Slashdot Mirror
Publisher Renames 'Katie.com'
twigstamc420 writes "In an update to stories posted the previous two days on Slashdot, Penguin Putnam publishing has issued a press release stating that they have re-named the title of Katie.com to 'A Girl's Life Online'. Press release (pdf) found on their press page."
In other news, GL Online has stated that Penguin Books had used psychical and emotional intimidation to coerce them into allowing the usage of the title "A Girls Life: Online".
A representative from Boy's Life was quoted as saying, "girls have cooooodies, ewww. Good riddance!"
Isn't this is a four year old issue in which very little has happened recently? (Most articles I found about it were dated from 2000).
Did Slashdot force this sudden 180?
We didn't do anything wrong, we don't know of anyone who did anything wrong, we didn't even think about doing anything wrong. And now we'll correct this wrong right away like we could have done years ago. Thank you very much. Love us, we are the good guys. _-Right.
Enjoy your Karma, after all you earned it. Feel your Karma Joe, feel it burn.
This is just Plume's red herring attempt to get the pressure off. They've got to still be doing something we can be angry about!
Love, Stu
...if that lawyer will still be demanding the domain from the other Katie though.
Certainly snapped this one up.
Domain Name: AGIRLSLIFEONLINE.COM
Registrar: REGISTER.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.register.com
Referral URL: http://www.register.com
Name Server: DNS19.REGISTER.COM
Name Server: DNS20.REGISTER.COM
Status: ACTIVE
Updated Date: 05-aug-2004
Creation Date: 05-aug-2004
Expiration Date: 05-aug-2006
Organization:
Katie Tarbox, Inc.
Katie Tarbox
Now, if Katie Tarbox can be dissuaded from using the name 'Katie.com' for her upcoming school lecture series as well, Katie Jones may finally get her weblife back.
I have discovered a truly remarkable sig which this margin is too small to contain.
If so, let's all pay a visit Here and Here.
That's a little different than the slashing perpetrator Slashdot has cast her. Refreshing to know the good guys do win....sometimes.
There is a quote here in the press release that set off my BS detector:
...it was erroneously reported that Plume had asked its attorney to attempt to buy the website Katie.com...
There were no rumors of offers to buy the website. What kind of shameless PR technique is this to cover up the fact that they asked for its donation? I think asking for (demanding) its donation is worse than offering to buy, and this strikes me as a particularly unscrupulous statement by their PR department.
Such astroturfing is top-notch, the likes of which has not been seen since the Phantom Video Game Console. Penguin Putnam thanks all the gullible editors and saps who provided their free advertising.
"We have made every effort to clarify the fact that Plume's book, Katie.com, and the website, Katie.com, are not in any way associated with one another."
:-)
Personally I would have thought that "every effort" would have included going to the effort of not calling the book that in the first place.
Still, a small victory. Behold, Geek Power!
Here's what KatieT had to say about it
http://www.katiet.com/message1.htm
Penguin FINALLY do the right thing!
According to a press release on their site today, Penguin Puttnam have finally decided to do the right thing and rename the book. I cannot tell you how pleased I am!. Of course they should have done this 4 years ago and saved us all a load of grief, but I am thrilled that they've finally realised the consequences of their actions and admitted fault by retitling the book.
All that remains is to hope that Katie Tarbox does not continue to promote herself or her services as 'katie.com' as previously threatened and maybe then my life can return to normal :-)
I am sure that this sudden change of heart by the publisher is largely to do with the support this issue has received from the online community and once again I'd like to thank everyone very much indeed.
Yours very happilyKatie Jones
I'm so glad -- I was so ticked off by this that I sent an email to Penguin yesterday threatening to never buy their books again. I wonder how many irate slashdotters flooded their inboxes... =)
"Additionally, please also understand that while I have worked with Parry Aftab, she is not my lawyer, and I never asked anyone to speak with Ms. Jones about her website. I hope that the book's title change and my apologies to Ms. Jones will resolve this issue. For more information, please read the press release below." Well, then, who is Parry Aftab working for?
Krispy Kreme?
everything in moderation
Yep, that's been noted several times already (see my post history). They haven't been "censored" however, since the reviews weren't about the book, they were about the publisher and author which is why they were removed.
However, I still think the ratings bomb had a big effect on the publishers. They were down to 2 stars or less for a while and all the positive reviews still say "5 out of 287" people found this review helpful.
I remember when legal used to mean lawful, now it means some kind of loophole. - Leo Kessler
jbltk: I'm sorry to bother you so randomly, but I'd like to know when you found out that someone else owned Katie.com, and why you didn't insist the title of your book be changed at that time and wait to say it was a good thing until the publisher finally ceded?
ktarbox261: As I said before this issue was between Katie Jones and Penguin, I could do nothing to change it. They bought the right to publish it and I sold it under a different name.
jbltk: Than why did the press release state that the publisher as well as the author made the decision to change the name, seeing as you have no input?
ktarbox261: This time was a very unique situation.
jbltk: But why didn't you, even without any control, publicly state you felt Penguin's stance was unfair to Katie Jones, and why did you continue to plan to call your workshop by the same name?
ktarbox261: I never had any plans to do that and that is reported incorrectly.
jbltk: so Parry Aftab happens to be a lawyer who doesn't represent you and is only a victim's rights advocate?
jbltk: it just seems to me like you've played both sides, awaiting the outcome so you would be able to do what was most profitable for you, in regards to your future projects
ktarbox261: Parry Aftab is not my lawyer and never has been. My lawyer works out of Connecticut.
ktarbox261: I never asked anyone to call Katie Jones.
ktarbox261: I have always wanted Penguin to do the right thing . What you read is not the whole story.
jbltk: Then why did she call Katie Jones? What was the purpose of that call? Lawyers charge large amounts of money to do things like that. I find it hard to believe she'd make an international call like that without instruction from a client
jbltk: ok i'm listening
jbltk: please inform me of all the misinformation
ktarbox261: Parry is not my lawyer we have no written agreement, I have never paid her a single dime.
jbltk: FYI, I've yet to see an article that quotes you as being in favor of changing the title
ktarbox261: Look at my website
jbltk: I looked. I don't see anything said by you that indicates you favor a title change or sympathize with Ms. Jones. The only thing I've seen so far is your statement regarding the press release. Up until then, I'd never seen any news article that had you saying you felt sympathy or wanted a title change
jbltk: I know you may have signed your creative control over when you sold your book, but that didn't prevent you from speaking out publicly
jbltk: You see, it's easy to say all those things you say @ (Link: http://katiet.com/message1.htm)http://katiet.com/m essage1.htm after the fact, but you never said them until today
ktarbox261: I do sympathesize with Ms. Jones and the fact that I said I am excited to change the name of the book, that would show I am in favor of it.
ktarbox261: Unfortunately I couldn't speak about this issue until today.
jbltk: why is that?
ktarbox261: Because this issue was between Penguin and Ms. Jones.
jbltk: that hasn't prevented me or my peers from giving Penguin a hard time publicly or directly. Did you have some sort of confidentiality agreement or something?
ktarbox261: That is all I can say.
jbltk: OK, is it fair to say that you would have faced financial hardships had you made any statements on the issue?
ktarbox261: No it is not fair to say.
jbltk: It just seems to me that if you really thought what Penguin was doing was wrong, you should have piped up way back when this all started, unless you were under a contractual obligation to not speak about it.
jbltk: I'm not trying to be a jerk, there are just a bunch of inconsistencies that I see in this whole thing, and I really like to know the whole story
ktarbox261: I could not speak about it.
jbltk: Because of an agreement between yourself and the publisher?
ktarbox261: I could not speak ab