EzineArticles censoring my blog!

Alexa Smith

Banned 14 years ago

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CDarklock

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

With apologies for sounding unsympathetic, they're totally within their rights to decline an article containing a link to a site on which there's mention of submitting spun articles to EZA, in my opinion, because they disapprove of that.

I would agree with this, but make an important disctinction.

They have the right, in the sense that they can in fact make this decision and nobody can compel them to make a different one.

However, being in the right - making a decision that is fair and respectful of others - is a whole different matter.

Because they are trying to compel the OP to remove a post they don't like from his blog, not because he is linking to it, but because he is linking to another post on the blog.

They want the historical record altered to remove the parts they don't like.

"Once upon a time, you said something we don't like. If you ever want us to acknowledge you again, you must erase it and pretend it was never said."

I own the single worst domain name in the world. Sometimes I talk about it. When I talk about it, I sometimes link to it. And you're perfectly welcome to say that YOU won't link to it, or to a post that links to it, because you don't like it.

But if you won't link to a post that is on the same blog with a post that links to it, I believe a line has been crossed and you are a dick.

Of course, I already knew this about EZA, so I don't use them. YMMV.

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Alexa Smith

Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by CDarklock

They have the right, in the sense that they can in fact make this decision and nobody can compel them to make a different one.

However, being in the right - making a decision that is fair and respectful of others - is a whole different matter.

Yes - I do agree entirely that those are two completely different matters.

However, in this instance, where the post to which they were objecting related to publicising an activity related directly to their company and one which breaches their own terms of service, I think they were well within their rights to decline, and that doing so doesn't show them to be in any way unfair or disrespectful of others.

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Kurt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Yes - I do agree entirely that those are two completely different matters.

However, in this instance, where the post to which they were objecting related to publicising an activity related directly to their company and one which breaches their own terms of service, I think they were well within their rights to decline, and that doing so doesn't show them to be in any way unfair or disrespectful of others.

I agree, they are within their rights. And the people complaining about EZA are also within THEIR right to do so. (Although complaining on this site is a privilege)

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Paul Myers 13 years ago

Ya know, from reading the email exchange again after all this time, I'm not at all convinced the "this should be removed" line is referring to the post. It may well be referring to the link to the site within the article in question.

That said,there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying, "We will not link to sites which have X, Y, and/or Z content." Saying "We won't host a link to content to which we object" is neither unfair nor unethical. It's simply a preference being acted on, within the confines of one's own property.

The OP's problem is that he's having to make a choice. He can have one thing he wants or another, but not both at the same time. It seems a lot of these complaints arise out of that same challenge: "The other guy won't do things my way, so they're unfair/unethical/evil/stupid/whatever."

Feh.
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CDarklock

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

However, in this instance, where the post to which they were objecting

...was about WordPress failing to publish scheduled posts. It was published on 23 May 2010.

WordPress and Missed Schedule Post Woes

A different entry on the same blog, published on 30 May 2010, relates to article spinning.

My Article Marketing Strategy

EZA would like that entry removed from the blog almost a year later.

As far as violating their terms, I see this in that article (emphasis mine):

So first, I write an article. Pretty simple. Then I take that article and rewrite each sentence in it two more times. It's important to note that it's sentences that get rewritten and not paragraphs as a whole.

One of these articles I'll submit to EzineArticles.

Explain to me how this violates EZA's terms of service. He has written the article himself, then rewritten his own content before submitting it anywhere, then submitted his personally preferred version to EZA before submitting it elsewhere.

What they don't like is apparently the word "spinning" in the same article where submitting to EZA is mentioned.

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Kay King 13 years ago

I say it is a sad sorry state for freedom of the press.

The ad story is a year old thread bumped for another EZA rant.:rolleyes:
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Mark Francis

14 years ago

well they do have the rights to decline you , however unethical it may seem . I guess because you posted on article spinning they would assume you do it too and which is why they deny you . I recommend either you remove it or just dont link your blog to that account.

No , I have never faced these problems with ezine before but good luck and I hope you manage to solve this

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Kay King 14 years ago

Rewriting articles IS spinning - just doing it without a piece of software as a spinner.

EZA did not censor your blog in any way. They don't care what you have on your blog - but they aren't willing to link to it. They said ...

we do not allow content which discusses or promotes the use of article spinning software.

The "content" they are referring to is the article you submitted - which links to a blog with spinning discussed. That isn't censorship - it's EZA terms of use.

kay
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- Kay King 14 years ago
  
  Also, it's wise to chill before sending an angry email that begins with "Excuse me?" and ends with "Get your facts straight".
  
  That's an unprofessional way to communicate and rudeness doesn't help address any problem.
  
  When you are using a site that belongs to someone else - and they are allowing you to promote yourself on their site - your "rights" are only those they choose to give you.
  
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Sarah Harvey

14 years ago

Well they are right and they are wrong I think. What you do with your blog/ or site is up to you and not up to them. As long as you link to a page that does not point to this other article, I cannot see them rejecting you... however they are very stringent when it comes to what is acceptable and what is not. The thing is either you abide by the rules, or politely have to find another site to submit your articles to.

I always find it interesting when sites like this start prohibiting people from writing about some things. In my opinion I don't like it because if I was that person, I would politely point out that it is my site, my opinion and my words and they can take themselves to the end of the world of course. But like any authority, either you obey or go somewhere else. It is up to the individual if they will allow a site to dictate what is acceptable or not, or have the courage to do things differently and go elsewhere.

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Don Schenk

14 years ago

Gary, sorry, but I think Alexa is correct here. EZA is with their rights to determine to what and to where they will permit writers to send links.

EZA is their website and they are free to run it any way they wish. It's their ball and bat and they make the game's rules.

That said, I just re-read through their TOS and through their Posted Editorial Guidelines, and I didn't see any reference to "no spinning." I may have read through it too quickly. Then again, it's their game and they make their rules.

The alternative is to create your own article marketing website to post others' articles as well as your own.

:-Don

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warriorkay

14 years ago

You have a right to be mad, Gary, just
as they have the right to reject your
submission. I guess the only solution is
to adhere to all they ask, totally,

Kingsley

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Michael Oksa

14 years ago

Did EZA actually go into your blog and remove links or words they found objctionable?

If so, then, yes, they censored your blog.

If not, then you may or may not choose to make the changes they request, but that's up to you, not EZA.

The title of this thread should be...

"EzineArticles sticking to their principles"

Shame on them!

All the best,
Michael

p.s. Yes, I understand why you're upset, but EZA isn't in the wrong, either.

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Jeremy Kelsall 14 years ago

Find out which IP EZA is using to access your site when they check your resource box and send them somewhere else
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- gnugent 14 years ago
  
  Alexa - you need to check the definition of what censoring means (an official who examines material for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds). That is exactly what EZA have done with my blog.
  
  There is no mention in the Editiorial Guidelines in relation to spun material. Section 1a does refer to "MUST BE AN ORIGINAL ARTICLE THAT YOU WROTE". That's exactly what my article was. It wasn't a rewritten PLR article; it documented my personal experiences with Wordpress. So I have passed that criteria.
  
  The problem is that EZA does not define what "original" means. Does it mean the idea behind an article? If so, then there should only be one article on EZA about cat allergies, for example - from the author who first submitted an article about cat allergies.
  
  Not really workable, is it?
  
  Ok, so does "original" mean something that was written exclusively by the author (i.e. not a reworked PLR article)?
  
  Now, if that author rewites that article a couple of times, which of those is the "original" article? The first one written? Maybe the author prefers one of the other rewrites but, since that's not the first article written, it shouldn't be accepeted for publication because it's a spun article?
  
  Not really workable either is it because the author has some editorial input in deciding which version of an article to submit?
  
  Then there's the issue of copyright and reproduction rights. EZA do not claim exclusive rights to publish an article, nor do they assume copyright of submitted articles. So authors have full legal rights to do what they want with their articles. That includes rewriting them and submitting them to other article directories of they so want to.
  
  None of which contravenes any of EZA's rules.
  
  I suspect some of you who commented did not actually read my blog post about my article marketing strategy but instead reacted simply to my post on this forum. The blog post contains this sentence:
  
  "So articles submitted to EzineArticles need to be absolutely unique."
  
  Completely unequivocal about what kind of content I recommend submitting to EZA.
  
  The post also shows that I recommend submitting an article to EZA before anywhere else. Nowhere do I suggest that a spun article be submitted to EZA. Spun articles may be submitted to other places after EZA has accepted the orginal article for publication. So, EZA get preferential treatment using my article marketing strategy.
  
  To recap, the article I submitted to EZA is in compliance with their published Editorial Guidelines. However, it appears that it's not in compliance with some unpublished guidelines or they've just pulled a rule out of the air to suit themselves. I remind you that there are no conditions set out about the use of spun content in their editorial guidlines. And I remind you that I did not submit a spun article to them but an original article. And the article did not link to the post on my blog about my article marketing strategy but to a post that provided solutions for the Wordpress "Missed Schedule" problems I had encountered (i.e. useful information).
  
  EZA have rejected my article because they don't like one post on my blog that isn't even linked to from the article I submitted.
  
  Can they reject my article out of hand? Sure, it's their site and they can do what they want. But they have rejected my article for unethical reasons, not because it contravenes one or more of their guidelines but because they specifically do not like my blog (they have no problem with the article itself).
  
  You'd expect that the Editorial Guidelines are a contract beween EZA and authors and that each side should honour it. It seems that while EZA expects authors to do their part, they're not willing to hold up their end of the deal.
  
  What concerns me more than the EZA rejection is that the people who replied here (thanks for taking the time to do that, btw), don't seem to have a problem with EZA's unethical behaviour. There seems to be an attitude of "they can do what they want, deal with it" and no sense of wanting to hold them accountable (seems to me it's that attitude that got us into the banking crisis). Hopefully, food for thought.
  
  Anyway, thanks to you all for your input.
  
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  sanssecret 14 years ago
  
  I had a similar issue with them over their editorial guidelines regarding PLR. Their TOS say you cannot submit an article that promotes PLR as a good thing. Nowhere does it say you cannot submit an article that talks about PLR or links to a site which talks about PLR.
  
  When I queried it with them, their reply was that I was linking to a site which provided information on PLR. Yes, well I admit, PLR is mentioned on my site. But it's not promoted as a good thing so I didn't see it as breaking the TOS.
  
  So I queried again and asked them to point me to the part which said I couldnt talk about PLR. Their reply was that my link contained information which mentioned PLR. Well duh! They'd already said that. I wanted to know where in their TOS it said this was unacceptable.
  
  I never got an answer because the fact is it isn't mentioned in their TOS.
  
  Alas, in the end, I gave up and just changed the link. Unfortunately the folks who've replied to you are right. They can pretty much please themselves as it's their site. But it sure as hell doesn't help their reputation any when they just make up the rules as they go along.
  
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sellingmanagerebay

14 years ago

Actually you have no right to complain, because, EZA policies clearly states that no promotion of article spinning software is allowed, even if you have a link somwhere in your blog.

I think you should be very lucky that they are informing you what the problem is so you can correct it. Not many article directories do that.

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Kay King

14 years ago

Definitions of original on the Web:

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed; "the original inhabitants of the Americas"; "the book still has its original binding"; "restored the house to its original condition"; "the original performance of the opera"; "the original cast"; "retracted his original statement"
(of e.g. information) not secondhand or by way of something intermediary; "his work is based on only original, not secondary, sources"
master: an original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made
being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of; "a truly original approach"; "with original music"; "an original mind"
something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies; "this painting is a copy of the original"
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

You want to argue only the points that support your complaint.

You have a blog with links to posts about spinning articles and about autoblogging (scraping) - and EZA has no interest in promoting a site with those topics. They are not "censoring" your blog - they are telling you the blog content is not acceptable if you want to use their site.

The reason some here seem to approve of EZA's stance - is because that maintains the quality of the article directory for the rest of us.

kay

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sbucciarel

Banned 14 years ago

They are an article service and it's within their rights to determine what kind of content they allow and allow you to link to. I'm glad they don't condone spinning an article 100 times and blasting it all over the Internet. It's not valuable content. It's junk. They don't want to be associated in any way with junk content. So, they have high standards. Live up to them or use some junk article directories.

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Michael Oksa

14 years ago

Originally Posted by gnugent

I recently submitted an article to EzineArticles about the problems I've been having with "Missed Schedule" posts in some future-dated Wordpress blogs. They rejected the article because, according to them, it referred to "article spinning". It didn't.

Turns out that because I added a post to my blog some time back about my article marketing strategies which does mention article spinning, that they will not publish the article I submitted to them, *unless* I remove the article marketing strategy post from my blog - what they consider to be an offending post (that to me is nothing short of blackmail). You can follow my email exchange with them here on this blog post:

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum | Web-Biz Knowledgebase

I'm particularly interested in hearing your view on this (whether or not you think I'm out of line on this issue) and if you've had any similar experiences with EzineArticles, so leave a comment on the blog post (even if it's a copy of a reply here in the forum).

Thanks,

Gary

Hi Gary,

Really? You say you are interested to see if people think you are out of line, but then you rip into Alexa's response. But I will admit it's possible I misread your intent.

Or...

Are you just interested in getting more activity at your blog.

I actually missed that part of your post the first time. Re-reading it, it does make me wonder if you really want to see our responses HERE or if you would rather just have us post at your blog.

If it's the latter then, to be blunt, you can go pimp your blog somewhere else. If I am misinterpreting that line, then my apologies for the bluntness.

Furthermore, just for kicks...

Your response to Alexa was 732 words, or the equivalent of 2 EZA articles. I checked for the fun of it, and am not telling you if or how you should respond. Just adding a bit of perspective.

(Of course, you could make the same argument about the number of words in my post).

All of that being said, it is NOT about censorship. In fact, EZA doesn't even owe you an explanation for WHY the declined your article. They can choose to publish, or not publish, whatever they like.

In fact, while I may not always agree with their reasons for rejecting articles, I am happy that they actually have an editorial staff that tries to keep it from becoming the steaming junk heap that so many other article directories are.

This is just another thought (only a theory), maybe a small part of why your upset isn't that your article was rejected, but that it was rejected by EZA, one of the best directories around. Something to think about.

Anyway, I hope you are able to sort things out and move on.

All the best,
Michael

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Crew Chief 14 years ago

Gary,

You are beating a dead horse, get over it and move on! I'll admit, you did get a few of your blog readers partly riled up but again, your missive about blackmail and censorship holds no water, weight or merit.

Those emails you received from EZA, authors receive those same emails everyday, like clockwork. I've gotten the exact same emails for sites that I own that feature IM tactics and strategies. Again, get over it!

Need you be reminded that neither you nor any other IMer has any "Constitutional Rights" to publish their content on EZA?

Need you also be reminded that he who owns the gold makes the rules?

Need you also be reminded that if you don't like the rules, simply opt out or build a better article directory?

As Alexa so aptly put it, your blog was not censored and EZA surely hasn't engaged an any form of blackmail. The bottom line, EZA exercised their rights to reject your article based on the fact that it violated their Editorial Guidelines For Submitting Quality Articles To EzineArticles.com

Again, get over it! If it really infuriates you, make a bold move and STOP submitting your articles to EZA, close your account and petition them to remove ALL of your currently published articles. Oh and don't forget to place an IP block on EZA; that way, those bunch of numbskull nincompoops can never visit your blog again.

That'll show'em!!!

And the last step... build a website dedicated to exposing the dirty tactics EZA employs; including but not limited to: blatant censorship, the criminally punishable offense of blackmail and the civil punishable act of violating your constitutional rights. Get followers to join your movement and force EZA to change their despicable ways or you and your viral movement will shut EZA the hail down.

You wanted our view; there are mines.

P.S. What's with the odd request of asking WF members to "...leave a comment on your blog post (even if it's a copy of a reply here in the forum)?

Giles, the Crew Chief

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CDawson

Banned 14 years ago

Ezine has become the internet police of articles, they have become very strict but they are pretty much the best.

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bretski

14 years ago

I'm pretty sure that EZA has the right to decline your article for just about any reason. I don't think that they are required by any law or even by any ethical reason to publish your articles.

I'm also pretty sure that if they wanted to they could do whatever they want with their site including banning your account and deleting your articles from their site.

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gnugent

14 years ago

Alexa, only the first paragraph of my reply (the definition of censoring) was a response to your reply. Apologies to everyone if my whole reply seemed to be aimed at Alexa (my bad!). Everything after the first paragraph was me responding to other replies in the thread.

Crew Chief - as I've said repeatedly, my article does meet the criteria as laid out on EZA's guildelines page. EZA had no problem with the article content, but with the blog linked to by the article (not the post linked to by the article).

I also agreed in my reply that EZA can do what they want since it's their site. However, they're not abiding by the criteria they themselves set out.

There is nothing in EZA's guidelines about article spinning. They do mention ORIGINAL content, which my article was. If they're so concerned about it, why don't they just add a clause which says it's not allowed? Simple. Everyone then knows where they stand.

I'm not a 5-year old, so I'm not going to throw my toys out of the pram in a fit of pique just because things don't go my way. Actually, I'm a Expert Author at EZA and have been writing for them for years. Just disappointed with with them in the current matter.

M. Oksa - If my reply seemed to rip into Alexa, it wasn't intended that way (though it's my fault if you got that impression as I should have made it clearer that the first paragraph only was a response to her).

EZA said they'd only publish my article if I removed the post about my article marketing strategy from by blog. This is akin to a movie censor asking a movie company to remove a scene from a movie that they find objectionable before it can be released to the public. It is censorship, plain and simple.

No, I'm not pimping my blog, though I can see why you'd get that impression. I was genuinely interested in people's take on my situation. I raised the issue in another forum (posted the same message at the same time so I could get responses based on exactly the same text) and what I find interesting is that here, in WarriorForum, people are very much siding with EZA but in the other forum, they're against EZA. When I posted my queries, I thought I'd probably get a mixed bag of supporters and non-supporters in both forums, yet the results are completely polarised.

Kay - It's not my definition of what "original" means that's important, it's what EZA's definition is. And they don't give a definition. You may say it's self-evident, but the only self-evident definition is your/our own (yours may differ from mine, ours may differ from EZA's).

The article I submitted to EZA didn't have anything to do with article spinning. The article didn't link to a post that referred to article spinning in any way either. It met all their published criteria for acceptance.

EZA aren't interested in promoting anyone's site. They know (as do all the other article directories) that in order for them to get people to submit content to their site, they must provide an incentive/reward; i.e. allow links from articles. It's a business to them, not something they're doing simply for the good of the web.

sellingmanagerebay - EZA make no mention about the use/non use of spun articles or spinning software in their guidelines. That's my point! If it's such an issue for them, then they should add a condition explicitly stating that to the guidelines (in the same way as they do about not using press releases, etc).

Everyone - I've actually enjoyed the to and from of this thread because it's given me an insight into how others think and their perspectives on this situation.

Cheers,

Gary

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butters

14 years ago

You got to be kidding right... Your complaining about a company preventing you from telling people how to spam their service. That is quite possibly one of the biggest flawed arguments I have ever seen. How can you possibly think that it would be ok to post this type of content on THEIR site, the very thing they are trying to prevent. Dude..

Oh and for the record, it is easy to find a definition of "censor" to fit your arguement, heres one which prooves you wrong... Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the government or media organizations as determined by a censor. (In this case, ezine is the media organization.) So on them two bolded grounds, Ezine has full right to decline your articles. (They are not censoring your right to post on your blog, just censoring your article submitted)

Also... You claim that you have "Rights", your on their service, it's a privilege, not a right.

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Paul Myers

14 years ago

Thank you for yet another example of Stupid Forum Trick #4

Don said:

I just re-read through their TOS and through their Posted Editorial Guidelines, and I didn't see any reference to "no spinning." I may have read through it too quickly. Then again, it's their game and they make their rules.

No TOS document is ever complete. It is simply not possible to write one that covers every possible circumstance or potential abuse or non-preferred behavior. That's why "vague" words and escape clauses are used. In the end, everything comes down to the judgment of some human being. And that brings out the "forum lawyers."

All the nonsense about "blackmail" and "censoring" is just that. Nonsense.

As Lee said:

You claim that you have "Rights", your on their service, it's a privilege, not a right.

Which sums it up nicely.

Paul

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gnugent

14 years ago

butters - guess you didn't read my previous reply. Just so everyone's clear, here's the situation:

1. EZA did not reject my article because of its content (the article I submitted was not about article spinning or any related topic). They had no problem with the article itself.

2. EZA did not reject my article because of the links in the article (they pointed to a post that provides possible solutions to the Wordpress "Missed Schedule" problem).

3. EZA did reject my article because there is a post elsewhere on my blog about my article marketing strategy.

Your definition of "censor" simply backs up my case that EZA is censoring my blog because it contains something they don't like.

All authors have copyright (i.e. rights) on their material. Authors don't confer those rights on EZA simply by submitting an article and nowhere in their guidelines do EZA suggest that they assume copyright for published articles. I do have rights to use my article as I please as I own the copyright on it. Whether someone else publishes that article is up to them. I don't agree with EZA's reasons in my case because it's a condition they just pulled out of the air.

Paul Myers - Wasn't aware of the Forum Tricks and, yes, I can see I fall into the #4 category ;-). Article spinning is a fairly common practice amongst the IM community (even if it's a practice you don't agree with). And it's a very specific use of articles where a condition could easily be added to EZA's guidelines. Not for my benefit because I now know where I stand with EZA, but for people new to EZA. It would be to EZA's own benefit to provide clear guidance to people.

--

As to using EZA being a privelage? That's a bit OTT. No, it's a resource to be used. Better than a lot, worse than others.

So it's time to move on to other things now.

Cheers,

Gary

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Steven Wagenheim

14 years ago

Gary, short and to the point.

EZA has the right to reject any article you submit if the site its resource
box points to is one in which they have a problem with...for whatever
reason.

Game, set, match.

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Michael Oksa

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Gary, short and to the point.

EZA has the right to reject any article you submit if the site its resource
box points to is one in which they have a problem with...for whatever
reason.

Game, set, match.

Hi Steven,

I agree, though I would take it one step further and say it like this...

EZA has the right to reject any article you submit. Period.

I believe that's what you're really getting at, but some people will see the word "if" in your post and then start screaming that they're not doing whatever the "if" refers to.

All the best,
Michael

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Steven Wagenheim

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Hi Steven,

I agree, though I would take it one step further and say it like this...

EZA has the right to reject any article you submit. Period.

I believe that's what you're really getting at, but some people will see the word "if" in your post and then start screaming that they're not doing whatever the "if" refers to.

All the best,
Michael

You're right. I was referring only to this specific rejection.

I won't even comment on the censorship thing.

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Paul Myers 14 years ago

Gary,

Not for my benefit because I now know where I stand with EZA, but for people new to EZA. It would be to EZA's own benefit to provide clear guidance to people.

Why? So people who don't like it can argue about it and play Internet lawyer? Or try and work around it with weasel words and new gimmicks? All of which just ends up requiring more "clarifications" and legalese, which makes the problem worse.

Calling this an act of censorship against your blog is ridiculous. That's like calling me a censor because I tell someone, "I don't want to hang around with people who talk like that in public."

It's a nasty use of the word, intended to make someone look evil for having a different approach than you want them to have.

As to using EZA being a privelage? That's a bit OTT. No, it's a resource to be used.

Woah. Big-time entitlement thinking there.

That resource belongs to someone else. Using another person's resources is a granted privilege, not a right.

Paul
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sbucciarel

Banned 14 years ago

Originally Posted by gnugent

Your definition of "censor" simply backs up my case that EZA is censoring my blog because it contains something they don't like.

All authors have copyright (i.e. rights) on their material. Authors don't confer those rights on EZA simply by submitting an article and nowhere in their guidelines do EZA suggest that they assume copyright for published articles. I do have rights to use my article as I please as I own the copyright on it. Whether someone else publishes that article is up to them. I don't agree with EZA's reasons in my case because it's a condition they just pulled out of the air.

As to using EZA being a privelage? That's a bit OTT. No, it's a resource to be used. Better than a lot, worse than others.
Cheers,

Gary

You have rights this and you have rights that ... it's all about your rights. People who create websites have the right to accept or reject whatever they want to accept or reject for whatever reasons they want to accept or reject it. It's that simple.

And ... it is a privilege rather than a resource to used any way that you want to use it. They get to determine how you can use it. Accept it or not.

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Michael Oksa

14 years ago

If I said I won't re-publish a post from the Warrior Forum on my blog because there are some posts on techniques I consider balck hat, that would be my choice. But in now way whatsoever would that be an attempt to censor the WF.

It would be nothing more than not wanting to be associated with, or to avoid promoting techniques I don't agree with.

If anybody thinks that's censorship, then they may want to rethink the idea of writing. Not out of a fear of imaginary censoring, but because writing is so dependent upon understanding the the meaning of the words that are used.

All the best,
Michael

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Damien Roche

14 years ago

Well, yeh - it's quite simple. They can disapprove any article for any reason.

BUT there is something I have a problem with here where I believe EZA are wrong. They have checked out your website and then decided they didn't want to be associated with some of the content. They didn't do this due to any ETHICS people! Don't forget that. They did this because, specifically, article spinning is a problem for them.

Funny how they let through the absolute trash articles which 'review' and link to WELL KNOWN software used for illegal means. They need to get their principles straight.

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Steven Wagenheim

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Damien Roche

Funny how they let through the absolute trash articles which 'review' and link to WELL KNOWN software used for illegal means. They need to get their principles straight.

No, actually they need to get their priorities straight. And they have. Their
priority is the protection of their directory and nothing else. They don't care,
nor should they care, about illegal software that might do harm to other
sites.

They only have to care about what's in their best interests...just like each
of us has to care what's best for OUR businesses.

Once people understand this, we'll all be a lot happier with our lives
because we'll learn to recognize what is totally out of our hands and
not worth bitching about.

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Damien Roche

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

No, actually they need to get their priorities straight. And they have. Their
priority is the protection of their directory and nothing else. They don't care,
nor should they care, about illegal software that might do harm to other
sites.

They only have to care about what's in their best interests...just like each
of us has to care what's best for OUR businesses.

Once people understand this, we'll all be a lot happier with our lives
because we'll learn to recognize what is totally out of our hands and
not worth bitching about.

Agreed, not worth bitching about. Little is worth bitching about. I'd rather DO something.

Sorry though, I'll never understand how they get so much 'respect' from people here when they allow what I mentioned above. To me, that's unethical. Black and white.

It's like me allowing guest posts on my blog promoting piracy. That's wrong, no two ways about it.

..oops, there I go bitching again

Over and out.

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Paul Myers

14 years ago

Damien,

Funny how they let through the absolute trash articles which 'review' and link to WELL KNOWN software used for illegal means. They need to get their principles straight.

Assumptions abound.

It is entirely possible that the people handling approvals there don't know about or understand the harm the software and techniques you're referring to can do. That's a matter of knowledge, not ethics.

None of us knows everything.

Paul

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Damien Roche

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Damien,Assumptions abound.

It is entirely possible that the people handling approvals there don't know about or understand the harm the software and techniques you're referring to can do. That's a matter of knowledge, not ethics.

None of us knows everything.

Paul

I wish. Allowing content and promotion of this niche on their site is plain wrong. Unless their editors blindly click different areas of the screen until something is approved or disapproved, I'm 99% sure they know.

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Gertie 14 years ago

EZA is within their rights to do so although I agree it doesn't seem fare.

Gert.
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Black Hat Cat

Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Damien,Assumptions abound.

It is entirely possible that the people handling approvals there don't know about or understand the harm the software and techniques you're referring to can do. That's a matter of knowledge, not ethics.

None of us knows everything.

Paul

It's also possible that they do know and understand, but don't give a rat's rear, meaning it is a matter of ethics.

But they have rejected my article for unethical reasons, not because it contravenes one or more of their guidelines but because they specifically do not like my blog (they have no problem with the article itself).

Gary

Disliking your blog isn't unethical. And no, your blog isn't being censored.

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Paul Myers 13 years ago

Cat,

It's also possible that they do know and understand, but don't give a rat's rear, meaning it is a matter of ethics.

Change 'is' to 'could be,' and I'd agree with that statement.

Disliking your blog isn't unethical. And no, your blog isn't being censored.

Yeah. We have rather a large contingent of regular posters who don't grasp the difference between preferences and ethics. The same sort of confusion exists for many regarding the difference between rights and privileges.

Paul
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theverysmartguy

14 years ago

I get kicks when people complain about stuff like this.

From what I have seen with EZA, they don't just look at the single page that the article is linking to, the more senior editors usually look at the site as a whole, or at least a few pages. Just to make sure that there isn't anything in there that could harm their directory. Which basically means talk about article spinners, and PLR type products.

I was helping someone write some articles, giving them some tips and what not, and the article got reject because of the simple fact that they mentioned PLR articles on one of their posts. He removed it and sure enough the article got approved.

However, I did catch them in the act of holding a double standard. There was talk about wanting to sell PLR articles, and article packs through EZA by offering articles, and groups of articles for sale. They would have course split it with the owner of the article etc.

So, I brought up the fact that they will have to at least allow articles that discuss this, or/and linking to sites that talk about it.

When I brought this up, they totally side stepped it, and I haven't heard anything about it since. Not sure if they are still planning on it or not. I thought it was pretty funny.

If It was my site that you were linking from, and I didnt like the looks of the website, I would reject it too. It has NOTHING to do with censorship at all. They are basically stating they don't want to link to you with that post up. Simple as that really.

Anyways, with all the LENGTHY replies you have posted to this thread, you could have been writing a ton more articles instead.

That's my thoughts on this.

Ciao,

-- Jeff

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Teriss 13 years ago

Ezine is censoring articles and it is the truth. I had two articles that were on their site for 4 whole years without a problem and you could say they were grandfathered in for that length of time. I had to make some edits to them, they sent me back a note saying they are not acceptable. The article was about a famous celebrity and dogs -totally what was the truth. Also I was not publishing anything that was not already out in the news media or on the internet.

Ezine has been Google slapped and now they are too paranoid to publish the truth or factual information. The site is a simple article directory -nothing more and to go to the extremes they have now in their policies degrades their site as a honest source.

Like the television networks they have become corporate influenced and this is a goal of government to control the internet if you want to look at the big picture.

It appears the days of going underground are back - follow the rules or be banished from the kingdom.

I say it is a sad sorry state for freedom of the press.
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- Tina Golden 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Teriss
  
  I say it is a sad sorry state for freedom of the press.
  
  It has nothing to do with freedom of the press. You are not a reporter and they are not a news site.
  
  They own the site. You follow their rules or publish your articles somewhere else. It's as simple as that.
  
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- Alexa Smith Banned 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Teriss
  
  Ezine is censoring articles and it is the truth.
  
  I hope so - it's usually called "editorial control", but yes: it is a form of censorship, looking at it only slightly pedantically. And it would be nice if they could be just a little more consistent about it, but that's (a) presumably difficult with so many editorial staff, and (b) not relevant to your argument anyway.
  
  They wouldn't be worth nearly as much to me (and to many others here) if they didn't exercise editorial control as they see fit. Although all the recent changes are "too little, too late" (as so many of us here have been saying for the last couple of months), in reality they've exercised it better than any other article directory has, over the last decade, and that relates directly to why and how I make more money from using their directory than from using anyone else's.
  
  Originally Posted by Teriss
  
  It appears the days of going underground are back - follow the rules or be banished from the kingdom.
  
  I wasn't aware there was anything "underground" about that.
  
  It seems superficial enough to me: like any good article directory, which authors want to use to promote their work and themselves and their businesses on someone else's property, it was ever thus: they own the site and they get to decide what's published there, just like you and I do on your sites and mine.
  
  Originally Posted by Teriss
  
  I say it is a sad sorry state for freedom of the press.
  
  And I say that by no stretch of the imagination is Ezine Articles "the press".
  
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Alexa Smith

Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Chris Kent

I don't see where the OP broke the editorial guidelines.

Did you realise that the thread's about a year old, Chris? It was just bumped today for a point about alleged freedom of "the press" (as represented, apparently, by EZA?!?!) to be made.

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bretski 13 years ago

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- JohnMcCabe 13 years ago
  
  Freedom of the press?
  
  Really?
  
  Seriously?
  
  The only thing I see being restricted is one person's ability to use someone else's press (website) for their own purposes, even when those purposes are contrary to the press owner's expressed desires.
  
  You want to publish? Go for it. Set up a blog, create a website, bitch and moan until Hell won't have it. No one will stop you.
  
  Of course, most will exercise their right to ignore you, but that's a subject for another day and another thread...
  
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Alan Ashwood

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Chris Kent

This is arbitrary approver behaviour. I don't see where the OP broke the editorial guidelines. The article submitted does not approve of spinning.

The content on the blog has nothing to do with it. You could have an article about criminal cases on your blog, it doesn't mean you approve of what they do.

Hmm. This puts me in a fix. I am in the process of writing an article about spinners. One of the things I advise is NOT TO SPIN ARTICLES for submission to Article Directories.

Maybe I can't publish this for fear of refusals at a later date.

What do you think?

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Rob Howard

13 years ago

One day I decided to buy a house next to a major, well traveled roadway. It gets thousands of cars passing every day. I purchased it because I liked the convenience it provided.

Then, a few days later, I found a guy painting on the side of the house a HUGE advertisement for his business.

I proceeded to call the police and attempted to get him to leave.

When they showed up at my door, his defense was "The house is a RESOURCE to be used, not his property. Look at all the people who can see the ad!"

Luckily I live in a world were rights are applied equally under the law and the joker was arrested.

Rob

PS - Not a true story in case anyone thinks so. And for anyone who disagrees with me, go take a civics class and learn what "rights" "freedom" and "liberty" really means.