Jay's Phoenix Area Real Estate (and more...)

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What is a "SPLOG" and What Can you Do About It?

A "SPLOG" is a Spam Blog. "Sploggers" steal content from other blogs and re-post it as their own.

Why in the world would someone do that?

The intent is to build a blog or website that contains a lot of content, and will be ranked well in search engines. The sploggers add Google AdSense and other advertising to the splog and are basically using other people's content to increase their search positions and generate ad revenue for themselves.

Almost anyone who has been blogging for some time has been "splogged". In addition to being incredibly unethical to steal someones content, it is also illegal as it violates federal copyright law (*if* the domain host is in the US).

My "other blog" (and MANY others) were recently victims of a splogger. Finding my content, word for word, on another blog with zero attribution is incredibly annoying to me. So I set off to see what I could do about this splog.

Thanks to the help of a great blog on plagiarism, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and a helpful web host, said sploggers domain was taken off-line in less than 24 hours.

It was painful and time consuming, but well worth the effort!

Here is the whole story.

13 comments • Jay & Francy Thompson • July 09 2007 03:47PM

Comments

Thanks for sharing this story, Jay. Sorry to hear all you had to go through but good to know what to do. I was not aware of the Plagiarism site - thanks for the link.

Jeff

Posted by Jeff Dowler ~ Carlsbad Real Estate ~ 760-840-1360 (RE/MAX Moonlight Beach (CA DRE Lic. # 01490977)) over 2 years ago
Nice work!  I'll keep this post around in case anyone ever deems my posts worth copying. :-)
Posted by John Hurlbut (John L. Scott - Puyallup) over 2 years ago

This seems to be more of a problem daily.  As we get bigger more will try to take short cuts.

Posted by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® (Century 21 Liberty Homes) over 2 years ago
splog.... I like the term. I haven't heard that before. Sploggers.... funny word. Can you say it ten times fast? No really just kidding. Thanks for the post and the link I will have to check out the other post.
Posted by A Crye-Leike Blogger, Angie Vandenbergh (Crye-Leike, Realtors) over 2 years ago

I have a couple of sites splogging my primary blog.  It's hard to keep up though....

Tony

Posted by A. Grey | Vidlisting.com| Real Estate Video Mentor (Vidlisting.com) over 2 years ago

Howdy Jay

I would like to thank you for being so helpful and thinking of all of us.

Have a good one

Posted by Dale Baker,The #1 Home and Commercial Properties Inspector-in NH&VT-on AR (Baker Home,Commercial Properties Inspections and Consulting ) over 2 years ago
No problem Dale, my pleasure!
Posted by Jay & Francy Thompson (Thompson's Realty) over 2 years ago
Jay, I missed this post when we were out of town.  I think my splogger is gone that Laura told you about but if not I will be using your info to help as well.  There is one splogger in particular taking a lot of content for Colorado AR'ers. 
Posted by Steve Scheer - Denver Real Estate - Highlands Ranch Real Estate (Denver Realty Partners - Metro Brokers) over 2 years ago
What great advice! I recently did have another agent point someone doing something like this to me and I wrote a post about it. I didn't even know it was happening! The blogs were slightly different, but where always posted with 3 days of mine! Guess it gave them time to rewrite the article just enough that something like copyscape couldn't find it.
Posted by Todd Clark (Broker) (503)524-9494 (Beaverton, Oregon Real Estate Expert) (Palazzo Realty Group) over 2 years ago

Jay, i was splogged. Discovered it when googling my own name. It haPpened early in the year. Did not know what a splog was the time. InvestIgated my options and GoDaddY who is which was obviously a phony registration,

I was succesful in geting the the site shut down in a couple of days thru GoDaddy's intervention!

Ginger 

Posted by Wilmington NC Real Estate & Relocation~ Ginger & Roger Sala (Keller Williams, Wilmington NC) about 1 year ago
You can take legal action. You can also content the web site's host. This will usually violate most hosting provider's terms of service. I think the first thing you need to do is send a Cease and Desist Letter before you can take any further action. Here is a sample one.
Posted by Robert Krames - Gainesville, FL Real Estate (Bosshardt Realty) about 1 year ago
Robert - often a "ceases and desist" isn't necessary. The links in the post mention several ways to stop sploggers. Typically a DMCA notice is most effective (if the host is based in the US).
Posted by Jay & Francy Thompson (Thompson's Realty) about 1 year ago
How are you. I like to play blackjack. I'm not addicted to gambling, I'm addicted to sitting in a semi-circle. I am from Sri and now study English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "internet pharmicie with rogain and provillus." Waiting for a reply :P, Morrison.
Posted by Morrison 2 months ago

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