(11) GIVE ME $500 OR I WILL TELL EVERYONE.

From: Barbara Malley
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 4:00 AM
To:  Tim
Subject: shocking discovery

     It’s almost 4 am and I have been up for almost an hour doing a search on WOT (Web of Trust), which popped up when I searched my own website.

     It slandered Tears and Laughter, announcing that it was a very poor website with very bad ratings. I’d like to file a lawsuit against these bastards for shocking and embarrassing me and giving an old lady insomnia.  My new  bridge partner had asked what the name of my blog was and I searched it myself to see what she would see.  I’m very angry about this.

From: Tim Malley
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 6:50 AM
To: 'Barbara Malley'; 'Kathie Malley-Morrison'
Subject: RE: shocking discovery

     Mom, it is ridiculous to take anything like that seriously. If you are going to take advantage of the incredible reach of the internet and your ability to publish for free, you have to accept that there will be individual and corporate nut cases out there who will do malicious things. Anyway, every writer or artist should be willing to accept negative reviews

From: Barbara Malley
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 
Cc: Kathie Malley-Morrison
Subject: RE: shocking discovery

To Tim     
Suppose people clicking on your Boston Sword and Tuna website found defamatory remarks about your company—wouldn’t  you take that seriously?

From: Tim Malley
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 3:06 PM
To: 'Barbara Malley'
Cc: 'Kathie Malley-Morrison'
Subject: RE: shocking discovery

     As I explained, this web scam has nothing zilch zero to do with you---the site’s exact wording that you read probably appears on hundreds if not thousands of randomly selected blogs.  It is a pop-up virus/spam thing. It has no more to do with you or your blog than if someone ran out in the middle of the road and said “I know what you do, you perverted person and you have to give me $500 or I will tell everyone”---and then ran off into the woods. The “accusations” were generic, not specific and intended to get people to respond so they can then track you and maybe attack your PC.

     You don’t open your door to someone who knocks on it with vague threats like “I have information about people who live in Bedford Building and you need to give me money!” You would call the police, but in this case the internet is too big, too open, and unlike your condo, not private property, so free speech trumps privacy.

From Kathie

     Mom, I think Tim is absolutely correct. The pop-up had nothing to do with you personally. So it is not worth copying and pasting anything about the spammer into your blog, but knowing you, you could probably write a pretty funny essay about the vagaries of internet correspondence at some point.

Love

Kk  

I love you KK, but It is now March eleventh and I'm having a difficult time seeing anything funny about people who think it's fun to pick on LOLs. But I'm trying.
LOL LOL (little out lady laughing out loud)