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Am I Being Unreasonable?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by Homer, Nov 6, 2007.

  1. #1
    I have a small article directory where I accept articles from other authors.

    We have just revamped our policy to not allow ANY duplicate content in our directory. We use software to determine this, it is never wrong. When it is spotted we email the webmaster back with a kind message explaining why it's not accepted, complete with duped URLs. When it's accepted they are sent a congrats email showing the URL their article can be found at.

    This new policy has been in effect for 60 days. Out of all submissions we get, 2% make it in. Yesterday I rec'd a real nasty email from an author who recieved our kind rejection response, basically saying that it is very unreasonable to expect this and that if I stood by this policy he'd be sure and spread the bad word. This article directory is pure, no Adsense and no advertising of any sort. It is just non -duped, helpful content for our readers.

    Does my strict rule of NO DUPED CONTENT seem unreasonable?

    Any opinions appreciated!


    H

    There is enough duplication online right now
     
    Homer, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  2. rknuppel

    rknuppel Well-Known Member

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    #2
    No this is not unreasonable. In fact it's smart to not have duped content.
     
    rknuppel, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  3. latoya

    latoya Active Member

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    #3
    Doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Your customers will appreciate it a lot better. In the end, that's what's important.
     
    latoya, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  4. ghost.d0wn

    ghost.d0wn Banned

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    #4
    Keeps your site better in the end, your site gets punished from duped articles, while if they have it there and have the link, they benefit. This is fair.
     
    ghost.d0wn, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  5. ECS Dave

    ECS Dave Active Member

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    #5
    I agree with your policy, to an extent.

    "Never Wrong"? Not that you would, but would you stake your life, that your "dupe" checker is never wrong?

    ECS Dave
     
    ECS Dave, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  6. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #6
    I don't think it is unreasonable. It sounds like someone just get his panties in a knot. He's probably just not used to rejection. :)

    I wouldn't worry about it.
     
    internetauthor, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  7. FOX LORE

    FOX LORE Notable Member

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    #7
    Its sound good to me. And the serps will love it too...
     
    FOX LORE, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  8. Tech Man

    Tech Man Peon

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    #8
    Well... I definitely don't think your policy is "unreasonable" per se but from your saying that only 2% of submissions actually make it in, I'd suggest rechecking your software...

    I mean, it obviously rejects articles when it finds others on the internet somewhat similar to the one at hand... probably by % of identical words...

    if I'm right, then your software could be screening articles even when it finds that an article has too many "common" words similar to another... by common words i mean prepositions, adjectives etc. that would explain the 98% of submissions being rejected...

    Still, I'm just guessing things here. Though, it'd really help to double-check your software and make sure it isn't screwing authors out of minor algorithmic issues....

    Good luck!
     
    Tech Man, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  9. Homer

    Homer Spirit Walker

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    #9
    Actually, I should have clarified that our testing for duped content is never wrong. The software goes out and looks for 4-6 sentences that match exactly. Then it lists the URLs, then a human clicks to confirm.

    Thanks for responses so far :)


    H
     
    Homer, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  10. ghost.d0wn

    ghost.d0wn Banned

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    #10
    What if someone changes one word every 3 sentences though. Maybe you could hire me to check for copied articles lol
     
    ghost.d0wn, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  11. Tech Man

    Tech Man Peon

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    #11
    Wow if that's the case then it's quite shocking to me that only about 2% of the submissions qualify after the screening... talk about plagiarism!
     
    Tech Man, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  12. Homer

    Homer Spirit Walker

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    #12
    I know it's crazy once we started looking close at submissions. Some of these webmasters are SEO guys writing and submitting on a client's behalf :rolleyes:

    Do they realize that they are likely doing more harm than good?

    So when we get dupes we take time out of our busy day to send them this

    They still keep submitting them :confused:. Like I said in my original post one guy sent me a nasty reply after sending the above email...

    "how dare you ask for exclusivity that's ridiculous, I'll be sure and pass the word along to not submit to your crap directory!

    Some Dumb A**"
     
    Homer, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  13. Tech Man

    Tech Man Peon

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    #13
    Yeah he's probably one of those dudes in a garage with a laptop that sends erotic emails to 12yo boys.... And he probably plagiarized those as well... ;)

    Damn I hate copy-cats!
     
    Tech Man, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  14. NinjaTickets

    NinjaTickets Guest

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    #14
    Seems like a good policy to me.
     
    NinjaTickets, Nov 6, 2007 IP
  15. Oosha

    Oosha Well-Known Member

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    #15
    Content theft is wrong and you are right in not accepting such articles. Most article directory owners don’t care about the duplicate content slapped on the site. There are very few high quality article directories that only accept unique content and that is where the 'real' traffic is.

    Don't let these people bother you so much. You are on the right track and may be one step ahead of many others.
     
    Oosha, Nov 7, 2007 IP
  16. Homer

    Homer Spirit Walker

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    #16
    Actually some of this is not theft, it is a case of submitting the exact same article to many directories. You're right, most directories don't care. We have only been doing this for a couple months. The quality of content has improved but the # of approved submissions is WAY down. That's OK because we not want quality before quantity.

    Think about it, where would you rather see your article? On a site that is loaded with Adsense blocks and contaminated with duped content or on a site with no ads, designed for readers?

    H
     
    Homer, Nov 7, 2007 IP
  17. Sutocu

    Sutocu Active Member

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    #17
    Not unreasonable, but you are bound to get a lot less submissions. I guess that's something you have to live with. Just wondering... If someone submits an article to your directory first, and only after that to others, will you do something?
     
    Sutocu, Nov 7, 2007 IP
  18. Proxyhub

    Proxyhub Peon

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    #18
    Seems perfectly reasonable to me :D
     
    Proxyhub, Nov 7, 2007 IP
  19. Homer

    Homer Spirit Walker

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    #19
    Good point, thought about it and there's not much I can do. Once it is approved that's it. Not sure on this one but in the case of this I think the first version published may be considered by ses?


    Ghost town has it right I think, it goes along with our methodology :).


    H
     
    Homer, Nov 7, 2007 IP
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  20. ghost.d0wn

    ghost.d0wn Banned

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    #20
    Cheers, repped you ;)
     
    ghost.d0wn, Nov 7, 2007 IP
    Homer likes this.