I have no idea who he is, but I kept seeing his name come up on trackback comments of other sites using my blog posts…

[…] post by kim and software by Elliott […]

Call me naive but at first I thought maybe it was a good thing getting free inbound links plus the posts were unaltered so contained my affiliate links.  But since my blonde highlights are starting to grow out, I realized that google may penalize those sites and mine for duplicate content.  So I was on a mission to try to stop Elliott’s software from scraping and stealing my posts.

Google led me to Elliott Back’s site where he claims his plugin was being misused and has taken it offline as it makes him look like the spammer.  He encourages sending out DMCA notices to abusing websites by following these instructions.

I used Shawn K Hall’s Copyright infringement letter, changing the appropriate info and emailed it off to Dreamhost, host of the offending website.  (Hint, you can look up the whois to see the host’s email and you can find the I.P. address of the comments in the wordpress admin.)

Within 24 hours, Dreamhost replied to me that they had taken down the prepetrator.  Now I’m off to send a couple more letters to different “site stealers.”

Well, I’m off to volunteer my time taking tickets at the Pierce County Fair.  Actually, I get a free pass ($25 value) for helping so I don’t mind. Although I’ll miss the best entertainment (Triple Threat Tour) while I’ll be working. So I thought I’d take advantage of the free publicity opportunity and do some self-promotion by wearing one of my own tshirts.  I thought about wearing the Foster57 tee, but with the heat index, I figured white would be cooler to wear than green.  So, here I am wearing my ShoppingBookmarks.com Smiley Face t-shirt. Earn SB points to get a Free Tshirt for yourself!

I booked a trip to London! In England! In Europe! I’m so excited. And, of course, it’s a business write-off, as I’ll be attending Ad-Tech and Affiliate Summit the end of September.  But I don’t have a passport!  So thought I’d share my steps to hopefully save someone else some time.

Fill out an Application of U.S. Passport online.  You will need to know birthplaces of not only yourself, but your mother, father and spouse (or former spouse), plus wedding and divorce dates if applicable.  I had to get out my baby book for info. Print out form after filling it out. But DO NOT sign it.  You will sign it later.

Get a Mug Shot taken.  You will need 2 identical passport photos 2″ x 2″ in size. They must be in color with a white or off-white background. You must wear street clothes (no uniforms) and no headgear.  I got mine taken and processed within an hour at Walgreens for $7.95.  The gal told me I could smile but could not show my teeth.

Things to Gather: Proof of U.S. Citizenship (ie Birth Certificate with raised seal). This will actually be sent with the application and returned with your passport. And you’ll need Proof of Identity (ie Driver’s license).  Your social security card does not prove your identity, but you will need to provide your SSN on the form. And you’ll need some moola for all the fees.

Passport Fees (for ages 16+): $97 ($67 application fee + $30 execution fee; I had to write out 2 seperate checks). For expedited service (I did this), add $60 plus postage for overnight delivery to and from you ($16.25 one way). I had to go to the post office to get a stamp for $16.25 for the way there.  And they added the $16.25 back to my app and expedited fee.  Total Spent for Expedited Fees: $189.50

Got everything? Go to a Passport Acceptance Facility (search by zip code for nearest location) or Passport Agency (need an appointment for these).  You will need to present everything and sign your form in front of them.  Phew, that wasn’t so hard.

The website states routine passports take 10-12 weeks, and expedited passports take 2-3 weeks. But the Clerk of the District Court told me it is taking much longer, ie over 15 weeks for routine and up to 6 weeks for expedited due to the high volume of demand.

Check the status of your U.S. Passport here or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778), Monday through Friday, 6 am – midnight ET, but good luck talking to a real live representative.