It’s funny how just when you start to learn a little about this blogging thing… and about monetizing your blog… you then start to notice the thieves out there stealing your content.
At first, I thought I should feel flattered that someone felt my stuff was good enough to steal. Kinda felt good, in a perverse way.
Then I got pissed and started writing emails demanding the practice stop. As a blogger, you don’t want to be penalized for the duplicate content. Rojo is already hosing me as my content often gets indexed there, first.
Now I’m thinking more about revenge.
Oh, it’s not just my blog… a bunch of you guys are being ripped, too.
So I am noticing this latest theft, and I sez to myself “Self – let’s have some fun!”
The recent theft was of my last post, which included a picture. Oh yeah… they are stealing my bandwidth, too. So I went in and replaced the picture with another one. Oh – I kept the original… I just renamed it and relinked it for my blog. The theives, however, get a new one: (click on it to enlarge)
You can go see this particular thief at www dot nakedrepublic dot com. While you’re there, take a look at the other blogs they’ve ripped. Including BloodhoundBlog.
Next time you find yourself getting thieved on – have a little fun!
Jeff Brown says:
While you’re there, take a look at the other blogs they’ve ripped. Including BloodhoundBlog.
Which ones Doug? I’ve had this happen to me twice now, and I’ve ignored them. I like your approach much more better. 🙂
January 1, 2007 — 8:58 pm
Doug Quance says:
I can’t remember them all, Jeff… there are literally tons of posts each day…
They’re not the only ones – I’ve seen others like them. Tonight, I just thought I would fix their wagon. 😆
January 1, 2007 — 9:01 pm
Kris Berg says:
Wow! I should be horrified, but I am mostly offended no one felt the need to steal my stuff. Way to go, Doug.
January 1, 2007 — 9:11 pm
Doug Quance says:
uh… I think I saw your stuff on there, Kris…
January 1, 2007 — 9:14 pm
Doug Quance says:
wait… I think it was one of your posts on BHB…
January 1, 2007 — 9:16 pm
Greg Swann says:
> Including BloodhoundBlog.
I’ll look into it. Syndication piracy is a significant drain on my time…
January 1, 2007 — 9:18 pm
Doug Quance says:
Oh… so this isn’t a new phenomenon…
Great. Something else I have to learn to deal with… 👿
January 1, 2007 — 9:22 pm
Kris Berg says:
Now you’ve got me thinking. This could potential be a huge problem, don’t you think? They are technically giving credit to the original post source, and having posted on-line, we have put our thoughts out there for public consumption. I’m not an attorney, and I obviously can’t definitively vouch for the legality, but it sounds defensible (albeit unethical) on the face. I can definitely see this becoming a more common practice among those estabishing blogs as paid advertising portals. And you are correct: In the long term, this could do some serious damage to rankings due to the duplicate content. Hmmm… What’s the answer?
By the way, your replacement picture is still posted and, I suspect, will remain so, since I don’t think any live person is manning the ship over there.
January 1, 2007 — 9:25 pm
Doug Quance says:
There might be a live person over there… but they might be too busy to look in the rear view mirror. 😆
I have sent emails to some others telling them that I was not opposed to them using a paragraph with a link to my blog… I just don’t want them taking the whole enchilada.
When I did the ‘ol “what’s you blog worth” on that site, it was very low… like $1000 or something… so they don’t have good rankings.
January 1, 2007 — 9:30 pm
Kris Berg says:
Then no worries, for now. I hear (Greg via Dustin) that the inferior blog gets dinged.
January 1, 2007 — 9:35 pm
Doug Quance says:
Maybe they’ll get tired like some spammers eventually do.
Unfortunately, others will probably take over the mantle…
January 1, 2007 — 9:37 pm
Joe says:
One of the things that I’ve learned, and I suspect that you guys will too in time, is that if you don’t want your content stolen, don’t put it online. Seriously. You can spend a lot of cycles clamping down on it, but there’s really no way to stop it.
On the other hand, your content is getting wider distribution, so I guess it cuts both ways.
January 1, 2007 — 10:03 pm
Doug Quance says:
I can’t speak for others… but as I’ve stated – I don’t mind if they use a paragraph as a teaser. Put my link up for those who want to read the rest, and I’m cool with it.
Just don’t take my entire article and feel like since you gave me credit – you don’t owe me anything.
Anyway, as you see – I’ve got something for their arse… 😆
January 1, 2007 — 10:08 pm
Dave Barnes says:
Doug,
I did not see a single advert at NakedRepublic.
Of course I surf with Firefox and Adblock.
,dave
P.S. I hate captchas.
January 1, 2007 — 10:08 pm
Doug Quance says:
I use FireFox, too, Dave…. but not Adblock.
I guess that Adblock delivers. 😆
Anyway, the ads are there. All over the top, then further down on the sidebar…
Might have to look into that thar Adblock thingy…
January 1, 2007 — 10:12 pm
Greg Swann says:
> Oh… so this isn’t a new phenomenon…
We get hit by at least two new ones a week. I’m maybe half successful at getting them killed. Just before the holidays, Joel Burslem came up with a strategy that may prove effective with the others.
As a matter of law, what they’re doing is theft of copyrighted material. The invariable rejoinder, when you find someone to reply to an email is, “I thought I could resyndicate any feed.” There is no way to distinguish ignorance from malice, but the effect is malicious either way — the risk of a duplicate content penalty at Google and the loss of control over your own intellectual property. It stinks to have to fight them, but not fighting them is not an option. Worse than having a cockroach in your own home is letting it live…
January 1, 2007 — 10:43 pm
Doug Quance says:
>Worse than having a cockroach in your own home is letting it live…
Amen.
Feel free to let the rest of us know what Joel came up with…
January 1, 2007 — 10:58 pm
Kris Berg says:
How timely! I was just checking the dashboard at the SDHB and noticed that my Year In Review column got picked up by, of all things, a website devoted entirely to Pluto, the dwarf planet. Go figure.
January 2, 2007 — 8:16 am
Greg Swann says:
> Feel free to let the rest of us know what Joel came up with…
Duh. Sorry.
Obviously, if there is an email address, ask them to desist.
Joel’s solution was to ask in a comment to one of his splogged posts.
Next is to attempt contact by WHOIS.
Another Joel idea: Taking the issue to AdWords to get them to intervene.
January 2, 2007 — 9:04 am
Nigel Swaby says:
Google says don’t worry about it. No duplicate content penalty.
January 3, 2007 — 2:21 pm
Kerri Mackenzie says:
I like the way you think, Doug! Nothing worse than a content thief and nothing better than having a little fun while getting even! 🙂
January 4, 2007 — 5:44 pm