I’ll post the details of the story tomorrow. It’s late and I am hoping that I will wake up in the morning and the person responsible will have done the right thing. I’m thankful for all my readers and those of you who took the time to tell me about the theft. I was hoping there was a rational explanation but that was not the case, just a lot of denial and a refusal to do the right thing. Apparently, pleasantries stop once I have something people want more than my friendship. It’s made me sad.
UPDATE: Good morning readers. Woke up to a full inbox this morning. Thanks for you emails and comments. I am going to give a brief explanation here, and then let’s just all take a deep breath and move on. Blogging is supposed to be fun.
As you know, I live in Atlanta. This blog is primarily a blog about Atlanta gossip. Since I was born here, I have lived many places but have always come back to Atlanta. I have a lot of friends here. As you know I had a source who had information that there was a lot happening at the St Regis a few days before Kim Zolciak’s wedding. That source turned out to be a bad lead. It happens. My post about that was stolen and copied by another blogger in it’s entirety and posted as if they wrote it. When the other blogger was confronted, they tried to deny it and but eventually changed the wording but did not credit me as the source. Their defense was “everything comes from somewhere”.
While this was going on, I had begun posting at LynnNChicago.com . Lynn’s blog is a “Real Housewives” blog. She talks about all the shows, does recaps and covers stories related to all the Real Housewives Shows. I posted about her blog yesterday in my Kim Kardashian post and gave a link recommending it as a great place to post. LynnNChicago followed me on twitter and tweeted that she was linking to my blog in her post yesterday. We exchanged a pleasant tweet or two and that was that.
So it was clear that Lynn had read my blog yesterday and had found something she wanted to link to. I was excited. She is a blogger with a big audience, and I am a brand new blog focusing on Atlanta gossip. I’d found Lynn’s blog because I was seeing referrals coming from there in my stats. I tweeted thanks to her followers and began posting regularly at her blog. Everyone was nice and welcoming and helpful as I discussed my shock that someone would copy my blog entry and claim it as their own.
Now remember my sources in Atlanta? One of them felt bad that my wedding source was wrong, and provided me with pictures from the reception. These pictures were no where else. I posted them and someone copied one. I asked them to remove it and they did. I then placed a barely visible watermark of my icon in the bottom left corner. I wrote in bold letters at the top of my blog entry to please not copy those pictures and to instead refer their readers with a link. I received several links to my blog.
So imagine my surprise when the very next day (yesterday) Lynn went to my wedding dress blog and despite the fact that I had written in bold letters across the top of the page not to copy the pictures and explained that they were watermarked lifted the pictures and tossed them in at the end of her blog about the wedding as if they were hers. Just, oh and here are some more pictures.
I was stunned. I would never have expected her to do that. She seemed like a nice person who was encouraging someone with a new blog. I tweeted her. No response. I posted in her comments section. Nothing.
Now Lynn’s blog is a little different. Her comments section is more of a daily chat room. She posts a long post a day and then everyone chats in the comments. Maybe about the post, maybe about their sick cat, maybe exchanging recipes, maybe asking for prayers, it’s like a message board with no threads. It’s a little Internet family that talks in that one comment section all day. There are hundreds of posts a day. She may or may not have time to read all. I asked her why she was using my pictures with no credit fully expected her to credit me. I did not ask her to take them down even though it was clear that I did not want them lifted because the people at her blog had been so nice and I didn’t want to cause a stir. Much confusion occurred in the comments section because her readers didn’t seem to understand which pictures I was talking about and because they are quick to defend Lynn. They are friends. I understand that.
Eventually Lynn DMs me and she is furious. How dare I call her out in public? She lied repeatedly about getting the pictures from my board and claims she got them somewhere else. She did not. Her followers claimed they were posted all over the Internet. They were not. I asked them to please link me to where my pictures were being used. They could not. I tried in DM to reason with Lynn. It was clear she had been caught stealing content. She didn’t seem to know what to do. I tried to give her an easy out. She would not take it.
It was never my intention to cause drama. I am not the one who stole content. I wish this had never happened. I was enjoying posting at her blog. She has some great people there. But I could not just sit idly by when my content was stolen. We teach our kids when a big kid steals your lunch money you tell someone even if they threaten jump you after school. If little blogs keep doing nothing when the big blogs bully them, if no one every says anything, then the bullying never stops.
So at the end of the day, it was more important to Lynn to steal my content than have me as a commenter at her blog. To me, it was worth losing my first exclusive get to find that out early. I am sure I will have more exclusives in the future. I’ve learned a lot from the experience and for that I am thankful.
And that boys and girls is why right click is disabled on the website and you see that cute little alligator at the top. 🙂 Now let’s find out what is happening in Atlanta today! Tweet me your sightings @tamaratattles !
Ooh, this could be more interesting than the show.
I think this is pretty weird – you don't own those photos – they are public domain and all over the internet.
I think you are missing the point, anon. As bloggers, there should be some honor among them to at least give credit to where they picked up the info and pics if it was from another blogger that the info was obtained.
I just can't believe LynnNChicago would steal your pics WITH YOUR WATERMARK and still not give you the credit. It's about the courtesy of it all!
Sorry Pam, but the person who is legally obligated to be credited is the photographer or licensed copyright holder. Pasting from another blog and crediting the blog by a link is not the correct way. Google or Bing it. So while Tamara has spent a lot of time whining about two snapshots taken without proper consent in a private place, her own use of the many other photos on this blog has not credited the photographer or people holding copyrights. She is calling out others when she repeatedly fails to meet the responsible standard. The best remedy is to correct her own unfair use. (Unless this is merely an attention seeking device to mislead readers.)
I don't know about the legalities of it all, as I am not a blogger. But from my perspective, common courtesy among the blogging community would be a nice thing. IF I were blogging and got info from another blogger I know that I would definitely give credit to that person for the info. Just my personal viewpoint.
Lynn burns bridges and gets pissy.
Totally true. If you don't applaud each poster for their "ailment-of-the-day" you aren't a good poster.
I've been a poster at Lynn's for quite a while.I just want to read articles and comments about the Housewives and not about what every poster is doing that day or be expected to comment on who is having a bad day because her bowels or kids are acting up.While I'll still post at Lynn's, this site is refreshing.
Lynn steals freely without giving credit. Just last week I caught her red-handed AGAIN!I took the time to look-up and post links to the three drugs that Kim from RHWOBH mentioned on the show, and Lynn had the nerve to grab the info., AND the exact links that I used, without bothering to mention where she got the info. (from MY blog!).How do I know for sure? Because I misspelled one of the drug names ha ha, and one of her readers pointed that out.By the way Tamara-where is the credit for the graphic and image that you are using to illustrate this post? (STOP content theft etc.)Now that you know how it feels to have your work taken without credit, you might want to set an example?And the credits for the other photos on here?To anon. who thinks that all images are public domain-ignorance is one thing, but that is just stupid.
LH is a thieving slob.
Lynn's blog is called I hate Jill Zarin. how could you think she was a nice honest person lol. Her existence is prefaced on the notoriety she gained from hateful attacks on a celebrity. Sorry you got jacked. But that blog is total crap and that woman who writes it is a little off. And she's always wrong, with these weird conspiracy theories and prepackaged Bravo 'news'. And she needs to stop with the organic soaps. I read it once a week and everytime I do I scold myself for wasting time…
Thanks for commenting everyone. I released all this to the universe as soon as I hit post and am blogging about much more interesting things now. Thanks for all of your input. I look forward to new friends to spill tea about Atlanta with. I hope you all stick around and read and comment!
NO ONE likes Lynn Hudson. She is a joke… is mean and mean-spirited. It is common courtesy to give credit where credit is due. What she did to you is stealing. More and more people/readers/commenters are leaving her site in droves… deservedly so.
Tamara, I saw your post was mentioned over here.http://ihatebethennyfrankel.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/the-appauling-behavior-of-lynn-hudson-part-2/
Tamara, can you tell me how it is that you are absolutely certain that Lynn came here and copied your pictures and not that someone reading your blog copied the picture and send it to Lynn?
The fact is Lynn used the pictures with the watermark and didn't credit this blogger. Whether she came here and took them herself or received them from another person doesn't matter. The watermark was a clue they were posted somewhere else originally.LD
I came from Stoopidhousewives site. I don't comment, but read alot of housewives blogs. I could not believe the treatment you got from that horrible Lynn Hudson, of the I Hate Jill Zarin blog. Lynn is a pig and I hope Ilana reams her a new one. The LynnDavidians don't want new commenters. It's like a sick cult with a leader that throws them all a bone in the morning, and they gnaw on it all day.
Have to say that "LynnDavidians" is kind of funny.
I find Lynn phony, petty and dishonest. I left her blog long ago.There are many better blogs, just discovered this one. Thanks for your work.
Not a fan of Lynn either. She made her bones ripping on Jill for being a mean girl, and has turned into one herself.
Hi Tamara! Love your blog as I am originally a Georgia Peach from the ATL! As for Lynn, do not worry about it because knowing her I'm sure she will get over it. — Kelly Logan xoxo
lynn is awful, but she and her followers aren't going to change. They are a fringe group. All of them are extremists and kind of crazy. the best thing people can do is get the word out there so other innocent ppl don't get sucked in and harrassed for being normal.
Did straightfromtheA blog also steal the reception snapshots?Two of the same photos are posted in her blog with her own watermark.Or did she let you use them?
The ones at Straight from the A were obtained after they were posted at IHJZ. Straight from the A puts their logo on everything, usually in the bottom right corner. My watermark was in the bottom left corner. Oddly the Straight from the A logo moved over to the left for that picture. Make of that what you will. Thanks for the info.
These same photos, without your watermark, are posted at Lockerz.
Lynn's a D-bag that let a LITTLE notoriety go right to her big head.
The photos belong to Brielle Zolciak. Jack Ketsoyan is the one who you could not identify. Kim Zolciak has asked that the photos which do not belly to you, but to Brielle, be taken down.
When did Brielle become a photographer? Good on her, smart kid!
Yeah? Well I own the entire city of Atlanta. It's true because I say so. So nobody can talk about it without my permission.
Why does Bri, who assuredly was busy doing important 14 year-old things during the reception other than taking pictures, the owner of the pics? Curious.
Tammy-gal, what you need is an a** punt list. Put lynn right there at the top of the list and punt her a**. Bring Blair Walsh in to do the punting.* stands for s
While Tamara is shouting about Lynn, TT is actually the bully stealing from the kids. How is that for duplicitous irony! Neither Straight from the A, nor IHJZ could STEAL from TT what you do not OWN. You do not own the photos. The photos belong to a minor, Brielle Z. They were taken on her phone at her request, at a reception in which the family asked guests not to photograph, at their home. If you do not understand how that defines ownership, perhaps English baffles you.Tamara is transparently trying to defend the indefensible and using the lies to get attention for her blog. Ironic because TT is a good writer. And it is humorous that TT used the example of bullies stealing lunch from children! Watch when you point fingers though, that you are not doing what you accuse others of, that tiny thing called credibility has great value.
YET ANOTHER BLOG LABELS LYNN HUDSON TOXIChttp://www.realfansclub.com/members/realfans/blog/VIEW/00000012/00000209/Real-Fans-Club-Goodbye.htmlALSO THE LITTLE CHINS…
Cutie pie, Tried to go to the link, but since it isn't posted as a link and the copy function is disabled I can't get to it. If you have twitter I'd love to check it out. I am @elizaanneb.Thanks
Y'all aren't too bright. Did I do that y'all thing correctly, I'm a yankee and stuff.Anyway, the pics are effectively in the public domain. What bloggers do, which is polite, is say where they got the pictures from and even link to the blog where they source the material.Lynn doesn't do that and she "repurposes" text as well. No cool. All she had to do was say "Hey, I saw these pics on Tamara's blog…."Over.
But isn't the point that Tamara needs to follow those same courtesies! She is squealing over photos she did not credit to their source. Both bloggers did the same thing!
Lynn is an ASS, plain and simple. She harasses anyone who dares not worship Bethenny, and accuses them of being Jill Zarin.