More Stolen Hubs

1. 83

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

   If you are seeing a drop in traffic, start checking for more stolen content. 
   
   After seeing a nice surge in traffic following the latest Panda thing, I suddenly tanked.  Stats were not updated quickly, so it took me a bit to realize I was indeed seeing a 'trend.'  Sure enough - there are more stolen hubs.
   
   Searches for one of my hubs showed 13 links to Tumblr 13 - all in different languages, but the teaser is in English.  Another site stole the same hub.  I also filed several DMCAs for other hubs stolen by other sites.
   
   Another hub appeared on a site for a private investigator who, when I called him, had no idea he had paid content thieves for the text now on his site. He was very responsive and removed it immediately, but of course he had been scammed, too.  He has tried to track down the people who provided him the content and they're moving around quite a bit already.  Unfortunately, the same hub was being used on another site.
   
   This is all very tiring, and I am afraid it will not end easily. Obviously, Google punishes the original author (although my material was still #1 in the searches).  I'm certain this is why I saw a sudden drop. It's the umpteenth time in just a few weeks that I have had to track down the stolen work, file complaints, and then wait for something to be done.  But, based on the horrible Dan Gordon incident, traffic may never return to what it had been.
   
   It appears that people who want to make money quickly on the Internet through illegal means (such as back-link services or selling content to unsuspecting people) can use sites like HP to harvest content endlessly and get money from businesses who think they're purchasing SEO services or good writing.  This is in addition to people who think the road to riches is through starting a website, and they load it with copied content.  In the meantime, those of us who write for a living are taking the hits. 
   
   By the way, if you haven't read the thread on stolen recipes, and you write recipes, check it out.  That 'blogger' stole a ton of hubs from many writers here.

   replyreport
   1. 81

      Sheri Fayeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am a newbit here. How can you tell if your content has been stolen?

      replyreport
      1. 83

         Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Hi, Welcome to HubPages! 
         
         To check for stolen content, put a small phrase from your hub into quotes and copy it into Google's search field.  I use something internal in the text rather than the lead sentence in a hub.  The quote marks are the key to finding copies - otherwise, you'll just get any results that have the same subject matter.
         
         Hope this helps!!!

         replyreport
         1. 81

            Sheri Fayeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks Mary!

            replyreport
   2. 86

      bravewarriorposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      How do we find out if our hubs are being stolen, Marcy?  Maybe that's why I've been here for a year and a half and still haven't made my first $50?  I have a good hub score.......

      replyreport
2. 93

   vocalcoachposted 11 years ago

   My hub recipe featuring my own original photos was stolen this week.  A fellow hubber noticed it and alerted me.  Dang!  Urggggh!!

   replyreport
3. 83

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

   Hi, Bravewarrior -
   
   I posted the info above your message here.  Take a brief phrase from the internal text of a hub and put quote marks around it, then paste that into a Google search.  The quote marks tell Google to pull up exact matches. I'd do this with any hub that has a sudden drop in traffic.  If you find copied work, file DMCA complaints with Google. They're tedious, but eventually you might get success.
   
   There's information in either the FAQs or the Learning Center on this site, I believe, about filing DMCAs.
   
   Also - some of us have found odd links pop up in searches that are unrelated to our topics, and don't appear to have our text in them. There are fishy schemes out there that hide text to drive traffic, or bury it in a site. Some of these are back-link farms. They use your text to fill a page (since they don't want to bother to write content), and add links by hyperlinking random words in the text. I'm sure they get paid for creating back links, and they're trying to game the system. 
   
   I don't fully understand how it all works - so I hope others will chime in and help explain things.

   replyreport
   1. 86

      bravewarriorposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanx, Marcy.  I'll check it out.

      replyreport
4. 88

   Jason Marovichposted 11 years ago

   
   
   
   My original HP article isn't indexed but my article appears (and listed on Google search) on twylah.  Is this a problem?  The article isn't but a week or so old.

   replyreport
5. 83

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

   Jason - wow, I don't know the answer to that one.  Maybe one of our SEO experts knows?
   
   The only think I can think is that (maybe?) it was indexed by another engine and picked up by Twyla (whatever that is)?  Have they copied your work?
   
   Now I'm wondering if we need to check Yahoo, Bing and others.

   replyreport
   1. 88

      Jason Marovichposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      No, not copied, really.  It's affiliated with twitter, so far as I can tell.  Still odd that my original article doesn't even rank, though.  It's not indexed   It hasn't been crawled in two days.

      replyreport
      1. 88

         Jason Marovichposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Bump.  Good news on my end.  For whatever reason, my hub Amazing Eighties Party Songs was listed initially on Google search, then dropped while twylah (twitter) took over, and now both are listed, with mine listed ahead of the twylah listing.  So it apparently just took a little time for Google to naturally correct the problem.

         replyreport
         1. 83

            Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            So glad to hear there's progress, Jason. 
            
            My update is that I've spent a few days in a Close Encouter with Tumblr.  I find it unreasonable that their site is engineered in a way to make the exact page of specific search results (which show copied content) impossible for the average person to find.  And yet their 'procedure' requires the injured party to wade through hundreds or even thousands of pages to find the exact spot of the infringement. I see that as not following the intent of the law and creating needless obstacles for people who find their work has been copied there.

            replyreport
6. 83

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

   FYI - Watergeek alerted me to another hub of mine copied on Squidoo.  And while I was checking it out, I found yet another Hubber's work, copied by the same person.
   
   Off to scream in my closet or something . . .

   replyreport
7. 72

   LauraD093posted 11 years ago

   This makes me sick I mean literally sick. My stomach just churns when I see more and more of these type postings I hope you caught them all. This story should crack you up. I myself was accused of plagiarism recently on another site I write on. I had taken and deleted an old hub from here edited it some and republished there. Seems I didn't wait long enough  to re-publish and it still was showing in the Goggle search engine (I didn't see it -and had waited 3 weeks...sigh) So I basically got accused of ripping off myself. Now I am ultra cautious and may remove all article from their site as they have done nothing to re-activate my article. People may complain about hub but they seem more on track here then other sites. There are some that I felt like an Amazon--Whore writing for. I wish you luck in getting your work protected.

   replyreport
8. 93

   vocalcoachposted 11 years ago

   I appreciate this information Marcy.  Everyday, I'm finding more "copying" of my hubs.  Like many of you, I feel victimized and with this information you've shared - at least I can fight back!

   replyreport
9. 57

   NotPCposted 11 years ago

   As soon as you sign up for Google Authorship you will no longer have a problem with online plagiarism.

   replyreport
   1. 68

      L.L. Woodardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      NotPC, Google Authorship protects one from plagiarism in what manner? I haven't signed up yet, but if what you say is true, each of us should run, not walk, to become signed up.

      replyreport
      1. 57

         NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         There is no cost at all! I actually wrote an article specifically for hubbers on how to set it up with HubPages because this website has a few quirks that other online guides wouldn't be able to help you with.
         
         http://notpc.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Se … s-Accounts
         
         While you're getting situated with Google, I encourage you to join the HubPages Authors community on Google Plus. Patty Inglish is one of the moderators and many of the members have already completed the exact same process you are about to complete. The community is a great resource if you have any questions at all about setting up your HubPages with Google. Here is the link for the HubPages Authors community on Google Plus:
         
         https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities … 1295766925

         replyreport
      2. 57

         NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Oh and I'm sorry, I forgot to answer you first question! How does it protect against plagiarism? The short answer is that it registers your work with your name, and Google protects it.
         
         Here is an article I found for you if you want to learn everything about how it protect you.
         
         http://blogging.knoji.com/google-author … lagiarism/
         
         Google Authorship protects against plagiarism completely behind the scenes by the way, so once you set it up with your HubPages account your work is registered to you. If someone does copy your writing, Google prevents it from showing up in search results.
         
         My "how to" article will walk you through the process in about 15 minutes. I have pictures included and everything to make it super simple for even the most non-technical folk here on HubPages.
         
         Another bonus is that you will definitely see an increase in traffic to your hubs. My traffic doubled within a month of signing up for G+ Authorship.

         replyreport
         1. 87

            justmesuzanneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Cool info, NotPC! I've been meaning to do this and haven't gotten around to it. Now I definitely will! Many thanks!

            replyreport
   2. 0

      Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Is there a cost?
      
      Ok, so I went to sign up and I guess I have to link my email to the things I write?
      I keep my HP's articles private from family. I don't mind sharing my personal stories with strangers, but I'd prefer my kids not read them. I don't post them on FB b/c of this. So.... does signing up for google author mean every one in my email address book can read my articles?

      replyreport
      1. 57

         NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         There is no cost. Check out my reply above to find a link to a hub I wrote to walk you through the entire process. You can also find the article in the featured hubs section of my profile.

         replyreport
      2. 57

         NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         You just have to add the link to your Google Plus profile to your HubPages profile page. Not each individual hub like I first thought when I was setting it all up. I explain the specifics in my hub, but for example, to link my Google Plus profile I added "https://plus.google.com/u/0/108390591327259220101?rel=author" in the edit profile section of HubPages where it asks for your Google+ link. The big long number will be different for you because that is what identifies your G+ profile but the rest will be the same.
         
         And I'm not sure about your email address book... I know that you kinda have to identify yourself as a real person, but I know Google has a lot of privacy settings you can adjust which would probably keep your hubs separate from your personal life.

         replyreport
      3. 57

         NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         You could always make a secondary G+ account that you use only for your HubPages stuff... That's just me quickly brainstorming for you though..
         
         I think if you read through the privacy stuff associated with G+ you can definitely find a solution to keep your hubbing separate from your personal life.

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Ok thanks. I appreciate it.

            replyreport
         2. 87

            justmesuzanneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Good idea!

            replyreport
   3. 95

      Hawaiian Scribeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      http://www.copyblogger.com/claim-google-authorship/
      
      I found a great article that explains Google Authorship.  I'm gonna check it out, but it sounds like something I will want to sign up for. Anybody else have any experience with it? Finally explains how somebody gets their picture on google searches beside their articles.

      replyreport
      1. 57

         NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Ha I was so excited to sign up for Authorship just to have my picture in search results!

         replyreport
      2. 83

         Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for this link - if it helps protect from duplicate content, I am all for it.  But if it just 'documents' our authorship, we will still have stolen work, and it will be up to us to find it and file the complaints.
         
         I have filed so many of these that my eyes have glazed over.

         replyreport
         1. 57

            NotPCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Basically, even if they steal your work nobody will ever find it in search.

            replyreport
10. 0

    Beth37posted 11 years ago

    <Feeling ever so slightly invisible.>

    replyreport
11. 89

    Stacie Lposted 11 years ago

    I have been a member for over 4+ years and have read and followed instructions for finding stolen articles. i,too have had to deal with content thieves, but one thought continues to come across my mind; WHY doesn't Google have their own copy scape" program in place to catch the duplicate material as it is uploaded?
    It would stop so much of our stress and free Google staff from tracking down and investigating our complaints. Why?

    replyreport
12. 82

    lawdoctorleeposted 11 years ago

    Thank you for this important hub!  I checked out my articles, and sure enough, there was significant copyright infringement.  I contacted the websites directly and reported the violations.  They have responded well.

    replyreport
    1. 82

       lawdoctorleeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       More importantly, I have provided a warning regarding copyright infringement in my profile and on my articles.

       replyreport
    2. 83

       Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Hi, Lawdoctorlee!!
       
       I'm glad the thread here helped you. I've put some copyright info on my hubs, but I started wondering if that text would be flagged as duplicate content (that's been discussed on the site & I am not sure anyone knows the answer). I'm thinking I need to go back into my hubs and add something to all of them now.

       replyreport
       1. 82

          lawdoctorleeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          I just use 2 sentences....we'll see if I get flagged for duplicate content.  I'll let you know.  Here's what I use:  Portions of this article or the entire content of this article may not be used without the author's express consent. Persons plagiarizing or using content without authorization may be subject to legal action.

          replyreport
          1. 83

             Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

             I like that - it's tighter (and has more teeth) than the phrase I have used.
             
             Related to copied content and other confusions (sort of), I just learned I am listed in some online 'business index' as living in Tucson (not) and being a DO (not). I guess that's a doctor of osteopathy. I contacted the website, and was dismayed to learn how they get their listings.  Anyone can submit names and a 'verification' email, and if they reply, they get 'points' or something they can use on the website.
             
             Apparently, my info was bartered a few years ago, unbeknownst to me.  The customer service rep confirmed that eople were taking names from the Internet or the White Pages and making up business information so they could get credit on the site.  He said they have a better verification process in place now - but it is scary to think people have done that, and gotten by with it.

             replyreport
             1. 82

                lawdoctorleeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                Glad you like what I use.  Feel free to copy that if you want - consider yourself to have my express permission :-)  Re: your other issues...I know the drill.  I google myself all the time to check that stuff is right.  It's a job & a half, but it's worth the effort.

                replyreport
                1. 83

                   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                   LOL!  Thank you!  I will gladly plagiarize it!
                   
                   I have Googled myself regularly, too, but somehow the DO listing in Arizona must not have shown up in the top listings, and I have several pages of info in the system.  I learned about it from a friend who needed my address to mail me a card & used some sort of people-search site.  I'm also listed in Utah on the site she used, so I still need to track that one down.
                   
                   Many thanks for your great tips here!

                   replyreport
                   1. 68

                      L.L. Woodardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                      If a copyright infringement statement on our hubs is flagged as duplicate content, why then couldn't/wouldn't HP power-that-be create an infringement statement that is a standard part of each hub?

                      replyreport
                      1. 83

                         Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                         I like that idea - not sure how it would work from HP's standpoint, if there are errant Hubbers who post copied content.  I think I have seen this discussed as well at some point.  For one thing, the Hubber is the one attesting that it is his/her own work.  Maybe a template in the capsules that allows us to 'sign' that the hub is our own content?

                         replyreport
                         1. 68

                            L.L. Woodardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                            A template would answer the concern about duplicate copy and it would require the hubber to attest to the validity of the statement and to being the originator of the content. I would like that.

                            replyreport
13. 83

    Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

    Has anyone had luck getting Squidoo to remove 'lenses' or whatever they're called that have been stolen from other sources?  I have reported a stolen hub that is appearing on their site (sent in their complaint form three times) - no results.  I finally opened an account there and posted a comment on the 'lens' that the article had been 'borrowed' from me without my permission.
    
    Anybody got a super double secret contact source for them?

    replyreport
    1. 82

       lawdoctorleeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Use this link to report copyright infringement found on Squidoo:  http://www.squidoo.com/bug/modal?lensName=.  With regard to other sites using my copyrighted material, I have been 100% successful in having the material/link deleted when I report it.

       replyreport
       1. 83

          Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks, lawdoctorlee - I have actually submitted this form three times. I don't understand why they aren't responding - it's a clear violation, and the person also stole a hub from another writer here. The person's profile has numerous misspelled words and glaring grammar problems, so it's obvious the lenses aren't written by her.  After waiting a few days, I also filed the DMCA with Google (tried to give Squidoo a chance to address the problem, as a courtesy to a site similar to HP). 
          
          I know they've reportedly been scrambling to tackle problems with their drop in traffic, but still . . .

          replyreport
14. 82

    lawdoctorleeposted 11 years ago

    Ok...good that you did the form and filed a DMCA.  Hope it gets taken care of soon.

    replyreport