juliaallison:

Fall 2009 fashion trend prediction: RIDICULOUSLY GIANT FUZZY HATS!

1) Michael Kors ridiculously giant fuzzy neon pink hat and ridculously giant fuzzy neon orange hat
2) Milly ridculously giant fuzzy hanging pom-poms hat
3) DVF ridculously giant fuzzy multi-colored pompom hat

Now, what have we learned from the NYT Style section? Three is a trend!

Three isn't a trend, it's a clever list of your own links to give those page views cardio. There's nothing wrong with that really, unlike hiding keywords in your coding, posting links to your own pages is a legit way to boost page views. When done cleverly.

And something I have been meaning to say regarding your comments to me about the Google accusations. I really fucking resent that you directly said I was "making things up". You really do truly think you are smarter than everyone. One should never assume they are smarter than a stranger. Bad strategy. Always assume the other one is smarter than you and you will do much better chosing your approach. Anyway I digress, the point is Julia that I know a thing or two (or three) about html. I'm no programmer, but I know my way around building websites. Your coding we are talking about had the word HIDDEN in it. Um. They also appeared in an area of your coding that was NOT in the same place as where the responses were. An area not accessable from the "outside".

Tip # 589,458: Assume a blogger knows something about these things.

Back to the topic at hand:

What does seem to be a trend is not crediting your tips, your corrections, or your images. Though you can still make out Demetri Martin's name, since you lifted his graphic and put your name on it (crossing his off... hmm where did I recently see that done to a graphic?) the least you could do is make the image a link that would take a reader to his website. Where you lifted. The. Picture. From.

A little bit of respect out might garnish a little bit of respect in. But you just suck it dry, Julia, you really do. It's almost self-destructive.

Exactly.

Because I work through my exhaustion. You should try it, Jules.

Dear Julia,
Tip #854958394: never underestimate the intelligence of a stranger.
xo
SM

SM: as far as you, and your image... no one understood it but i kind of defended you until the google thing
JA: there was no google thing
seriously
SM: that was really disappointing on so many levels
JA: dude, I am not joking.
there was no google thing. I don't know where you got that idea, honestly!!
SM: that is a classic cheat method
and how could a spammer do that?
JA: huh?
We had - stupidly - open posting allowed.
SM: and why did mary delete her post addressing it?
JA: people spammed our question of the day and advice box with credit ratings links
we deleted them
I asked her to.
SM: said your programmer would make a statement and that never came
JA: wasn't relevant to our lifecast
Listen, I am many things, but dishonest is not one of them
plus, I don't care enough about our rank
SM: i have never heard of spam that can access your html code to embed keywords that happen to bring you to the #1 position when those words are googled
JA: huh? dude, it doesn't have "access to our code" - when you respond to a question of the day, it becomes part of the site
SM: true
but how would that benefit a spammer?
it was invisible
JA: It's not invisible ... I don't really know what to say. It's not really important for us to be #1 when you search for credit scores. I can't even believe I've spent 15 minutes talking about this.
if you knew our programmers, you would laugh hysterically at the though.
thought
SM: we don't have to dig into that further, it's just something that impacted me re: how i personally perceive you, for whatever that one opinion is worth
JA: except that you're literally making stuff up
I don't know what to say
SM: what did i make up?
JA: it's really obnoxious, actually. and I have a high threshold.
If I say something, then that is the case.
I don't lie.
I just don't.
I don't know what to tell you
SM: ok
JA: there's no fucking point for us to do that. YOU THINK WE HAVE TIME!??!?!?!
SM: well i am not trying to just sit here and make things up off the top of my head
JA: that's the thing that drives me the MOST crazy
it's like, I BARELY HAVE TIME TO FREAKING SLEEP
Let alone think of some retarded scheme to get us on the top of some stupid google search
you know?
that's what kills me
the other thing that kills me is when people accuse me of writing letters to myself.
like, WHEN WOULD I DO THAT?!?!?
WHEN WOULD I HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT/!?!?!
sorry.
ranting.
SM: ok like... when i asked you about the dyke comment and you said you used to be so PC and then you got lax because you assumed people know that you are liberal
i get that
but at the same time... when people visit your site, they dont know you personally
JA: I know.
SM: so they DONT just know that
JA: it's a problem.
SM: its the same kind of thing
JA: I talk to readers like they're my friends.
but ... they're not.
SM: you could be just as honest as any of my best friends
JA: It's an issue.
SM: but its the way things are APPEARING that is the issue
JA: we actually talked about this - perception vs. reality
it's a huge issue on the internet
obviously
because the reality is, I'm more honest and upstanding now than I ever was when I was younger.
but I'm held to this retarded standard
Like, WHAT IF I WANTED TO SLEEP AROUND!?!?!
SM: i mean in my opinion what is causing this for you guys is the accumulation of the "little things"... adds up to something not pretty
JA: that's my prerogative! and yet. it's not anymore ...
nah, everyone has little things. you'll never run a company without little things.

maryrambin:

GORGING AT GOOGLE

The rumors are true. Not just that Google provides free meals for their employees, but the food is top notch and healthy (should you choose that route).

How did I get in? The Googler (friend from college) invited me to see the spectacle.

I created a heaping plate of raw and grilled veggies prepared with different sauces and spices and coupled it with vegan, sugarless, butternut squash soup. Yum! You know I had dessert. Amongst an assortment of cookies and brownies, I chose banana bread pudding that looked like goo but tasted like heaven.

Unbelievably (to me), Googler chomped on a Sloppy Joe with fries instead of aromatic roasted duck, grilled salmon, or even mac and cheese.

So good, and so free. Thanks G.

(Note: Picture above is a Google lunch from Google Images. Apparently I signed away my right to blog when I got my guest badge. Damn.)

Are you ladies ass kissing Google looking for a break? Hoping to get away with website-murder? If Google doesn’t take your site down for hidden keywords, they would then legally need to explain to every other site that was taken down for the same reasons, just why they were deleted and you were not. Still waiting to hear from your programmer. It’s been over a week. Do you think we’ve forgotten?

NonSociety’s REAL stats:



(Thank you to the RBNS commenter who posted the link to this.)

So, maybe you remember that I wrote to Julia asking her about the Google issue, and asking about the Blueprint cleanse issue. Julia wrote me back, I replied, and some days have passed. I wasn't expecting to hear from her again. But then yesterday I received this email from her:

Hi there,

So, I'm out of the country right now, but when I return to New York, why don't we get together for coffee and talk about this? I'm serious. Clearly you have a lot of great ideas, and I'm game to listen to them - but not over email.

I really hope you'll consider it. (And yes, I'll keep you anonymous, and not print anything about us meeting, if you'd like.)

x
julia

I have been trying to figure out how to respond to this. It struck me as presumptuous that she would suggest coffee. Is she assuming I live in New York? Or is she wanting to find out where I live by suggesting that, whereas if I lived elsewhere I would say so when asked such a question? It also struck me that she offered to hear my ideas, but in person and not via email... while offering to keep me anonymous, when I have redundantly let the world know that I would eventually be revealing who I am (like it matters?), on my own terms. It comes off like, let me get your ideas and take the credit for it. Or, maybe she wants to actually hear what I have to say? But at this point it isn't so much about trying to help them.

Mary has turned a casual dislike for her into "a political statement, almost", because her recent statements about so many things have really offended me and pissed me off to the degree that I want nothing to do with anything that will help her. Even indirectly.

If I did talk to Julia, it would be more to ask questions I want some answers to than anything else.

I haven't yet replied to this email. I'm not sure what to say or how to say it. I will reply. And I'm sure in the interim she will see this. I will be sure to clue you in when I figure out how to handle this. In the meantime, I'm open to any suggestions from you guys as far as what to say. And if anyone has some REALISTIC questions they would like asked, email me with them. That way if I do end up talking to her, I can cover it. This doesn't mean telling me to ask her things like did she get a nose job, why does she always use the same pose, etc. That is not the type of conversation I care to have.

xoxo

Scary

The Post Mary Deleted

It seems after her botox blog binge, Mary decides to purge. With a pathetic stream of excuses and empty promises of a statement from their programmer, she had yet another passive aggressive middle finger to launch at us all. Much like buyers remorse, I guess she’s feeling bloggers remorse? But what she should have learned long ago is that once something is posted honey, it’s hosted. Maybe you need to learn when you “keep your trap shut”.

Just a suggestion.

What Do Mary Rambin And Credit Scores Have In Common?

Miss me today? I have some juicy news to share… bear with me… meanwhile check out this mention on “Guest of a Guest”.

I’m kind of annoyed that SoupSoup is getting the credit for this when I am the one who discovered it long before he did. And all I get is a nameless link. But still. Not bad…

trainwrecks:

So soupsoup once said all this shit below there about credit for original content or ideas on tumblr (he’s for it, apparently). And he lives by that, obviously. He’s like always blogging content and ideas that are original…to someone anyway (also he spells “missile” the same way Julia Allison does, but that’s neither here nor there). For instance, his recent insinuation that he independently discovered Nonsociety Sourcegate, which the blogger at There’s Something About Mary has been talking about nonstop for days: on her own tumblr, at Reblogging Nonsociety, in Gawker comments just hours before soup’s scoop, and elsewhere (seriously, she won’t stop talking about it). She even emailed Julia Allison about it. Also on RBNS, she says she had to explicitly ask soupsoup for the hat tip that was given. What a crazy coincidence it is then that this prolific reblogger would have thought “Hey, I’m gonna take a look at Nonsociety’s source code for some reason!” just a few days after the information he supposedly dug up was being posted all the fuck over the internet. I mean, he *has* had such strokes of insight before. Bravo, soupsoup, for the investigative work. You deserve all that credit for your innovative, original content. Fight the Nonsociety power!

soupsoup:

lets face it, none of us are doing this not to be noticed. we slam julia allison and the like for their unabashed desire for attention. anyone who blog, who creates, who puts whatever out into the universe via tumblr or whatever platform of their choosing is hoping for an audience, and want credit for what they post on their tumblrs.

i had a conversation with blakeley of gawker tonight at the thrillist party about how some tumblrs are upset that gawker reblogs items they find without giving the tumblr where they discovered it proper credit.

blakeley has a tumblr of his own, and his take is that

a) its difficult to track who tumbled it in the first place (which i dispute as the original tumblr is usually tagged at the top, unless someone stripped it, which is poor tumblr etiquette)

b) its not the tumblr’s original content in the first place as they’ve simply found something from another source anyway.

i see his point in b, but if its actually something a tumblr created from scratch they deserve due credit, to which he seemed to agree.

i think that sort of settles the gawker vs tumblr turf war. at least for me it does. if you’re looking for credit, and attention, be original. create something.

ALL MY LINKS REGARDING THEIR "HIDDEN KEYWORDS":
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, INCLUDING MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH JULIA. FIRST DISCOVERY WAS JANUARY 18TH.

• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/71438244/maybe-this-is-nothing-i-dont-know-but-this-is
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/71461087/hmm-maybe-comment-from-reblogging-nonsociety
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/71525718/looks-like-its-true-click-here-clever-shady
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72025739/hidden-text-and-links-webmasters-site-owners-help
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72038653/google-report-a-spam-result
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72265209/more-hidden-keywords
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72451686/my-first-attempt-at-a-dialogue
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72519346/julia-writes-back
• http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72519745/my-reply

XOXO

SCARY

Non Society Violating Google TOS

* soupsoup:

One thing you definitely don’t want to do if you’re a budding web entrepreneur is get your site banned from Google. You might as well close up shop if you’re unlucky enough to get caught violating their Terms of Service.

Non Society is so desperate for traffic that they’ve put hidden keywords in their source code for such ridiculous keywords as “What Is Your Credit Status” in order to get high Google listing for totally unrelated search terms. This is a major violation of Google Terms of Service.

Shill those boob jobs, botox injections, colonics, and crash juice diets while you still can ladies. Your party is about to end.

* maryrambin:

In a nutshell, our public forums (Advice Box and QOD) were spammed three weeks after we launched them. Stay tuned for an official response from our programmer.

A little note from me. We don’t need to add keywords for page views. With hundreds of thousands of loyal readers, a handful of gossip sites, and a few nasty rebloggers, we’re doing just fine thanks. Thinking about it now, I really should write a thank you note to Denton for today’s Gawker and Jezebel posts. So many of their readers click once and become daily visitors.

US:

Giving your “programmer” time to come up with a story to cover this up? It won’t work. There is NO SUCH THING as a “spammer” that would insert hidden keywords into your code. This benefits NO ONE but the site itself. And yes, you DO need to add keywords for page views. You are a NEW site, your content SUCKS, and even WITH the hidden keywords, which violates Google rules directly, based on the stats you post people are only viewing your website ONE TIME. Now, I know a lot of us are going to your page more than once, so WHERE ARE ALL THOSE EXTRA ONE TIME PAGE VIEWS COMING FROM? You are a dishonest, ignorant liar. You are NOT smarter than everyone else. And I hope upon hopes Google takes your BS website DOWN.

And why is it that when I emailed Julia about this, the hidden keywords were only taken off of the page I sent her? Once you see something that like, or discover something like that since you CLAIM it wasn’t done by you (which you of course HAVE to say, just in case Google DOES try to shut you down)… why not immediately check ALL your pages for this “spam” that can literally RUIN your business?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you can get all the colonics you want but you will still be FULL OF SHIT!

Non Society Violating Google TOS
alexewing:

Let’s give credit where credit is due: this is being talked to death over on There’s Something About Mary, and has been for awhile.

Thank you! I would kind of like the credit for that as it was my discovery, and a DAMN GOOD ONE at that.

xoxo

Scary

juliaallison:

With David Drummond, Google’s senior VP and chief legal officer.

US:

I wonder if he knows how you are using SHADY ILLEGAL METHODS to cheat his company and to cheat your way to the top?

A reader pointed out in the comment box that THERE ARE STILL HIDDEN KEYWORDS ON THE ADVICE BOX PAGE. Fucking shady. And disgusting. And I am livid that I sent this information to Gawker and they have not reported on it.

You can report this to Gawker: Tip Your Editors:

tips@gawker.com or 646-214-8138

The link to the STILL THERE ILLEGALLY keywords is: http://www.nonsociety.com/community/advicebox/

Also please, report this to GOOGLE! Their site CAN BE TAKEN DOWN PERMANENTLY FOR THIS. That means this is a SERIOUS INFRACTION. Google does not remove sites from their search engine for something that “ISN’T WORTH WORRYING ABOUT”.

“FURTHERMORE”: I have personally emailed Julia and let her know she’s CAUGHT RED HANDED and she removed the illegal coding from JUST ONE of the pages and not all. SHE KNOWS this is ILLEGAL as per Google and she is DOING IT ANYWAY.

Still.

THIS is where you can report this unscrupulous activity to Google:

http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72038653/google-report-a-spam-result

Make sure you include the advice box URL as the URL that shows this, as they DID remove it from the QOD coding. But not the advice box coding, of course, conveniently.

REASON #1 I CONTINUE TO BLOG: YOUR EMAILS

maryrambin:

Hi Mary,

I have never written to any of you ladies at NS, but lately those reblogging sites are just out of control. They are completely out of line. I don’t know you, but as a stranger it is painful to read the toxins spouted at you for no reason. Especially this weird moral high ground they claim to be taking lately about ethical business practices. I would have quit long ago with hundreds of critics chirping over my shoulder and reading every punctuation mark.

I’m not sure what the point of this message is other than to say you are very brave and often hilarious and your new haircut looks really great and fuck haters. You guys are doing really well for a venture started in this economic shit storm, and it IS inspiring to see women going completely out of their comfort zones to start a business (though I guess this is really your second business so double yay :)…

Please keep smiling and damn the torpedos! I’m sure you get a ton of messages from fans (and if not, they ARE out there), its just the silent, odious minority of gawker commenters who have run amok all over the internet drowning out anyone else with a different opinion.

Take care,
Megan

(via Facebook)

US:

Oh for the love of God. This little air head on Facebook OBVIOUSLY does not know that they the only toxins are the ones Mary is constantly (and fruitlessly: pun intended) trying to rid herself of. With Blueprint cleanses that are today’s Fish Oil. A SCAM. The girls know this. They have read Gawker, the NYT and other REPUTABLE publications that have exposed this. This Facebook chick obviously also doesn’t know that They have pulled illegal punches like HIDING KEYWORDS in their page codes to get the results they have gotten so far. I wonder what their results would be if they RAN THEIR BUSINESS WITHOUT CHEATING.

PS: A reader pointed out in the comment box that THERE ARE STILL HIDDEN KEYWORDS ON THE ADVICE BOX PAGE. Fucking shady. And disgusting. And I am livid that I sent this information to Gawker and they have not reported on it.

You can report this to Gawker: Tip Your Editors:

tips@gawker.com or 646-214-8138

The link to the STILL THERE ILLEGALLY keywords is: http://www.nonsociety.com/community/advicebox/

Also please, report this to GOOGLE! Their site CAN BE TAKEN DOWN PERMANENTLY FOR THIS. That means this is a SERIOUS INFRACTION. Google does not remove sites from their search engine for something that “ISN’T WORTH WORRYING ABOUT”.

“FURTHERMORE”: I have personally emailed Julia and let her know she’s CAUGHT RED HANDED and she removed the illegal coding from JUST ONE of the pages and not all. SHE KNOWS this is ILLEGAL as per Google and she is DOING IT ANYWAY.

Still.

THIS is where you can report this unscrupulous activity to Google:

http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72038653/google-report-a-spam-result

Make sure you include the advice box URL as the URL that shows this, as they DID remove it from the QOD coding. But not the advice box coding, of course, conveniently.

So, dear Facebook airhead WTF do you have to say to THAT?

My reply:

Julia,


Sorry, but I have never heard of a spam of any kind that injects unknown code into your page that doesn’t show up at all, with specific keywords that place you at the top of the google search results when they are typed in. They would have nothing to gain from that. Only you have something to gain from that. Please don’t insult my intelligence. I’m sure google would agree.


Also, you didn’t comment on the Blueprint question. A matter of convenience? Or selective hearing? Some of the things I have admired about the caricature you admit you intentionally are, is the boldfaced aspect of your approach. And you have seemed to have a stance very pro-woman. This has really been a disappointment.


You asked what the point is. Look, I’m a smart girl. I value my time. And I promise you Julia, there is a point. It will reveal itself in due time. I’m working on it. I think you have great ideas. You have opened a door. But you’re running it into the ground. If you look past the snark, I’ve offered up some really sound feedback. Why are you so against acknowledging what is staring you right in the face? You girls could have done so much with this. I expected a lot. I was a fan of yours for a while, I wanted to see this be something exciting. Something innovative. All I’m seeing is one thing after another that makes ME “exhausted and really sad”. I have something to gain. And the demand for it wouldn’t be there had you not created NonSociety. So for that, I thank you.


I haven’t really said very much about Meghan, I only say things that can’t help but be said about you. In fact I have come to your defense more than once in comments that go places I don’t feel are fair. But Mary. I just don’t get it. She is vapid, she is not intelligent, she has never done a single thing that was unselfish, she’s got no unique style to speak of at all. She digs at you, and her other friends. She doesn’t spell check because she wants to “be herself”? How about having pride in your work, when this is a business you are taking seriously? How about some researched content, or at least thought out fluff that goes beyond one or two sentences? How about some depth? Any kind of insight? I am not coming at this from a shallow perspective. It seems you girls are.


There are a LOT of things I do that really matter. What do you do that matters to anyone besides you three girls? Everything you seem to do and cover somehow is about you or benefits you or your business. And people who don’t have the kind of well rounded experiences as I might, or younger girls, are seeing this and thinking this is how things are, should be, this is what they should mimic. And that is so irresponsible on so many levels, and really Julia, you are smart and it goes without saying.


There is a lot I could say. Really, I’m disappointed with this reply from you. You didn’t really say anything and your exhaustion and sadness is falling on a growing more jaded with you by the moment heart. That makes ME sad. I identified with you and now, the differences are astounding and disappointing.

xoxo

Scary

Julia writes back.

Hi,

We asked our programmer about that, and it's apparently the spam that was sent to us when we first launched Q of the Day without the spam filters. I don't really know any more than that, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. I barely have time to sleep, let alone think of ways to scam the system.

Listen, I don't know you, but I really think you should devote your time to something else. We're not worth it. I promise. It really fucks with our minds, no matter how hard we try to ignore you. And what's the point?? You know? I mean, ultimately, what do you stand to gain from critiquing every single thing Mary (and Meghan ... and me, on occasion) says and does?

I'm too exhausted and really sad about things that have nothing to do with this, so I don't want to write more, I just want to cry, but please - think about letting it go. There are things you could be doing that really matter!

I'm so so tired.

goodnight,
julia

juliaallison:

So. Close.

US:

This website uses shady practices to get higher Google rankings!

This is the link that shows the “illegal” coding:

http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/71438244/maybe-this-is-nothing-i-dont-know-but-this-is

And THIS is where you can report this unscrupulous activity to Google:

http://theressomethingaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/72038653/google-report-a-spam-result

My first attempt at a dialogue:

I just emailed the following to Julia herself:

I thought I would ask you directly why it is that you are hiding keywords in your page codes, a practice that goes against Google’s policies? The other girls might not know better, but you certainly do. As I am sure you already know I have been reporting this to Google and encouraging other to do the same. This is cheating and this is bad business. I have tried, and continue to try to have your back as much as possible but you are the one in charge of this all, correct? You must have approved this illegal coding.

I would also love to hear your comments on the Blueprint cleanse debacle that is going on. This is being called unsafe and a scam by US magazine, the New York Times, and Gawker (ok some of those are more reputable than others, but still…).

When I said not so long ago that I wanted to root for you three at first I DID mean it. But it is things like this that have turned me, and a large bulk of your readers, completely OFF.
I thought it was about time I asked you directly about these things.

xoxo
Scary

SEND THIS LETTER TO THEIR "SPONSORS":

It has come to my attention that you are affiliated with the “company” known as Non Society. I am writing this letter to let you know that as long as you continue to align yourself with this company in any way, shape, or form: big or small, I will stop using your products entirely and will do everything in my power to convince others to do the same.

These girls are promoting health advice dished out by Veterinarians, juice fasts that have been exposed as dangerous by the New York Times and other reputable publications. They are using dishonest practices to get increased page views, such as hiding keywords in their page codes, a practice Google permanently DELETES websites for. They are repeatedly dishonest, irresponsible, and propagate negative stereotypes about women.

Any company that aligns themselves with such an entity will NOT get my support or my hard earned money.

Where to send it:

Degree:

http://www.degreewomen.com/Women/Women-Contact.aspx

Topix.com:

Go to their page and click on the “Feedback” link, found in the footer.

Cisco:

Terry Alberstein
talberst@cisco.com

Kodak:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/contactKodak/email/corporate.jhtml?pq-path=9085

Anyone who has further contacts to send this to, please let me know at scarymary1234@yahoo.com.