It all started with Google Alerts. I subscribe to an alert for “Table for Five”. A couple of months ago, I got an alert for a post on “Table for Five Reviews and Giveaways”.
I clicked the link.
Sure enough, it took me to a blog with that title, a blog started in January 2010 by a woman with three kids. I thought to myself well, maybe she didn’t realize there’s already a blog called Table for Five.
So I emailed her.
I very politely pointed out that my blog is almost five years old, that I post reviews and giveaways, and that calling her blog the same name as mine would just confuse her readers. I asked her to consider changing the name of her blog.
She emailed me back and said NO. No, she said, it’s too late to change the name (which, no it’s not), and besides she already had a Facebook page set up and she was so proud of herself for doing it, and she wasn’t going to change it. Period.
WELL THEN.
I got an email this morning from one of my RSS email subscribers. When he got the email with my latest post, it reminded him that he was having trouble entering one of my giveaways because of a confusing requirement. He wanted to know what the requirement meant, because he’s never had trouble entering one of my giveaways before. You know where this is going, right?
IT WASN’T MY GIVEAWAY.
It was a giveaway on this other blog. I had to reply to him and tell him he had the wrong Table for Five.
My regular readers know how hard I’ve worked to build the reputation of this blog. I join social networks, I go to events, I pass out business cards. I comment on other blogs, I support the blogging community with my words every chance I get. I introduce myself at events as “Elizabeth from Table for Five”. I know it’s a cliche, but I think of Table for Five as MY BRAND.
And in a matter of months, someone else came along and well, stole it from me. Why did I never trademark the name? I guess I’ve always figured that since there’s a movie called Table for Five and a book called Table for Five, that I couldn’t trademark it. No one was going to confuse a listing on Google for one of my blog posts for the movie or the book, so I didn’t think it was a problem.
But someone flat out using the name of my blog for their own, just adding “reviews and giveaways” to it? That’s a problem.
I’ve gone back and forth over what to do. I’ve sought advice from my closest blogging friends and from my husband. I’ve thought long and hard about YOU, my dear readers. And what I’ve decided is that all of you will be able to tell the difference between me and her. I’ve also made another very important decision.
I’m not going to do reviews and giveaways on this blog any more. Does that mean I’m giving in? Letting her win? I guess so. But what I need right now is less stress, not more. If she wants to be the Table for Five reviews and giveaways blog, fine. I”m going to be the bigger person here.
Let me show you something.
That is my blog header from around 2006. See the tagline? “A blog about my family, books, music, movies, TV and more”. Starting today, Table for Five is going back to where it began – as a personal blog. Reviews and giveaways will be exclusively on MomReviews. Those of you who subscribed to this blog as part of a giveaway, I truly hope you will stick around. I think I do okay as a blogger and I hope you’ll read what I have to say.
And to that other blogger, well, good luck to her.
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Twitter: lovemy2doggies
says:
That’s terrible and we will miss your giveaways here but we will find you. I also think that there are two blogs called Simply Stacie. I hope that there is not another one with my name. lol If so, I feel sorry for them because I say things that they may not like.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Tammy – My friend Lisa’s blog is My Thoughts, Ideas and Ramblings. Someone recently started a blog that’s called something like My Ideas, Ramblings and Thoughts. I mean, come ON.
Twitter: repurrpussed
says:
WOW!!! I am so sorry to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back! At least you were aware of this issue before my flub! I just went and made sure that I was already a part of MomReviews and I am. Are you going to make it have an email feed like this blog too? So sorry all of this happened. I think its down right tacky of that other mother.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Scott – You did me such a big favor by helping me see exactly what I needed to do. I should give you some kind of award! lol MomReviews has a Subscribe box right in the header just like this blog does. I hope to see you there!
Twitter: TechPRMaven
says:
I’m so sorry to hear about this! It is really disappointing that someone would so blatently take your name, and not be willing to back down. There’s room for everyone in the blogosphere, people just need to be respectful of those that have come before them, and not try to infringe on names that are already taken. You would think that they would want a separate identity/brand, not to be confused with someone like you who has an established brand. Anyhow, I will still follow you for all of your great personal stories, and will check out the giveaways on MomReviews.
Sorry for all the stress, but I still enjoy reading about your family and your life so I hope the transition goes smoothly!
Twitter: mail4rosey
says:
We’re staying. Our family enjoys your blog, and we’re glad you’re sticking around.
I actually came across that blog just last night. I saw someone tweet a giveaway and came over to enter on your blog. Um, yeah come to find out not YOUR blog.
My blog started with the title A Ordinary Life. It’s always been “mine”.
Twitter: lilyputtsgb
says:
I am sorry for this mishap. Most people would have changed their name around so as not to collide. Most people would have. You are a great person for your decision. Kudos to you!
I would suggest that it is not a coincidence that this other person has ripped off your name. She has obviously thought to herself ‘hmm table for five is pretty successful’ and she’s trying to grab some of your readers. You are well established and I’m willing to bet, this new Blog won’t last 6 months, when she realises how much work you must put into running a Blog she will no doubt quit. Keep on Blogging and good luck.
That’s a goodv idea in splitting the giveaways. You are ‘Table For Five’, Elizebeth. There is no other!
BTW, It’s my 5th Blogaversary today.
.-= Jean-Luc Picard´s last blog ..Fifth Blogaversary! =-.
Twitter: TheAngelForever
says:
Ugh, so frustrating to hear this happening to more and more bloggers that have been established for so long. A locally mom blogger just told me about it with her and she is trademarking her brand because several businesses thought the other person was her. Not good when you have established a name for yourself. You are taking the high road here and should be commended for that. I know I will continue to follow you because in my mind you Elizabeth are the real Table of Five blog
.-= TheAngelForever´s last blog ..Blogger beware of content scrappers =-.
Twitter: sheenatatum
says:
1. I think I came across that blog before, raised a brow and left. Can’t remember the URL.
2. The whole situation stinks.
3. BUT, I’m glad you decided to keep the reviews/giveaways at Mom Reviews ’cause I honestly wondered why you were doing reviews/giveaways here if you had that site. I was actually going to ask you about it, lol.
4. You know I applaud you for “going back to the basics”!
.-= Sheena´s last blog ..Greening My Nail Polish Collection =-.
Twitter: sheenatatum
says:
5. It would only make sense to say as #5: Way to go on the PR 5 at Mom Reviews!
.-= Sheena´s last blog ..Greening My Nail Polish Collection =-.
I am so sorry this has happened. Some times I think evil people do crap like this on purpose because the name is already built up.
.-= Jammie´s last blog ..I Think I am in Love =-.
Twitter: Mamacita
says:
I don’t believe it was a coincidence. I think she saw her chance to steal a title that was already popular and take advantage of it. More shame to her.
.-= Mamacita´s last blog ..A Wednesday Songlist & Singalong =-.
Twitter: geniealisa
says:
That sucks all around.
And yeah, my blog name being “in a bottle” I figure isn’t a very trademarkable (ooh! I made up a word!) term but I always introduce myself as “my name is Genie and I blog at in a bottle”. So I totally understand how you can feel violated.
But good for you for taking a path that leads to less stress.
.-= Genie´s last blog ..Living Out Loud volume 16: The people in your neighborhood =-.
Twitter: Mamacita
says:
I found it. She claims to be a happy, devout Christian, yet she saw nothing wrong in stealing your title. Wow. What a terrible example she’s presenting to the Blogosphere. Thief, and hypocrite both! To steal, get caught, and refuse to give it back. I’m flabbergasted. Also, disgusted.
.-= Mamacita´s last blog ..A Wednesday Songlist & Singalong =-.
Twitter: JustJulie
says:
I bet it wasn’t a coincidence either. I recently started seeing another site come up in my Google alerts for Julie’s Journal.
She started Julies Journal Online. She acted surprised when I asked her about it, and said that she wanted my domain, but since it was taken she did what GoDaddy suggested she do and added the online to it. COME ON!!! WHO DOES THAT???
The crappiest part about this is she’s already creeping into my SERPs.
.-= Julie´s last blog ..Lily Me – Chic & Trendy Personalized French Charm Jewels =-.
Twitter: getalonghome
says:
Glad you’re going to stick with blogging here! I really hate to see this happen, but you’re being quite the grown-up about it. I don’t think I could be! Every mommy with a computer wants in on this review blogging thing, but it seems like the late-comers are completely without imagination. Hate to see so much stealing going on, but there really isn’t a thing to do about it.
I’ll tell you, though, if anyone wants to take my blog name and do better with it, they’re welcome to try. I don’t do reviews or giveaways much, so hopefully there would never be any confusion for my readers anyway.
I don’t think anyone with so little drive for originality that she won’t take a few minutes to come up with her own blog name is going to get very far with a real blog. Maybe she’ll get some giveaways, but the blog is gonna suck, no doubt.
.-= Cindy´s last blog ..Contests Today =-.
Twitter: thisfullhouse
says:
What Mamacita and everyone has said, my friend. There is only one Elizabeth (Table 4 Five, I mean) and your readers will follow you wherever you go. Blog on, Momma!
.-= Liz@thisfullhouse´s last blog ..A Time For Us, Maybe, Sometime Soon, Text Me! =-.
Twitter: bcmom
says:
But, a good blog name is so hard to come up with!
Just kidding. I could excuse her for taking your blog name and even give her the benefit of the doubt for not knowing – except for her refusal to change even after you emailed her. I won’t be reading her blog – I admit looking it up when you first mentioned it – but I will be continue to read this one. I love hearing about your family, etc.
I think MomReviews is the perfect place for all your reviews and giveaways. It seems the point of having multiple blogs is that each one has its own purpose, and I’m happy to see Table 4 Five remembering its original purpose – and I think it will feel good for you, too.
Love!!
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Looking at the Sky on Friday – 55 =-.
Twitter: debmomof3
says:
I just found a review blog called ‘A Mom’s Take’. Not exactly the same as mine, but close enough… I guess it’s becoming more common to rip off blog names.
I’m sorry you’re doing this because of what someone else has done, but I know you’ve been considering it for a while anyway. Good luck – and you know I’ll read no matter what/where you’re blogging. You ARE Table 4 Five!!
.-= Deb – Mom of 3 Girls´s last blog ..Hills are made for running down… =-.
Twitter: techguy
says:
You inspire me. I’m going to create a new blog called “Mom’s Reviews” and do reviews and giveaways on it. I can’t wait to get it started.
What a story! It’s amazing how far we’ve come from when I first helped you upgrade your blog. Rock on sister. Blogging for life (at least for me since I quit my day job)!
Twitter: Cybercelt
says:
Elizabeth, I found that other blog and it is on .blogspot.com. You may want to contact them. She has only been blogging since 11/09, so she has no credibility.
Do what you will, but I would not shut my blog down without a fight.
Elizabeth,
That is just sick.
I think you should stick to your guns
and keep doing what you are doing.
As Deb says “You ARE Table 4 Five”.
Hopefully this other fool will see the error of their ways
Twitter: superdumb
says:
So irritating but your readers know better.
.-= Naomi´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- In the Yard, Yesterday =-.
Twitter: ossmcalc
says:
Elizabeth,
You ARE Table for Five. I, like all of your other faithful readers, will keep following you.
Twitter: amotherofpearl
says:
Wow! That’s really crappy of her! I know I would feel awful if I accidently used another name that someone already had…..and I WOULD change it. I would think she would rather be unique for her readers…weird!
.-= Tree´s last blog ..Hug a Teacher Today!!Teacher Appreciation Day =-.
I think that your blog is just about what you’ve mentioned – events in the life of your friendly family! I like your articles – keep on posting:)
Twitter: TheEchoes
says:
Urgh that just shocks and appalls me. I’m sorry that you’re having such an issue. Out of curiosity I googled the name and you’re the first two entries who come up on Google. She’s way down but she is on the first page. I was all >_<;; that sucks.
I confess I haven't been keeping up with things very well on others blogs. Hopefully this trend doesn't continue.
Congrats on having over 1200 subscribers also!
.-= Faith´s last blog ..Sorting Finances =-.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
I used a friend’s laptop to search google too and saw she made the first page. There are people who pay SEO experts to get them on the first page!
Met with some friends today who run a website design and hosting company, and they gave me some suggestions for protecting my google rank. I think I’ll be okay
All the support I’m getting from readers is just awesome!
That’s friggin terrible. I do some blogging and get furious when people simply copy an article without crediting. I can’t imagine how annoying it would be if I were cloned.
Twitter: mariscalla
says:
I just found your website today and I’m already angry about this for you! So frustrating! I worry about that a lot too. My blog name is not exactly wildly unique but it popped into my head two years ago and I have loved ever since. This is one of my biggest fears!
Is very nice that you can try to protect your Google rank
Thanks God for friends that have good suggestions.
I can’t believe how low some people go. She’s stealing the friends and traffic you’ve worked so hard to build. It’s disgusting. You definitely took the high road in this situation. We can only hope that karma takes its toll.
That’s really sad and bad news. To come to think of it you would believe that people on that side of the world would be more civilized and mannered. But than we forget that they aren’t angels too, they are humans and well I guess its human nature to over-power others. I am in complete submissive agreement of your decision. You truly have stepped up your act and let that person get her hands into a dirtier mess. Above all who we kidding…. God’s up there watching all of us He will surely reward you for your decision… I understand how it feels to loose all your painstaking effort over something so pathetic and probably its hard to grasp how someone with such a stone heart not think if it were herself in your place….
I know this person in real life and she is not the evil person that you are making her out to be. Although I haven’t talked with her about her blog name, I truly believe that this situation is coincidental. She wanted to be a blogger and I don’t think she really did any research when choosing a name. I am appalled at the comments of your readers, calling her a theif, a hypocrite and an evil person. Clearly a mature adult would not resort to calling someone names to solve an argument. I have been subscribed to your blog for a year or so now, not under this email address, and it didn’t even occur to me that there would be any confusion between the two blogs. If you wanted to take the high road, maybe belittling another blogger was not the way to go.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Amelia- NOWHERE IN THIS POST DID I CALL THIS PERSON EVIL. Don’t put words in my mouth, that’s not fair.
Could you point out to me exactly where in my post I “bashed” this other blogger? In fact, did I not end the post by wishing her good luck with her blog? I purposely did not link to her blog because I didn’t want my readers going over to her site and causing her any grief. This is my personal issue over this situation, no one else’s.
And per your comment, exactly what “names” did I call her? I went out of my way to not even say the name of the blog let alone link to it. I feel I dealt with my frustration in the best way I could.
Actually, what I said was: “I am appalled at the comments of your readers, calling her a thief, a hypocrite and an evil person.”
But my point is, if this is your personal issue, then you should not have posted about it. My doing that you made it public. And while your post was not bashing her, you welcomed the comments of your readers to judge and namecall.
I am not saying I disagree with your situation. Like I said, I have been reading your blog for a very long time. But, you don’t own the phrase Table for Five, so she isn’t really in the wrong. Yes, it sucks that she won’t change it and that it can be confusing. I would be upset if someone stole my blog name, and if I were in her shoes, I would at least try to come to a compromise. But again, that is between you and her, and not the rest of us.
I agree with Amelia. From your post and reading people’s comments, it is very clear that none of you know who this person is, but you are all so quick to judge her and made her out to be a horrible person. You said it yourself that table for five is not your original idea, so why would you ask her to change it? Because you took the name first so no one else is allowed to? I don’t think thin you are taking the high road at all. You are bashing someone who probably does not even know you wrote about her and can not defend for herself here. From reading her blog, I saw that she is also a mom of three kids. I hope that it feel good to all of you to bash her. Ihave to say that by bashing out on your blog, it made you look worst not her.
Twitter: blm03
says:
The problem is that people are confusing the two bloggers. Did you not read the post? A reader emailed her about a contest the OTHER blog was doing. They made the mistake because it is confusing. So how is your friend not taking away her traffic.
I looked at her site. It looks like even though she has not had her blog for very long, she has more followers than you. Are you jealous? Is that why you want to bash her? Or is that why you decided that you can’t face the competition to do reviews here? When you google her, you can see that she puts her linkys everywhere. I don’t see you advertise your blog the same way she does. So, how is she stealing your ranking from you? Either you have the ranking or you don’t.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Annie – I am not jealous. I am not BASHING ANYONE. I never said “don’t read her blog”, did I? DID I?? I merely pointed out a situation that caused me distress. I ended the post by wishing her good luck! Did you read that part?
I have a product review blog with a Google page rank of 5. I don’t worry much about competition. There are PLENTY of products to review and giveaways to run, there’s enough to go around.
I have readers who have been with me for five years, and as a courtesy, I let them know that they can find my reviews and giveaways on a different site. Plain and simple. I did not encourage anyone to “bash” anyone else.
My ranking on google is just fine, thanks for asking.
Twitter: blm03
says:
Annie, how can you tell how many followers she has? I’d love to know? It is daily readers? RSS readers?
I had somebody steal the name of my blog too and it sucks.
Lisa, google table for five and you will be able to find her. You can see how many followers she has on her blog and I saw that she reviews a lot of things. I am not saying she is a great writer or even that she has a good site. To be honest, I think Elizabeth is a better writer and I don’t think the other girl can even write in complete sentences. I don’t think the other girl’s website is much to look at. But to vent about another blogger on your site where you know that you have so many readers and people can easily look her up is not an indication that you are taking the high road. What did you think peopel were going to do when you said that another table for five stole your name. You don’t think anyone is going to try to look it up? Seriously? I have been following your blog for a long time now even though I haven’t commented before, I just thought that you were a better person than that. Why not just tell people you were moving? Why did you feel the need to tell people the reason? Clearly you want people to know about this girl. Not linking and not mentioning her name is pretty worthless because anyone can just google table for five and find both of you. I am sure your ranking is great. If she is not a compeition to you. Why not just leave it alone and be the better person?