This is a really tough topic. The post in reference is missing now, and I missed seeing it when the thread first began, so I can't really weigh in on right vs wrong in this particular case.
I get a lot of blogs fully copy my posts from my feed but I just don't worry with it - I also don't approve the trackbacks. Legit blog posts featuring my posts - I do.
Tiffani, Ellen noted in her original post in this thread that she felt it was innocent and simply wanted to know what to do about it, if anything. This is a very productive discussion and a great topic - as a lot of people are in this situation, on both sides of the fence.
Thank you for looking over the thread Lynn. I have republished the post so you may view it. I had deleted it this morning as the post is getting a lot of hits from this thread. I do not mind the increased visits to my blog, however, they are seeing my blog in a negative light. I am not interested in negative exposure.
Yes, indeed this is productive discussion and can be had without pointing to my blog.
You will note that there is no image. As indicated in my previous thread post, I had visited the link in question. There was no image visible, however, after I had e-mailed Ellen twice..I went back in, looked over the html coding and noted that there was indeed coding linking to a picture from her post. I removed said coding because it was being suggested in this thread that the image be replaced with "this person is a thief".
This was a blog post that in essence featured Ellen's post. I have discussed this with several of my followers. They had indicated that they really liked Ellen's site and they enjoyed the post so much that they subscribed to her newsletter!
Yes, Lynn, Ellen did indicate initially in her original post that she felt it may be innocent...however, in subsequent posts, she went on to say, "what kind of person is this..." portraying me in a negative light.
At the very least, I would like the reference to my blog removed. Feel free to continue the discussion but not at my expense.
I have not heard back from Ellen...but I will pay her as indicated in my previous post and honor my other offers.
I would like your insight on the original post as soon as possible, because until this thread removes the link in question, I will be removing the said post from my blog.
Maybe I don't 'get' this whole thing, but couldn't it all have been avoided AND been advantageous to both blog owners if Tiffani had simply asked permission from Ellen to use her post PRIOR to putting it up on her blog (giving a link back, course)?
Absolutely!! And if I could find that e-mail...if there is one...I would feel a lot better. I have permissions of many others that I am finding, but of course, I cannot find this one.
My apologies for this. As stated previously, I have proposed many offers to make it up to her.
It's a holiday weekend so don't be discouraged by lack of response to your email. I'm sure Ellen will reply when she's back online.
I think this is one of those "things" that took on a life of its own far from what both people involved intended. How about taking a deep breath, agreeing to leave the post with an added note saying something like "I came across this great post by Ellen at....," and moving on to talk about your common interests in parenting. Perhaps you won't become the best of friends, but you can let bygones be bygones and learn something from the whole thing.
And maybe you'll even stick around Tiffani. Even though it may not feel like it to you right now, this is a great, giving community.
I just read your comments today- I am sorry, I must have skipped "page 2" of this thread.
Please be advised that I am not in any way defaming you here.
I really did assume that the link was innocent, without malicious intentions
And, as noted by Wade, I changed the name of the image on my server so that the image on your server disappeared.
I am all for posting links and snippets and giving out good resources.
But, it appeared that you had copied about 75% of my article.
The reason this concerns me is the following: Google values unique content, so I've worked very hard to write and/or acquire valuable, unique content for my site. When I see an article lifted and 75% of it repeated in another place (ie- Tiffani's blog) it makes me wonder why I bothered- I may as well create a content site based upon ezinearticles stuff, if what I write still won't remain unique- from an SEO perspective, getting good Google rankings.
I'm not sure, personally- how much is a "snippet"?
A paragraph? A sentence? An image plus a few sentences? I'm simply unsure of what the "right" thing in this industry is- and I value more experienced people weighing in on this important issue.
Tiffani, if you want the link to your blog removed, so that you and your site stay out of this discussion, I think that is fair- but the discussion itself is valuable insofar that many people will be able to learn from it.
I would be greatly appreciative if you removed my link from your initial post. Thank you.
I would be more than willing to correspond further with you, off thread and via e-mail.
To clarify, I did not take 75% of your post. I took the first three short paragraphs out of nine but, I capped it at with a feeder..."These self parenting behaviors are as follows>>>" The first three, 1-2 sentence paragraphs captured interest...but to get the context of the article, one would have to click the link to read the true meat and potatoes of your post. In addition, they would have the opportunity to then view your video on your post.
This scenario is a catch 22. I understand the SEO component and original content. But I also understand the value of traditional marketing which is based on word of mouth. I have over a decade of successful marketing experience..online and offline.
Long time and great marketing experts like Jay Conrad Levinson will tell you that the traditional word of mouth marketing is still the very best there is...whether it is online or offline.
Moving forward...I will resolve this issue...and simply barter or charge to share people's information to my specific nitch readership. Or, I will create a form to gain permission so that can be hard filed..and accessed with ease.
For discussion sake, I guess one has to weigh the values...reaching a large base of consumers they otherwise would not reach, getting a 2% ROI so to speak by gaining a handful of newsletter subscribers of which you can continue to market to, or increasing your ranking on the search engine pages. Both are important, but I believe that what is most important is the traditional relationship network marketing of "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" of which seems to really get lost with the craze of SEO.
Ask yourself, who would you most likely do business with? The person who made it to #10 in the search engines or the the person that someone you respect recommended? I would choose the latter.
I am not new to marketing...nor am I a spring chicken. I have been in healthcare for nearly 20 years. The bulk of them in administration and marketing. To demonstrate a few scenarios: I worked for an assisted living. I took the role of administrator with only a 40% occupancy. Corporate wanted at least 80%. In 6 months, I got them to 100% occupancy with a waiting list. And SEO had nothing to do with it. It was all about relationships, building them...word of mouth referrals. I moved on..into adult medical day care. I tripled their census in 1 year...same process.
Relationship building, networking and the VALUE of word of mouth is getting lost in the online world...and it needs to be at the forefront. The internet is giving us a greater opportunity to connect with more people. We cannot befriend all of them...but we can scratch each others backs...feed each other...share each others good word.
Yes, I shared 7 sentences of your article with my readers along with a link to your article. I honestly cannot recall if I asked permission or not as I cannot locate an e-mail, leading me to believe that in fact I did not garner permission. BUT, if we look at it in the context of networking and word of mouth marketing, in the past, in traditional marketing, someone would have actually thanked me for sharing their good word...this is getting lost and mislabeled as theft. I find it all very sad.
If you would like to contact me, I shared my e-mail with you in an e-mail to your newsletter@raisingsmallsouls.com I would be more than willing to discuss with your further.
On a personal note...to answer your question about what kind of person I am...I am a mother to 4 boys. One in pre-med at college, another in highschool, a preschooler who is homeschooled due to his special needs and another even younger in preschool. I run a blog to share the success of my journey thru my son's autism in an effort to reach the families out there who are looking for answers as they embark on their quest or find themselves stuck in the mud of their journey. And yes, I sell advertising on this blog...to raise money to cover the outlandish medical costs of recovering my son. I am a registered nurse of 13 years and have a compassionate heart at the core. I have been published many times in national nursing journals and I work part time for a published author and doctor as her general manager specifically overseeing her marketing. I have no desire or disrespect to writers to consider the act of plagiarism. And I have no time to have malice in my heart...that is the kind of person I am.
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