of my son sitting on it:

Oh, and the bathroom just kind of floats on one side of the room.  Nope, no doors here, so expect the maid to burst in on you while you are in the shower.  There is some floaty kind of curtain thing that is supposed to give you privacy but don't count on it.  Also figure on water spraying everywhere since there is no shower door.   

Yeah, that bed looks really super cool too, doesn't it?  All hipsters like their bed on the floor, right?  Except this isn't a bed.  It is just a boxspring...no mattress!  I guess a mattress would ruin the aesthetics of the room.  I think I have stayed in more comfortable motels than this hotel!  And the migraine inducing wallpaper is just sooo relaxing!

Winners will be announced tomorrow

YAY -- good news!  I got my laptop back!  I haven't had reliable computing for almost a month and now I will be back to normal after I get all of my things reinstalled. 

Thanks Sony!

Technical Difficulties

Yeah, today hasn't been my day as far as technology is concerned.  Some how I got a virus and had to reinstall Windows.  That was the ugliest error message I have ever seen.  No blue screen of death -- just little "a"s everywhere and some weird blue lines. 

And then....

Yeah, those wires should really be connected, but that is what happens when your are trying to prune the roses (that should have been done last month) and your clippers decide you have heard enough music today.

On the other hand -- I have a few rose blooms!

Jacob's Coat