Ask Shawn Collins: Content for Affiliates

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1. 
   On March 1 @ 1:05 am David said

   You have to be careful about reusing articles though – its a hit on the SEO. If search engines find the same two (or 3 or 4) articles on different parts of the web, they will credit to the stronger site (if at all). In fact, they might devalue both.

   So, if you intend to get additional traffic reusing someone else’s content, you should make sure you are aware of the consequences!

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2. 
   On March 1 @ 9:58 am Shane said

   Did I understand you to say that anyone publishing an RSS feed is giving people permission to republish it?

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3. 
   On March 1 @ 10:19 am Shawn Collins said

   > Did I understand you to say that anyone publishing an RSS feed is giving people permission to republish it?

   Hi Shane -

   I said “When somebody has a blog, they typically make an RSS feed available that enables anybody to republish their content in whole or in part.”

   I’ve seen some blogs with a Creative Commons emblem or copyright notice regarding their content, but for the most part, I haven’t seen notices on blogs restricting the use of their content.

   Personally, when I make my RSS feed available, I do so with the understanding that people are going to publish my excerpts, and I’m glad for the incremental exposure and traffic back to me.

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4. 
   On March 2 @ 10:29 am Shane said

   That’s not my understanding at all, and I don’t think it’s the common understanding. Very good topic for discussion, though! I’m going to ask my readers.

   (BTW, when your blog recognizes me, I’m no longer able to submit a comment because the captcha is hidden.)

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5. 
   On March 2 @ 10:41 am Shawn Collins said

   I’m very interested to hear people’s opinions on this. Would you rather people didn’t post excerpts of your blog?

   I don’t like that people use my content to make AdSense money, but I think the tradeoff of further penetration is worth it.

   > (BTW, when your blog recognizes me, I’m no longer able to submit a comment because the captcha is hidden.)

   This got through fine – maybe it’s because you’re “trusted” by having a previous published comment.

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6. 
   On March 2 @ 11:01 am Shane said

   No, I actually had to click Change to be able to see the captcha box. I lost two posts before I finally saw the tiny “Answer the question!” text and then just lost another one because I forgot to answer the question, but all the fields had been disabled

   I’m fine with people republishing excerpts of my posts if they link back, but I’m definitely not giving them blanket approval to republish my “content in whole.”

   …and I may clearly be in the minority. That’s why I’ve opened it up to comments: http://www.askshane.org/blogging-basics/does-an-rss-feed-imply-republish-rights.php

   I’m interested to see what people have to say!

   (And thanks for all the great content, by the way. I’ve been a subscriber since Shoemoney recommended your blog.)

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1. 
   On March 2 @ 10:35 am Does an RSS Feed Imply Republish Rights? » Ask Shane.org posted

   [...] can enjoy them however they like. For that reason, I was very concerned when I read this from Shawn Collins yesterday: When somebody has a blog, they typically make an RSS feed available that enables anybody to [...]

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