Just got an interesting email from ezinearticles.com

[TrishL]

If you haven't seen this already, I thought you might find it helpful in terms of what is going on over at ezinearticles.com and their 'crackdown' on derivative content.

Some interesting discussion points here, too. Here is an excerpt I copied and pasted from the email:


A few days ago, you learned about our recent crackdown on derivative content. Unfortunately, many authors became concerned that this new guideline included existing articles from their websites and blogs.

Let me be clear: You SHOULD submit existing articles and content from your website or blog.

Here are the Key Points:

Repackaging Existing Articles On Your Website Now and Submitting Them To EzineArticles Does NOT Trigger Our Derivative Content Filters

Rehashing One Article into Many Versions of the Same Article IS Creating Derivative Content...Something We and Our Users Don't Want

Continue to Write and Submit High-Quality, Unique, Original Articles

Submit a Good Percentage of Your Existing Content to EzineArticles.com

Your Old Existing Articles that Someone has Not Seen Yet... are New to Them!

Think of and Leverage EzineArticles as a Distribution Platform

Find a New Audience by Submitting Your Existing Content AND Your Brand New, Original Articles to EzineArticles.com
Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question on the blog if any part of this is still unclear.

To Your Article Writing/Marketing Success & Passion!

Christopher M. Knight, Publisher
http://EzineArticles.com/

[Lynn Terry]

Thank you Trish. I found this on their blog which explains it in more detail:

Defining Original Content and Exclusive Rights (http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2009/10/defining-original-content-and-exclusive-rights.html)

Repackaging Articles is Not Derivative Content (http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2009/10/repackaging-articles-is-not-derivative-content.html)

[StephenT]

I've got some reading to do!

[angienewton]

I got this in my email too since I just recently signed up with EA and I was originally under the impression they would not take any of my previous work but this says they WILL accept any articles I have had on my website or blog so I'm very excited about using some of my old articles that people have not seen in quite some time.

Thanks for sharing Trish!

[StephenT]

In reading http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2009/10/defining-original-content-and-exclusive-rights.html I wonder how they know if it is re-written plr. I mean, if I re-write it so that it is my own content how would they know?

[retta719]

There was some big to-do and crankiness on their blog post titled Our War With Affiliate Marketers (http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2009/10/our-war-with-affiliate-marketers.html) - I get their point that they don't want a bunch of respun junk landing in the article base but to call it a war with affiliate marketers probably wasn't the best way to announce things changing. Such a negative term just got everyone on the defensive and feeling attached right off the bat. Guess they need a lesson in article titling ;)

[retta719]

In reading http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2009/10/defining-original-content-and-exclusive-rights.html I wonder how they know if it is re-written plr. I mean, if I re-write it so that it is my own content how would they know?

Honestly, they don't ... if you really rewrite it. They have a software that looks for common patterns etc, and when people are just running the PLR through automated article spinners and rewriters thats when it throws up red flags, because it's really mostly the same and not thoughtfully rewritten.

If you are using your PLR as a basis for your idea and you completely rewrite every sentence then you'll have something completely different than what those automated things regurgitate, and I think you'll be okay. But, it has to be 99.999999% rewritten in most cases, because you don't want your article to be at all like what other people are posting.

[Nelson Swett]

So let me see if I understand. If I write a really awesome post about something in my niche, I can post it to my own website and submit it to ezine? And doing so won't trigger their derivative content filters and neither of us will get smacked by google for duplicate content?

[Baggs]

So let me see if I understand. If I write a really awesome post about something in my niche, I can post it to my own website and submit it to ezine? And doing so won't trigger their derivative content filters and neither of us will get smacked by google for duplicate content?

Yes - as long as you wrote it in the first place, you can put it on your website and submit it to ezinearticles.

You can also submit it to other article sites.

What Ezinearticles don't like is you submitting lots of very similar articles to them.

[wade_watson]

I've read a lot on this topic lately. Over at Warrior Forum it's understandably a really hot issue. While at first glance, it all seems to be a common sense matter, in practice, it can be a bit sticky. One theory for the reason behind this "crackdown" is that EZA may, itself, be trying to avoid a Google slap because of abuses by authors. At any rate, this simple fact is that it's their party and you have to play their way.

Anyone just starting out needs to compare these new guidelines to older wisdom on article writing. One point Trish quotes above actually seems to me to contradict some common advice about article marketing. "Rehashing One Article into Many Versions of the Same Article" sound a lot like "repurposing" an article into a series of articles, something I've heard encouraged by article marketing authorities.

It's always been OK to republish your existing blog entry as an EZA article, but even that leaves room for interpretation. With many social media sites these days, the distinction between a blog and an article site become kind of blurry. And what if it wasn't published in the same name, but it's yours? They might draw the distinction on whether it was released for distribution, but with RSS feeds, pretty much everything is released for distribution these days.

In my limited experience with EZA, I've found them fairly unpredictable in how they find the acceptability of an article. You do have to take into account that your work is probably being judged by a $10/hr. entry level employee with limited on the job training. The only thing you can do is try to change anything they request and make the best of it. And don't depend too much on EZA in your overall IM strategy.

Wade Watson

[TrishL]

Ok - here is my take on this (from a professional writer's standpoint)...

I have been approached on many occasions by marketers who want to know if I will "spin" articles for them. In other words - will I take one (usually mediocre) article and rewrite it six ways to Sunday.

My answer?

No.

Regurgitated crap is still crap. Sorry for being blunt - but that is what it is.

HOWEVER - if YOU write a great original piece and post it on your blog or site - EVEN IF it is derived from IDEAS you got from PLR or ghostwriters - you are still adding value by 1.) infusing it with your perspective/experience and 2.) by later sharing a revamped (and usually better) version of it.

What good is it doing the world if it sits in your archives and never sees the light of day? Maybe you or your site have grown a lot since you originally wrote something - and very few people saw it the first time around.

Ezinearticles.com seems to be welcoming this content "as is" - today, anyway.

My two cents??? Why not freshen it up and revamp it a bit? Do a new keyword search on it (especially if its 6 months or older) and vary your angle slightly?

Same body of research. Similar (but usually better) content.

A win for the directories. A win for you.

But most importantly... a win for your readers.

[nichescape]

In reading http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2009/10/defining-original-content-and-exclusive-rights.html I wonder how they know if it is re-written plr. I mean, if I re-write it so that it is my own content how would they know?

I've submitted rewritten PLR to them on numerous occasions and never had any problems. But I only use articles that start out pretty good, and I completely rewrite them myself. I really only use the PLR article itself as a template of sorts - a way to avoid having to come up with the idea in the first place.

If the initial PLR article is really bad, I don't bother to even try to rewrite it. I find it's just as fast to start from scratch in those cases.

John