The RUNWAYsl Blog: Ripping Off Bloggers One Post At A Time

By
Iris Seale
 – April 28, 2009Posted in: Gossip, Wall of Shame

**Updated by Tenshi Below Cut**

You might have read about the recent trials and tribulations of RUNWAY, but if not, here’s a short encapsulation:

RUNWAY closed it’s doors unexpectedly without informing staff and leaving lots of debt in it’s wake. Someone tried (or not) to swoop in and take it up. The former (?) owner got all legal-ese on the swooper’s butt, took her toys and went home. That’s about the point at which I stopped caring and listening. Well, the RUNWAY blog is back in a very annoying way.

The blog has started syndicating posts from the feeds, namely Fashion World of SL, Fashion Feed of SL, and iheartsl. Unfortunately, RUNWAY is also syndicated by these feeds, so it’s basically vomiting posts back up and making it hard for anyone’s post to stay at the top of the feed to be seen. In essence, it’s breaking all the SL fashion feeds with spam.

It’s not syndicating all the posts, but a high number of them from various SL blogs.

Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. Whoever’s doing this with the RUNWAY blog is taking writing credit for all the posts. Take a look at this, this is the post I did earlier today on Tunip Murnip’s prefab and M.Fox, as syndicated by the RUNWAY blog:

runwayslgank

Do you see my name anywhere on that post? No, didn’t think so. I certainly don’t write for RUNWAYsl, and I didn’t give permission for my post to be picked up on it. At the bottom of the blog, it even says all content is copyright to RUNWAY. This is plagiarism, pure and simple.

It even has categories highlighting posts as you’d see on a regular blog, in addition to a topic header with the ‘highlight’ posts that changes. As far as I can tell, since it’s overhaul the RUNWAY blog has NO original content on it, but if you looked at it with uninformed eyes, you’d think that they’d written every post.

The blog has over 28 posts today at the time of this writing and is growing with more every hour.

I can’t help but think this is a deliborate and malicious way to grief the feeds after the popular response to RUNWAY’s departure. The blog is still listed as belonging to Maggie Mahoney, but I have no way to verify if that’s who is running it. Please email, IM or Plurk the feed owners’ to inform them about this and let them know you’d like the RUNWAY blog removed.

Tao Takashi – Fashion World of SL

Carissa Crimson – Fashion Feed of SL

iheartsl

**edited by Tenshi to add**

“The Following Story is true. The names are changed to protect the innocent.”

But only the innocent.

So, Rowan Carroll and I were in Designers in Seclusion chat today while I was going off about the crappy Runway of SL feed, and how it was totally plagarizing SCD’s work. While I was too busy wanking off to my own anger, Rowan started digging.

“Did you know runwaysl.com is owned by fourseasonstranscriptions.com?” She asks.

runwayslcomownership

Wheels start cranking in my head. That sounds SO familiar.

In fact, I had a conversation a few weeks ago in regards to that fact with another avatar I won’t name but I do trust. She told me that Maggie Mahoney was extremely blatant with her RL information when she first joined up in SL, and that Maggie Mahoney was telling people she was Robin Hall in real life. Robin Hall owned and operated Four Seasons Transcriptions out of Virginia, which is known for not paying it’s employees again and again. I could keep going with the links of Medical Transcribers who say they’ve been scammed.

From MTStars.com, a Medical Transcriber forum which we have linked to here:

Robin Hall CONTINUES to scam MTs and get away with it. I get emails weekly from MTs who cannot get their paychecks from her. I find it absolutely incredible that she can continue to get away with this, but she does. After she had to leave here, she moved over to guru.com. I contacted them and warned them about her, but she wound up scamming some people there and has since been banned. Kind of an interesting aside – heard from a reliable source that Robin was giving hospitals a false Tax ID#. Go figure!!

And more from the same poster:

Well, the update is there is no update.  She still has not paid me the money she owes me and refuses to answer emails, etc.  I’ve heard she’s suing me for making slanderous and libelous statements.   She obviously has not looked up the definitions of slander or libel.  I’ve not made one FALSE statement.  I’ve had mutual acquaintances forward me emails/instant messages from her where she’s making outrageous claims like she’s mailed me my money by certified mail and I’ve failed to pick them up and she’s emailed me but I refuse to answer her.  Totally nonsensical garbage.  I hear that she’s advertising on guru.com these days.  I really need to know where these unethical imposters get off thinking they can just steal our services and get away with it.  I guess because they can.  Boy, how I wish some hospital would stiff her like she’s stiffed me.  Thanks for all your kind words of encouragement.

It seems she favors work where she can victimize people who stay at home and want to work their own hours, which basically leaves stay-at-home mothers and fathers. Transcription was a perfect area for her. The requirements to work at her Transcription service:

Hardware/Software: Windows XP; Microsoft Word 2000 or better; Bytescribe or Express Scribe (or similar wav player); ability to play .mp3, .wav, .dss files a must.
Method of sending/receiving dictation: FTP via secure site
Compensation Information: IC status only – rare weekends – DOE – based on 65-character line incl spaces

Second Life was an easy transition. It’s fun, funky, and why not? Same sorts of people, looking to make money, right?

Maggie came in SL playing the part of a complete newbie. She made friends with people she knew she could take advantage of, and then after she got good and comfortable with the interface, she sprung into action, forming RUNWAY. Her first life tab says she’s a “southern girl”, and “manners count”. Yup. They sure do. But not as much as the hot, hot cash in your hands, huh Mags?

We also obtained other, um, evidence to the fact that Maggie Mahoney does tromp the grounds that Robin Hall walks on, but we shan’t share it, because we all know that’s kinda creepy and weird. As far as I’m concerned, Maggie/Robin already has her pants down.

We haven’t seen Maggie in a few weeks, have we? Dealing with her supposed breast cancer… or moving to Honolulu? Theories abound, but the one thing we can assure you, is that you got scammed.

Robin Hall aka Maggie Mahoney has a record in Virginia, and not just where she held her \Transcription business. No, it goes to Tazewell County (I know, I LOL’d too, DON’T TAZE ME BRO) court records. “Uttering Forged Document”, “Obtaining Telephone Service” (which I can only assume is a parole violation), numerous counts of forgery including of public records, Failure to Appear, Larcen (Theft), Probation Violation, Probation Violation, Probation Violation.

If Maggie Mahoney/Robin Hall wants to step forward and dispute these claims – both RL and SL -  with a plausible explanation, I will gladly retract ALL of this and issue an apology. But do you really think that’s going to happen?

Please note: We have absolutely nothing on Ocean in this matter. For all we know, he may be a victim as well.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin