diff --git a/include/items.php b/include/items.php
index 4f6030e5ae..9cafaea629 100644
--- a/include/items.php
+++ b/include/items.php
@@ -1449,11 +1449,11 @@ function new_follower($importer,$contact,$datarray,$item) {
 	}
 	else {
 	
-		// create contact record - set to readonly
+		// create contact record
 
 		$r = q("INSERT INTO `contact` ( `uid`, `created`, `url`, `name`, `nick`, `photo`, `network`, `rel`, 
 			`blocked`, `readonly`, `pending`, `writable` )
-			VALUES ( %d, '%s', '%s', '%s', '%s', '%s', '%s', %d, 0, 1, 1, 1 ) ",
+			VALUES ( %d, '%s', '%s', '%s', '%s', '%s', '%s', %d, 0, 0, 1, 1 ) ",
 			intval($importer['uid']),
 			dbesc(datetime_convert()),
 			dbesc($url),
diff --git a/mod/salmon.php b/mod/salmon.php
index 3ace417cd8..2a53e914b7 100644
--- a/mod/salmon.php
+++ b/mod/salmon.php
@@ -183,7 +183,11 @@ function salmon_post(&$a) {
 	if(! count($r)) {
 		logger('mod-salmon: Author unknown to us.');
 	}	
-	if((count($r)) && ($r[0]['readonly'])) {
+
+	// is this a follower? Or have we ignored the person?
+	// If so we can not accept this post.
+
+	if((count($r)) && (($r[0]['readonly']) || ($r[0]['rel'] == REL_VIP)) {
 		logger('mod-salmon: Ignoring this author.');
 		salmon_return(202);
 		// NOTREACHED