The End Of This Young House
Yup, you read the title right. This Young House is going the way of the dodo and the dinosaur. And although it certainly wasn’t our idea (let’s just say lawyers were involved) it sure has added some excitement to our little blogging lives.
The good news is that we’re already whipping up lemonade from the sour lemons hurled in our general direction. We’ve got a brand-spanking-new name and URL, but the site remains exactly the same otherwise. Unless you count all the fun new features, tutorials and before & afters that we’ll be adding in the coming weeks. So remember to visit younghouselove.com from this day forth (and to update you reader, bookmarks and even your blogroll if you link out to us) to make it easy to keep up with our adventures- and misadventures- in home improvement.
Ok, so here’s the full scoop. On July 7th, as many of you know, we were busy celebrating our two year wedding anniversary. But on July 8th we got a nice little present in the form of a cease and desist letter from a prominent home improvement magazine/TV show which bears a few similarities to our old site’s name (you guys can figure it out, right?). Don’t they know the two year anniversary present is cotton, not paper? Anyway, they basically ordered that we immediately surrender the use of our old name and URL because they believed consumers were getting confused and may think that Young House Love was in some way related to their brand. Picture us scratching our heads. In almost two years of blogging under that moniker not one person has ever asked if we were related to that company.
That started a rollercoaster ride of emotions. First came fear and sadness – were we really going to get sued or be forced to hand over nearly two years of hard work? Then came confusion and anger – why was the same pub that contacted us last year to compliment our work and offer us a free magazine subscription suddenly sending lawyers after us? Not to mention the fact that our site and our logo looked nothing like theirs, our names were essentially opposites, our projects are on a completely different scale, and we’re clearly just two young people with a personal blog (not a corporation with deep pockets and an army of lifelong experts). But we eventually unclenched our fists and faced reality. Even though we completely disagreed with every single point they made, what two-person blog wants to go up against such a wealthy industry powerhouse? Can you just imagine that? In this corner we have a million dollar company. And in this corner… John, Sherry and a feisty chihuahua. No thanks.
So after many hours spent huddling with our attorney we decided the best way to move forward (and spare ourselves a potentially long and expensive legal battle) would be to turn the other cheek and change our name and URL. After all, just as the-magazine-that-shall-not-be-named doesn’t want to be accidentally associated with us, we certainly share that sentiment. Now more than ever.
And a funny thing happened after we made the decision to move on to bigger and better things. We got fired up. Not throw-something-I’m-mad fired up, but this-could-be-an-amazing-opportunity fired up. Our excitement grew as we chatted breathlessly until two in the morning about what a great thing this seemingly stressful anniversary incident could become. We felt almost like we did when we moved into our house in the very beginning. There was raw potential for miles and we couldn’t wait to forge ahead with our paint brushes in our pockets and smiles on our faces.
Then came the search for the perfect new name. We tossed out a few odd but applicable ones first (involving our infamous love of white paint, ceramic animals and charming chihuahuas) but we still felt like Youngsters at heart. So we decided to bridge the gap between our old name and the thing that our last URL had always been missing: the can’t-deny-it crush we have on our humble home. We secured our new website addy on Bluehost for $4 with a coupon (you know we like to sniff out a good deal) and our new blog baby: Young House Love was born. It instantly felt like a place we could call home, and we really like referencing the idea of falling in “house love” (that unmistakable type of youthful puppy love that we all feel for the casa we’re tenderly fixing up). After all, we’re just two young people falling in love with our first house.
And here we are less than a week later, welcoming you to our new virtual abode. We’re still unpacking a bit, so bear with us as we transition everything and add bigger and better features as we go. We know it may take some time for you guys to get comfortable with our new name and URL, but just as our old blog was once our baby, this one is our “youngest child” which means we’re gonna coddle it and spoil our lovely readers even more than we did before. Weekly giveaways (starting back up tomorrow!), before & after eye candy, step by step tutorials- we’ll serve it all up on a white lacquered platter.
In the order of housekeeping, we would also love to remind you to change your bookmarks, Google Reader (click that link or add “www.younghouselove.com/feed” to find the right feed), and even your blogroll and the outgoing links (old and new) on your blog if you’ve linked over to us (links to specific posts can easily be redirected to the right place by replacing “thisyounghouse” with “younghouselove” in the URL and leaving the rest of the address as-is). Now that we’re legally bound to go by Young House Love from this day forward, replacing those old links and switching any old copy that says “This Young House” to “Young House Love” will really help our new blog grow and prosper (and make our day to boot).
Plus, if you’ve been following us on Twitter or Facebook (btw, we had lots of fun reading everyone’s guesses about our big news all weekend) please take a moment to switch over to our new Young House Love Twitter and Young House Love Facebook pages. They’re a little bare at the moment, but rest assured they’ll be the only place for bonus content, breaking sale news, and what-we’re-doing details from this point forward. Our old accounts will just turn into periodic annoying reminders to make the move so it’s best to abandon ship and jump aboard our new ones asap (note: please unfollow or unfan the old YHL pages after your switch to help us clean ‘em out).
Oh and of course, we’d be forever grateful it you’d tell your friends / family / blog readers / coworkers / dog / gourd lamp about our new address. We would hate to lose a single one of you in the switch. We even made a handy little 120 x 120 button for any fellow bloggers out there who wouldn’t mind adding it to their sidebar with a link back to younghouselove.com (click HERE to grab it), which will really make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks so much for your support. You guys put the love in Young House Love, so smooches all around.
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 8 » Show All
Is TYH.com going to be floating around in cyber space from now on? Will the link eventually not work?
I’m just so used to typing that web addy!
Hey Kate,
Yup, we’ll slowly be adding anything that you might notice is missing due to a pretty rocky migration (ie: gravitars, highlighted author comments, and those lovely next & previous buttons). If anyone notices anything else that may be missing (except for a bunch of images that we’re trying to correct as we speak) please let us know! And thanks again for all the YHL love. We already love this site better than the last!
xo,
s
I just told my coworkers about your blog and they started talking about the Microsoft vs. MikeRoweSoft battle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_vs._MikeRoweSoft
Mike Rowe won! You might have had a shot! haha. I love YoungHouseLove though!
You guys rock – talking about making lemonade. Of course I’ll be following you over!
Well, as long as you guys are still here, we’re happy! :) Congrats on the new name!
Tell Bob Vila to stick it. I know I’d much rather read your blog than some crochety old dude. Sorry Bob!
Keep up the good work. I love your blog. I found you recently and have been enjoying your posts immensely. I am single, but after reading your backyard wedding post, I thought to myself, “I should have a backyard wedding.” Yeah, maybe I should start looking for a hubby first. The wedding could be awkward without him. :)
Thanks for sharing your life and all of your fun projects with us! Heather
how lame is that!!! they totally suck. wow 2 years have passed and they didn’t even know about it until now. i wonder who snitched?! lol! well, i’m glad that you still have your website up and running. it gives me such inspiration. i just hope one day my husband and baby boy will let me actually do some remodeling to the house.
OFFICIAL BOYCOTT OF THIS OLD HOUSE. EVERYONE SEND THEM HATE MAIL TO contact@thisoldhouse.com. I JUST DID!
How ridiculous and petty of them. I have watched that big-bad other show on and off since childhood as well as buy their magazine. As a homeowner I have become increasingly frustrated that they don’t provide good info on sources or that everything is so expensive. I am not such a youngster at 38 now, and probably have more of a budget than most for my home improvement projects, but still like to do things frugally when I can.
Finding sites like yours that offer ideas at reasonable prices has been a godsend for those of us who are decor/construction challenged.
While I used to read your site and watch that other show/read their magazine I now realize that I have no need for that other company. My subscription has been canceled, the show dropped from my TV watching schedule and I will be sure to drop them a note to explain how their pettiness and big-bad greed lost a customer, probably in their key demographic. Big bullies!
EMAIL SENT TO TOH
“I have always been a loyal reader and supporter of your magazine. As an interior designer I found your magazine and website very useful. BUT NOT ANYMORE. What you did to younghouselove.com (formerly known was thisyounghouse.com) is absolutley disgusting. You and your company are the poster child of exactly what is wrong with this country. You are sue crazy and think that you can take others down because of your power. Not only did I not associate you with them but even I did I would have taken it as a compliment if I were your company. It is clearly obvious that two people running a blog site are clearly not related to you dip sh*ts running this company. Also the fact that you waited so long to do this just goes to show you had not specific purpose they weren’t harming your company you just did it cause you could. I am now officially boycotting your company and will tell all my friends and clients to steer clear of you and your immature antics. Not only am I shocked at your behavior but I am embarrassed for you. You made a terrible choice and I hope your company suffers because of it.”
Screw those people at TOH we love you youngsters keep doing what your doing!
I have to admit that when I opened up your page this morning, I initially thought that you were closing forever, and not just relocating. Having recently discovered your site and not having had time to read every last word in the archives yet, The first thing that ran through my mind was “CAN I PRINT THE WHOLE WEBSITE BEFORE THEY GO OFFLINE?!”
You guys are fantastic and inspirational, and as someone currently living (large?) in NYC, it’s great to see someone else transition to non-city living so very successfully and with such style.
John & Sherry,
Very nicely done on how you handled this situation. A lot can be said for what you don’t say. Well done! I wish you much success and I’m sure your site and entrepreneurial endeavors will continue to grow.
Hi John and Sherry – Congrats on your freshly renewed enthusiasm for the new site! It sounds like you have a slew of little surprises up your sleeve, and I just can’t wait to see what’s in store.
I’ve promptly updated my blogroll to your new domain name.
As sick and un American as TOH’s actions are (where is the love for start ups, for mom and pops, for spirited entrepreneurship that is so central to something like renovating homes) I guess you should take it as a compliment….a really mean backhanded compliment…
You guys are getting big time if they’ll bother to sick their room full of lawyers on you. They wouldn’t bother if no one visited your site. What a dedicated following you have, that is only bound to grow.
sent to contact@thisoldhouse.com
This Old House,
I am very disappointed that you would send a Cease and Desist letter to the “This Young House” blog. If anything, their site name could have brought you more of the younger readers you are now missing out on. If I were you, I would have purchased a ad\link on the left of their page!
I will not be purchasing any of your magazines, watching your TV show or going to your website unless you send an apology combined with a financial compensation to Young House Love and\or purchase an ad on their blog.
uuuuuuug! I am constantly researching lawsuits against companies similar to mine in a effort to learn from them… and found out that beside the obvious, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid ridiculous altercations like this! What is this world coming to??? I’m young BTW, and NEVER watch “THAT SHOW” or read the magazine, they’re old crotchity productions. DIE ALREADY stupid company.
I also fired off a letter to TOH to express my disappointment. I love how people like to tie up the legal system with silly law suits and threats.
Way to take the high road- you don’t want to be associated with a bunch of old timers anyhow!
Martha and anyone else~You don’t have to wait until your subscription expires. You can call the mag and have it canceled asap. They will refund your money for the remainder. Well, they are supposed to, but seeing as how TOH is a big bully, they might not.
J&S~Congrats on movin’ on up! We will be here, no matter what the name! Glad that you haven’t let the suits ruin all that you have worked so hard for. Keep up the great work!
Now, I am off to write my letter to TOH, as I encourage all of you to do.
Asiyah’s letter to TOH cracked me up. Well done!
Now, I will say that having spent a good amount of time in New England (including five years in Brookline, where TOH started), I do love the show. However, a recent article about the behind the scenes stuff that goes on with that enterprise has me realizing that this move is not out of character for them. Some of them are high drama and competitive, it seems.
Anyway, congratulations again on having such a great attitude about this.
Can we still call you the Youngsters? It has such a nice ring to it.
Hi Sherry & John,
While the news was certainly a surprise, the classy and stylish manner in which you handled the crisis certainly was not. Just like your practical, productive and up-beat website, you handled this legal issue with aplomb and style. Continued success with your website under its new domain name, Diana
I applaud you guys for your classy response to the Cease and Desist order. It only reflects well on YHL — both that a large company would bother with trying to shut down a blog and that you promptly came up with a solution that will make the site better than ever. It does not, of course, reflect well on that other company – but sadly, paranoid litigiousness is hardly surprising from a dinosaur like TOH.
Keep up the great work! I’m single and a renter but I live vicariously through your great projects and those of the readers who use your services. I’ve already changed my bookmarks and feeds for the new site – and I love the name!
Robin
We love your blog! It doesn’t matter the URL. :) I’m sure you guys won’t lose any of us because of this. You have the support of all your readers. :) Congrats on the new and improved site.
I guess this proves you are quite successful!
Once you started appearing in magazines and such and being admired by a larger and larger audience, the other site took notice like, “Hey! We should be getting that attention! Clearly everyone is CONFUSED about the name!”
I am glad the site will continue since I will soon have a new young house to love :)
I sent an email to TOH to express my displeasure at this entire situation as well. I have also canceled my magazine subscription. I refuse to support a company that, literally, cuts off their own nose to spite their face. After becoming a loyal reader of TYH, my interest in TOH was renewed. But if they think I will continue to support their antiquated, and quite often ridiculous, company they have another thing coming.
Totally lame of TOH. And I’m such a big fan of theirs, too. Sigh. But I’m sure the move will be bigger and better than ever. Good luck and I’ll be switching my GoogleReader link pronto. :o)
The names are opposite and you, in no way use their notoriety or ‘branding’ as subject. What a bunch of bullies! Acting professional isn’t about behaving big-headed. Not only is it unfriendly, it also taints talent. As a designer I think it’s a horrible practice to wrap oneself up in competition. There’s plenty of room and much to learn from our peers.
I embrace your enthusiasm and find your blog inspiring. I’ll remain an avid reader and enjoy your future success as much as if it were my own. Your down-to-earth manners and out standing work are appreciated.
Hey Jeannine,
Yup, we’re definitely still the Youngsters so feel free to break that out as often as you’d like!
xo,
s (& j)
p.s. WE STILL CAN’T SAY THANK EVERYONE ENOUGH FOR THEIR AMAZING SUPPORT. A week ago we were worried about a lawsuit and yesterday we were worried that you guys might not like the name/address change, and now we’re just extremely relieved that you are such an encouraging and wonderful group of people. We couldn’t ask for better readers & friends!
This is another reason why I love reading your blog… you both are so creative…not to mention, mature. The way you have handled this speed bump is a testimony to how awesome you both are. YHL – here we come~ ;)
P.S. I think Burger could have taken on any lawyer/million dollar lawsuit – ANYDAY!!!
Love the new site and your positive take on this whole “situation”. I’ve been following your site ever since I received my first issue of The Nest (with you on the cover)and I’m constantly raving about you guys to my hubbie, even he has taken an interest. You have a great thing going and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings you.
I love the new name even better that TYH. I think it is more appropriate for your site anyways since I can feel the love you guys have for your home and each other all the way out here in San Diego!
Thank god you didn’t close shop!
This doesn’t even make any sense! I just got done doing a google search for TYH magazine or tv show and I didn’t find anything but “you”, and then I re-read your post, and found you wrote “our names were essentially opposites”. Am I to understand it’s TOH? Nothing about the two of you is the same. Unless having the words This and House in the title of a *blog* warrants a lawsuit. We live in such a litigious society! You can sue just about anyone for anything and win if you’ve got a ton of money to play with. It’s corporate bullying. I hate it! But I love you guys, and I’ve already changed my bookmarks, my google reader, and now, I’m getting ready to stalk you on twitter!
Thanks for your answers to my questions!! The gourd lamp is cute! :)
I’ve been reading through all the comments, it’s so awesome to see how much support you guys have!!
I think the reader that suggested you do something to protect/copywright your current name is a very pertinent thing to do. Don’t ever want to have to give up your name again!! This is it people!!
I just noticed a completely random happy face at the very bottom of your blog, and it made me smile!
Here is another sent to TOH…
I am appalled at the actions taken by TOH against the owners of the blog formerly known as thisyounghouse.com. Shame on you for picking on the “little guys” and strong arming them into meeting your ridiculous demands. I am also the owner of a blog and would feel privileged to be associated with them in any way. It is unfortunate for me, a young owner of an old house, that I will no longer enjoy your website, TV show, and magazine. I don’t associate with bullies in my personal life and I certainly don’t enjoy supporting companies who bully others just because they have the legal department to do so.
You guys are the best and I love your blog. I would rather be your fan any day over TOH. TOH could have gotten more fans from us youngsters but instead they turned us all away.
P.S you better watch out Burger could be in Legally Blonde 3. :)
Way to look at the switch as a great opportunity! I work in PR in Colorado and had a call today from a reporter with the Richmond Times Dispatch. When the call was put through to my office I responded to my co-worker “That’s where the Youngsters live!”:) No matter what you are called, you have already made a huge impression! The sky’s the limit… Congrats!
I am really glad that you seem upbeat about this move. It is hard to keep your chin up when something comes out of the blue like this. You have a ton of support among your readers and I think you can feel the love. At least I hope so!
I noticed another person suggested a new t-shirt design or something to commemorate the new and improved digs. I love this idea. :) I would def consider a cute house love shirt purchase.
Sherry and John,
The two of you (and Burger) handled this whole ordeal very gracefully. i’ll keep reading every day no matter the url.
i sent TOH a politely worded email letting them know how disappointed i am, and that i’ll be boycotting them and telling my friends to do the same until y’all get a proper apology.
that BIG ol’ corporation just showed it’s true face! Your site is incredible and reflects the people that you are!
Congratulations on the new improved lemonade!
xo,
j
Well, you know you are getting somewhere when big names start coming after you :) Congratulations on your new/young (cyber) house. Hope you’ll find a lotm more success here :)
It certainly is an affirmation of your popularity, isn’t it? As in, they are concerned that you are now competition. Wow, that’s a real compliment.
Way to rise above all of the attempts to own and knock others out of the competition that riddle today’s litigation rabid society. You also did the smart thing to keep your pennies in your pocket. Lawyers are expensive and waiting on the sidelines for this type of suit. It’s not the name that kept us coming back; it is the content. And I’m confident it will continue.
Ok, I think is is a pretty silly that you guys had to change to but in defense of Bob Vila, under copyright law if you don’t defend your copyrights you are open to losing them. The people at This Old House probably liked the blog but if they didn’t say to stop using it, that could leave the door open for a big well-funded company to legally do something similar. Anyway, I guess my point is try not to blame the This Old House folks too much.
Hey Christie (& Jeannine)
We’re already in the process of legally protecting Young House Love as our new LLC, so it’ll be officially “claimed” by us and copyrighted to boot. Unfortunately anyone can sue (or threaten to sue) anyone else on this good green earth- even if that person or company already has an LLC, a trademark, or a copyright) since they can just call it “trademark or copyright infringement” and make you go to court to defend yourself. We used This Young House for over two years, named it as our small business on our taxes and even had a commonlaw copyright on the name but alas, the big guys can still send any letters they’d like and leave people like us shaking in our blogging boots.
xo,
Sherry
Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring and commend you on handling this so gracefully. After reading your post this morning, I promptly canceled my nearly 10 year subscription to the magazine of the company that shall not be named. I think that they missed a phenomenal opportunity to collaborate with you two. I’ve been worriedly watching the market share of that company decline in the past decade and it’s due to boneheaded business decisions like this. If that other company was to extend to you an apology and compensation for the migration costs (including compensation for your time), then I would happily renew my subscription. You two do great work, are exceptionally creative and unique and have been bringing joy to my day for over a year. I look forward to seeing where Young House Love goes!
Wow–talk about a shake-up! Sounds like you guys handled yourselves well, and the new blog name is great! LOVE the pics in this post–they totally cracked me up. I think YHL will be even bigger and better than TYH. If I wasn’t preggers, I’d totally bust out the champagne and join you in celebration! ;)
sheesh that’s crazy!! That’s so mean!
You all handled it so well! At first I thought you all were going to announce that you all were going to stop your website, period! I was soooooooooooooooo relieved! My heart dropped!! lol I have already updated my blogroll! Love you guys!! =)
Is Bob Vila still alive? And what about Norm? I doubt those two heard of the internet and to think I was forced to watch them growing up on PBS.
I’m still a huge fan and can’t wait for bigger and better things from Young House Love!
Oh! My heart sank for a minute when I first read the news…but by the end I was jumpin’ for joy (literally)! I’m excited for your new adventure- and I absolutely LOVE your positive outlook on life’s sometimes unexpected & bumpy turns in the road. I think this warrants a celebratory action shot :)
I also sent an e-mail to TOH. Shame on them.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I was very surprised to hear that your company served a cease and desist letter to thisyounghouse.com. From my perspective, this was not a wise business decision on your part. As a new, older home owner, I frequent thisyounghouse.com for do-it-yourself and decorating ideas.
After finding their site, it occurred to me to check to see if This Old House was still airing. I was very surprised to find that your show, which I remember watching as a very young child with my grandparents, was still in existence. Because of thisyounghouse.com, I began to buy your magazine and frequent your website.
Because of your greed and attempted intimidation, I will not be spending any more time or money on your brand.
I remain a loyal thisyounghouse fan.
Sincerely Disappointed,
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 8 » Show All
That was so petty and lame of ‘that other site’ that i had to contact them and give them a piece of my mind! he he he
“I think your company is ridiculous for attacking THIS SITE.(i attached your URL :0) I mean…come on..are you THAT greedy?…Tacky if you ask me. My husband and i are buying a home and were thinking about subscribing to your magazine and using your site for ideas however, now that i know what a greedy company you are i will steer clear of your site and products and tell everyone i know to do the same. Regards, Tenille Gates”
Im sorry that happened to youguys but think your new site will be AwEsOmE! :0)