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(Geocities victims, unite!) links tested 4/8/01 |
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Article on Geo censorship and suggestions for improvement. Censored by GeoCities on a Canadian web provider |
for... GeoShitties |
after they deleted a member page for alleged 'copyright infringement' of linking to someone else's site |
censored by GC for expressing anti-Geo sentiments in private email |
Got deleted from Xoom by GeoCities |
Parody of LinkExchange got deleted from GeoCities after LE's legal losers claimed trademark infringement |
Censored for having a link to register for a cyber 'zine |
GeoCities threatens legal actions against a 13 year old girl for a Geo boycott page |
Pokes fun at GeoCities' excessive advertising. Nuked for "certain legal considerations" |
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for anyone who has / will be censored by GeoCities, and anyone opposed to this censorship |
for anyone pissed off at GeoCities |
for anyone who hates GeoCities or has anti-GeoCities content |
for anyone who has been deleted/suspended by Geocities, or had their non-Geo site nuked |
A community for sites that have left GeoCities for reasons including watermark, advertising and others |
For people who hate GeoCities |
My ultimate goal is to see every Geocities victim
linked to every other Geocities victim. If you know of a page link that
belongs here, please tell me.
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| HitlerCities
the 'fascist' growing community on the Web! |
the largest goof on the web! |
Alex Sandell |
The Largest NonCommunity on the Web! |
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Anti-Geo editorials, and various relevant links |
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" geocities editorial |
Partnership Against Geocities' Evil Doing |
GeoCities news & opinions, stuff about watermark, and nonGeopartisan discussion boards |
| GeoStrike(dead)
Geo news, watermark, forum, graphics... all critical of GeoCities. |
A community for sites that have left GeoCities for reasons including watermark, advertising and others |
Complains of censorship by the 'Homesteader Geostapo', urges folks to move out of Geo |
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'Little stuff' has been moved to this separate page... |
cruel.com's
Cruel Site of the Day :)
UPDATE: Since posting the message below, I've had a number of visits from NETCOM administrative domains (including fit.netcomi.com and foxden.noc.netcom.net) as well as smartpatents.com, which I believe specializes in searching for and reporting patent/trademark infringement. Makes me wonder if Netcom received some sort of complaint about my homepage...seems to coincide closely with GeoCities' domain hits, doesn't it?
June 9, 1998
Spider, spider, on the Net; Have you seen my homepage yet?
(GeoCities Lies, and more attempts at disinformation and media
control?)
Well, Geocities's has. This isn't another censorship report necessarily, but damn close. I recently signed up with SuperStats, a website statistics service that tells you how many visits your site gets daily, who's visiting (domain names) and where they're coming from. I had it for a couple uneventful weeks watching the AOLers surf thru looking for the Bill Gates Pie page on Infoseek, and so on. But things got wierd on May 27th. What to my wondering eyes should appear, but hits from nevada.geocities.com--what the hell are THEY doing here? GeoCities is not an Internet provider like AOL or Earthlink; any visits from its domain are not customers or members, but employees of the company itself. So Geocities is visiting my NETCOM homepage as I sit and wonder why. Then it hits me: Criticism. I have a number of pages that criticise Geocities, including this one. As has been shown, GeoCities does actively seek out and destroy criticism whenever it can, probably to appear more popular (and therefore more appealing to potential advertisers.) My guess is, nevada.geocities.com is the server they use for these little witchhunts. I haven't heard anything from Geo or Netcom's webmaster yet, so either they couldn't find anything on the site worth suing me over or Netcom has decided to ignore bogus "one of your users is illegally defaming our company name, nuke their site immediately or you'll be sorry" threats directed at it. Still, this is the same company that claims on its member TOS agreement, "GeoCities does not actively monitor the content of [troublemakers'] pages". Guess that doesn't include servers it doesn't even own.
PS Side note to Webmasters and server admins, I strongly encourage
all of you to block the geocities.com domain (including [209.1.224.12]
thru [209.1.224.15]) from accessing your pages via HTTP; this will affect
GeoCities employees, not members (GC is not an ISP) and will help prevent
them from harassing you or your members for the content of pages on your
server.
No Xoom for You
(blatant Soup Nazi reference here...)
This site has been deleted from Xoom,
another free Web host, and the account locked out. (At about this time
GeoCities blocked my email address from their mailservers; any mail I try
to send to a GeoCities address returns something like this.)
This comes within hours of the deletion of Zeman's GeoCensored page, which
was itself removed within a mere 48 hours of its posting on another free
server (shall remain anonymous), which prides itself on not censoring member
pages for any reason. According to an email
forwarded to me by Mark (from the no-censor server), GeoCities called them,
threatened litigation, and proceeded to strong-arm the host of each and
every person who joined a particular webring
and get all their sites deleted, too. Including, of course, the
former
location of this site. This is the final straw, GeoCities. To go around
forcing your ill will on people and their hosts out of nothing more than
mere spite; to follow, stalk and harass people; to subject even innocent
victims to a general spite and hatred you hold to a select few who they
dare associate themselves with, this is unacceptable and completely beyond
reproach. Rest assured, people will hear about your numerous attempts
to subvert criticism and disinform the public. If not via Web pages like
this one, newsgroups, mailing lists (like pissedOff's),
and webrings, then by print publications, newspapers and radio shows. Eric
'Mancow' Mueller, morning radio host for the 'Free Speech Radio Network',
will hopefully turn a curious ear to such abuses, and if so, this information
may even be broadcast from coast to coast on the show. GeoCities, if you
are reading this, I encourage you to plan your next move carefully in this
game. The pen is and will continue to be mightier than the sword, and the
truth has a way of spreading beyond your wildest fears. Please keep this
in mind before attempting to put another notch in my belt.
"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech
censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains
us all irrevocably."
Thurs., Feb. 04, 1998: Moved out of GeoCities
Tuesday, February 03, 1998
<demonic voice> Get OUT!! </demonic voice>
Now, I'm no mind reader, but I believe the message in the following
emails is clear: You know where the door is, you know damn well how
to use it, why not demonstrate this skill for us. As is evident in
their messages, GeoCities obviously prides itself on honesty. Yet they
so quickly trash any information that they do not want the average Joe
Schmoe to hear, why? We do not know, and perhaps never will. But when the
mass media does what GeoCities does, it's called propaganda. Enjoy this
page, as it is critical of GC's practises but (hopefully) immune to their
ever-reaching and censorious hands on this server. Who knows, maybe they
will leave it be, if they suddenly realize that this page will not severely
hurt them, and it is the Potemkin's
Villiage nature of the entire pruned-and-culled GeoCities 'community'
that will ultimately do them much more harm than this Web text document
could ever hope to. Maybe they will leave it alone for no other reason
than to say they left it alone. But at any rate, what follows are the email
messages from GC's Senior Editor:
Subject: Can Geo take the heat?
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 11:54:43 +0000
From: news@[NoSpamBots]geocities.com (news)
Organization: GeoCities
To: bgip@ix.[NoSpamBots].netcom.com
- Bill,
I think your Snickers page is hilarious. The "Tickle Me Loundy"
mention is priceless.
I've always felt that if we are forthright in our dealing with
people, that we can take any reasonable and polite criticism. I've
always argued on the side of leaving alone sites that were critical
of Geo practices. I think that your Snickers site is a healthy
and
entertaining part of the broader Geo community.
But (there had to be a "but), you and I may start to differ when
it
comes to actively sabotaging Geo programs.
When you signed up for a free home page at GeoCities, you, in effect,
signed a social contract. We provide you with free Web space and
tools to build and improve it. In return, we retain the right to
sell
targetted advertising, using your content to draw users.
We have never been deceptive about this arrangement and have been
very aboveboard about the fact that Geo is still on the wrong side
of breaking even. If we cannot become profitable, your site and
those of every GeoCitizen will disappear entirely. This will be
the
case with every company offering free Web sites.
While we would like you to support our efforts, it may well be that
GeoCities is not for you. If that is your choice, there will be
no
hard feelings.
I look forward to hearing from you.
(Name withheld)
Senior Editor, Community Manager
Read the A-List
http://www.geocities.com/ http://www.geocities.com/features/alist/
My Reply...
> From:
bgip@ix[.NoSpamBots]netcom.com
> Date:
Tue, 03 Feb 1998 17:29:37 -0600
> To:
news@[NoSpamBots]geocities.com
> Subject:
Re: Can Geo take the heat?
> I am willing to add Geoguides to each page,
and plan to do so in the near
> future. (Before I do, can you tell me,
is it really necessary I add it to
> the 'nope' pages under the fake warez page?
That means up to 15KB load
> time for 5 bytes of text; I'd rather not
put them here, but will if
> necessary). The Geoguides can, if necessary
make an appearance on every
> page. They are not nearly as bad as the
popup ads. But if what you are
> really asking is that I remove links to
the (intended as humor more than
> anything else) GeoPop Tribute, this is
something I have no intention of
> doing. If this is necessary to continue
my account here, I guess
> GeoCities really isn't for me; say the
word and I will move out for good
> and leave you in peace. But GeoCities is
truly a great place, full of
> many fond memories, and hate to see all
of it destroyed.
>
> bill
> http://members.xoom.com/snicker1
> snicker_page@geocities.com
Subject: Re: Can Geo take the heat?
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 15:51:43 +0000
From: news@[NoSpamBots]geocities.com (news)
Organization: GeoCities
To: bgip@ix.[NoSpamBots].netcom.com
Bill,
Although that would be nice, I'm not asking you to add the GeoGuide
to each page. That's your call. The GeoGuide is not mandatory.
Believe me, I "get" the humor part of your site. As I mentioned,
the
"Tickle Me Loundy" had me in stitches. I'm smiling just thinking
about it. What I am asking is that you take what lies underneath
the
humor down a notch.
The overt instruction on how to to subvert Geo ads crosses the line
as do a few other things that you've put on the page. Rather than
act
as an editor and tell you, point by point, what to put on your
page,
I'm addressing the broader issue of your deciding if you want to
be
a part of this community or assist in tearing it down.
Technical point: There are only two acceptable ways to suppress
GeoPops on a given page. Either install a GeoGuide or become a
GeoPlus member.
Thursday, January 29, 1998
With a sense of humour this dry, GeoCities will never need to worry about flood insurance. About a week ago Bill posted a humorous page he'd written, in the style of Dave Barry and humorists of like type, that served as a 'tribute' to the annoying GeoPop advertisements that have plagued GeoCities of late. This page contained an amusing portrayal of the average surfer's reaction to these popup ads, continued with a more serious look at how they can affect your computer (including screenshots of application errors the ads can contribute to and graphs showing memory and resource consumption by the ad windows), and ended with several methods of getting rid of these popups, both on your browser (disabling Javascript) and on your GeoCities-hosted pages (Put on a Geoguide, an alternate form of advertising that appears at the top of the page, as well as another 'cheater' method that will not be repeated here.) Today we got the following message from the meanies at GeoCities. It appears we have broken the 13th Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Tell Surfers The Truth If It May Adversely Effect Geocities' Profit Margin"...
Subject: SiliconValley/Lakes5397
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 10:14:36 -0800
From: GeoCities Community Response Team <guidelines@[NoSpamBots]geocities.com>
Organization: GeoCities
To: bgip@ix.[NoSpamBots].netcom.com
- Dear Community Member,
Thank you for your feedback regarding the GeoPops. As
you are aware we are using new forms of advertising. Right
from the
beginning of GeoCities we have tried to provide the best free services
available on the web. Our business model has always been
to offer free
email and home pages, to group them by interest (neighborhoods),
and to
sell targeted advertising into each neighborhood.
This allows us to offer
more free services and is not changing. However,
we realize that we couldn't
do all that we do without the support of our homesteaders,
our visitors,
and our advertisers.
The task at hand is to position advertising on GeoCities in a way
that
is attractive to a visitor, the Homesteader, and the advertiser
without substantially affecting the design or download time of
web
pages.
Based on feedback like yours we have tested a variety of
advertising options including pop-ups (the GeoPop), and the
interstitial (the GeoStitial). Most people prefer the pop-up,
finding
it less intrusive. Others have requested a new, full banner GeoGuide
which resides on the home page in place of an interstitial or pop-up.
In response to this request we will be launched a new GeoGuide
in
December, which when placed at the top of the page will preclude
a
GeoStitial or GeoPop. That’s right, every page with
a GeoGuide will
not get an interstitial or pop-up ad. Homesteaders can also win
cool
prizes.
You can stop all Pop-up and GeoStitial ads from appearing on your
pages by installing the GeoGuide. Please go to this address
for more
information and instructions:
http://www.geocities.com/members/tools/geoguide
In order for GeoCities to continue to provide free web pages, email,
tech support and all of our other services to our members,
it is
necessary for us to sell advertising on our site. We hope
that you
will support GeoCities in its efforts to continue to provide our
services to you free of charge.
Our guidelines and Members Terms of Service (TOS) have been carefully
crafted to promote the free flowing exchange of ideas about your
interests, activities, and hobbies, and at the same time
maintain standards
consistent with the Internet community and the societies
of the world at large.
We appreciate your support and participation with GeoCities, however,
some of your files were inconsistent with our current
guidelines or TOS and
have been deleted. Please do not repost them.
We encourage you to review the guidelines and TOS at:
http://www.geocities.com/members/guidelines/
Thank you,
GeoCities Community Response Team
www.geocities.com
Saturday, September 20
GeoCities has deleted this entire site (68 HTML pages and hundreds of other files) for a page I wrote explaining I was boycotting SurplusDirect (a GeoCities advertiser) for spamming. I got an email from GeoCities saying the accusation was "defamatory" and my site has been suspended, and to work it out privately with the company (who never got back to me)... GeoCities did not even bother to ask SD about their activities before killing my site; even though several copies of actual spam and numerous failed 'unsubscribe' requests were posted to prove that the advertiser was indeed spamming.
Original mail from GeoCensors :
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 16:42:38 -0700
From: abuse@[NoSpamBots]geocities.com (Abuse)
Organization: GeoCities
To: bgip@ix.[NoSpamBots].netcom.com
- Dear Community Member,
We received a complaint regarding your GeoCities homepage violating
the
Homepage Content Guidelines. While investigating it, we did
find some
content that may arguably be considered defamatory. Specifically,
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5397/boycott.html
We have temporarily suspended your homepage for those violations.
Please contact SurplusDirect and try to work this situation out
with
them: web@surplus.direct.com
Please contact us if you have any questions or comments.
We encourage you to review the guidelines at:
http://www.geocities.com/members/info/guidelines.html
Thank you,
GeoCities Community Response Team
www.geocities.com
