Can anyone tell me whether an article taking verbatim from a Google docs page would be penalised for duplication? I have full permission to use the content - I just want to know if the fact that it already resides in docs.google will make it less likely that I can get the same content to index on my site.
From my experience, publishing duplicate content from another domain on a website will not inhibit the duplicate from being indexed in the Google SERPS right away. You might run the risk to be penalized by Google in regard to your SERPS ranking though, affecting either the duplicated content only, or your whole domain. Only exception is if content is duplicated within the same domain as stated by Google recently.
just change title,meta tags and add some additional statements to your articles. i think that will escape content duplication.
Thank you both, seo germany - that's my point, I guess. Do docs.google count in the same way as a domain? I wouldn't have thought so originally but then had a google doc pointed out to me that had appeared high in the serps. So ... if someone is using the docs.google service as it was intended as an online word processer thereafter letting their webmaster pick up the content to use on their own site at a later date, they stand the chance of having their marketing website hit with a duplication penalty?
I'd say that as long as the corresponding content is not visible in the serps in any way and consequently not indexed, there won't be any duplication issues. I am not too familiar with Google Docs, but as far as I can see Google Docs are saved account based and visible only upon login http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Adocs.google.com . If that's true, there's no need to worry about penalties.
Okay ... I think I am getting the picture now. The example I mentioned before had spammed the docs.google service so used as intended there would be no problem. Thanks for helping this sink in. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.
Duplicate content issues are (more or less) a FILTER not a PENALTY... worry not my young Jedi.... More on Duplicate Content SNIPPET
If google give you full permission to the article, I don't think google will ban/penalise you for using it in your website.