What is the dirty secret with article content???

Possibly, but if they are it's easily remedied by serving a DMCA notice on their hosting company, if you want to.

No.

You're confusing "duplicate content" and "syndicated content".

"Duplicate content" refers to multiple copies of the same text within one website.

I'm not quite sure, but I suspect that some article writers who hang around on sites like that may possibly not quite be what they appear to be? Many good writers advertise their services here in the "Warriors For Hire" folder.

You have to assume there are a percentage of poor writers who use others' works as samples. I though eLance was stricter than some of the other marketplaces.

As long as your copies of an article are spidered before any copies are, they will credit you site as being the source. People are always considering the tradeoffs in whether they should first post an article on their own site or to an article directory.

Unfortunately, you're dealing with people who aren't on the up-and-up. If you can't trust your writer (or any other professional that you're considering outsourcing work to) to be honest now, you won't be able to trust them later when they deliver your work.

Don't be skeptical of all writers out there, though... There are some great ones. However, as you're learning, you really have to do your homework before you hire anyone to work for you. Once you find the right writer, you'll be able to get custom content that meets/exceeds your expectations.

And listen to Alexa's advice about DMCA's and duplicate content. She is spot on

For the first bullet point, it is possible they are the same writer(s) using multiple accounts or working together. Still, it should raise a red flag because they should be able to at least provide you with two different writing samples for your consideration.

For the second bullet point, it is possible that their content has been syndicated all over the internet, which Alexa discussed in her post. Of course, it is also possible that they have stolen the content and are using it for their own gain, in the form of writing samples for Elance.

It sounds as though you are attracting the less than honest members of Elance. I would suggest trying to hire writers here or by other means.

Wow, that sounds pretty shady to me. If these "writers" can't even send you something original as their "writing sample" then how could you possibly expect them to write something original when you pay for it?

Well, I know a lot of my samples are articles I wrote for EZA so they will be on multiple websites. Some of my samples are from my blogs. I used to send out a set of samples that were unpublished but after I started sending them out to many prospective clients, I noticed they were being stolen and used so I always send samples published on my sites.

One thing you can do is ask them to write a short sample... say 150 words.

I do this quite often and check for:

1. Uniqueness... does it pass copyscape or other plagiarism checkers?
2. Quality. Does it make sense and have good spelling and grammar?
3. Response time. If it takes more than 24 hours I usually won't hire them. I don't like to hire people that are just going to further outsource. (I don't want to pay $15 for an article and have them pay someone else $5 to write it for them. If I wanted a $5 article, I would order a $5 article.)

Those are just a few tips. Normally I do most of my writing myself though if I fall behind on my own content because I am writing for clients or I just want a fresh perspective for my blog, I'll hire someone else to write.

The Warriors for Hire section has a lot of great writers.

Writers can get caught between a rock and a hard place with samples of their work. It's always possible that their content appears in multiple places because once they sell to a broker, they have no more control over where it goes or who uses it. I used to sell a lot of my articles through brokers. Not that I minded what they did with them - I was paid for them by the brokers and that was that. But if I were to use one or two of them as samples of my work, it would look as if I lifted them from the internet. Other examples of my work would be from my ghostwritten articles which are passed off as the buyer's own.

On the other hand, writers do not like to be asked to create a brand new document just for evaluation purposes. Many buyers will take that article, wave off the writer, and proceed to use that article for free. If they do this enough times, they have a steady source of articles. Even if they hire the writer, they don't always offer compensation for that first article.

If you think that's bad, look at things from my perspective (just for a minute -- for 'fun').

A guy hired me to write some articles years ago. Out of curiosity, I searched it up and found it all over the internet. I assumed the guy sold it as PLR material.

No big whoop...

...Until I discover an outsourcing writing service used the same article as an example of the "excellent" level writing quality they offer (in addition to a "good" level, "okay" level, "poor" level).

That's a very bad move and I'm not sure if I should inform them. This is a fairly well known outsourcing service.

Be aware that a number of service providers hire other writers, and then pass off those writers' works as their own. A lot of offshore writers do that, in fact, in an attempt to get US dollars. You might have been the end recipient of that little scheme.

Ask for a sample that hasn't been plastered all over the internet.

What does Elance's terms of service say about that? At vWorker, if providers breach the terms of a contract's copyright provision, you can file arbitration (at no cost, mind you) to resolve the issue.

First off, you should be commended for doing your homework. That said, for me personally, if two writers delivered the EXACT same sample I would disqualify them from selection.

Reminds me of all the link sellers on the DP forums. You'll post that your looking for links and you'll have twenty PM's and nearly all of them are advertising the exact same sites. Simply reselling the links and then contacting the site owners on your behalf.

When it comes to written content you want the best damn work you can afford. For a website, an article is what makes or breaks a site. For another tip, head on over to the Warrior For Hire section and see if there are any writers in there that can meet your needs.

There's lots of great writers in the Warriors For Hire section of this forum.

Honestly, I've worked with a lot of people looking to buy content, and I tell them all the same thing. You might be able to find a decent writer for $5 an article, but they won't stay at that price very long if they are any good. You need to pay for someone who will give you professional-level content, but even more importantly, provide top-notch communication and turnaround times. I personally guarantee my own writing and promise to immediately address any concerns within 24 hours of learning of any problems. This has only ever happened twice (both times due to miscommunication of what was ultimately required) and was immediately rectified. Once you find a writer you can trust and work with, treat them like gold. It's well worth your time when you consider the opportunity costs of the time you spend looking for someone new to trust with your writing services.