Recently I noticed that my blog posts were being re-posted on another company’s web site. I have agreements with certain companies that are permitted to syndicate or post my content, but this company was not one of them. This kind of copyright infringement isn’t entirely unusual, so we have a process for handling it. So, as a part of our regular “Step One,” I reached out and politely asked that they remove the blog post, due to the fact that what they were doing constituted copyright infringement.
This is the response I received:
Seriously you’re getting so upset that we posted your post and directed traffic back to your site so our reader’s could see your original. Most people are happy about the exposure. Looks like you take yourself way too seriously. We’ve removed your post.
Grammar issues aside, here’s why this issue is important and why you should make sure to keep tabs on your content.
Branding Matters.
When a company or web site asks if they can syndicate my blog or invites me to write a guest blog post, I make a careful decision based on branding and reputation. I won’t just post my content on any web site just to “get exposure.” Many of the sites that have used my content without permission have virtually no traffic anyway, and they’re certainly not sending traffic my way.
Plus, there’s good exposure and there’s bad exposure, and I prefer to choose where and when my content appears, because I make a strong and concerted effort to protect my brand and my reputation as a businesswoman of integrity.
For example, I won’t allow my content to be posted to sites that promote unsavory tactics or make big promises about business potential (e.g. “We can make you six figures in just thirty days!” is the kind of hogwash I avoid). And it’s important to me that my posts appear where it’s a logical, good fit for my audience. Otherwise what’s the point of using my post in the first place, if it’s not written for the audience of the site?
Intellectual Property Is Serious.
This is the kind of red flag I mean. A big scary red flag that could seriously damage your reputation.
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