Internet Lawyer Blog » Blogging

Court rejects blogger’s claim to be a journalist

Internet Lawyer — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:38:51 +0000

A Montana blogger accused an attorney of being a thug and a thief. Lawyer jokes aside, the attorney didn’t find the blog post funny and sued for defamation. The federal judge hearing the case ruled that the blogger was not a “journalist” apparently because she didn’t have journalist credentials or experience, and wasn’t affiliated with [...]

Court rejects blogger’s claim to be a journalist is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Can your guest bloggers sue you?

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:29:06 +0000

Surfing the Web as an Internet lawyer sometimes leads to stories about silly lawsuits. Here’s one… Although reading the Huffington Post could be used for torturing enemy combatants detained at Guantanamo Bay, those who write for the site think what they’ve contributed is worth some bucks. In fact, now that AOL has gobbled up HuffPo, [...]

Can your guest bloggers sue you? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Death of Internet Civility Changes Blog Rules

Internet Lawyer — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:42:15 +0000

Web Lawyer Draws Line On Free Speech Although I’m a big fan of free speech as a Web lawyer, there are some limitations. Unfortunately, some of the fruits and nuts inhabiting cyberspace have decided that it’s perfectly okay to show up at this blog to personally attack me, clients, and friends with name-calling plus false [...]

Death of Internet Civility Changes Blog Rules is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Web Lawyer: Should you pay a business privilege tax on your blog?

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:46:43 +0000

The City of Philadelphia is chasing down local bloggers and telling them they have to (1) fork over 300 bucks for a business privilege license plus (2) pay back taxes on their earnings. And if they can’t afford that lifetime license fee, they’re supposed to spend 50 bucks every year that they operate their blogs. [...]

Web Lawyer: Should you pay a business privilege tax on your blog? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Web Lawyer: If 73,000 blogs fall in cyberspace, do they make a sound?

Internet Lawyer — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:08:43 +0000

Blogetry.com was a place you could set up a blog for free. Unfortunately, for 73,000 bloggers, that “free” disappeared on July 9 when Blogetry’s web host closed every blog. The reason? Although the details are still murky, it seems that the U.S. government stepped in and forced the closure. As both a blogger and a [...]

Web Lawyer: If 73,000 blogs fall in cyberspace, do they make a sound? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Federal Trade Commission: Bloggers’ Gift Disclosure Policy

Internet Lawyer — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:26:57 +0000

The Federal Trade Commission guidelines covering endorsements and testimonials went into effect on December 1, 2009. How they will be enforced in real life against website owners and bloggers won’t fully be clarified for years as the FTC and the courts make decisions on a case-by-case basis. Fortunately, the Federal Trade Commission did act on [...]

Federal Trade Commission: Bloggers’ Gift Disclosure Policy is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

OpenCamp: Death of WordCamp Dallas

Internet Lawyer — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:03:38 +0000

Dallas WordCamp has died an untimely and utterly unnecessary death. Instead of the annual event devoted exclusively to WordPress, this year’s event will be OpenCamp. At OpenCamp, Joomla and Drupal will also be covered. Frankly, I’m concerned that OpenCamp isn’t inclusive enough. Why isn’t OpenCamp covering Frog CMS, Umbraco, Mambo, ocPortal, Magnolia, XOOPS, etc. If [...]

OpenCamp: Death of WordCamp Dallas is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Paid Content: Should Your Website Be Free?

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:27:09 +0000

Major media companies are trying to move away from free to paid content via subscription. How well that will fare remains to be seen. Is it better to have 100,000 visitors per day to free content and try to advertise on that content to monetize it or have 1,000 paying subscribers read the same content? [...]

Paid Content: Should Your Website Be Free? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Goldman Sachs: Welfare Weasel Tries to Silence Blogger Free Speech

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:50:11 +0000

Isn’t it nice to know that Welfare Weasel Goldman Sachs appreciates the government bailout that it received (your tax dollars) so much that it has apparently hired a Wall Street law firm to crush a blogger who happens to be critical of its misconduct? Your tax dollars are being used for this nonsense in addition [...]

Goldman Sachs: Welfare Weasel Tries to Silence Blogger Free Speech is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Censorship: China Silences YouTube

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:22:45 +0000

If a Tibetan monk is beaten by a soldier and video of the human rights violation is censored, did the beating occur? The Chinese thugocracy has blocked YouTube access because it is afraid of letting its citizens see what is happening in Tibet. It is unrealistic to expect that First Amendment free speech freedoms enjoyed [...]

Censorship: China Silences YouTube is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

What’s the Biggest Legal Issue Small Business Owners Face?

Internet Lawyer — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:29:54 +0000

Time for another contest… Here’s the question: “What’s the Biggest Legal Issue Small Business Owners Face?” It can be any legal issue: brick-and-mortar (offline) or Internet (online). What can you win? 1. If your entry is selected as the best (my discretion as judge), you’ll get a copy of Dan Kennedy’s “No B.S. Marketing to [...]

What’s the Biggest Legal Issue Small Business Owners Face? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Blogging Free Speech and the Fairness Doctrine

Internet Lawyer — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:45:20 +0000

According to FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (FCC Commissioner: Return of Fairness Doctrine Could Control Web Content), there’s a danger that Congress bringing back the Fairness Doctrine would hurt bloggers by hindering their free speech rights. In the current political climate, Democrats in Congress and presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama support bringing back the Fairness [...]

Blogging Free Speech and the Fairness Doctrine is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas and his Wikipedia Bio

Internet Lawyer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:30:55 +0000

Disclosure: I first met Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas (and his future wife — Anne Estrada) back in 1986 when just a college freshman at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Thomas and I were good friends for several years. I visited him at Harvard Law School and he stopped by to see me when [...]

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas and his Wikipedia Bio is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Web Attorney: Blogger Arrested For Criticizing Judge

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:42:38 +0000

A California blogger has been arrested in Singapore for accusing a judge of prostituting herself to Singapore’s leadership in a defamation suit. Gopalan Nair is a former Singapore lawyer who is now a U.S. citizen. If convicted, Nair could be sentenced to prison for up to a year for insulting a public servant. As a [...]

Web Attorney: Blogger Arrested For Criticizing Judge is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Should WordPress.com be Liable for Blog Content?

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:48:54 +0000

A Brazilian judge may impose a ban against access to all WordPress.com blogs because a single blogger posted an adult content video. In order to block access to the offending blog, because of the identical IP address, it might be necessary to deny access to all WordPress.com blogs. You can read the details at “Brazil: [...]

Should WordPress.com be Liable for Blog Content? is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Yahoo’s Shine – Misplaced Blogging for Money by Gender

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:04:23 +0000

Trying to tap the online money flow of women ages 25-54, Yahoo has launched Shine in blog format. Call it the “dumbing down” of blogging. In other words, targeting blogging to the lowest common denominator by assuming that adult women are primarily interested in stroller envy articles and buying footwear in response to a co-worker’s [...]

Yahoo’s Shine – Misplaced Blogging for Money by Gender is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

The Blog Has Died — Long Live The Blog

Internet Lawyer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:12:12 +0000

My blog died — temporarily as the feed got messed up accidentally while performing a major upgrade this weekend after installing WordPress v. 2.5 (the WP install was actually the easiest part). What you see here now is the revived version. Key changes include: a crisper layout easier navigation a useful resources section a simplified [...]

The Blog Has Died — Long Live The Blog is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

WordPress Blogging at WordCamp Dallas 2008

Internet Lawyer — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:22:37 +0000

The second day of WordCamp Dallas 2008 is wrapping up. In addition to learning more from a tech standpoint, including some good SEO tips, the event provided an opportunity to get into the mindset of bloggers of all skill levels and many motives for blogging. One of the amusing things is how many bloggers are [...]

WordPress Blogging at WordCamp Dallas 2008 is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Blogging Tips from John Pozadzides at WordCamp 2008

Internet Lawyer — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:23:35 +0000

Want to learn how to power up your blog? John Pozadzides is talking to us at WordCamp 2008 as I post this. Fortunately , you won’t have to wait to get my notes to decipher what he has to say. John has just posted to his blog the key content he’s discussing right now. You [...]

Blogging Tips from John Pozadzides at WordCamp 2008 is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law

Blog Spam, NoFollow, and the FTC

Internet Lawyer — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:37:22 +0000

Jennifer Laycock provides an interesting take on NoFollow, blog spamming, paid text links, and the role of the Federal Trade Commission and Google. I do see the FTC taking a more active role against blog spammers, including the covert paid word-of-mouth campaigns one sees that are really no different than the e-mail spam that fills [...]

Blog Spam, NoFollow, and the FTC is a post from: Internet Lawyer Blog - Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law