LotusLearns.com might be using your content without permission - beware
Tags :copyright LotusLearnsblogger blog
LotusLearns is a Blogger based site that is apparently aggregating numerous blog and IBM content and republishing exact duplicates in mass. While after Nov 2011 they started putting a small link at the beginning of the post to the original content, they are then reproducing your entire blog post or technical information in theirs with no other attribution.
Humorously they often leave information in the posts that specifically state not to do so like this from Bob Balaban found in this posting:
Hope this helps, Geek ya later!
(Need expert application development architecture/coding help? Want me to help you invent directory services based on RDBMS? Need some Cloud-fu or some web services? Contact me at: bbalaban, gmail.com)
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This article ©Copyright 2011 by Looseleaf Software LLC, all rights reserved. You may link to this page, but may not copy without prior approval.
My review of the LotusAppStore site (amongst tons of other postings) have made their way on the site. I have corresponded with the owner of the site previously and again now that this has resurfaced. I will walk through some of the conversation:
Chris,
Actually, we use feed aggregation. Guess that's a high dollar word for copying. The LotusLearns community is largely based in Africa, the continent and Latin America.
Outside of the West, bandwidth is an issue, this site was actually created in US Embassy in Nigeria to mitigate bandwidth. So if I am "copying" stuff, it is to provide resources to those with little or consistent access. Thanks for your support. I really mean it.
I proceed to point out aggregation can be done, like PlanetLotus, by providing links to content at the sites.
I'm still confused as PlanetLotus already aggregates all this, and there are mega feed OPML files. We host a lot for Brazil, Argentina and Latin America and understand the bandwidth. But I think you have upset a large group (I am not speaking for IBM) when their entire posts are already RSS enabled. An aggregated site would always point them to the source, not copy the content.
You would be wiser using something like Yahoo Pipes to aggregate all the content and then when clicked or opened inside the single output feed it takes them to the source. You could build your mobile app to just point to feeds/mega feed (I already have an entire PlanetLotus OPML file made).
What you don't realize is that you destroy the rankings in Google for both your site and others by exactly duplicating entire posts. That counts against you. It appears to search engines you are stuffing the content
We all love having our content reach a larger audience, but total duplication of copyrighted work isn't the way. This is also a different reason that the original time we spoke and the larger group is now seeing their content on the site as well.
But, that is just mine and the thought of a few others in the blogsphere that saw the recent postings. We are happy to help with whatever ideas you have to reach that audience
Chris
I pointed out that duplicating content, even that without consent, can cause penalties in search engines. I also started to note that they could reduce the need for bandwith to those users by only sending the links and letting them decide what to click on. There is no need to have the entire content. All our feeds provide an excerpt or they could write it into their script to grab the first 200 characters. So we had one more response come back.
Chris,
Clarification, we do not copy content. Chris, you say you understand the bandwidth issue? Low bandwidth means users cannot click through to the specific content or authors site. We, therefore use Yahoo Pipes with a PHP agent to garner all Posting content and provide a single source to accessing this information.
Both Analytics and Adsense, detail LotusLearns usage with no increases in site visits or pageviews. We spoke late last year regarding this issue and mutually agreed to change the manner in which we were pulling feeds (manually). Chris, this change was in made in November 2011. What has changed?
Kelley
I am tired of dealing with it and have joined others in filing removal complaints at Blogger/Google and wanted other bloggers that show on the site to know you may be penalized for duplicating your content on other sites. Without your knowledge or consent.
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On Friday, April 20th, 2012 by Chris Miller
