Bad MLS Photo of the Day Feature Deleted

by Karen Goodman on December 28, 2009

red light Bad MLS Photo of the Day Feature Deleted I am disappointed to share that I’ve been told I need to stop my Bad MLS Photo of the Day series.

I received an email today from the President of MARIS (Mid America Regional Information Systems), the local St. Louis MLS provider. The email made it very clear that I was violating MARIS rules by using copywrited photos in my Bad MLS posts and need to stop posting them.

When I got the email, I briefly considered attempting to continue the series by doing internet searches on the offending listings to find non-MARIS pictures. But, it really isn’t practical and there could still be copyright issues with those pictures too. Maybe I’ll figure out a creative way to continue showcasing bad advertising, but it is escaping me at the moment.

So, effective today, I’m pulling the Bad MLS category and posts off this site. Tomorrow, when I can figure out how to set up a 301 redirect from each of the old posts to this page, I’ll do that too. If anyone wants to offer any tips on how to make this happen, I’m all ears.

As much as I”m disappointed to lose a really popular feature of this site, I really do strive to follow the rules and do the right thing. Though I might be able to find a creative way to keep these posts going, it’s not in my makeup to bend the rules when it is convenient for me. The last thing I would ever want would be for my actions to compromise my integrity.

So, no more bad pictures with silly captions.

For those of you who enjoyed the series, you may want to check out some other bloggers who have a similar Bad MLS series. None of them are based in St. Louis, and I hope they don’t get their hands slapped like I did.