Stolen Content Update

[Ed]

Hi Writers,

As you may have become aware by reading the thread in the Author's Exchange forum, a large amount of content was recently stolen from Constant Content authors and placed on a website. The owner has taken down some content, but Constant Content is preparing a second cease-and-desist letter as well as DMCA documentation.

An invisible line of text has been placed in the long summary. This appears four times. Authors may set up their Google Alerts so they may be notified if their content appears somewhere where this line of text is in place. This won't stop the most sophisticated cotent thieves, but it will be particularly useful to identify beginner content thieves or content-collecting robots.

Please set your Google Alerts to notify you if the following text appears published on the web:
"This article is property of Constant Content Writer XXXXXXXXX and is being printed here without the author's permission."

The page for Google Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts

In addition, the long summaries will no longer appear in the HTML Source Code to further prevent copy+pasting, they'll still be visible to customers, just not present in the HTML .

Everyone who writes for the web should be aware that there is always a risk for content theft. This is a problem that Constant Content will adapt to. From personal experience, I can tell you that other sites, even well-respected ones, are not as proactive, as diligent, or as technically savvy when dealing with content thieves as is Constant Content. And, while I may have a biased view, I have been very impressed with the quick action and response to suggestions that we have seen.

Ed

[Celeste Stewart]

Awesome! Thanks Ed and CC. I already set up my alerts. I assume we replace the XXXXXX with our pen names, correct?

[Ed]

Right. That's correct. Google Alerts seems pretty straightforward. If anyone has any questions about them, I'm sure we can offer answers.

[Word Gypsy]

Thanks for the update and the effort. I've also added my alert. Thanks again!

[CRDonovan]

Great idea, Celeste, and great job Support, for implementing this right away. So, is the process of uploading an article different now? I assume the invisible messages will automatically be included, is this correct? Ed you mentioned changing over to Java script, is this a change that will happen on writers' end - meaning we will need to submit differently? Sorry if this is painfully obvious - (this is why I don't write for any computer/tech requests).

Oh, another question too - will the invisible text appear in articles already submitted, or in articles submitted from this point on?

[Ed]

The author doesn't have to do anything. This is only in the text excerpt visible to visitors to the site - the long description/summary of the article.

It should appear on each article long description, not only those submitted from this point.

[CRDonovan]

Very cool. Thanks Ed.

[Ed]

While I'm dying to see it in action, I do hope that no one gets any Google Alerts soon.

[Celeste Stewart]

I know what you mean, Ed.

[HayleyWriter]

Thanks to everyone for implementing a great idea so quickly. It is really easy to set up the google alerts too - I did mine today. I'm with you Ed, I really hope I never actually receive an alert, but at least we have a way of tracking possible thefts from the long summaries.

Constant Content is obviously working hard to solve a difficult problem.

Thanks!

Hayley

[BarryDavidson]

Well... I've set a Google alert. I have to admit, I hate Google so much that I'd never heard of such a thing.

I too would like to see it in action, but I hope I never get an alert.

[jak]

Mine is done too. Many thanks to everyone involved.

[dsletten]

Thanks! The speed in which Constant set this up is wonderful. I didn't even know Google Alerts existed. I did mine right away.

[audrabianca]

Any more news on this cease and desist letter? My four articles are still decorating the top of M6N8's main web page. I wonder how much Google ad cents that the site owner has gotten from the content he stole from me. It would not bother me so much if these were some of my lesser articles. I make a lot of my writing earnings from entrepreneurial and economic articles. Thanks for any news you might have.

[Constant]

Hi Guys!
I have received no response from further inquests to the owners and operators of the site in question. That means that I am planning to submit the final DMCA paperwork today. I will give you an update once that is done.
We'll get this guy! Don't you worry.

David