#412 Don't Post It If You Don't Want It On the Internet

Chelsea holds it in for a pic with Snoop.

Administrator uses student’s bikini photo in Internet safety seminar which, of course, horrifies her because she only intended for her friends to see the photo.

This demonstrates a rather fundamental lack of understanding about how the internet and digital information actually works.

And, as a result, Chelsea Chaney, the blond sucking in her belly for the photo on the right there, is suing the administrator for $2 million. Yeah. Because a photo she put on her Facebook page and accessible by anyone with a computer was used without her permission or knowledge.

Chelsea, you posted the photo, you didn't restrict access to it and now you're upset because your own hubris caused you some discomfort (which the cynical voice in me thinks you're trying to parlay into a career through this national exposure).

Honestly, after watching part of the video on the link, I have less sympathy for her than I did before. Her whole attitude is lame and she's much better looking with her sunglasses on and her mouth closed or smiling. Listening to her talk made me want the judge to rule against her AND fine her $50,000 for wasting the court's time.

If you do not want a picture to be used on the internet then do not upload it to the internet. If this picture of her had been stolen and posted without her knowledge then she MIGHT have a case. But she posted it herself and without locking it down because she assumed good ol' Facebook had her back (pro tip, Facebook is not in business for you, just your data).

If you post it on the internet, it pretty much ceases to be your property to control. And complaining about it will NOT make it go away, it'll make your problems much worse, even more so if a site like 4Chan gloms on to it. Then mild embarrassment is the least of your problems, they'll photoshop you into a porn and send it to your dad's co-workers for the lulz.

Rule #412 is Don't Post It If You Don't Want It On the Internet

#322 Do Not Steal Your Magazine's Content

Today's cautionary tale comes in the form of one Judith Griggs, editor of a magazine called Cooks Source. She was running up against a deadline and was short an article for the magazine so she did what any desperate person might do, she went online, found something relevant and stole it for her own use.

Where things get really interesting is when she gets caught stealing content and then tries to spin it into her doing the owner of the content a favor by editing it. She even has the gall to suggest the original author PAY HER for her work in editing the article.

It gets better and better (and by that I mean worse and worse) for Judith since she's apparently got a rather huge ego that makes her think her dookie smells like Irish Spring or something. There is plenty more to enjoy, check out the story in greater detail, Cooks Source 'Apology' Really A Rant Blaming The Woman It Copied For Daring To Tell People.

Judith's venture is now, apparently, folding as a result of the exposure from her theft and subsequent follow up ego-driven idiocy. I highly doubt she'll learn from this but one can hope. The thing of it is that she could have diffused the situation at several points but choose to escalate things and caused her company to fail as a result. And that is definitely What Not To Do!

Rule #322 is Do Not Steal Your Magazine's Content

Update: Here's the original blog post by the original author, Monica Gaudio.