Forum Moderators: phranque
So I've been working on an article for my site and I've been pouring my heart into it. I have the top summary condensed, interesting and to the point. I've reworded and eliminated useless words to allow the article to flow at a good pace and I think it's about done. Just under 3,000 words, all to the point. I've split it logically into 2 pages. I feel I have a good work on my hands (for a first time attempt as an amature writer). All I need to do is add some complementary images and some adsense.
I've been doing lots of reading in between again, about how google ranks and how google crawls, but the thing I've read about that has me worried the most, is how people scrape and steal. This article is a part of me and I'm getting stingy(sp?).
The "niche" (I hate that word) I'm targeting is fairly competitive, but doesn't pay that big with adsense really, according to my research. So I think over time I have a chance at a decent ranking. There is one direct competitor in my niche that does some scraping. Like post part of an article then link to the original. Everything else on the site presented as original is not. This competitor has a handful of other sites that are totally unrelated to each other. Looks to be in it just for the adsense, but ranks well.
So do I just add the article, place some adsense, add a link on the main page and move on to my next article? Is there aything I should do with meta tags or my robots file? Any precautions I need to take or be aware of?
Aim this link at a "terms of use" page, in which you specifically state, among other things, that, lacking prior written permission from you or your agents, nobody may re-post or re-distribute your materials in any manner. Specifically acknowledge that printing articles for personal use is fine, and that in-linking is welcome and encouraged. But quotes greater than, say, fifty words or two sentences require prior approval.
Then when the scraper offends again, you can contact Google, providing the URL of your original content, the URL of his scraped copy, and the URL of your "terms of use" policy, which he has clearly violated. (In other words, you can demonstrate to Google that not only has he violated your copyright but, just in case he was too stupid to know what "copyright" or "plagiarise" meant, you'd explained it to him. He's without excuse; he did too know.)
Then point out his AdSense account (you should be able to find identifying information), and "respectfully request that appropriate action be taken."
If scraping your stuff causes him to lose revenue (and possibly ranking), then maybe he'll stop doing it so much.
Just my opinion, of course; I could be wrong....
Eliz.
[edited by: phranque at 8:37 am (utc) on April 22, 2008]
[edited by: phranque at 8:38 am (utc) on April 22, 2008]
