Constant Content

Another thread mentioned a customer that removed a byline and added links to an article sold for unique rights. I found myself wondering if the buyer thought "unique" meant he could tailor it to his "own" use.

As a writer, I personally see no benefit in offering unique rights, but I may be misunderstanding the idea. If it's unique, the article cannot be resold for a period of time, is used "as is" just like usage, but the buyer has no competing sites publishing the same material. Is this correct? If it is, does this benefit the writer in any significant way?

Also, can someone tell me how to track what you've sold? The author of the post above had found the article in use. Is this a Copyscape thing that's subscription based?

Jellygator, I just Googled the title. I wouldn't pay or use Copyscape or any other plagiarism program. If you ever need to check for plagiarism, just throw up some short bits from your articles on Google search. Another way is to set up Google Alerts -- all free and simple.

After I get an article approved, I take a random sentences and use it in quotes in Google Alerts.

I got about 5 alerts from Youtube for my articles, but I couldn't find the reference. It was weird. This happened a few weeks ago.

Thanks - I'll have to check out Google Alerts.

I have found Google alerts totally useless. I've only ever received two. The first was an article I'd already seen months before which had been legally purchased and used. The second was one of those U-tube ones where, like Lysis, I couldn't find my words. In the meantime, I have found stolen articles by searching on Google myself.

Hmm...

I set up Google alerts today. If it's not likely to find those articles, I'm wondering if the articles you found by a google search were changed at all before they were used, and how you selected your keyword search.

I tried to use regular Google search initially, and I had trouble with it, so I hope I don't have to do that.

I don't worry about it that much. There may well be other stolen articles of mine out there that I don't know about, but I'd rather spend my time writing more than hunting for them. Those that I have found occasionally usually haven't been changed. The thieves just want easy content. The last one I found when I googled my own name because they'd left my byline on it. That thief had his website taken down, but often when that happens they just set up another and start again. It's hard for us to win and you could spend your life worrying about it. I just don't.

jak, you got the YouTube alert too? It was the weirdest thing. I got like 4-5 alerts, looked on YouTube and didn't find anything. I mean, it's YouTube, so I thought "Is someone posting my work in comments? That doesn't make any sense."

I think I might hit up Google and ask them. If I get an answer, I"ll let you know.

I got annoyed with the alert when I added the sentence without the quotes. It works for me, but maybe it's not, because like jak, I don't really ferociously check for stolen work. I have gotten alerts though on stolen work.

Thanks for the insights. I don't know that I'll be a ferocious checker. Seems much easier to just edit the long summary, even though that doesn't stop people from stealing content that someone else has purchased and published.

I was wondering if anyone here uses Paper Rater dot com to track articles?

Have never heard of it...

I got the YouTube alert, too. I think it was between 2 and 4 weeks ago.