Posted Articles are now protected from theft

[Constant]

Friends-
I am writing here to warn you that we can no longer have articles on the site that have the entire article posted in the long summary. We will be doing a sweep over the next month and removing articles that we find to be posted in this manner. The reason that we are doing this is because it is unfair to the consumer, who often times erroneously thinks that we are hiding part of it to protect the writers. That is precisely wrong. We aren't protecting the writers per se (we're all family here so I can be honest), we are hiding it from thieves to protect the consumer from purchasing useless writing that is plastered all over the internet. And in spite of the former comment, this is also protecting you from refunds, which, if your article was posted in this manner, we will no longer be eating as we for the most part have done up until this point.

When you put the whole article in the long summary since I can guarantee that 90% of the time that articles will be stolen. It is difficult to track and remove stolen articles and it can take time to do so and in the process may ruin the Google ranking of the article that many of our buyers are looking for.

This rule is to protect you, and to protect the buyers that we depend on. We want to deal honestly and ethically with everyone, so if a buyer would like to see an article in total before they buy it, please contact support and we can arrange something, but don't try to put it in the long summary anymore, they will be rejected and erased from the site.

-David Kool

[Lor]

I'm sure you've thought of this, but over the years, I've been to some sites for research and tried to copy some for my notes, but it won't let me. I know there is a program to stop actual copying. Would it be useful for CC? This won't stop anyone from using "print screen" or actually typing the copy onto notebook, but it could be a mild deterrent. Most theives won't bother.

The other thing is ... make actual articles visible only to members, with the summary visible to the general public. If articles get stolen then, it may be easier to track down the culprit.

Just a thought or two.
Lorraine

[Ed]

I'd like to add a reminder - Please place a full ONE THIRD of the article in the long summary. You can break up the sections which you choose to display. Just be mindful that you give the customer a good idea about the article's style, which may mean choosing the best parts from your article to place in the long summary.

For now, consider placing between 1/3 and 1/2 of the article in the long summary. I know this differs from what you have been told in the past, but please follow this policy going forward.


Thanks,
Ed

[Celeste Stewart]

Is it possible to put a link toward the bottom of the article display that the customer can click to request a "full viewing" or some mechanism where they can open a private conversation in order to view the hidden portions (such as if they are established customers). Maybe a link that is only visible to established customers who are signed in and meet certain criteria such as having purchased x amount of articles - this link would then allow them to view the entire article if they are interested. . .

Also, what about private requests? These are usually snapped up by the requester promptly and are technically hidden from casual viewers.

[mlci]

i am a newbie here at cc. i'm still finding my way around your forums. i would like some clarifications, please. if i submit my articles for cc's approval, then i'll post it to customer? if the assignment says 500 words, is it 500 words in one page only?

[Ed]

Please start a new thread about your specific questions. We need to keep this one on topic.

Thanks,
Ed

[DSWaltenburg]

This is what my client had to say when I informed him of this change:

Date: September 11, 2008, 8:27 pm

Hi..Putting us rignt nowm, that will hurt cc and writer revenue. I scan cc existing articles all the time and have bought scores and scores of articles. Many that I purchased with only reading a short summary turned out to be a disappointment and I never used the article. If that is their policy, I can assure you that I will never buy an existing article that I cannot read in its entirety.

Going forward, it is poosible that I may request articles only from writers that I am familiar and cc must find a way that permits me to read the entire article before purchase. And if that process takes an unreasonable length of time, I will have not much choice but to write more of my own articles. I understand the cc and writer fear of article theft, but the other side of the coin is a customer's financial vulnerbility of buying a poor article sight unseen.

Many publishers need articles quickly for web or print purposes. I have to believe that many publishers would be relunctant to buy an existing article that he or she cannot read in its entirety.I wonder if I could sell websites to customers by showing them only a portion of the design? That being said, if the delay is not unreasonable, there are a few writers that I would continue to use if it can be arranged that I can read the article prior to purchase. You would be included.

[DSWaltenburg]

While I cannot speak for the general author population, I can say that this is totally pulling the rug out from under CC's longstanding customers, especially those who buy on a regular/daily basis.

This is not a flybynight customer. He's got a Purchase Rating of nearly 600. I would assume that purchase rating = number of articles purchased. A small fraction of math to bring home my point: 600 (# of arts. purchased thus far in 2008) x $30 average x 5 customers just like him= $90k of potential revenue that CC will be flushing down the toidy. How can that be feasible? I'm almost certain I'm not the only author who has a private job where their customer wants to see full articles before purchase.

Knowing how busy my client is, and how quickly he works with the articles that he has purchased, I know that to put this kind of restriction on him will drive him right out the door. He doesn't have time to piddle around waiting for someone to respond to his request to see a full article. Therefore, at least please consider implementing Celeste's ideas posted in this thread.

Does the amount of annual refunds on private requests outweigh the amount of revenue that will be lost if this scares off regular customers who need full article reading privileges before purchase? I can fully understand why it may be necessary amongst the general population of articles, but for private jobs, there must be a way to circumvent this requirement.

Another idea would be to not make Private Request articles part of anything even remotely accessible to the general public. For instance, when the author writes for a private job, it's categorized as private, and after approval could go into their inventory, however, stay hidden everywhere else. Then, when the author gets their approval they can post it directly to their Private Request Q&A page for the customer to review before purchase.

Please consider. Thanks.

[Ed]

This seems to be an emergency move. Hopefully, we'll all get some more information in the morning. Thanks for posting this info, DSW.

[DSWaltenburg]

Not a problem.....I just know that my client provides work for several CC authors, and to lose his business means several of us lose out on that regular income.

Not coolio.

:)

[Ed]

Okay, Writers. Call it a night. I'll have more information for you soon. Until then, if you need to submit articles, just do so according to this new policy, and I'll review submissions accordingly.

Thanks and don't panic,
Ed

[Celeste Stewart]

Some established customers will buy sight unseen from the writers that they know have consistently performed for them in the past but it is a bit off-putting for others to blindly leap in and buy an article that isn't completely viewable. As DSWaltenburg's customer has said, he may very well move on though I'm sure CC will find a way to make it work or make an exception for private requests. Also, this may discourage established customers from trying new writers out.

In the meantime, in the case of private requests, it's easy enough to copy the entire text of the article in the "messaging" section with the customer. That should appease the private request crowd - but it will clutter up the exchanges and eventually slow page loading of particular messages. This could also be done for public requests but I don't recommend it as new customers won't necessarily understand how to purchase the article if so desired and may resent having to wade few lenghty passages in their messages.

Omitting the last few paragraphs really won't stop the thieves as they can just post what they have lifted and then maybe cut and paste a conclusion from some other site or write up their own lame ending. To me, it feels as if solving one problem creates a whole set of new ones. . . Any ideas?

[audrabianca]

I appreciate what CC is trying to do. However, I am with Celeste. The thieves are going to use what they can get. If the site could be set up so that we could trust our customers and they could trust us without the public having to see everything, I think we all would be grateful. OF course, anyone could become a customer to get access to other articles. In this age of the web, there is no solution here that will keep everyone happy.

[Lor]

"To me, it feels as if solving one problem creates a whole set of new ones. . . Any ideas?"

Yea. What I said in post 2.
"....The other thing is ... make actual articles visible only to members, with the summary visible to the general public. If articles get stolen then, it may be easier to track down the culprit..."

I really hoped for a response to that and Celeste made a similar suggestion.

What I'd like to know however, is how wide-spread the theft is? CC has been working. Writers and CC have been financially rewarded. I'm assuming it's gotten out of control.

Lorraine

[Ed]

Yeah, it has. Customers have complained; refunds have been made. Answers are forthcoming, but I can say with certainty that no one wants sales to decrease.