How it Looks

As many of you may have noticed, I got flamed by Robert Farago of The Truth about Guns. No direct link to the post, but hop over there and you’ll see a certain rubber-duck banner that he appropriated without permission. If you read it its about as coherent as a typical Jadegold rant. Its also as out-of-the-blue as I don’t really read his site anymore because after so many instances of copyright infringement, and general cribbing without attribution, I assumed he was avoiding my site so I stopped my daily scan for stolen goods, and certainly none of you are interested in blog drama.

Still what amused me was what a link from The Truth About Guns looks like.

I run a fairly humble blog here. I also don’t get any ad revenue, so my hits are what they are. Frankly I’m glad to see as many regular readers I have here, and I’m happy when far more prolific bloggers swing by to comment, or link to one of my posts. Still let’s do a little dissect. The peak to the Left is the BACKSIDE of an link from Say Uncle. (You can see the full Monty here…note the spikes this month are either links from Uncle or Tam…).

Now first I’m not going belittle Mr. Farago in his web-building skills. As many of you know his blog sprang fully-formed into the world and was getting big readership from day one. Part of this was because of his Car Site (Which was wrought with many of the same problems his gun site is) and SEO.

It made a big splash, but there are a lot of things missing that come from starting at the bottom and working up like all the great bloggers have done. His site has been running for only a year, and yet most of the readers I talk to have only been following for a few months (and haven’t read long enugh to read his famous contradictory posts say on Open Carry, Mandatory training, or Constitutional Carry, Mandatory Safe Storage Laws), and of course there’s a REASON why Mr. Farago has such a reputation as a plagiarist and a hack.

Unlike in the past where he frequently would crib articles and either not link, or bury the link, this post offers a good solid link to my site. So why a man who brags about the popularity of his site and his massive staff of authors can’t even double my site hits for a day? Also I suspect the massive amounts of “Page Views” are people checking back to look for a scrap.

While Farago and his Co-Blogger admitted criminal Mikeb302000 have given me a lot more credit than due on the so-called Blacklist (BTW North took what was a failed experiment and made it into something amazing! hats off, Brother!) I suspect this big downturn happened after word got out that he was stealing from Tam and Say Uncle, and then lying despite the evidence before him. (BTW when I met Mr. Farago in Pittsburgh I commented on his famous flip-flopping on the gun issues. His answer “I don’t Remember.” Seriously. I can remember being anti-gun, anti-carry, and for mandatory training DECADES ago, and Robert Farago can’t remember his political position last year? That’s a Barney Frank level of lying right there!)

I’m glad the truth is getting out. As for my feelings on Mr. Farago and his organization: I’m not a fan of it. My only wishes for him is that the truth be known.

**Update** THIS is how it REALLY looks. Of the last 100 Visits 76 have come from this Say Uncle post 17 are various people entering the direct URL, and TWO are leftover from Mr. Farago’s little flame. That’s what READERSHIP looks like.

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0 Responses to How it Looks

  1. Jennifer says:

    He’s a hack, nothing more. I’ve got no problem with people running a blog for the sake of ad revenue, but I do have a problem with people making money by stealing content with attribution. I don’t even care if people want to drum up page views by stirring up controversy, but what he does isn’t ethical and I won’t click over there.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      I also have a HUGE problem with this jerk poisoning the well for other bloggers. Farago has taken T&E guns from companies and wrote lack-luster and insulting reviews in unfair manors, and even when contacted by the marketing rep about, say, removing Son of Sam references from a Charter Arms review, get the same rudeness we get when asking for attribution for blog content. Despite Farago being a hack who doesn’t know a luger from a lorcin, who’s only been gun blogging for a year, but because of SEO web searches place his cesspit above people like Tam, Chance, and Jay who have been working hard at the craft for years and years.

      So now there runs the risk that the gun makers see the blog community as hostile and selfish as he is.

      But from the stats above it appears that his efforts are unsuccessful.

      He can run his site how he wants…I’m not a fan of how dishonest he runs his show.

    • Caleb says:

      I’ve got no problem with people running a blog for the sake of ad revenue

      I should hope not 😉

  2. Bob S. says:

    My issues with Mr. Farago are well known.

    Jennifer hit the nail on the head when she say “what he doesn’t isn’t ethical” — I tried to point out that to him. Got me banned.

    Guess he doesn’t want to really explore the ethical issues, especially his, concerning firearms.

    I did not a spike in my traffic during my discussion of the issues with him but most of it didn’t come from TTAG, it came from other gun bloggers talking about it.

    Also I suspect the massive amounts of “Page Views” are people checking back to look for a scrap.

    Are you surprised that people checked out at least the 4 links you provided?

    I suspect that the majority of the people got here, looked at those pages and saw the truth of what you’ve been saying about Farago.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      I’ve been looking at random samples of visiters via TTAGs Most of them end up clicking through those links, and most of them leave to the links to your or Linoge’s site.

      BTW I linked your little Farago banning you story in the comments over there…they clicking through?

      • Bob S. says:

        Out of the last 100 referrals,

        24 came from the comment you left on Robert’s site.
        8 came from your link here and 2 from Linoge’s Don’t be a Farago post.

  3. Cargosquid says:

    I found TTAG through Instapundit. Having experience with other gun blogs like Uncle and Tam…I found it wanting.

    Why?

    Because of posts just like the one that uses your banner.

    That was the most confusing, irrelevant, nonsensical piece I’ve ever seen. It actually made no sense from its lead to its end. The two halves of the…..paragraph?….had no connection.

    JadeGold makes MORE sense…if only that Jade’s writing, while fictional, is readable.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      That and scrolling down to check the comments on my little piece I saw several posts that I already read, and a bunch of articles that offer nothing of use.

      Bad blog run by a bad guy.

      • Cargosquid says:

        MAN, that was fast reply! I hadn’t even finished reading your most recent posts.

        Almost real time interaction!

        Now that’s what I call blogging!

  4. McThag says:

    “That’s what READERSHIP looks like.”

    Dude, that’s because they’re READERS, man, not CLICKERS.

  5. North says:

    Weer’d: Thanks for the shouts!

    The Gun Blog Black List has “ads” in that I posted links to some businesses. I get no money or even free swag from doing that. We are all in this together.

  6. Brigid says:

    GunBlogBlackList is just made of win. I’d never heard of this guy. But then I’ve only got enough hours in the day to read original, quality content.

  7. Mark Smith says:

    I originally wrote this over at wallsofthecity.net, but it applies perfectly well here also:

    Good god, you all sound like a bunch of drama-laden teenagers. I happen to read both of your blogs (as well as a number of other gun related blogs) and I honestly couldn’t care less about these things. Not a fan of politics being directly tied to gun blogs either (but that’s for another time).

    If the dude literally lifted your content word for word, images created by you with no attribution, etc, file a DCMA notice if he refuses to take it down. Otherwise, STFU and talk about guns!

    • Gunnutmegger says:

      If a person demands that others entertain him, regardless of the cost or consequences, what does that make them?

        • Mark Smith says:

          Ah, but the whining began before I even said the first word.

          And no ****, a blog is for the entertainment of an audience, people don’t read it because they are paid to read it, or read it out of a sense of responsibility or honor. It is the author’s choice as to how far they wish to go to entertain their audience certainly, but they do write for an audience, not for a diary they keep beneath their pillow.

          • Weerd Beard says:

            This is an adult blog for adult discussions, maybe you’ll find a better fit someplace else. There were six posts above this one discussing firearms and politics, you have not participated in any of those, but dwell on this one. You are making a deal where there is none.

            Grow up, go away, or be blocked. Those are your choices.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      wahhh wahhh wahhh!

      Instead of writing that whiny post you could have clicked over to the blacklist and read 5 new blog posts from other blogs not talking about this.

      Or you could sit tight and wait for me to write something new. Or read the post that was above this one at the time.

      If you enjoy what you see here, read, and enjoy. Don’t enjoy, don’t read. Have some constructive criticism, let me know. Otherwise somebody DOES sound like a drama-laden teenager who thinks that I’ll hang onto every one of his words. *yawn*

      Tho you did raise one serious point about the DCMA. He did lift content without attribution, and he was asked to take it down. He refused, and did so openly for all to read. Now I have two options, hire a lawyer and go after him in court….or given that I have no damages from his action, but he does show his contempt for others in the community. I’ll call that a victory.

      But you don’t care, and want me to talk about guns…so why’d you ask?

    • Bob S. says:

      Mark Smith,

      How do you know you can trust the blogs you read?

      How do you know they are giving you good advise/information about firearms, about what laws or regulations, about the politics related to firearms or society’s view of firearms?

      Because they’ve shown honor and integrity?
      Because people haven’t said “Hey, that guy ripped off my stuff”?

      That is what we with all the ‘drama llama’ are trying to point out about Robert.

      If the dude literally lifted your content word for word, images created by you with no attribution, etc, file a DCMA notice if he refuses to take it down.

      Is that all you use to determine a person’s values — whether or not he or she directly stole material?

      • Weerd Beard says:

        “Is that all you use to determine a person’s values — whether or not he or she directly stole material?”

        Yep that’s exactly my point. We have literally HUNDREDS of bloggers working in tandem for the same end goal and love of a hobby, and of that damn near all of us act as a friendly community. No we don’t all agree on the small points or various methods. The biggest discussions I’ve seen are if we’re being too aggressive vs. Conservative in our efforts.

        But overall we help each-other and boost each-other up because we’re all on the same side.

        And then there are the very small minority who look on the surface to be on the same side…but don’t act as such. That raises warning flags.

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