Abel to Yzerman
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by IwoCPO on 08/01/08 at 11:17 AM ET
Comments (21)
Updated below: looks like Google screwed the pooch on this one.
I’ve made no secret about my respect for the guys who run The Pens Blog. I think it’s the most creative, funniest, boldest hockey blog on the Gore. In my opinion, what they’ve done over there has shattered boundaries and made a lot of shrivs sit up and take notice.
Today? Censored.
Obviously, I’m not affiliated with the tools at dumbasses.blogspot.blogger.com. If I was, if I had a blog hosted there, I’d be complaining right now…just on principle.
I guess that would be a hint.
Updated 1406 EST: It would appear The Pens Blog (and I’ll spell it any frigging way I want, thanks) has fallen victim to a new anti-spamming deal Google/Blogger recently instituted.
Here’s a new one for this week that is likely going to have the feathers of many Google Bloggers ruffled… Bloggers essentially have 20 days to save their blogs or else!!
I got a weird email message last night that I first thought was junk, then I realized it was actually legit! Google has some new automated system that is flagging potential spam blogs (whatever that is) and locking out blog owners. Email message from Google follows:
Your blog has been identified as a potential spam blog. To correct this, please request a review by filling out the form at ...
Your blog will be deleted within 20 days if it isn’t reviewed, and you’ll be unable to publish posts during this time. After we receive your request, we’ll review your blog and unlock it within two business days. If this blog doesn’t belong to you, you don’t have to do anything, and any other blogs you may have won’t be affected.
We find spam by using an automated classifier. Automatic spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and occasionally a blog like yours is flagged incorrectly. We sincerely apologize for this error. By using this kind of system, however, we can dedicate more storage, bandwidth, and engineering resources to bloggers like you instead of to spammers. For more information, please see Blogger Help: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42577
Thank you for your understanding and for your help with our spam-fighting efforts.
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
I’m sure plenty of people are “understanding”.
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Comments
Whoa, that’s insane. Somebody tell me who to complain to and what about.
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 08/01/08 at 11:32 AM ET
Sounds like some Nancy complained, and they issued a pre-emptive lockdown. It happens.
But it doesn’t mean a blog as large and popular as PensBlog has to sit there and take it.
If I were the guys at PensBlog, however, I would pack up the blog - archived posts and all - and move somewhere a bit more welcoming.
Posted by Alan from Atlanta on 08/01/08 at 11:43 AM ET
I’m not sure that Blogspot is the first place to blame. The censorship flag on that site isn’t initiated by them - there’s a button at the top left side of all Blogspot blogs where readers can flag a page for objectionable content. If Blogspot gets enough flags from readers, it automatically generates a cursory review. If they look and see what appears to be violations of the TOS agreement, they suspend the account temporarily.
But requesting a proper review should get it fixed since I can’t imagine there’s anything the guys at Pens blog are doing wrong.
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 08/01/08 at 11:46 AM ET
But requesting a proper review should get it fixed since I can’t imagine there’s anything the guys at Pens blog are doing wrong.
I wonder if, with all the photoshopping they do, someone whose image they used is raising a fuss?
Most of the stuff is too juvenile for my taste, but pretty harmless and even not all that offensive - unless, of course, someone spent a lot of time hitting the “I’m upset by what I am seeing” button, as Alanah speculates.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 08/01/08 at 11:50 AM ET
We should put one of those on C&B;AlanaH. I’ve complained to Paul about your content for months and he doesn’t do squat about it.
I agree that it’s automated and not a decision of google/blogger on a specific level. But it’s ridiculous that someone could pull a Rory Fitzpatrick and click a button enough times to prompt a review and a site shutdown.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 08/01/08 at 11:51 AM ET
Damn, I hope this gets resolved quickly.
Since the start of the Stanley Cup Finals, I’ve been visiting their site. It’s pretty great stuff. The guys who run the site are funny and the commenters over there love their Penguins as much as the 19 here love our Wings; their juvenility is top notch (you know, for Eastern Conference juvenility).
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/01/08 at 12:06 PM ET
I blame Gary!!!!
We all know how the league controls EVERY shred of information.
Maybe he got upset with someone calling his daughter
names.
Can’t blame a guy for defending his little girl. Poor Cindy.
Posted by Scott H from Kalamazoo on 08/01/08 at 12:38 PM ET
I’m guessing they’ll get this cleared up pretty quickly, but I can see how they could get repeatedly flagged for objectionable content. I respect their enthusiasm and energy, but I’m not a big fan of the site and removed them from my blogroll months ago.
Posted by The Forechecker from Tennessee on 08/01/08 at 12:40 PM ET
...it’s ridiculous that someone could pull a Rory Fitzpatrick and click a button enough times to prompt a review and a site shutdown.
If blogspot.com is as big as they claim to be, they should have some sort of function that records the IP addresses of the individuals clicking on that link. They should be able to tell if the “complaints” come from one IP address whose owner clicked 200 times or from 200 different IP addresses whose owners each clicked once.
Without a function like that, each blogger that uses their service would be at the mercy of any fanatical individual who’s hell-bent on shutting down their blog.
As for the reason for the censorship, I’d lean toward their image of Larry Bird where he’s labeled as a “homo.” Just a guess.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/01/08 at 12:48 PM ET
Yeah even as a Pens fan, i hate the pens blog. Its a ridiculous example of how juvenile the fans in this great city are becoming. But that is insane that they would close the blog. All they do is some dumb photoshopping and some 10 year old jokes about players.
Posted by Kevin on 08/01/08 at 01:13 PM ET
Gary Bettman is somehow to blame. Or maybe Andreas Lilja. Somehow, one or the both of them are behind this.
Posted by TDeters on 08/01/08 at 01:21 PM ET
I’m pretty sure the spam blog thing is just a cover. I went through the Terms of Service and checked some PensBlog posts…I think I found the real reason. I think expressing it in photoshop form is appropriate:
Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 08/01/08 at 01:23 PM ET
Hah. I posted a reply to this and got a message saying something like “Akismet thinks your reply may be spam and will be moderated first.”
That’s ironic, right?
Anyways, hopefully it’ll be “moderated” and show up soon.
Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 08/01/08 at 01:25 PM ET
But Larry Bird is a homo. Didn’t you ever see those shorts he wore?
Posted by PB Charlie from The Internets on 08/01/08 at 01:30 PM ET
I had that happen to me as well several weeks ago! But Blogger fixed that problem rather quickly so I wasn’t too pissed off.
Posted by Zandberg from Smithers on 08/01/08 at 02:07 PM ET
pensblog is funny, but it gets old. you can only do so many “free candy” and “stunned” photoshops
Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 08/01/08 at 04:04 PM ET
They’re unfunny, unintelligent and, frankly, a boring bunch of losers who need to move out of their parents’ basements and get jobs—but last I checked that wasn’t against Blogspot’s TOS.
I mean, it wasn’t like they were making FREE TIBET NOW photoshops or exposing China’s abysmal human rights record or anything.
Posted by The Acid Queen from Raleigh, NC on 08/05/08 at 01:51 PM ET
“As much as I hate the Penguins censoring that site is ridiculous. Another way to prove freedom of speech and free press only goes so far. “
You’re using someone else’s servers, you have to abide by their rules. You want freedom, you can set up your own server and host your own blog.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 08/06/08 at 12:44 AM ET
We all know how the league controls EVERY shred of information.
Yep! Their fight with MSG over the Rangers’ website content is a big example of that.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 08/06/08 at 12:52 AM ET
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As much as I hate the Penguins censoring that site is ridiculous. Another way to prove freedom of speech and free press only goes so far.
Posted by b4mv01 on 08/01/08 at 11:30 AM ET