Comments on: Attack of the Splogs Revisited http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/ the mark cuban weblog Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:04:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Roy Phay http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12752 Roy Phay Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:13 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12752 Totally agree! Especially on the topics of Splogs. Thank for your valuable informations. Totally agree! Especially on the topics of Splogs. Thank for your valuable informations.

]]> By: alek http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12730 alek Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12730 I certainly agree with the concept in theory Mark ... but how do you go about determing if the content is actually redirected or copied? That's a pretty computationally intensive task. And assuming you can do so, then how do you determine who the actual owner is? The later is even less of a trivial problem - as I've read stories about black hats with high page-rank sites scraping content from lower-page rank sites which then get banned by Google due to duplicate content - i.e. the big "G" picked the wrong site to penalize. Dynamic content isn't as difficult (see an extreme example in my signature) since it's much more difficult to replicate. But static content is exactly that ... and I think it's very hard to determine who the "rightful" owner is ... although it sure would be nice for those of us that write our own words, take our own pictures, etc. alek Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease Research http://www.komar.org/cgi-bin/xmas_webcam I certainly agree with the concept in theory Mark … but how do you go about determing if the content is actually redirected or copied? That’s a pretty computationally intensive task. And assuming you can do so, then how do you determine who the actual owner is?

The later is even less of a trivial problem – as I’ve read stories about black hats with high page-rank sites scraping content from lower-page rank sites which then get banned by Google due to duplicate content – i.e. the big “G” picked the wrong site to penalize.

Dynamic content isn’t as difficult (see an extreme example in my signature) since it’s much more difficult to replicate. But static content is exactly that … and I think it’s very hard to determine who the “rightful” owner is … although it sure would be nice for those of us that write our own words, take our own pictures, etc.

alek
Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease Research
http://www.komar.org/cgi-bin/xmas_webcam

]]> By: John Frost http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12731 John Frost Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12731 Thank you. I've been wondering who to contact at IceRocket to get rid of all the splogs aggragating my content just to make a few quick bucks. However, I really don't think the onus should be on the blog search engines to keep a watch out for splogs. If Google adwords and similar companies refused to sell ads to these guys they would be gone overnight. Have you tried applying some pressure there? In the meantime, thanks again for attempting to make icerocket as splog free as possible Thank you. I’ve been wondering who to contact at IceRocket to get rid of all the splogs aggragating my content just to make a few quick bucks.

However, I really don’t think the onus should be on the blog search engines to keep a watch out for splogs. If Google adwords and similar companies refused to sell ads to these guys they would be gone overnight. Have you tried applying some pressure there?

In the meantime, thanks again for attempting to make icerocket as splog free as possible

]]> By: Jake http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12732 Jake Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12732 I take great issue with Steve's use of the word "steal." The first example he gives does exactly like Mark points out above: It links back with attribution to the original blog post. This is perfectly acceptable with the CC license. If Steve doesn't like it, he should just dump the CC license and add a copyright notice on his page. This sounds like a lot of whining over acceptable use. Note that Mark doesn't use the Creative Commons license, by the way. I take great issue with Steve’s use of the word “steal.” The first example he gives does exactly like Mark points out above: It links back with attribution to the original blog post. This is perfectly acceptable with the CC license. If Steve doesn’t like it, he should just dump the CC license and add a copyright notice on his page.

This sounds like a lot of whining over acceptable use. Note that Mark doesn’t use the Creative Commons license, by the way.

]]> By: Tony Colan http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12733 Tony Colan Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12733 It would be so easy for the major Blog sites to eradicate splog. It all starts with the sign-up process. Our site http://www.blogster.com is the only spam free site on the Internet and we're proud of it, but you have to be vigilant. It would be so easy for the major Blog sites to eradicate splog. It all starts with the sign-up process. Our site http://www.blogster.com is the only spam free site on the Internet and we’re proud of it, but you have to be vigilant.

]]> By: Jay Currie http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12734 Jay Currie Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12734 So Mark, what are we to make of www.memeorandum.com, Digg.com and diggdot.us? Personally I find those, along with my own wee contribution to Canadian politics, http://canada.info-syn.com, useful in a way that a straight RSS feed would not be. Like porn, I know a splog when I see one; but one man's splog is another critical information source. Seems to me that the two key elements seperating splogs from legitimate aggregators are attribution and excerpting. And excerpting is really partially the responsibility of the content producer. Offer an excerpted feed and offer it without ads or heavy copyright. Then, if you offer a full feed at all, put up a big sign - FOR INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE USE ONLY - and send a note with a draft DCMA take down notice to anyone who publically aggreagates it. So Mark, what are we to make of http://www.memeorandum.com, Digg.com and diggdot.us?

Personally I find those, along with my own wee contribution to Canadian politics, http://canada.info-syn.com, useful in a way that a straight RSS feed would not be.

Like porn, I know a splog when I see one; but one man’s splog is another critical information source.

Seems to me that the two key elements seperating splogs from legitimate aggregators are attribution and excerpting. And excerpting is really partially the responsibility of the content producer. Offer an excerpted feed and offer it without ads or heavy copyright.

Then, if you offer a full feed at all, put up a big sign – FOR INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE USE ONLY – and send a note with a draft DCMA take down notice to anyone who publically aggreagates it.

]]> By: Robert Oschler http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12735 Robert Oschler Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12735 The problem with IceRocket is that it still penalizes innocent Blogger blogs. I have a blog on the Robosapien V2 that can't be found in IceRocket. I know it's in your system because I get a status message saying that the blog feed has already been submitted. But if I take any easily identifiable phrase from an old post in the blog, and punch it into IceRocket's search, I get a "not found" error. I contacted IceRocket with this problem using the "Contact Us" facility and never received a reply. The problem with IceRocket is that it still penalizes innocent Blogger blogs. I have a blog on the Robosapien V2 that can’t be found in IceRocket. I know it’s in your system because I get a status message saying that the blog feed has already been submitted.

But if I take any easily identifiable phrase from an old post in the blog, and punch it into IceRocket’s search, I get a “not found” error.

I contacted IceRocket with this problem using the “Contact Us” facility and never received a reply.

]]> By: Dave http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12736 Dave Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12736 I've seen some websites that convert their text to pseudo-images or have them coded in a way that prevents traditional text copying. That makes it very difficult to yank information away. While no public information is truly copy-proof, there are steps that can be taken to make it difficult to reproduce your information. I’ve seen some websites that convert their text to pseudo-images or have them coded in a way that prevents traditional text copying. That makes it very difficult to yank information away. While no public information is truly copy-proof, there are steps that can be taken to make it difficult to reproduce your information.

]]> By: Blake Rhodes (IceRocket) http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12737 Blake Rhodes (IceRocket) Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12737 Robert, I will make sure your blog gets added. I never got an email from you, maybe it went to spam folder. Unfortunately we probably have and will block some legitimate blogs while trying to get rid of blogs. Anyone who feels like we may have banned them can always reach us via email or phone. Blake Rhodes IceRocket.com Robert,

I will make sure your blog gets added. I never got an email from you, maybe it went to spam folder.

Unfortunately we probably have and will block some legitimate blogs while trying to get rid of blogs. Anyone who feels like we may have banned them can always reach us via email or phone.

Blake Rhodes
IceRocket.com

]]> By: Chris http://blogmaverick.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12738 Chris Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:04:11 +0000 http://blogmaverick.wordpress.com/2005/12/10/attack-of-the-splogs-revisited/#comment-12738 Unforunately, while ice-rocket might help the problem, sites like Google might only compound it by giving the edge highly visible splogs that steal lesser known blog content. It's not an easy problem to solve at the search level either, although a specially designed search engine for blogs might be able to specifically target the problem by giving favor to older blog entires with very similiar content above some threshold. Unforunately, while ice-rocket might help the problem, sites like Google might only compound it by giving the edge highly visible splogs that steal lesser known blog content. It’s not an easy problem to solve at the search level either, although a specially designed search engine for blogs might be able to specifically target the problem by giving favor to older blog entires with very similiar content above some threshold.

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