Lawsuits aren't the only risk...Humiliation as an outgrowth of plagiarism...The original source isn't the only one who cares...

Content Done Better writes original content. 100% new stuff. I know that everything I send to clients will pass Copyscape, Google testing and any other plagiarism-checking method and I back up that claim with a 300% money back originality guarantee (see: "I guarantee it...").

I worship at the alter of originality. Here at the CDB Blog, I have discussed the ethical downside of content theft, the practical negative impact on a content writer's business that can stem from Ctl-C content, and many of the reasons content buyers should insist on the real deal.

However, I don't think I've mentioned this one... Humiliation. If you purchase and use stolen content, you don't just risk reduced SERP benefits, C&D letters, complaints and possible litigation. You also risk being humiliated.

A perfect example can be found at SFist in its January 3, 2006 issue. The article is "An Excellent Resource for Plagiarized Content" and it is a great reminder of the PR nightmare users of misappropriated text face.

Apparently, someone decided to send SFist a press release in support of a website. The folks at SFist took a look at the press release, did a bit of digging, and discovered that a substantial portion of the site was plagiarized. They then wrote a nice big feature article on the site and its owner, discussing just how lousy the site was and notifying all of its readers about the content practices utilized. (Please note that I have no independent proof of the allegations made by SFist, and am only reporting their findings and comments.)

Assuming the story is accurate, I am sure that for some reason it seemed like a good idea at the time to cobble together a press release in order to promote a site full of questionable materials and to submit that release to a number of sites and publications. Obviously, it wasn't.

Plagiarism Today recently ran a story dealing with online community policing and content misappropriation. The SFist story is another example of how someone other than the ripped off party can blow the whistle on a content thief.

Humiliation. Yet another reason to buy original material.


Technorati Tags:
Content Done Better, content writer, content, freelance content, original content, unique content, duplicate content, plagiarized content, plagiarism, content theft, copyright violation, copyright, DMCA, scraper

Del.icio.us Tags:
Content Done Better, content writer, content, freelance content, original content, unique content, duplicate content, plagiarized content, plagiarism, content theft, copyright violation, copyright, DMCA, scraper