A post I don't like making - but have to!

OK, I have made a decision that perhaps even my supporters will not like. I have no idea how I am going to say this without seeming ungrateful to my readers, but I hope you will understand that no offence is intended - your support has kept me going when I thought I was banging my head against a brick-wall. I still am - but at least I am banging it in good company!

I am going to have to start deleting certain posts. I would like to make it clear that I have not been threatened with legal action, but I will take steps to ensure that it does not happen. Nor has any pressure been put on me to "censor" the blog.

I understand that many people believe in freedom of speech - but there has always been responsible freedom of speech. Libel laws have been in place long before the Internet was ever imagined - and quite rightly. The Internet is the same as any other media - it is not the wild west - nor do I think it should it be.

There is also the issue of copyright legislation - something I am aware of because in the past I have organised workshops dealing with online copyright issues. I have even taken action against others who have infringed my copyright.

I do pay for subscriptions to various media organisations and in many cases I have permission to republish articles in full. However, I do not have permissions from every media outlet - especially foreign language media organisations. That is why I did not post the Sol article in it's entirety.

Moving away from this blog for a moment, I know many people are concerned about censorship on other forums. Perhaps I can clarify a few things. It could be that comments have been deleted because they may be libellous or make direct accusations. There is also the issue of "deep-linking."

Put simply, "deep-linking" is when a link is posted to a web-page within the main site. This has always been a contentious issue, but in several countries organisations that permitted deep-linking have been sued - and lost.

As publisher of this blog, I am responsible for all of the above! If I make a cock-up, then I have no one to blame but myself. However, I would rather not put myself at risk due to the actions of others.

At the risk of sounding like Mr Grub:) I also need to look to the future. I realise this has become known as "The McCann Blog" and I am extremely grateful and proud, that due to the efforts and support of my readers, it has become a haven for those who feel the same way as I do. However, as you can see by the list of labels on the right hand panel, the blog was not created for this purpose.

The blog was created in May 2005, to target a particular audience and hopefully drive enquiries and clients my way. Things are not easy for me at the moment and at the risk of sounding selfish or uncaring, I will some time soon have to head the blog back towards it's original focus and back to trying keep my business going.

I can not do that if the blog is taken offline - or if my credibility has been damaged by legal issues. To be blunt, I have to also look after myself - and to the future, (I know that sounds cynical, but it's a reality).

My original target audience no longer visit and at some stage I will have to rebuild that audience. When I started blogging about the McCanns, I slashed the number of adverts that had previously been carried and removed a "donation" button as it looked a bit tacky! For my detractors who have been claiming that this is a revenue making blog, I am quite happy to give you access to my Commission Junction account, where you will see the balance stands at two-dollars thirty.

I will keep plugging away at this issue and snapping at the heels of both the McCanns and the British media. I have many posts up my sleeve and a few things going on behind the scenes both in the UK and in Portugal. if either party believe I am going to fade entirely from the scene, they are very badly mistaken.

But to do so, this blog has to stay online and maintain credibility and integrity. We wont get anywhere if it becomes known
as a wild-west free for all.

To my detractors: You can say what you like about me and post any dirt you wish - they wont be deleted. I may have skeletons but at least I do not have the shame of losing a child due to negligence spawned by the selfishness of lotus-eaters.

However, if you want to know anything, do me a favour and ask my advice - I know you have been digging - and going about it the wrong way! You can't even do that bloody properly!

My apology if I have offended or disappointed anyone, that is not my intent. If I should delete a post, I can assure you it is for one reason only.

More topic-related posts later!