Done!
It took all day, but I finished my article. I wanted to make this one as good as I could – there were some conflicting study results and I wanted to present all the evidence clearly and with no implications as to whose study was correct. It seemed like a quiet little topic, but it turned pretty technical pretty quickly. Got the juices going, but it wore me out mentally. I had writer’s group last night and I threw something together that I’m sure wasn’t terribly coherent.
Remember a while back when I came across a content aggregator who was basically stealing my blog posts (and others)? He gave me a rough time despite my simply repeating what I wanted – him to remove my stuff from his site to avoid litigation. He fussed and called names, pretended to be some expert in plagiarism, and eventually acquiesced when I wouldn’t argue back. His name indicated what kind of work he was into – Pariah.
Imagine if his name were Huffington.
Thanks to client/chum Dan Ditzler for sending over this article on what HuffPo writers did to AdAge.com’s news feed. Aggregation has taken on a new meaning. Please read it, paying attention to the response by HuffPo.
To summarize, Ad Age’s Simon Dumenco wrote a post that went out on the aggregator sites, but when it hit the HuffPo page, it stuck. Seems the “writers” over at HuffPo have been in the habit of rewriting their “aggregate” summaries. There was no need to click on Ad Age’s link for more information. Dumenco then tells his side of things, calling the editors and writers at HuffPo “grade-school pathetic” in their behavior. He also comes up with what is the line of the month for me, addressing Ms. Huffington: “If you really want to rescue your legacy, get in touch with your inner fifth-grader — and tell her to grow the hell up already.”
It underlines what scares me most about aggregate sites, content farms, and freelance content thieves – that they’re setting the precedent that theft of content is the new business model.
I worked on a blog job not long ago. I had to put together two blog post a week (short ones) on a particular topic. Because it was my bread-and-butter topic, I could talk off the top of my head and make good blog posts that were accurate and relevant. I had another blog channel to write for where I wasn’t as familiar with the content. For that, I did research. Research consisted of reading at least three articles on the same topic, then writing my story from my own perspective, checking what I was putting out as facts, but using my words, my voice. Never did I copy, revise, rewrite, or even attempt to use someone else’s work as my own. Each blog post took about an hour or so of my time.
That’s why I get in a froth when I hear content mill writers say they write five, eight, ten articles an hour. They’re not writing. They’re stringing together keywords and, I’m going to bet on this, using someone else’s articles to do so. I’ve seen some glaring similarities between articles that cropped up in my own research (and were promptly dismissed as credible sources). Some articles I came across were identical to the last one I read. It got to a point where one couldn’t tell the original from the copy. And that is the real crime, for someone owns that content.
Will the furor that continues to surround Huffington Post bring about the changes that are desperately needed in the digital realm? If so, fantastic. If not, we need to police our own copy. Here’s how:
Set up Alerts. Type your name into Google Alerts. Look for any instance where someone is lifting your content (more than the average “aggregate” summary), using it outright, or somehow making money off your content or name without your permission.
Check Copyscape. Type in your URL. What shows up? If it’s anything more than Technorati updates or links from other blogs, pursue it.
Make it tougher to copy your work. I know bloggers who have a snippet of their posts visible, then require log in to view the rest. While it’s cumbersome as hell, it’s a good solution if you’ve been a theft victim more than once. Alternately, you could make each post a PDF, but that becomes tiresome for everyone – you and your readers.
Set up a copyright notice. It’s no guarantee that anyone will pay attention, but it does show you’re serious about chasing down the scofflaws. I’d make it a blanket notice at the top or bottom of your blog. Some people put copyright symbols on each post. I’d rather not.
Use a hard-to-copy font. There’s a reason black backgrounds and white font work – try copying and pasting that without a little bit of work.
Go after the thieves vigorously. The minute you see it, tell them to stop it. Copy an attorney, your accountant, a friend, someone. Make sure you leave an e-paper trail to prove you’ve warned this person off your content. There may be times when you’re unsure whether it’s infringement. If it’s not a direct link to you and if it’s content that seems out of touch with the site it’s on, say something.
How do you protect your content? How often have you seen your content appear elsewhere?
There was an interesting (to me anyway) fall-out from that aggregator that I alerted you to, Lori. Remember I said I was going to notify the "A-listers" I knew that their content was also on the guy's site?
Well, I did, and they didn't care. I actually went through someone I know who works with them on occasion (since I don't rub elbows with them-LOL!) My impression was they just saw it as more link juice.
So glad you stood up for your rights!
P.S. It also shows you don't have to be an A-lister to create change. 🙂
Way to shut him down!
LOL! Cathy, I give about as much stock to the title "A-lister" as I do the title "self-appointed guru." Says nothing other than someone really enjoys attention. 🙂
That's where the misconception is running rampant. It is NOT free link juice, as you aptly phrased it (I'm so using that from now on!), but it's theft and usually by someone who has no clout or traffic to warrant such "free link juice." Worse, they're making ad revenue from our work. BIG no-no, and writers who don't pay attention to that are setting a dangerous precedent.
Oh, you've got me going now! LOL
Stirring you up for the weekend. 🙂
LOL! A bad idea in this heat, Cathy!
I haven't been as vigorous as I should be pursuing people who use my content without my permission. I don't see it as link juice, because for me it isn't. But in the past I chased so many, and when one stopped, another would start. Eventually I got tired. But, it is my content, whose usage should be earning my money, so content thieves are worth pursuing.