after reading this entire entry, my heart began to sink
he did get his content up and running again,
but ah...
it was on Wordpress now!
* sigh *
* sigh *
Monday, March 10, 2008
i was hopeful for a minute
after seeing this guy's blog online, i thought that he had been lucky and got it restored within a week.
after reading this entire entry, my heart began to sink
he did get his content up and running again,
but ah...
after reading this entire entry, my heart began to sink
he did get his content up and running again,
but ah...
Sunday, March 9, 2008
An Open Letter to Blogger / Blogspot
By another user who's just as fed up with the just-delete-it-without-tellin-em-and-it's-okay-to-treat-them-like-shit spree as i am:
Well, you might be pissed already by Blogger's support (or lack of), but at least you got an email allowing you to file a review request!! Look what i got... nothing. No mail, no message, no explanation. And it's been half a month.
Blogger/Blogspot,Source: Tech Source from Bohol
I, a Blogger Publisher together with those who will support me, kindly request Blogger/Blogspot to increase your efforts to improve your services, particularly the Blogger Help and Support Team. This is in relation to blogs that are locked due to possible errors of your "spam detection bots" that classified some Blogger/Blogspot blogs as spam blogs.
I do not discourage your continuous attempts to fight spam blogs, and I understand that your spam detection system is not perfect. However, I and those who are victims of this erroneous lock-up, asked you to please act swiftly and fulfill your promise of (4 business days) waiting period for our blogs to get reviewed and reactivated.
After I've read some complaints posted in the Blogger Help Group, about blogs that were locked for almost "two months" already, I became very concerned. I visited those said blogs and found out that they were definitely not some spam blogs. What's worse is that those posted complaints didn't even get a response from anyone in the Blogger Support Team.
I consider myself somewhat fortunate that my main blog, which is where I'm posting right now, was not affected. Although, I fear that someday those buggy spam detection bots will also take down this blog by accident, and Blogger/Blogspot will let me wait in vain, again. Still, I want my locked blog to be reactivated as soon as possible as with others who are also tired of waiting and wishing to get their blogs back.
I ask all Blogger Publishers, whether you are affected by the lock-up or not, to support this open letter by leaving a comment here. Let's hope against all hope that someone from Blogger/Blogspot will get to read this letter and will take necessary actions.
Sincerely,
Blogger/Blogspot Publisher
Well, you might be pissed already by Blogger's support (or lack of), but at least you got an email allowing you to file a review request!! Look what i got... nothing. No mail, no message, no explanation. And it's been half a month.
Some are luckier than others...
寄件者： krish_trouble
日期： Tue, 4 Mar 2008 18:37:51 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年3月5日(星期三) 上午10時37分
主旨： Re: Mr Gatsby, pls help!
寄件者： krish_trouble
日期： Wed, 5 Mar 2008 21:30:40 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年3月6日(星期四) 下午1時30分
主旨： Re: Mr Gatsby, pls help!
Gosh, i feel you krish, so bad...
I guess some people are just luckier than others. Am I lucky? Judging from the fact that i've recently
... I'm not getting any luckier.
Where's Linsay Lohan when i need her? Did i just say Linsay Lohan? i don't want her when she's drunk or on crack, i want her from "Just My Luck!"
日期： Tue, 4 Mar 2008 18:37:51 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年3月5日(星期三) 上午10時37分
主旨： Re: Mr Gatsby, pls help!
Dear Mr. Gatsby,
You said my blogs were deleted because of Malware. How come I was not informed of it, warned of it, like "justanotherfan"? How come my blogs were just automatically deleted? How come I am not given the opportunity that you are giving 'justanotherfan'- that is the opportunity to clean up my blogs?
Please Mr. Gatsby give me the same opportunity. The same issue is involved here. Malware!
Justanotherfan's blog has malware- his blog was not deleted, he was warned of TOS violation, and he was given the opportunity to clean his blog. My Blog has malware like you said= but my blogs were deleted, I was not warned of any violation, and worse I was not given opportunity to clean my blogs and restore them.
The same circumstances, the same issues, how come we are treated differently? His not deleted, mine got deleted. For now You are the only person I know who can help me like how you've helped me before. I hope you will reconsider my blogs.
Respectfully,
Krish
寄件者： krish_trouble
日期： Wed, 5 Mar 2008 21:30:40 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年3月6日(星期四) 下午1時30分
主旨： Re: Mr Gatsby, pls help!
I have started a thread about his, in fact quite a few. Many bloggers with deleted blogs started their own threads and some were lucky to get a response some were not. A few of my blog were restored by Gatsby before, but these blogs so mentioned above were not restored. Yes Gatsby responded in some of the threads I made, and thus he knew very well of the problem. All he replied was that there was a malware. I tried to ask for a reconsideration that the blogs be restored and not deleted as what they did (deleted my blogs without warnings!) but this time around, Gatsby never responded. I made another thread asking for help, no one from the Blogger team helped.
Sorry to squeeze my own problem in your thread but I know Gatsby is keeping his eye on this thread so I am hoping that he will see my post.
You are lucky your blog was not automatically deleted. Mine were deleted and others too were deleted. You were lucky to get warned, i was not warned, others were not warned. You are lucky, Gatsby helped you, I am not (but I am hopeful) others were ignored.
It's painful to see your blogs gone. You really won't feel the pain until you experience it yourself. I hope you understand.
http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-loginissues/browse_thread/thread/a0743de90a9bee2b/080068b9531fe05b
Gosh, i feel you krish, so bad...
I guess some people are just luckier than others. Am I lucky? Judging from the fact that i've recently
- heard nothing in the past few weeks
- lost my purse on the public trasport system somewhere in Taipei
- went to the dentist and found out that one of my teeth has rotten to the core
- spilt coffee all over my electronic gadgets
- failed to ever 對中統一發票
- broke the power cable to my stereo system (yes, it's actually break-able... i pulled it apart)
- tried to organize my room, but instead boxes crashed to the floor and scattered all over the place
... I'm not getting any luckier.
Where's Linsay Lohan when i need her? Did i just say Linsay Lohan? i don't want her when she's drunk or on crack, i want her from "Just My Luck!"
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Blogger effeciency?
From: HemoDynamic
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:13:43 -0800 (PST)
Local: Wed, Feb 27 2008 11:13 pm
Subject: Blogger Page Gone. Still need HELP!!!
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:13:43 -0800 (PST)
Local: Wed, Feb 27 2008 11:13 pm
Subject: Blogger Page Gone. Still need HELP!!!
I am writting again mostly for an inquiry into how long it takes to get a respone from Google about Blogger issues.
I wrote Google back on Feb 16, 2008 and again on Feb 23, 2009 about an issue with my blogger account being deleted and I have not received any reply.
Do I have to pay money to get a response from them? I didn't see anywhere to make a donation.
I know that Blogger is a free service so is that the reason. If I payed for the service would I have better customer service? That is the way a lot of computer companies structure their customer service programs(e.g. Dell, Gateway)
Thanks for anyones time.
Comment posted by 亞當
at 3/1/2008 11:56:00 AM
I am shocked to hear about this news. And it led me to rethink whether I should move away from blogger. Apparently the problem is quite random but widespread. Thanks for checking out my blog. I eventually picked Blogger because I liked its Editor the best and this is the only blog system that gives you your own domain (i.e. xxxx.blogspot.com instead of www.blogspot.com/xxxx). Next to Blogger, I like Yam the best. But all my research was done a year ago. Since then I am sure each system has made some improvements already. Good luck with your old blogs. I hope you get them all back soon.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Is it becoming a trend?
From: just a guy
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:50:08 -0000
Local: Sat, Feb 10 2007 12:50 pm
Subject: Re: TOS Violation?
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:50:08 -0000
Local: Sat, Feb 10 2007 12:50 pm
Subject: Re: TOS Violation?
yeah... it's ridiculous--I got a blog that I've been running for over a year completely removed without any sort of warning. And no, it wasn't completely chock full of porn nor was it a spam blog. There's been a total rash of deletions of blogs on Blogger lately. Go do a Google search on the subject, it's happening to all kinds of people without any warning or explanation unless you email or get at least 10 or more responses on a message on this bulletin board. And even then
you really don't get a real answer.
There's really no way to get at your stuff other than using the Way back Machine website or by using the Google search and checking out the cache of your blog. Otherwise you're completely out of luck.
Because they will not get back to you and they will not provide you any of the information that you worked on within the posts of your blog.
Fun little company wouldn't you say?
It actually has been reported by quite a few people that if you have more than one blog and you end up linking your blogs together that it will set off their spam detectors and will ultimately get your blog pulled. That's what I think happened with mine, but hey, I really don't know for sure because all I got was a third hand response in a thread where I complained about my blog being deleted. The Blogger employee didn't even respond to me, he responded to someone else who was trying to help me and purely said "the blog in question wasn't hacked, it was removed for violation of TOS". It's not a conspiracy theory, it's happening alot--Just look outside this "help group" and look for yourselves.
Anyway, that's my two cents and they're angry ones!
Post on Blogger Help Group (2)
I thought long and hard, but could think of no reasons why my blog would have violated the terms of agreement. There is no copyright-infringing material available for download on my blog. All music/video material are embedded from YouTube, and I do not provide download links.
The only controversial entry I could think of was a recent entry titled “Naked,” which featured a funny advertisement clip on YouTube. The clip featured a girl wearing nothing much, but totally is not, and should not be classified as, PORN. (It’s an advertisement for the public, after all!!) If the pornographic standards in Blogger.com are so totally strict, there would be millions of blogs that ought to have been shut down years ago. If that is the reason for my blog being shut down, maybe they could notify me? I would delete that post without the slightest hestitation!
My blog is just a personal one, used neither for profit nor for spamming. I use it to get in contact with my friends around the world, to let them know what I'm up to and other stuff I find interesting.
The only other public blog I own: http://shockwaygeekblog.blogspot.com is my notebook on technology and computer tips.
As for the rest of my blogs, they are all pure text, mainly consisting of notes, lyrics and poetry. There could not possibly be anything there that could violate the TOS. But all 7 of my blogs were deleted in 1 shot.
The only controversial entry I could think of was a recent entry titled “Naked,” which featured a funny advertisement clip on YouTube. The clip featured a girl wearing nothing much, but totally is not, and should not be classified as, PORN. (It’s an advertisement for the public, after all!!) If the pornographic standards in Blogger.com are so totally strict, there would be millions of blogs that ought to have been shut down years ago. If that is the reason for my blog being shut down, maybe they could notify me? I would delete that post without the slightest hestitation!
My blog is just a personal one, used neither for profit nor for spamming. I use it to get in contact with my friends around the world, to let them know what I'm up to and other stuff I find interesting.
The only other public blog I own: http://shockwaygeekblog.blogspot.com is my notebook on technology and computer tips.
As for the rest of my blogs, they are all pure text, mainly consisting of notes, lyrics and poetry. There could not possibly be anything there that could violate the TOS. But all 7 of my blogs were deleted in 1 shot.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Post on Blogger Help Group
Basically it's similar to my letter to Blogger support, but I've rewritten it a little to be more concise and objective. 其實大致上跟我寫給客服的信件差不多，就是要交代事情經過，只是這篇會儘量寫的不情緒化一點（笑）。
read the thread
Dear all,
I've alreadyNone of them had given full solution to the problem (although I see many with the same problem), so I start a new thread here, since the problem is really bugging me (a lot!)
- read the Blogger Terms of Service (TOS), Content policy again and again
- Read extensively through the Blogger Help section
- Searched for related data on this helpful Group
- Filled a report/contact form to Blogger.com stating my case, but has yet to receive any response (I didn't receive any bot-mail, either)
4 days ago, readers of my blog reported that they could no longer view my blog - Personal Dumpyard Access - at http://shockway.blogspot.com/
A page stating "This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is currently visible to authors only” is shown instead. Upon logging into my account, a message on the Dashboard said the same thing. At the time there were still several blogs on my dashboard, only 2 of which were open to the public (the rest were private, and most could only be accessed by myself exclusively.)
On the same day, I discovered that the search results Google turned up of my blog were labeled dangerous, and "could be harmful to your computer." Since I could swear that no malicious code whatsoever has been inserted to the blog, and to my best knowledge it has not been hacked either, I am totally lost as to why the blog would be labeled “dangerous.” I installed website analytic tools that Google provided, and filled a form requesting clarification for its wronged accusation. To this day no reply has been received.
At the time I could still log in to my account and update/access my public blog, http://shockway.blogspot.com/ , as well as update my other private blogs. Even though I’ve read the Blogger Help section extensively and read related topics on this Help Group, there seems to be not much explanation for this aside that it might have been mislabeled by the spam bot. From what I've read, it seems like many others are facing similar problems.
Unfortunately, that was not the worst. 2 days ago, I realized that the error message for my blog URL has changed abruptly. From not allowing public viewing to simply “THIS URL COULD NOT BE FOUND.”
Greatly surprised, I logged into my account immediately. To my great dismay, ALL BLOGS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM MY DASHBOARD!!! Not a single one is left. Where there used to be 7 blogs to modify and update freely, now it seems that all my blogs have been removed, or even worse, DELETED.
And all this in total discretion, without so much as a warning email explaining what and why this is happening.
Can anybody help me please?
These events have left me quite devastated, as it contains many memories and efforts spanning 2+ years, 400+ posts. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and if Blogger helper (Gatsby) happens to come by, it would be my lucky day :)
My main / public blog is http://shockway.blogspot.com/
However, since it doesn't seem to exist anymore, all it turns up is a 404. The only blog presently left in my account is newly established (after all these events have happened), for testing and recording recent events.
read the thread
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Whoa... this post
This post on Google's Blogger help group greatly resembles my situation. First marked as TOS violating, then deleted... 20 blogs with content! Whoa.
From: BullsEye
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:40:36 -0700
Local: Fri, Jun 15 2007 2:40 am
Subject: 20 blogs in my dashboard have been deleted...why?
From: BullsEye
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:07:03 -0700
Local: Sun, Jun 17 2007 1:07 am
Subject: Re: 20 blogs in my dashboard have been deleted...why?
The original poster seems not to have much luck with his blogs being restored.
Perhaps he was a bit too impolite, a bit rash in his postings, but wouldn't you if you just lost 2 years' more of work? I sympathize with him, but at the same time, perhaps I ought to play nice, to get this to work between us. (Blogger.com and the blogger/me) Despite all the frustration...
... but then this guy got his blog restored. I guess there's still hope.
From: BullsEye
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:25:28 -0700
Local: Mon, Jun 18 2007 10:25 pm
Subject: Re: 20 blogs in my dashboard have been deleted...why?
True.
From: BullsEye
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:40:36 -0700
Local: Fri, Jun 15 2007 2:40 am
Subject: 20 blogs in my dashboard have been deleted...why?
Yesterday I logged into my dashboard where I would normally see 20 or so blogs. I was shocked to see ZERO...not one!
So, I checked the blog addresses and the 404 message that blogger puts up when there isn't a blog at that address showed up. All of my blogs were deleted.
If someone else had taken that blog address (which they could have) I would have lost them all. FOR NO APPARENT REASON...blogger won't return my emails or answers these posts.
I checked to see that I complied with bloggers terms and conditions to be certain. No violations.
So, 2 years of blogging down the drain...and no response from blogger.
My advice, beware, at any time you may lose the content and address of your blog....arrrrggggghhhhhh.....
From: BullsEye
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:07:03 -0700
Local: Sun, Jun 17 2007 1:07 am
Subject: Re: 20 blogs in my dashboard have been deleted...why?
Ok. Well thanks for responding. I appreciate that you took the time to return and post.
But that answer is not being truthful. I had 45 blog addresses in my dashboard. 20 or more had content. Of those 20 here is what the blogs were about...
1 blog about flying - a personal blog with 100's of photos (some mine
and some sent in from viewers) - NO TERMS OF SERVICE broken 1 blog about my experience with a car manufacturer - Toyota - NO TERMS OF SERVICE broken
6 blogs on talking about my experience playing poker - if...I mean if this is the violation of you terms, I cannot find it.
1 blog talking about how to set you your home poker game....what did I violate hear??? this makes me laugh.
3 blogs on talking about charitable gift and trust funds....ah...so what did I violate??
Now the rest I am still piecing some of them together...
1 computer tips blog
1 buying a car blog
...this just frustrates me that you deleted them all!!!!! What gives? Is that your policy...to delete everything??? if you think I violated your terms with a blog or even several...why not email me...freeze my account and let me see what you are talking about.
...but no you deleted all of them. This is clearly wrong. Did you ever think that maybe I was not aware that I was violating your terms??? Which I still believe I wasn't.
I don't expect you to expand on your explanation, as your response what very vague. You obviously don't care, otherwise you would have given me some more explanation.
I have been a very big google /blogger fan for many years...seriously. I have told many people about the many things that google and blogger have to offer. but Not anymore. This neads to hit DIGG and all the other large social networks. You have clearly made a mistake. Your actions have shown me another side to google and blogger. If you now how much time I spent on those blogs you will understand when I say that my efforst will be just as intense spreading the word about your actions.
disappointed, Bullseye
On Jun 15, 6:47 pm, Blogger Employee wrote:> Theblogsin question were removed for violations of Blogger's Terms of Service:
> Content Policy:http://www2.blogger.com/content.g
> Terms of Service:http://www2.blogger.com/terms.g
The original poster seems not to have much luck with his blogs being restored.
Perhaps he was a bit too impolite, a bit rash in his postings, but wouldn't you if you just lost 2 years' more of work? I sympathize with him, but at the same time, perhaps I ought to play nice, to get this to work between us. (Blogger.com and the blogger/me) Despite all the frustration...
... but then this guy got his blog restored. I guess there's still hope.
From: BullsEye
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:25:28 -0700
Local: Mon, Jun 18 2007 10:25 pm
Subject: Re: 20 blogs in my dashboard have been deleted...why?
Hey thehomelessguy,
I have found out the hardway that blogger employees do not respond kindly to pent up frustration let out in a post. I was guilty of this and they sort of ignored it. I deserved it I guess.
But keep inquiring and hopefully you will get the help you are looking for. Although I have changed my tune in my posts it still hasn't changed the responses from the blogger employees. Maybe they didn't have any intention of explaning to me why my blogs were deleted. I don't know.
...best advice is to keep asking but not in a rude manner. I do understand your frustration though.
Blogger is a free service and we should understand that, but it's hard when you work hard on something and one person pushes a delete button and gives not explanations. Nor allows you to have access to the other blogs or allows you to remove whatever they think violates the terms and conditions.
True.
Guess I'm not alone.
寄件者： the clerkenwell kid
日期： Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:00:19 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年2月15日(星期五) 下午11時00分
主旨： Re: Blogger Terms of service's violation
寄件者： LYonenFrance.blogspot.com
日期： Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:18:29 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年2月15日(星期五) 下午11時18分
主旨： Re: Blogger Terms of service's violation
From another similar post:
寄件者： Greg69Sheryl
日期： Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:58:21 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年1月17日(星期四) 上午1時58分
主旨： Re: This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is currently visible to authors only.
Someone recommended a "send for review" or "restore blog" link that ought to appear on the Dashboard, but the truth is, it never showed. There are totally NO messages at all regarding the violation of TOS or the deletion of blogs...
寄件者： Buu Buu
日期： Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:04:35 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年2月23日(星期六) 上午3時04分
主旨： Re: help my blog is in violation of TOS!!
Furthermore, there are no "support" emails available on the blogger site. After clicking on problems page, you will be taken through a merry-go-round of pages... except that it's not merry at all. Most of the time it will leave you at a dead end, recommending you read more of the help section (i HAVE, for heaven's sake!!) or posting your problems at the Blogger Help Group (which then may or may not be seen by blogger's employees.)
So much for "God help those who helps themselves!"
Now I can only pray...
日期： Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:00:19 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年2月15日(星期五) 下午11時00分
主旨： Re: Blogger Terms of service's violation
www.theclerkenwellkid.blogspot.com
I'd be really appreciative to know if and how you or any other
resolved this as I'm having exactly the same problem. Intermittent "This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is only open to authors" - sometimes it happens sometimes not. The blog is also well within any terms of service and i have never had any message to suggest otherwise.
I've now sent four or five messages through support and not heard back - it's becoming impossible to know what to do - it would be awful to have to abandon it or move now.
I know form reading here that several people have had the same problem - so am assuming it is a bug or an oversensitive spam detector or something - but what can we do?
寄件者： LYonenFrance.blogspot.com
日期： Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:18:29 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年2月15日(星期五) 下午11時18分
主旨： Re: Blogger Terms of service's violation
Hey, I've the same problem ! And i'm waiting for a answer !????
http://www.lyonenfrance.blogspot.com/
From another similar post:
寄件者： Greg69Sheryl
日期： Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:58:21 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年1月17日(星期四) 上午1時58分
主旨： Re: This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is currently visible to authors only.
We are in the same situation, and we can't seem to get Blogger to respond to any of our attempts to contact them. We are really bummed about this because our blog was doing so well prior to Blogger reacting to our alledged violation. It would be nice to know what the violation was so we can correct it. Help!
Greg & Sheryl
http://greg69sheryl.blogspot.com
Someone recommended a "send for review" or "restore blog" link that ought to appear on the Dashboard, but the truth is, it never showed. There are totally NO messages at all regarding the violation of TOS or the deletion of blogs...
寄件者： Buu Buu
日期： Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:04:35 -0800 (PST)
當地時間： 2008年2月23日(星期六) 上午3時04分
主旨： Re: help my blog is in violation of TOS!!
Try enter your dashboard page via www.blogger.com (key in username and pssword). At the dashboard there , find "restore blog", for me this link came up about 2 days after i violated TOS with my other blogs (considered spam , but not ... )
For me , i stopped waiting and quickly started a new one. It`s
entirely up to you , but if that blog is started few days back , then
it`s not worth it.
Visit My Blog - Offers Funny Jokes , Hillarious Videos & Cute Images. Updated Daily. http://www.comedybay.blogspot.com/
Furthermore, there are no "support" emails available on the blogger site. After clicking on problems page, you will be taken through a merry-go-round of pages... except that it's not merry at all. Most of the time it will leave you at a dead end, recommending you read more of the help section (i HAVE, for heaven's sake!!) or posting your problems at the Blogger Help Group (which then may or may not be seen by blogger's employees.)
So much for "God help those who helps themselves!"
Now I can only pray...
Google Help Group post
Thread URL
Hi, the Clerkenwell kid
may i ask what widget of suspicion was removed to restore former state?
because i've come across the same problem
And to Blogger helper, i'd really appreciate if you could see this entry
i'm facing the exact same problem as the folks above...
"This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is only open to authors"
however what's worse is that after 2 days of receiving that message,
ALL of my blogs have disappeared off my dashboard!!!
I had 7 of them before this happened.
There wasn't ANY notification of the other 6 blogs violating TOS or anything
Nothing preparing me for data loss...
They just disappeared!!
This is a disaster, as they've been very updated and well-kept.
I've read extensively on the Blogger Help section and related posts in this group.
It seems like many have the same problem.
I filled a report form for this, but don't know if anyone has or will read it.
My blog is http://shockway.blogspot.com
it's just a personal blog with entries on various topics i like, but after some years there are 400+ posts! I'm totally dumbfounded at the moment.
Help would be greatly appreciated :)
Hi, the Clerkenwell kid
may i ask what widget of suspicion was removed to restore former state?
because i've come across the same problem
And to Blogger helper, i'd really appreciate if you could see this entry
i'm facing the exact same problem as the folks above...
"This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is only open to authors"
however what's worse is that after 2 days of receiving that message,
ALL of my blogs have disappeared off my dashboard!!!
I had 7 of them before this happened.
There wasn't ANY notification of the other 6 blogs violating TOS or anything
Nothing preparing me for data loss...
They just disappeared!!
This is a disaster, as they've been very updated and well-kept.
I've read extensively on the Blogger Help section and related posts in this group.
It seems like many have the same problem.
I filled a report form for this, but don't know if anyone has or will read it.
My blog is http://shockway.blogspot.com
it's just a personal blog with entries on various topics i like, but after some years there are 400+ posts! I'm totally dumbfounded at the moment.
Help would be greatly appreciated :)
Vulnerable
This experience made me realize how vulnerable our valuable data can become when we depend too much on a free service, no matter how popular or well-written it may be...
Let's just hope it really is a JUST cause!!
Blogs Are Being Removed For Just Cause
In mid January 2008, Blogger started to do something about a major problem - blogs established in BlogSpot, in massive numbers, for illegal purposes - hacking, porn distribution, and spam distribution. That's not an easy task - there's nothing on any one blog that saysLet's just hope the random removal of suspicious-"like" blogs are just!!This blog is used for hacking, for porn distribution, and / or for spam distribution.Detection of such illegal blogs, like detection of malware in general, has to be done by heuristic analysis and signature comparison. Unfortunately, detection of illegal blogs, like detection of malware, using both methods, are subject to two major problems
- False Negative Detection - Many illegal blogs are not detected, because the authors of such blogs are very skilled at making their blogs like normal blogs.
- False Positive Detection - Many legitimate blogs are falsely detected, again because the authors of the illegal blogs are very skilled at making their blogs look like normal blogs.
As Blogger tries harder to reduce the population of illegal blogs, and based upon the massive size and deviousness of that population, more legitimate blogs are going to be falsely flagged as illegal. In the past, false positive detection was handled on a one by one basis, and generally with a casual explanation.Now, with more false positives anticipated, bloggers must be better informed about Blogger policy. Accordingly, Blogger is providing resources to keep the blogging population better informed, when their blogs are removed - whether falsely or genuinely - based upon blogging behaviour detection, or content analysis. Blogger has three referential documents.
- Blogger Content Policy
- Google Privacy Policy
- Google Terms of Service
None of these will address each situation, but taken together, they are a good start. Only by knowing the limits, can we identify the legitimate bloggers, and avoid helping the illegitimate ones.If you get a Terms Of Service Violation notice, please let us know exactly what it looks like and where you see it. There is supposed to be a link to have the blog reviewed, possibly on the dashboard next to the blog in question. Most of us trying to help have seen neither the notice nor the link, because we're not getting TOSsed.
Help us to help you, and tell us what you are seeing.
盡人事，聽天命。
盡人事，聽天命。
發生了這件事後，我上網看了非常多資料。
由於 Google 買下 Blogger 後決定以免費的方式提供服務
所以相對之下提供的預算很少，
也代表這個團隊的客服人力就很吃緊。
網路上有這樣悲慘經驗的其實不在少數，
當然有一些成功與 Blogger 工作人員取得聯繫
進而把這些「誤殺」的網誌搶救回來的；
但也多的是求救無門，只好自認倒楣的案例。
遇到這種事情，我只能說真的很衰我會努力爭取，把幾年份的回憶保存下來。但這次的經驗最讓我不寒而慄的是仰賴這種方便、好用的「免費」服務潛在的不穩定性。是的，他完全不收你一毛錢簡直像做公益一樣；於是，我們用得很開心，我們花時間、精力把我們的回憶，一點一滴的凝聚在上面… （待續）
發生了這件事後，我上網看了非常多資料。
由於 Google 買下 Blogger 後決定以免費的方式提供服務
所以相對之下提供的預算很少，
也代表這個團隊的客服人力就很吃緊。
網路上有這樣悲慘經驗的其實不在少數，
當然有一些成功與 Blogger 工作人員取得聯繫
進而把這些「誤殺」的網誌搶救回來的；
但也多的是求救無門，只好自認倒楣的案例。
遇到這種事情，我只能說真的很衰我會努力爭取，把幾年份的回憶保存下來。但這次的經驗最讓我不寒而慄的是仰賴這種方便、好用的「免費」服務潛在的不穩定性。是的，他完全不收你一毛錢簡直像做公益一樣；於是，我們用得很開心，我們花時間、精力把我們的回憶，一點一滴的凝聚在上面… （待續）
謝謝大家的關心
網誌被「吊銷」了幾天，就陸續有好幾位好友、家人問我
你的網誌發生啥事啦？怎麼看不到了？
.jpg)
這… 唉，真的說來話長
如果看我寫給 Blogger 客服的信，
會充分理解來龍去脈。
信是用英文寫的，
因為據說 Blogger 是全球統一客服
簡而言之
我的網誌 先是被 Blogger 標記成「違反使用者規範」（violation of Terms of Service）
（天曉得哪裡違反了，也沒人告訴我）
被對外關閉，只有作者可以看的到
這狀況時有時無，有時候可以連上，有時又不行；
但那時至少我還是可以正常的編輯、新增文章內容
也可以在控制台看到、並更新我擁有的所有網誌。
幾天後，我名下全部的網誌都不見了
包括公開的兩個
還有很多是我自己紀錄事情在用的
網誌控制台上全部都是空的，
空空的頁面
只剩下介紹 Blogger 新功能的文宣，實在諷刺。
我很納悶
我完全丈二金剛摸不著頭腦
因為就算 :: PDA :: 那個網誌真的違反規範好吧，
但我私人的網誌哪點惹到他們？
幾乎都是純文字檔，就像是筆記本一樣
結果他們不發一語
連一封通知信也沒給我
就把我累積幾年下來的東西全部丟了
現在網誌的控制台上，只見得一片空空空如也
我昨天登入的時候
簡直看傻了眼… 以為我登入錯誤帳號了
唉……
不輕易妥協
目前正在跟 Blogger.com 客服陳情 / 爭取中
為了試驗不是我網誌帳號秀逗，以及紀錄最新發展
我在 shockway 帳號下又開了一個網誌：http://u-cant-just-delete-it.blogspot.com/ （就是你現在看到的這個網誌）
有興趣的話可以看我的那一封信
滿長的 不過記錄的頗為詳實
老實說我真的覺得非常莫名其妙
網誌取名 What's Happening? 充分表達出我錯愕的情緒。
你的網誌發生啥事啦？怎麼看不到了？
.jpg)
這… 唉，真的說來話長
如果看我寫給 Blogger 客服的信，
會充分理解來龍去脈。
信是用英文寫的，
因為據說 Blogger 是全球統一客服
簡而言之
我的網誌 先是被 Blogger 標記成「違反使用者規範」（violation of Terms of Service）
（天曉得哪裡違反了，也沒人告訴我）
被對外關閉，只有作者可以看的到
這狀況時有時無，有時候可以連上，有時又不行；
但那時至少我還是可以正常的編輯、新增文章內容
也可以在控制台看到、並更新我擁有的所有網誌。
幾天後，我名下全部的網誌都不見了
包括公開的兩個
還有很多是我自己紀錄事情在用的
網誌控制台上全部都是空的，
空空的頁面
只剩下介紹 Blogger 新功能的文宣，實在諷刺。
上面唯一可見的網誌是事件發生後我新成立的網誌
但這裡原本有七個網誌，排的滿滿的
但這裡原本有七個網誌，排的滿滿的
我很納悶
我完全丈二金剛摸不著頭腦
因為就算 :: PDA :: 那個網誌真的違反規範好吧，
但我私人的網誌哪點惹到他們？
幾乎都是純文字檔，就像是筆記本一樣
結果他們不發一語
連一封通知信也沒給我
就把我累積幾年下來的東西全部丟了
現在網誌的控制台上，只見得一片空空空如也
我昨天登入的時候
簡直看傻了眼… 以為我登入錯誤帳號了
唉……
不輕易妥協
目前正在跟 Blogger.com 客服陳情 / 爭取中
為了試驗不是我網誌帳號秀逗，以及紀錄最新發展
我在 shockway 帳號下又開了一個網誌：http://u-cant-just-delete-it.blogspot.com/ （就是你現在看到的這個網誌）
有興趣的話可以看我的那一封信
滿長的 不過記錄的頗為詳實
老實說我真的覺得非常莫名其妙
網誌取名 What's Happening? 充分表達出我錯愕的情緒。
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Letter to Blogger.com support
以下是我寫給 Blogger 客服的信：
On February 21, 2008, readers of my blog reported that they could no longer view my blog on http://shockway.blogspot.com/ . A page stating "This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is currently visible to authors only” is shown instead. Upon logging into my account, a message on the Dashboard said the same thing. At the time there were still several blogs on my dashboard, only 2 of which were open to the public (the rest were private, and most could only be accessed by myself exclusively.)
On the same day, I discovered that the search results Google turned up of my blog were labeled dangerous, and "could be harmful to your computer." Since I could swear that no malicious code whatsoever has been inserted to the blog, and to my best knowledge it has not been hacked either, I am totally lost as to why the blog would be labeled “dangerous.” I installed website analytic tools that Google provided, and filled a form requesting clarification for its wronged accusation. To this day no reply has been received.
At the time I could still log in to my account and update/access my public blog, http://shockway.blogspot.com/ , as well as update my other private blogs. Even though I’ve read the Blogger Help section extensively and sought for help on Google Groups, no satisfactory answer and no explanation was given on how to work it out with the brilliant folks at Blogger.com to help “uncensor” my blog. The only explanation was that it might have been mistakenly marked by the Blogger robot, which strives to keep out spam and other inadequate content.
My greatest question is this: the only explanation I received as to cutting off my YEARS of work and my communication with the internet community was that I violated the TOS agreement. Violated HOW? Could you elaborate? I could think of no reasons WHY my blog would have violated the terms of agreement. There is NO copyright-infringing material available for download on my blog. The only controversial entry I could think of was an entry titled “Naked,” which featured a funny advertisement clip on YouTube. The clip featured a girl wearing nothing much, but totally is not, and should not be classified as, PORN. (It’s an advertisement for the public, for heaven’s sake!) If the pornographic standards in Blogger.com are so totally strict, there would be millions of blogs that ought to have been shut down years ago. If that is the reason for my blog being shut down, at least TELL ME!! I would totally remove that SINGLE ENTRY, without the slightest hesitation!
Don’t you at least owe me, a longtime loyal user of Blogger and various Google services, AN EXPLAINATION?? For causing so much DISTRESS and INCONVENIENCE?
Unfortunately, that was not the worst. Today morning (02/23/2008 Taiwanese time), I realized that the error message for my blog URL has changed abruptly. From not allowing public viewing to simply “THIS URL COULD NOT BE FOUND.” Greatly surprised, I logged into my account immediately. To my great dismay, ALL BLOGS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM MY DASHBOARD!!! Not a single one is left. Where there used to be 7 blogs to modify and update freely, now it seems that all my blogs have been removed, or even worse, DELETED.
And all this in total discretion, without so much as a warning email explaining what and why this is happening.
As much as I am saddened by this ordeal, I am also very very confused. Why has my entire blog account been wiped out? Wiped CLEAN? What “violation” has my other blogs done? Most were only pure text, and only ENTIRELY consists of personal entries. I could not think of ANY occasion in which my other blogs may have violated the TOS agreement.
It is with great shock and sorrow that I fill this error form. For the wonderful developers of Blogger.com, this may be only one other blog with problems, a single user which may not matter to “the bigger picture.” But to the user, it means everything… memories preserved, notes carefully archived for safekeeping, interaction with people I know or don’t know. It is the Keeper, of so much that is so significant and important to me. It is the fruit of numerous hours per day in front of the computer, pouring my soul into the keys. I cannot bear to lose it. That is why I write this long letter to you today; because you are the only ones that can help me salvage my memories.
So please help me. Thank you so very, very much.
On February 21, 2008, readers of my blog reported that they could no longer view my blog on http://shockway.blogspot.com/ . A page stating "This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is currently visible to authors only” is shown instead. Upon logging into my account, a message on the Dashboard said the same thing. At the time there were still several blogs on my dashboard, only 2 of which were open to the public (the rest were private, and most could only be accessed by myself exclusively.)
On the same day, I discovered that the search results Google turned up of my blog were labeled dangerous, and "could be harmful to your computer." Since I could swear that no malicious code whatsoever has been inserted to the blog, and to my best knowledge it has not been hacked either, I am totally lost as to why the blog would be labeled “dangerous.” I installed website analytic tools that Google provided, and filled a form requesting clarification for its wronged accusation. To this day no reply has been received.
At the time I could still log in to my account and update/access my public blog, http://shockway.blogspot.com/ , as well as update my other private blogs. Even though I’ve read the Blogger Help section extensively and sought for help on Google Groups, no satisfactory answer and no explanation was given on how to work it out with the brilliant folks at Blogger.com to help “uncensor” my blog. The only explanation was that it might have been mistakenly marked by the Blogger robot, which strives to keep out spam and other inadequate content.
My greatest question is this: the only explanation I received as to cutting off my YEARS of work and my communication with the internet community was that I violated the TOS agreement. Violated HOW? Could you elaborate? I could think of no reasons WHY my blog would have violated the terms of agreement. There is NO copyright-infringing material available for download on my blog. The only controversial entry I could think of was an entry titled “Naked,” which featured a funny advertisement clip on YouTube. The clip featured a girl wearing nothing much, but totally is not, and should not be classified as, PORN. (It’s an advertisement for the public, for heaven’s sake!) If the pornographic standards in Blogger.com are so totally strict, there would be millions of blogs that ought to have been shut down years ago. If that is the reason for my blog being shut down, at least TELL ME!! I would totally remove that SINGLE ENTRY, without the slightest hesitation!
Don’t you at least owe me, a longtime loyal user of Blogger and various Google services, AN EXPLAINATION?? For causing so much DISTRESS and INCONVENIENCE?
Unfortunately, that was not the worst. Today morning (02/23/2008 Taiwanese time), I realized that the error message for my blog URL has changed abruptly. From not allowing public viewing to simply “THIS URL COULD NOT BE FOUND.” Greatly surprised, I logged into my account immediately. To my great dismay, ALL BLOGS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM MY DASHBOARD!!! Not a single one is left. Where there used to be 7 blogs to modify and update freely, now it seems that all my blogs have been removed, or even worse, DELETED.
And all this in total discretion, without so much as a warning email explaining what and why this is happening.
As much as I am saddened by this ordeal, I am also very very confused. Why has my entire blog account been wiped out? Wiped CLEAN? What “violation” has my other blogs done? Most were only pure text, and only ENTIRELY consists of personal entries. I could not think of ANY occasion in which my other blogs may have violated the TOS agreement.
It is with great shock and sorrow that I fill this error form. For the wonderful developers of Blogger.com, this may be only one other blog with problems, a single user which may not matter to “the bigger picture.” But to the user, it means everything… memories preserved, notes carefully archived for safekeeping, interaction with people I know or don’t know. It is the Keeper, of so much that is so significant and important to me. It is the fruit of numerous hours per day in front of the computer, pouring my soul into the keys. I cannot bear to lose it. That is why I write this long letter to you today; because you are the only ones that can help me salvage my memories.
So please help me. Thank you so very, very much.
-- A confused and sad user
Blogger Terms of Service
Blogger Terms of Service
Welcome to Blogger! Before you begin using Blogger, you must read and agree to these Blogger Terms of Service ("Terms of Service") and the following terms and conditions and policies, including any future amendments (collectively, the "Agreement"):
Google Terms of Service - Google's general terms and conditions
Google Privacy Policy - How we maintain and protect your personal information in Blogger
Blogger Content Policy - How we promote free expression and responsible publishing
Although we may attempt to notify you when major changes are made to these Blogger Terms of Service, you should periodically review the most up-to-date version. Google may, in its sole discretion, modify or revise these Terms of Service and policies at any time, and you agree to be bound by such modifications or revisions. If you do not accept and abide by this Agreement, you may not use the Blogger service. In the event of an inconsistency between the Blogger Terms of Service and either Google's general Terms of Service (http://www.google.com/intl/en/terms_of_service.html) or the Google Privacy Policy (http://www.google.com/privacy.html), the Blogger Terms of Service (http://www.blogger.com/terms.g) shall control. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to confer any third-party rights or benefits.
1. Description of Service. Blogger is a web publishing service and optional hosting service (the "Service"). You will be responsible for all activities occurring under your username and for keeping your password secure. You understand and agree that the Service is provided to you on an AS IS and AS AVAILABLE basis. Google disclaims all responsibility and liability for the availability, timeliness, security or reliability of the Service or any other client software. Google also reserves the right to modify, suspend or discontinue the Service with or without notice at any time and without any liability to you.
You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use the Service. Google reserves the right to refuse service to anyone at any time without notice for any reason.
2. Proper Use. You agree that you are responsible for your own use of the Service, for any posts you make, and for any consequences thereof. You agree that you will use the Service in compliance with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws, rules and regulations, including any laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from your country of residence and all United States export control laws.
You agree to abide by the Blogger Content Policy and the rules and restrictions therein. Although we may attempt to notify you when major changes are made to the Blogger Content Policy, you should periodically review the most up-to-date version. Google may, in its sole discretion, modify or revise the Blogger Content Policy at any time, and you agree to be bound by such modifications or revisions.
Violation of any of the foregoing, including the Blogger Content Policy may result in immediate termination of this Agreement, and may subject you to state and federal penalties and other legal consequences. Google reserves the right, but shall have no obligation, to investigate your use of the Service in order to (a) determine whether a violation of the Agreement has occurred or (b) comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request.
Much of the content of Blogger.com and Blogspot.com -- including the contents of specific postings -- is provided by and is the responsibility of the person or people who made such postings. Google does not monitor the content of Blogger.com and Blogspot.com, and takes no responsibility for such content. Instead, Google merely provides access to such content as a service to you.
By their very nature, Blogger.com and Blogspot.com may carry offensive, harmful, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate material, or in some cases, postings that have been mislabeled or are otherwise deceptive. We expect that you will use caution and common sense and exercise proper judgment when using Blogger.com and Blogspot.com.
Google does not endorse, support, represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any communications posted via the Service or endorse any opinions expressed via the Service. You acknowledge that any reliance on material posted via the Service will be at your own risk.
3. Privacy. As a condition of using the Service, you agree to the terms of the Google Privacy Policy, which may be updated from time to time, as expressed in the most recent version that exists at the time of your use. You agree that Google may access or disclose your personal information, including the content of your communications, if Google is required to do so in order to comply with any valid legal process or governmental request (such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute, or court order), or as otherwise provided in these Terms of Service and the general Google Privacy Policy. Personal information collected by Google may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Google Inc. or its agents maintain facilities. By using the Service, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country.
4. General Practices Regarding Use and Storage. You agree that Google has no responsibility or liability for the deletion of, or the failure to store or to transmit, any Content and other communications maintained by the Service. Google retains the right to create limits on use and storage at our sole discretion at any time with or without notice.
5. Content of the Service. Google takes no responsibility for third-party content (including, without limitation, any viruses or other disabling features), nor does Google have any obligation to monitor such third-party content. Google reserves the right at all times to remove or refuse to distribute any content on the Service, such as content which violates the terms of this Agreement. Google also reserves the right to access, read, preserve, and disclose any information as it reasonably believes is necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, (b) enforce this Agreement, including investigation of potential violations hereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, (d) respond to user support requests, or (e) protect the rights, property or safety of Google, its users and the public. Google will not be responsible or liable for the exercise or non-exercise of its rights under this Agreement.
6. Intellectual Property Rights. Google's Intellectual Property Rights. You acknowledge that Google owns all right, title and interest in and to the Service, including all intellectual property rights (the "Google Rights"). Google Rights are protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. Accordingly, you agree that you will not copy, reproduce, alter, modify, or create derivative works from the Service. You also agree that you will not use any robot, spider, other automated device, or manual process to monitor or copy any content from the Service. As described immediately below, Google Rights do not include third-party content used as part of the Service, including the content of communications appearing on the Service.
Your Intellectual Property Rights. Google claims no ownership or control over any Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through Google services. You or a third party licensor, as appropriate, retain all patent, trademark and copyright to any Content you submit, post or display on or through Google services and you are responsible for protecting those rights, as appropriate. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Google services which are intended to be available to the members of the public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish and distribute such Content on Google services for the purpose of displaying and distributing Google services. Google furthermore reserves the right to refuse to accept, post, display or transmit any Content in its sole discretion.
You represent and warrant that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the rights granted herein to any Content submitted.
You may choose to submit, post, and display any materials on or through the Blogger service or Blogspot.com under a public license (e.g. a Creative Commons license), whether by manually marking your materials as such or using Blogger service tools to do so. For avoidance of doubt, Google is not a party to any such public license between you and any third party. Also, for avoidance of doubt, Google may choose to exercise the rights granted under (a) the public license or licenses, if any, you apply to your materials or (b) this Agreement.
7. No Resale of the Service. Unless expressly authorized in writing by Google, you agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, trade, resell or exploit for any commercial purposes (a) any portion of the Service, (b) use of the Service, or (c) access to the Service.
8. Publicity. Any use of Google's trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features ("Brand Features"), including "Blogger," "Blogger.com," "Blogspot," and "Blogspot.com," must be in compliance with this Agreement and in compliance with Google's then current Brand Features use guidelines, and any content contained or referenced therein, which may be found at the following URL (or such other URL Google may provide from time to time).
9. Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant that (a) all of the information provided by you to Google to participate in the Service is correct and current; and (b) you have all necessary right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform the acts required of you hereunder.
10. Termination; Suspension. Google may, in its sole discretion, at any time and for any reason, terminate the Service, terminate this Agreement, or suspend or terminate your account. In the event of termination, your account will be disabled and you may not be granted access to your account or any files or other content contained in your account although residual copies of information may remain in our system for some time for back-up purposes. Sections 2, 3, 5 - 8, and 10 - 15 of the Agreement, along with applicable provisions of the general Terms of Service (including the section regarding limitation of liability), shall survive expiration or termination.
11. Indemnification. You agree to hold harmless and indemnify Google, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, and employees from and against any third-party claim arising from or in any way related to your use of the Service, including any liability or expense arising from all claims, losses, damages (actual and consequential), suits, judgments, litigation costs and attorneys' fees, of every kind and nature. In such a case, Google will provide you with written notice of such claim, suit or action.
12. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and Google and governs your use of the Service, superseding any prior agreements between you and Google. You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use or purchase certain other Google services, affiliate services, third-party content or third-party software.
13. Waiver and Severability of Terms. The failure of Google to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of the Terms of Service is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Terms of Service remain in full force and effect.
14. Statute of Limitations. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising of or related to use of Google services or the Terms of Service must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.
15. Choice of Law; Jurisdiction; Forum. These Terms of Service will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to its conflict of laws provisions or your actual state or country of residence. Any claims, legal proceeding or litigation arising in connection with the Service will be brought solely in Santa Clara County, California, and you consent to the jurisdiction of such courts.
16. Copyright Information. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If you believe that your copyright has been infringed on the Service, please refer to URL for information on how to file or respond to a notice of infringement.
Welcome to Blogger! Before you begin using Blogger, you must read and agree to these Blogger Terms of Service ("Terms of Service") and the following terms and conditions and policies, including any future amendments (collectively, the "Agreement"):
Google Terms of Service - Google's general terms and conditions
Google Privacy Policy - How we maintain and protect your personal information in Blogger
Blogger Content Policy - How we promote free expression and responsible publishing
Although we may attempt to notify you when major changes are made to these Blogger Terms of Service, you should periodically review the most up-to-date version. Google may, in its sole discretion, modify or revise these Terms of Service and policies at any time, and you agree to be bound by such modifications or revisions. If you do not accept and abide by this Agreement, you may not use the Blogger service. In the event of an inconsistency between the Blogger Terms of Service and either Google's general Terms of Service (http://www.google.com/intl/en/terms_of_service.html) or the Google Privacy Policy (http://www.google.com/privacy.html), the Blogger Terms of Service (http://www.blogger.com/terms.g) shall control. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to confer any third-party rights or benefits.
1. Description of Service. Blogger is a web publishing service and optional hosting service (the "Service"). You will be responsible for all activities occurring under your username and for keeping your password secure. You understand and agree that the Service is provided to you on an AS IS and AS AVAILABLE basis. Google disclaims all responsibility and liability for the availability, timeliness, security or reliability of the Service or any other client software. Google also reserves the right to modify, suspend or discontinue the Service with or without notice at any time and without any liability to you.
You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use the Service. Google reserves the right to refuse service to anyone at any time without notice for any reason.
2. Proper Use. You agree that you are responsible for your own use of the Service, for any posts you make, and for any consequences thereof. You agree that you will use the Service in compliance with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws, rules and regulations, including any laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from your country of residence and all United States export control laws.
You agree to abide by the Blogger Content Policy and the rules and restrictions therein. Although we may attempt to notify you when major changes are made to the Blogger Content Policy, you should periodically review the most up-to-date version. Google may, in its sole discretion, modify or revise the Blogger Content Policy at any time, and you agree to be bound by such modifications or revisions.
Violation of any of the foregoing, including the Blogger Content Policy may result in immediate termination of this Agreement, and may subject you to state and federal penalties and other legal consequences. Google reserves the right, but shall have no obligation, to investigate your use of the Service in order to (a) determine whether a violation of the Agreement has occurred or (b) comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request.
Much of the content of Blogger.com and Blogspot.com -- including the contents of specific postings -- is provided by and is the responsibility of the person or people who made such postings. Google does not monitor the content of Blogger.com and Blogspot.com, and takes no responsibility for such content. Instead, Google merely provides access to such content as a service to you.
By their very nature, Blogger.com and Blogspot.com may carry offensive, harmful, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate material, or in some cases, postings that have been mislabeled or are otherwise deceptive. We expect that you will use caution and common sense and exercise proper judgment when using Blogger.com and Blogspot.com.
Google does not endorse, support, represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any communications posted via the Service or endorse any opinions expressed via the Service. You acknowledge that any reliance on material posted via the Service will be at your own risk.
3. Privacy. As a condition of using the Service, you agree to the terms of the Google Privacy Policy, which may be updated from time to time, as expressed in the most recent version that exists at the time of your use. You agree that Google may access or disclose your personal information, including the content of your communications, if Google is required to do so in order to comply with any valid legal process or governmental request (such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute, or court order), or as otherwise provided in these Terms of Service and the general Google Privacy Policy. Personal information collected by Google may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Google Inc. or its agents maintain facilities. By using the Service, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country.
4. General Practices Regarding Use and Storage. You agree that Google has no responsibility or liability for the deletion of, or the failure to store or to transmit, any Content and other communications maintained by the Service. Google retains the right to create limits on use and storage at our sole discretion at any time with or without notice.
5. Content of the Service. Google takes no responsibility for third-party content (including, without limitation, any viruses or other disabling features), nor does Google have any obligation to monitor such third-party content. Google reserves the right at all times to remove or refuse to distribute any content on the Service, such as content which violates the terms of this Agreement. Google also reserves the right to access, read, preserve, and disclose any information as it reasonably believes is necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, (b) enforce this Agreement, including investigation of potential violations hereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, (d) respond to user support requests, or (e) protect the rights, property or safety of Google, its users and the public. Google will not be responsible or liable for the exercise or non-exercise of its rights under this Agreement.
6. Intellectual Property Rights. Google's Intellectual Property Rights. You acknowledge that Google owns all right, title and interest in and to the Service, including all intellectual property rights (the "Google Rights"). Google Rights are protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. Accordingly, you agree that you will not copy, reproduce, alter, modify, or create derivative works from the Service. You also agree that you will not use any robot, spider, other automated device, or manual process to monitor or copy any content from the Service. As described immediately below, Google Rights do not include third-party content used as part of the Service, including the content of communications appearing on the Service.
Your Intellectual Property Rights. Google claims no ownership or control over any Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through Google services. You or a third party licensor, as appropriate, retain all patent, trademark and copyright to any Content you submit, post or display on or through Google services and you are responsible for protecting those rights, as appropriate. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Google services which are intended to be available to the members of the public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish and distribute such Content on Google services for the purpose of displaying and distributing Google services. Google furthermore reserves the right to refuse to accept, post, display or transmit any Content in its sole discretion.
You represent and warrant that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the rights granted herein to any Content submitted.
You may choose to submit, post, and display any materials on or through the Blogger service or Blogspot.com under a public license (e.g. a Creative Commons license), whether by manually marking your materials as such or using Blogger service tools to do so. For avoidance of doubt, Google is not a party to any such public license between you and any third party. Also, for avoidance of doubt, Google may choose to exercise the rights granted under (a) the public license or licenses, if any, you apply to your materials or (b) this Agreement.
7. No Resale of the Service. Unless expressly authorized in writing by Google, you agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, trade, resell or exploit for any commercial purposes (a) any portion of the Service, (b) use of the Service, or (c) access to the Service.
8. Publicity. Any use of Google's trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features ("Brand Features"), including "Blogger," "Blogger.com," "Blogspot," and "Blogspot.com," must be in compliance with this Agreement and in compliance with Google's then current Brand Features use guidelines, and any content contained or referenced therein, which may be found at the following URL (or such other URL Google may provide from time to time).
9. Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant that (a) all of the information provided by you to Google to participate in the Service is correct and current; and (b) you have all necessary right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform the acts required of you hereunder.
10. Termination; Suspension. Google may, in its sole discretion, at any time and for any reason, terminate the Service, terminate this Agreement, or suspend or terminate your account. In the event of termination, your account will be disabled and you may not be granted access to your account or any files or other content contained in your account although residual copies of information may remain in our system for some time for back-up purposes. Sections 2, 3, 5 - 8, and 10 - 15 of the Agreement, along with applicable provisions of the general Terms of Service (including the section regarding limitation of liability), shall survive expiration or termination.
11. Indemnification. You agree to hold harmless and indemnify Google, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, and employees from and against any third-party claim arising from or in any way related to your use of the Service, including any liability or expense arising from all claims, losses, damages (actual and consequential), suits, judgments, litigation costs and attorneys' fees, of every kind and nature. In such a case, Google will provide you with written notice of such claim, suit or action.
12. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and Google and governs your use of the Service, superseding any prior agreements between you and Google. You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use or purchase certain other Google services, affiliate services, third-party content or third-party software.
13. Waiver and Severability of Terms. The failure of Google to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of the Terms of Service is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Terms of Service remain in full force and effect.
14. Statute of Limitations. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising of or related to use of Google services or the Terms of Service must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.
15. Choice of Law; Jurisdiction; Forum. These Terms of Service will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to its conflict of laws provisions or your actual state or country of residence. Any claims, legal proceeding or litigation arising in connection with the Service will be brought solely in Santa Clara County, California, and you consent to the jurisdiction of such courts.
16. Copyright Information. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If you believe that your copyright has been infringed on the Service, please refer to URL for information on how to file or respond to a notice of infringement.
Blogger Content Policy
Blogger is a free service for communication, self-expression and freedom of speech. We believe Blogger increases the availability of information, encourages healthy debate, and makes possible new connections between people.
We respect our users' ownership of and responsibility for the content they choose to share. It is our belief that censoring this content is contrary to a service that bases itself on freedom of expression. (THEN DO RESPECT, thank you!!!)
In order to uphold these values, we need to curb abuses that threaten our ability to provide this service and the freedom of expression it encourages. As a result, there are some boundaries on the type of content that can be hosted with Blogger. The boundaries we've defined are those that both comply with legal requirements and that serve to enhance the service as a whole.
Content Boundaries
Our content policies play an important role in maintaining a Googley experience for you, the users. Please respect these guidelines. From time to time, we may change our content policies so please check back here.
PORNOGRAPHY AND OBSCENITY:
Pedophilia, Incest and Bestiality: Users may not publish written, image or video content that promotes pedophilia, incest and bestiality.
Commercial Pornography: We do not allow content that exists for the primary purpose of monetizing porn content or driving traffic to a monetized pornography site.
Child Pornography: Google has a zero-tolerance policy against child pornography, and we will terminate and report to the appropriate authorities any user who publishes or distributes child pornography.
HATEFUL CONTENT: Users may not publish material that promotes hate toward groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity.
VIOLENT CONTENT: Users may not publish direct threats of violence against any person or group of people.
COPYRIGHT: It is our policy to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement. More information about our copyright procedures can be found here.
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: We do not allow the unauthorized publishing of people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, and driver's and other license numbers.
IMPERSONATION: We do not allow impersonation of others through our services in a manner that is intended to or does mislead or confuse others.
UNLAWFUL USE OF SERVICES: Our products and services should not be used for unlawful purposes or for promotion of dangerous and illegal activities. Your account may be terminated and you may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
SPAM, MALICIOUS CODES AND VIRUSES: We do not allow spamming or transmitting malware and viruses.
We respect our users' ownership of and responsibility for the content they choose to share. It is our belief that censoring this content is contrary to a service that bases itself on freedom of expression. (THEN DO RESPECT, thank you!!!)
In order to uphold these values, we need to curb abuses that threaten our ability to provide this service and the freedom of expression it encourages. As a result, there are some boundaries on the type of content that can be hosted with Blogger. The boundaries we've defined are those that both comply with legal requirements and that serve to enhance the service as a whole.
Content Boundaries
Our content policies play an important role in maintaining a Googley experience for you, the users. Please respect these guidelines. From time to time, we may change our content policies so please check back here.
PORNOGRAPHY AND OBSCENITY:
- Pornography and Obscenity: Image and video content that contains nudity, sexually graphic material, or material that is otherwise deemed explicit by Google should be made private. Otherwise, we may put such content behind an interstitial.
HATEFUL CONTENT: Users may not publish material that promotes hate toward groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity.
VIOLENT CONTENT: Users may not publish direct threats of violence against any person or group of people.
COPYRIGHT: It is our policy to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement. More information about our copyright procedures can be found here.
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: We do not allow the unauthorized publishing of people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, and driver's and other license numbers.
IMPERSONATION: We do not allow impersonation of others through our services in a manner that is intended to or does mislead or confuse others.
UNLAWFUL USE OF SERVICES: Our products and services should not be used for unlawful purposes or for promotion of dangerous and illegal activities. Your account may be terminated and you may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
SPAM, MALICIOUS CODES AND VIRUSES: We do not allow spamming or transmitting malware and viruses.
Note: the purpose of this blog
My blog with 400+ posts has recently been marked and then deleted by Blogger.com. In total discretion, with no explanation or notification whatsoever. All of my blogs have been wiped out completely.
This newly established blog will record efforts made to contact Blogger support, and retain all that is rightfully mine.
New happenings on this ordeal will be updated regularly here. During data search regarding the subject, I realized many have suffered from the same problem. And while some were lucky and got in contact with human beings at Blogger.com, others weren't so fortunate. (Lucky because there are totally no direct means to get in contact with them! Just a contact form, which clearly states Blogger will "only get in contact if they need further information." ) I hope my experience may serve to help people with similar problems in the future.
This newly established blog will record efforts made to contact Blogger support, and retain all that is rightfully mine.
New happenings on this ordeal will be updated regularly here. During data search regarding the subject, I realized many have suffered from the same problem. And while some were lucky and got in contact with human beings at Blogger.com, others weren't so fortunate. (Lucky because there are totally no direct means to get in contact with them! Just a contact form, which clearly states Blogger will "only get in contact if they need further information." ) I hope my experience may serve to help people with similar problems in the future.
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