EzineArticles declares war on affiliates?

[ChrisG]

Our War With Affiliate Marketers

Who knows maybe this can be a good thing with the right approach. I've noticed a lot a crap that has been flooding ezine lately (can't say I'm not guilty myself).

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by ChrisG

Who knows maybe this can be a good thing with the right approach.

Absolutely. It can be a really good thing!

Very good post and explanation by Chris Knight, there - thanks for posting this.

And good to see that "quality control" really matters to them.

[Jill Carpenter]

"Last month we cracked down on penis enlargement articles and rejected thousands of them that over promised and massively under-delivered.

Perhaps the reviewers were unsatisfied with the results? LOL

Wonder what their stance is on all the new man boob products.

[Marhelper]

Good! I really appreciate Chris doing this as he is obviously invested in the long term reputation and success of EZA.

[ryanman]

Google loves good content...If bad quality content persists...Google would slap ezinearticles. Therefore in the long run this is going to benefit everyone.

[sunlight]

I haven't done any article marketing yet, but I wonder what they mean by "not original enough" content. Does that just mean that you can't copy another article (duh) or does it mean that you have to come up with something majorly different than other articles on the same subject?

[AJ Silvers]

About time too! Good copy and good marketers will always provide value, so this is a great development as far as I am concerned. Anyone who frets about this is clearly taking the short term spam=money view.

[peetred]

I don't see this to be a problem. It could become concerning if they are rejecting people who write articles that meet the eza requirements. If they get too rigid, I can see article writers going elsewhere to submit their articles. But I agree and like the idea of quality control. This means our original stuff won't get lumped in with a bunch of spam. That too will make EZA undesirable to quality writers and their visitors.

[ChrisG]

It sounds like they will be cracking down on people who rewrite articles that they have already have submitted, as well as declare something in the article title but not follow through with it in the article body. Here is a quote from Chris:

"Affiliate marketers who submit thin non-original articles are wasting their time submitting to us."

also:

90% who have decided to scale their craft into hundreds and thousands of articles have become highly efficient at writing keyword loaded copy while making sure that their articles seldom deliver on the promise made in the article title…because if their articles delivered on the promise they made in the title…they fear our end users would never click to their website.

this is a technique I've been using (except not keyword loading them), so it may be time to change strategies lol.

[Nic Lynn]

Lol! I thought your were dramatizing this with the "declares war," but, nope. They have indeed declared war (or at least have had a minor skirmish). This is all good!

[kevin campbelle]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

"Last month we cracked down on penis enlargement articles and rejected thousands of them that over promised and massively under-delivered.

You know when I saw this post I thought it was a joke, until I read the actual article LOL.


Kevin.

[tarr645]

I don't think this is a problem, I think it's great for the spamming problem

-Avi

[Allen Graves]

I'm all for it.

Like I sais in my comment - hopefully it will spill over into the mainstream internet content pool.

The crap flying around out there (that is not approved by directories) would shock a lot of people.

Allen

[Rod Cortez]

In the longrun, this is a good thing. Secondly, I now know why all those articles on penis enlargement weren't working for me....uh...I mean....my.....uh.....friend.

[Jill Carpenter]

"MUST NOT contain information that promotes: PLR (Private Label Rights) articles as a good thing (it's not)"


I found this interesting when I was scanning through this morning before submitting something.

So, I guess using/suggesting PLR articles to put together a free report is not a good thing?

[clint48]

This will probably put a damper on people that sell PLR articles, but there are other places to use PLR articles so it might not put them out of business, but it will hurt their business some, I think.

Clint

[Jason_V]

I'm sorry but in this case I can't join into the "rah rah" and pats on backs going all around.

I'm all for quality. However, in that post he may as well just told all the authors or potential authors that they are:

"On double secret probation."

You can sit there and say "thin" articles until your blue in the face, however an example would be very helpful.

I'm sorry but quite frankly every topic (just about) has already been written about. There are only so many ways you can say the same thing.

So, my article should be penalized because I happen to get into a niche I just discovered and other people have already submitted articles on the same topic?

I think it's ridiculous when a company/organization/site forgets who/what made them what they are. They then try to lord over those very people like puppet masters.

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by Rod Cortez

I now know why all those articles on penis enlargement weren't working for me....uh...I mean....my.....uh.....friend.

Only the "traffic viagra" man was open enough to make this comment, I notice!

[Tony X]

I think for EZA also needs to understand that MARKETERS are trying to target various keywords.

Writers pretty much just write. But actual marketers want there content to be seen by as many people as possible.

And this is what I mean. If I'm going after "how to lose fat quickly" and "how to get rid of body fat fast". I could have one article that's written on "how to lose fat quickly" and the rewrite that article and plug in a different keyword, "how to get rid of body fat quickly". There shouldn't be anything wrong with doing this way.

Usually, people who cheer and hype up the ol' good content will bring you riches, or people will just magically come to your article via google, obviously don't know what they're talking about.

I'm all for good content and everything. But having that content rewritten shouldn't be a problem.

[Allen Graves]

Originally Posted by Tony X

I think for EZA also needs to understand that MARKETERS are trying to target various keywords.

Writers pretty much just write. But actual marketers want there content to be seen by as many people as possible.

And this is what I mean. If I'm going after "how to lose fat quickly" and "how to get rid of body fat fast". I could have one article that's written on "how to lose fat quickly" and the rewrite that article and plug in a different keyword, "how to get rid of body fat quickly". There shouldn't be anything wrong with doing this way.

Usually, people who cheer and hype up the ol' good content will bring you riches, or people will just magically come to your article via google, obviously don't know what they're talking about.

I'm all for good content and everything. But having that content rewritten shouldn't be a problem.

Tony,

I think they are making it quite obvious who their target market is...and it's not the people who are members of the Warrior Forum (ie: affiliate marketers).

They'll never say it, but look on the wall, dude.

I compltely and totally understand where they're coming from and I agree that if their target audience is not affiliate marketers, who are submitting articles to get people to their website instead of to provide INFORMATION on their products, then they have every right to shun the affiliates.

Now, I don't cater to that idea in my endeavors, but to each his own. And EZA's is the biggest (speaking of traffic viagra and penis enlargement - LOL).

Allen

[Heuristic]

What it all comes down to, in my opinion, is that these content sites have no choice. They are between a rock and a hard place. If they don't run a tight ship, they'll feel the wrath of the search engines - who, by the way, also want a pleasant experience for their users.

Sites like Ezine and Squidoo must be in constant fear of big "G" dropping the hammer. Is it any wonder they have to take a hard stance against anything that would jeopardize their reputation?

Personally, I am weaning myself off web 2.0 sites and building my own VRE. Yeah, it is a lot more work, but at least I won't be in constant fear of my livelihood being cut off after the latest TOS update.

Steve

[peetred]

Originally Posted by Allen Graves

I compltely and totally understand where they're coming from and I agree that if their target audience is not affiliate marketers, who are submitting articles to get people to their website instead of to provide INFORMATION on their products, then they have every right to shun the affiliates.

Allen

I agree. EZA doesn't have an article site for the purpose of us to market products. EZA has an article directory that appeals to those who want quality content for their website. The main attraction for authors is that they can post a link back to their website in their bio.

Believe me, there are plenty of authors out there that are just writing to write. They don't have a care in the world about making money online or marketing a product. Some are marketing themselves or branding themselves, yes. Honestly, in most cases, this IS where the real quality content comes from. Yes, every topic has been written about, but some of it is just rehashed endlessly.

Now, I"m not criticizing that method. In fact, I'm in a niche now that you basically have to write the same thing over and over again a different way to market it. That's how the market works, it's what they want, and it's not something that buyers research a ton. I have to give them the facts and that's it... so there is not much original there.

We can't really get mad at EZA for making their own rules. The only thing that I wish is that they would make the rules clear and stick to what they say are the rules, so that nobody is confused. I think that may be the biggest problem.

[Johnnyboy83]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

"Last month we cracked down on penis enlargement articles and rejected thousands of them that over promised and massively under-delivered.

Perhaps the reviewers were unsatisfied with the results? LOL

I was thinking the same when I read that sentence. He Probably was one of unsatisfied penis enlargement readers.

[Tony X]

I'm not understanding who their target market is then. They offer a $97 a month premium account, which I'm sure only marketers pay.

And they pull in massive amounts of traffic, which means big adsense checks that marketers help them make.

Writers who just write aren't doing keyword research. They're not targeting highly competitive niches.

They're just your ol' mom and pops, who write about things like knitting baby booties and things like that.

I think I agree with the person that said EZA might be tightened things up for google.

At the end of the day, the internet is always, always evolving. You gotta just keep up and adjust to stay ahead of the time.

[Mohammad Afaq]

Who knows maybe this can be a good thing with the right approach

It is a good thing and if I had a website getting million+ visitors a day I will be doing anything possible to provide value to my visitors and keep spammers off my site.

[rpewitt]

I have several thoughs first who is ezine marketing to.
second whereezine the market going to get there materail.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

"Last month we cracked down on penis enlargement articles and rejected thousands of them that over promised and massively under-delivered.

Perhaps the reviewers were unsatisfied with the results? LOL

Wonder what their stance is on all the new man boob products.

A little ironic, don't you think? Considering the target market for those products is in much the same camp...

[desmond11]

Originally Posted by Tony X

I'm not understanding who their target market is then. They offer a $97 a month premium account, which I'm sure only marketers pay.

And they pull in massive amounts of traffic, which means big adsense checks that marketers help them make.

Writers who just write aren't doing keyword research. They're not targeting highly competitive niches.

They're just your ol' mom and pops, who write about things like knitting baby booties and things like that.

I think I agree with the person that said EZA might be tightened things up for google.

At the end of the day, the internet is always, always evolving. You gotta just keep up and adjust to stay ahead of the time.

I agree with Tony. This is to fall in line with the Big G and who can blame them. Like most successful marketers, we'll have to grow and adapt to fit into their profile "Article Marketer".

There's a lot of competition out there from other directories. EZA have to raise the bar in order to compete.

[Allen Graves]

I hate it when people say that EZA is crapping on the people that got them where they are now. That's total bull****.

If this were the case, then every article directory out there would be the kings of Google. Have you notices the hundreds of article directories that are simply disappearing off the face of the Earth while only a few are remaining powerful? Its happening for a reason.

Chris put a lot of his own money back into EZA. He worked ver hard to get EZA where it is today. If you don't believe that, go open an article directory and let me know how it goes.

And those who say that EZA owes them because the authors provide all the content, I have to ask what the hell you think the killer targeted traffic, backlink juice, brand building and reputation building is - not to mention all of the killer tools they provide.

I don't like EZA all that much, but I see it from both sides. I am not blinded by ignorance (or greed in one direction or the other). So I'm not kissing anybody's backside or trying to score any points - I'm just sayin'

And if their scrutiny and strict rules rub off on other parts of the internet, then good for them.

Respectfully,
Allen Graves

Originally Posted by Gail_Curran

Chris built his empire and makes his money on the backs of those affiliate marketers he despises so much.

I'm not against improving quality or "raising the bar," I just find his contemptuous attitude a tad hypocritical.

Yep, that is what happens when you as "marketers" create another site into a so-called authority site. They turn on you when they start to see their crappy content hurting their listings and their ad sense pockets.

All the mor reason to build your own site into an authority site...

James

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

"MUST NOT contain information that promotes: PLR (Private Label Rights) articles as a good thing (it's not)"


I found this interesting when I was scanning through this morning before submitting something.

So, I guess using/suggesting PLR articles to put together a free report is not a good thing?

Chris doesn't want articles submitted to his directory suggesting that "authors" buy and submit PLR articles to his site.

Originally Posted by Tony X

And this is what I mean. If I'm going after "how to lose fat quickly" and "how to get rid of body fat fast". I could have one article that's written on "how to lose fat quickly" and the rewrite that article and plug in a different keyword, "how to get rid of body fat quickly". There shouldn't be anything wrong with doing this way.

Usually, people who cheer and hype up the ol' good content will bring you riches, or people will just magically come to your article via google, obviously don't know what they're talking about.

I'm all for good content and everything. But having that content rewritten shouldn't be a problem.

Tony, look at it this way. If Tony X submits two articles that are identical except for one key phrase, the damage may be minimal. If 1,000 Tonys do the same thing, it's a huge problem. Compound that by introducing the idea that an article with 5 tips can be "rewritten" by simply changing the order of the tips and massaging the title slightly.

Article 1: 1,2,3,4,5
Article 2: 2,3,4,5,1

etc.

Mathematically, you could "rewrite" those same five tips 5x4x3x2x1 = 120 ways. Add in your phrase substitution and now you have 240 "unique" articles, all saying exactly the same thing. If all 1,000 of our hypothetical Tonys do the same thing, that's almost a quarter of a million articles with exactly the same content.

That's not good for EZA, its end users or the search engines. That means it's ultimately bad for Tony, too.

I run one small article site where I hand-select the articles. I've had new submissions shut off for months now while I sort through looking for the flowers and pull the weeds. I can only imagine the headaches EZA has with their scale.

[kfilliez]

It seems to me this is a great move. I've read so many posts where people say they are submitting 40 articles a day. I guess they have some success but for the most part, it has to be regurgitated crap.

I doubt even the best novelist spits out 40 pages of true nail biting content in a day. If they do, they have editors that red ink it in the end.

The bummer part is that once you are getting the hang of the internet marketing world, it's flipped on its head...I guess that keeps it interesting and creative for us all

To Happy Days

Kirstin Filliez

[Allen Graves]

Originally Posted by kfilliez

It seems to me this is a great move. I've read so many posts where people say they are submitting 40 articles a day. I guess they have some success but for the most part, it has to be regurgitated crap.

I doubt even the best novelist spits out 40 pages of true nail biting content in a day. If they do, they have editors that red ink it in the end.

The bummer part is that once you are getting the hang of the internet marketing world, it's flipped on its head...I guess that keeps it interesting and creative for us all

To Happy Days

Kirstin Filliez

Yes, things change all the time in this world. But nobody can deny that one thing has prevailed, unchanged, since the very beginning of internet marketing.

Quality, original content.

AL

[Black Hat Cat]

So, since this is a war on affiliates, I guess this means you can continue to post content that is "thin" on originality, as long as it's your own product, and not an affiliate product, which makes about as much sense as pissing in the wind. Seems to me the focus should be on quality, period. The affiliate part isn't relevant. But that's EA for you....misguided and inefficient as always. Maybe they should try a little originality of their own for a change instead of pretending that EA accounts are Google adwords accounts.

[Catalyst eMarketing]

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of article marketing for affiliates.
(Don't throw rocks).

I just really don't get how it can be all that effective to have an article with all those leaky Adsense links that probably take people away before they get to the bottom and hit your bio link.

Anyway so many of the posts in the article marketing section of my affiliate forum, deal with spinning and mass submitting that it just seems to me that many were just trying to game the system and not produce quality content.

So while I don't know much about EA and their past practices and never want to see good affiliates cracked down on or discriminated against, I can see wanting to improve quality.

[Curleyjohn]

Write from your experience and it will always be original and fresh.

[Burtgummer]

This is great. I only write high quality articles, and I want them to deliver, so it won't affect me (or most of the WF members). Sure, being BH might work, but that will start a bad reputation, and once you have a reputation it's hard to change it. Writing high quality, delivering articles will be more appealing and attractive to the reader which is what all article marketers should want.

Its great that EZA is watching this and cracking down.

My only problem is that I need to outsource articles, but I need high quality and original content.....anyone know any places like that? I don't want broken English from outsourced articles.

Thanks EZA!

[SurviveUnemployment]

At war with affiliate marketers? Is that guy on crack? Marketers provide about 95 percent of their content and income.

I put all my garbage on EZA for link juice. The good stuff is either going to a real publication that pays for it or on my own properties. That's EZA in a nutshell: The garbage dump of the Internet. The guy's got some nerve to act like he's The New York Times. If they want quality content, they'll have to pay for it like everybody else. That's how the publishing business works.

[adamv]

The war on affiliate marketers may clean things up a little but in reality if they were to stop accepting non original articles they would have to stop accepting articles all together.

What I mean by that is that in any given category on EZA there are hundreds if not thousands of articles. What can someone say in 400 words that has not already been covered at least several dozen times before?

I write all original content and would never dream of plagerizing but I can't imagine submitting an article on any subject at EZA in which some of the points I make in my article have not already been made by many other people.

How many original dog training tips can you come up with when there are already 10,000 dog training articles on the site?

I'll just keep doing what I do which is to try to be as original as possible and hope that my articles still get accepted the way I'm used to.

[crissanteiro]

I think this is a very good thing. I am all for more quality vs. quantity. I think internet marketing articles should have substance and originality. Good for Chris!

[Kay King]

[quote More words that say nothing is not better than fewer words that say nothing.][/quote]

I love that line in Chris' statement.

[itcoll]

i seriously think that the whole EZA website is getting duplicated each year - what do you say?each niche category in EZA contains at least 50 versions of the same article..lol

[davidomni]

Thats a nice little article. Good read.

I have never done article marketing but I have always heard about it in the background.

Looks like they want to keep their quality up so,
thats a good thing for sure!

On another note, even though this might be the stupidest question ever,
how do I get my link in ezine articles?

Stupid I know, but this info will help me!

Cheers.

[actionplanbiz]

This is absolutely a good thing for a newbie article marketer that doesn't use any article spinning software like my self.

thanks for pointing me to this blog =D

[ahefner33]

My only thing is at what point or view does it come down to something being re-hashed? Everything topic is written about on EzineArticles. Just do a search for something random and you'll find a article on that topic. So, does it basically come down to what the ezine editors views or thinks is re-hashed material?

Not complaining, just wondering.

Adam

[Droopy Dawg]

Love the comments LMAO!! They running with the "PE" comment.

Good stuff though. Alot of folks here have been complaining about their articles being rejected... now they see why.

[spartanic]

Not suprised. Who wants put articles that aim at promoting an affiliate product rather then it being a honest truthful article?