In many ways, the Internet remains the “Wild West” of communications. Seemingly, anyone can say whatever they want with little penalty. If you feel as though you are being unfairly attacked online, you have options. If the blog post or comment is truly defamatory (see more here), you can likely have it taken down with the help of a lawyer and our legal system. In addition, some negative comments or blog posts may be in violation of the terms of service of the blog site on which it is published. For bloggers who use one of the popular blogging platforms such as Blogger, WordPress or Tumblr, they have to comply with the rules of that platform, which are outlined in their respective terms of service.
Blogging platforms are notoriously protective of their user’s freedom of speech and allow them to freely express their ideas and opinions, without censoring them. They will not suspend blogs if they are not in violation of their terms of service, even if they are posting content that is offensive or objectionable. However, they do take their terms of service seriously and will suspend any sites that are found to be in violation. Blog posts which violate terms of service can be removed.
Here is what the majority of blog platforms do not allow their users to post:
- Adult Content
- Exploitation of children
- Hate Speech
- Crude Content
- Harassment
- Copyright Infringement
- Personal and confidential information
- Impersonating others
If you find that the content falls under any of the categories listed above, we suggest that you report it to the blog platform. They will take your report under consideration and may remove the content or send the user a warning.
Because the popular blogging sites offer a wide range of customization options, it is sometimes difficult to tell which, if any, blogging platform is being used by the author. You can find out by looking at the source code. This may sound difficult, but it really isn’t. The easiest way to find the source code is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+U (Windows, Linux) or Command+U (Mac). You will see a bunch of html code, but usually near the top of the page, you will see clues as to which blogging platform is being used. If you do a search and find the word “blogspot,” the blog is hosted by Blogger – owned by Google. If you search the code and find “tumblr,” then you know you are dealing with a Tumblr blog. If you search and find the term “wp-theme,” then it is most likely a WordPress blog.
Different blog platforms offer different ways of reporting content that is negative or abusive. Listed below are links to the terms of service and how to report content for the three major blog platforms:
Blogger:
- Terms of Service: http://www.blogger.com/content.g
- How to report content: To report content on Blogger, visit https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/76315?hl=en and select the abuse type to access the relevant contact form.
Word Press:
- Terms of Service: http://en.wordpress.com/tos/
- How to report content: For logged in WordPress.com users to report content, use the “Report this content button” located underneath the blog menu on the toolbar. If you are not a logged in WordPress.com user, you can use the form found here: http://en.wordpress.com/abuse/.
Tumblr:
- Terms of Service: http://www.tumblr.com/policy/en/terms_of_service
- How to report content: Email abuse@tumblr.com
Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information or advice on how to remove a wordpress blog, how to remove a tumblr blog or how to remove a blogspot blog. We can also combat other negative content. Our initial consultation is always free.
–John
Call me to discuss your online issue at 888-960-0086, ext. 701
