Thanks to my marketing hero, John Jantsch (DuctTape Marketing) for a recent post entitled “What Happens when Someone Copies Your Posts” about how little damage ‘republishers’ do for our writing. John has found some useful WordPress plugins that usually take a reference to his authorship along with the re-post, saving effort on the part of the ‘thieves’ to have to remember about giving credit for the genius.
From time to time, the circles where I read get their drawers in a twist about copiers who use their material. There can be no doubt that the first gut reaction to finding someone else had used material is not a pleasant experience. Developing web design or copy is not as easy as falling off a rock. Sometimes the copiers are so insensitive and unskilled that they don’t even change names or links when taking copy somewhere else. That should only give credit where it is due, but there has been a longtime fear that this could be considered ‘duplicate copy’ by Google and cause problems. However, the duplicate copy punishment is a present day myth. I recommend going back to the point that if Joe Copier takes Jack Genius’s copy to the website of Copier, but leaves the name of Genius on the content, Copier gets a chance to fade out. There is some risk that the public will think Genius is a goofball, but there is risk in everything.
With the case of blog posts or other writing, as John points out, our statement is carried on in the viral stream without much effort on our part. Far less effort for positive exposure than the saber rattling of threatening letters from attorneys or using ’spy’ tools to make sure I’m not being copied. I’m sure not ready to pay for a spy service that I hold highly suspect. Who would I want to stop? The obscure copier that no one reads anyway? In my thinking the best way to beat this is to be the ‘bestest’ with the ‘mostest’ .
In an effort to become the ‘bestest’, I follow people like Jantsch, Simone, Clarke, Shallow and learn things that I can apply to my own practices. Always be looking for things that will make your life work better and smarter for you. Then, be ready to share that with your network in your content.
I am so glad that Content is King because I enjoy developing content about working virtually, about the niche networking with virtual assistants. Most particularly one of the best of those networks is VAnetworking.com. I can be part of a HUGE network and have my opinion of copiers while other very worthwhile members can be vigilant and litigious toward the copiers they engage during the course of their business.
At Particularly Virtual and on Bar JD — Your Virtual Brand, the network and content both rule with equal honor over different kingdoms.
