Cheating Authors at Ezine

88 replies
I have it with cheating authors at Ezine. The person I am speaking of is a member here with about a zillion posts. I hope you read this and I hope you make a post in this tread.

You're stealing from me and I am going to stop it one way or another.

Below you will find a copy of an email I just sent to Ezine. I will let you know what they reply with. I removed quite a bit of details so you don't know who he is, but enough to see what he is doing.

Essentially, he has figured out a way to buy traffic to his articles so Ezine can't detect it. This results in his articles being listed in the Most Viewed Ezine Articles which of course just gets him more hits and more money.

Of course some of you might think this is smart, I think he is STEALING from me and 2,139 others.

Another clever little trick he does is post his OWN articles at his OWN websites to improve his ranking in the Most Published Ezine Articles. Which again cheats every other writer that does things the right way.

There are 2,139 writers in this category and I am rated #2. His manipulating of the system is simply stealing money from every one of us.

I am going right after your income and I am going to do everything I can to have your account banned.

Hell, most of his articles are simply copy and paste for the vendor he is promoting website. A direct violation of Ezine's policies.

Below is a portion of my email to Ezine.

To Whom It May Concern:

As the number two rated author in the category I would like this looked into and actions to be taken.

Out of the thirty highly coveted positions in the Most Published and Most Viewed categories he has eleven spots. This is statistically impossible.

Please do not suggesting that is could be anything else?

One author has 37 % of the rankings out of 2,139 writers. 1 out of 2,139 percentage is .0000468 %. This happens to be statistically impossible.

Not only is this impossible, I would like to know why your system has not found this already and his account not banned?

Because the real numbers are actually much worse! The actual figures you should use for these calculations are the number of articles he has submitted verse the total number submitted to the category as a whole. I do not have access to those numbers, but I wish I did.

He is straightforwardly influencing your results to his financial advantage and the disadvantage of ever other author in the category.

Next why is he allowed to violate your writing policies by coping and pasting material directly for the product he is promoting website? I have copied and pasted many of his articles that all you have to do is view the website they are pointing to and determine he wrote very few of his own words.

Sincerely,
XXXXX
#authors #cheating #ezine
  • Profile picture of the author Allen Graves
    You sound a little pissed off. lol

    Forgetaboutit....
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    • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Allen Graves View Post

      You sound a little pissed off. lol

      Forgetaboutit....
      He sounds a little stupid too. I mean, whining because an author posted his own articles on his own site?

      Gotta admit, I haven't seen a dumber complaint thread than this one in a long, long time.
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  • Profile picture of the author billaaa777
    I am!!!! And I am going to try and stop it for me and every other honest writer there.
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  • Profile picture of the author kayelex
    Good luck with your crusade. I understand you not wanting to say who is doing this, but it still peaks my curiosity. If someone deems buying traffic to their articles at Ezine Articles to be worth it, then that makes me rethink the power of articles at Ezine Articles. Not that I am going to buy traffic to them, but there must be something to being ranked like that.

    My question is I don't doubt you caught the guy copying and pasting, but isn't EZA supposed to police that during the review process? Don't they run copyscape or something?
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    • Profile picture of the author banacek
      Interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. Hopefully you will keep us up to date on the outcome.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I don't understand some of the complaints posted by the OP.

      It's possible the author is using the same traffic generation tactics on articles that he uses for sites - many authors do. It's smart marketing. What you think is "buying traffic" may be use of social bookmarking, videos, linking strategies instead.

      What's wrong with him putting his articles on his own sites? Many of us advise article writers to do this - I do it all the time. They are MY articles and I'll put them where I want. How does that hurt you?

      The copy/paste could be an issue. I agree - unless the text is provided for affiliates to use. In that case it may not be an issue for EZA if there is other text also in the article. This is especially true if what is repeated is the actual description of the product or what it does.

      If it's the person I think you mean - I'd have to ask how many other authors there have submitted over 1600 articles? The sheer volume will get attention.

      If you have suspicions, you were right to contact EZA - but then let them decide if there is or isn't a problem. I don't see why it would be posted here - especially since some have either not read the WF rules (or don't understand the spirit of Rule #1).

      What makes your thread sound like sour grapes is mentioning that you are "#2" - clearly if you can discredit the #1, you move up. Have to admit I don't look at EZA competition. I have articles in many niches under various pen names there - and my only concern is getting attention to my articles. I don't feel I owe anything more to other authors than abiding by the rules at EZA.

      kay
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  • Profile picture of the author George Sepich
    Get over it. Marketers will always look for a one up, an advantage. It's what good/evil marketers do. Play the game and don't bitch about it.
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by George Sepich View Post

      Get over it. Marketers will always look for a one up, an advantage. It's what good/evil marketers do. Play the game and don't bitch about it.

      ditto. If someone is violating EZ's TOS, that is EZ's business ... not really yours. There's always people who are self-appointed police in any competitive situation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael D
    I agree with the above post. This is a brutal business. There is always someone who can do things a little bit better then you and be more creative. Instead of trying to get their account banned, which I doubt you will accomplish, you have to step your game up.
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  • Profile picture of the author annihilator
    I don't agree 100% but I get what you're talking about. What can be considered cheating and what can not is difficult to determine.

    For example, nobody finds it offensive when you subscribe to some backlinking service and let some people provide hundreds of useless (I mean, other than SEO matters of course) backlinks that aren't anything short of spam. Yes, I think posting "hey that is a great post but what about how to get rid of credit card debt? thanks, john" on a skin care blog is spam.

    If the guy in question paid money for people to visit his articles than I don't really see much of an ethical difference there.
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    • Profile picture of the author Max Ramocsai
      Originally Posted by annihilator View Post

      I don't agree 100% but I get what you're talking about. What can be considered cheating and what can not is difficult to determine.

      For example, nobody finds it offensive when you subscribe to some backlinking service and let some people provide hundreds of useless (I mean, other than SEO matters of course) backlinks that aren't anything short of spam. Yes, I think posting "hey that is a great post but what about how to get rid of credit card debt? thanks, john" on a skin care blog is spam.

      If the guy in question paid money for people to visit his articles than I don't really see much of an ethical difference there.
      I'm pretty sure I am going to buy that domain now.
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  • Profile picture of the author TimG
    Disclaimer - I'm writing this without assuming that the author in question is doing anything wrong or dirty (only Ezinearticles.com can make that determination). Instead, this post is to reassure those authors that are doing the rigth thing with their article marketing efforts.

    I feel your pain but trust when I tell you that slow and steady wins the race. I've been using articles to promote my websites since 2004 with my first official article being approved for publishing by Ezinearticles.com on 1 January 2005.

    During that time frame I've seen many authors utilize tactics that were borderline questionable at best and I've seen many authors use solid strategies and methods that were on the up and up.

    As you would expect the authors practicing the dark arts did extremely well in the beginning while the authors that were slowly priming the article marketing pump with the correct tactics were having difficulty finding water but, and this is a big but.....they were building a solid foundation ripe for big profits in the future.

    Fast forward to today and I can tell you without hesitation that those authors that were gaming the system are nowhere to be found and the authors that stuck it out in the trenches are still going strong today.

    I'm sure if you ask Allen Graves what he has seen as an article directory owner he will tell you that this anomaly you are witnessing will too pass.

    I have always found Ezinearticles.com very quick to act once they find backdoor tactics that could game their directory and hurt their authors. Truthfully, this is probably what prompts many of the changes at Ezinearticles.com and I stand up and applaud Christopher Knight for his actions throughout the years in trying to keep the article marketing battlefield free from the bad guys.

    Here is what really makes these actions by EZA fantastic for authors that practice sound principles and strategies. In the long run you make money without fear of having to rely on underhand tactics that once shutdown will cause you to lose your article marketing edge.

    I'm willing to bet that Steven Wagenheim, Sean Mize, Josh Spaulding, Dean Shainin, Mike Long and many other prominent authors at Ezinearticles.com have not had to resort to shenanigans to build a steady monthly online income from their marketing efforts.

    Hang in there and your efforts will be rewarded.

    Respectfully,
    Tim

    PS - I want to also add that an author that is controlling the most viewed articles in the last 90 days may be doing everything right and nothing wrong at all, because with the right keyword phrases anyone can control that valuable real estate on Ezinearticles.com website.

    I'll give one hint on how it's done....it doesn't require multiple accounts. -
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    • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
      Originally Posted by TimG View Post


      PS - I want to also add that an author that is controlling the most viewed articles in the last 90 days may be doing everything right and nothing wrong at all, because with the right keyword phrases anyone can control that valuable real estate on Ezinearticles.com website.

      I'll give one hint on how it's done....it doesn't require multiple accounts. -
      Multiple personality disorder?

      Martin
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      • Profile picture of the author TimG
        Quote:
        Originally Posted by TimG

        PS - I want to also add that an author that is controlling the most viewed articles in the last 90 days may be doing everything right and nothing wrong at all, because with the right keyword phrases anyone can control that valuable real estate on Ezinearticles.com website.

        I'll give one hint on how it's done....it doesn't require multiple accounts. -


        Originally Posted by Martin Luxton View Post

        Multiple personality disorder?

        Martin
        Very close Martin.................very close -

        Tim
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  • Profile picture of the author Randy Bheites
    Hmmm. He's sending traffic to his articles. He's posting his own articles on his own pages. He's creatively repurposing marketing content for the product he's promoting. He's beating you in the ratings.

    Gads, what an evil ogre! Let's burn him at the stake!


    "stealing my money", what a laugh. He's obviously just a better marketer than you, and you're cheesed off. Grow up.
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  • Profile picture of the author billaaa777
    You can always tell who are the other Scumbags are here by the way they defend other cheaters. To bad your not smart enough to do it the correct way, it is much more profitable and gratifying.

    What wrong with manipulating the results so you are financially rewarded at the detriment of others? Is that the question so many of you have asked?

    I will never be able to answer that question because my mind does not work the way yours does. Just like I could never answer why somebody robs a bank, beats up a women or child or rapes somebody.

    My mind does not function as a criminal, but an honest person who fully understands that in the long term the benefits of maintaining that philosophy pays off. I feel sorry for those of you whose brain operates in that fashion. I can only wonder what you life is actually like.

    To those honest people who responded to this thread, thank you. I can assure you, one way or anther he is going down. If I have to post comments to his articles everyday asking how he is doing it I will. If I have to email Ezine everyday I will. If I have to write them letters I will. If I have to call them I will. He has me pissed off and I am going to take care of it. I hope!
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    • Profile picture of the author TimG
      Originally Posted by billaaa777 View Post

      To those honest people who responded to this thread, thank you. I can assure you, one way or anther he is going down. If I have to post comments to his articles everyday asking how he is doing it I will. If I have to email Ezine everyday I will. If I have to write them letters I will. If I have to call them I will. He has me pissed off and I am going to take care of it. I hope!
      My friend, the only problem with that is while you are busy trying to take this author down he will continue to write and submit traffic generating articles along with every other author targeting that niche.

      Don't lose sight of what's really important, writing and submitting articles so you can continue to build your own profitable online business.

      Respectfully,
      Tim
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    • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
      Banned
      Originally Posted by billaaa777 View Post

      You can always tell who are the other Scumbags are here
      Yep...they usually start stupid threads like this one.

      My mind does not function as a criminal,
      If this thread is any indicator, I suspect your mind barely functions at all. What's next, you gonna complain to EA because he writes better articles than you do?
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      • Profile picture of the author Mission0ps
        Hey peeps, You can't really knock someone for pulling out the stops to get their content seen ... that's what we do.

        I haven't been going for years like some of theh brains in here but I do know that "I'm gonna rank" now is that not your goal too?

        How we choose to get there well each to there own
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Okay, there are actually 2 issues here.

          1. First of all, and I don't do this, which is why I am asking, is it actually
          against EZA's TOS for somebody to run an Adwords ad or other type of paid
          ad to direct traffic to an article that they wrote? I don't see anywhere in
          the TOS where it says that this is against their policy. If it is not, then as
          far as an EZA thing, nothing is being done wrong.

          2. Okay, so the second issue is this. If EZA has no problem with a person
          directing paid traffic to their articles, what exactly is this person doing that
          is so wrong? They're doing what any smart marketer would do...within the
          bounderies of the rules...getting traffic.

          Now me, I just don't see the sense in it as I write articles because I don't
          want to spend money. That's just me. I mean think about it. Just because
          you get traffic to your article doesn't mean people are going to click through
          to your site. You could be spending money on a wasted effort.

          I'd rather use PPC or whatever to send people to an optimized squeeze or
          sales page that I know converts. The other way, you're adding another
          hurdle for the prospect to go through in the hopes that they'll get to
          your sales page. And then they might not end up purchasing anyway.

          I don't see the sense but if this person has tested this out and has
          determined that it is profitable and it is not against EZA's TOS, then this
          person has done nothing wrong other than just be an efficient marketer.

          So ultimately, we need a ruling from EZA on directing paid traffic to an
          article posted there.

          Everything else is just sour grapes.
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          • Profile picture of the author halfpoint
            Sorry if I misread something, but where does it say for sure that this author is using PPC to drive traffic to his/her articles?

            From what I gather, the OP is under the assumption that this person is using paid traffic to obtain those top spots as he/she is convinced that its otherwise impossible to obtain the spots that the author in question has.

            I can't see anything to substantiate this.
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          • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            Okay, there are actually 2 issues here.

            1. First of all, and I don't do this, which is why I am asking, is it actually
            against EZA's TOS for somebody to run an Adwords ad or other type of paid
            ad to direct traffic to an article that they wrote? I don't see anywhere in
            the TOS where it says that this is against their policy. If it is not, then as
            far as an EZA thing, nothing is being done wrong.


            So ultimately, we need a ruling from EZA on directing paid traffic to an
            article posted there.

            Everything else is just sour grapes.
            Chris already posted:

            banned for engaging in repeated gaming behavior, specifically using mechanical turks to drive PPV (PayPerView)

            But I'm not sure that this includes PPC - I'd be interested to hear a definitive answer on this.
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            nothing to see here.

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    • Profile picture of the author melanied
      Originally Posted by billaaa777 View Post

      To bad your not smart enough to do it the correct way, it is much more profitable and gratifying.
      You don't seem very gratified...
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  • Profile picture of the author Randy Bheites
    Let's see here, you just called me a stupid scumbag criminal because I told you to grow up and stop whining like a little girl? Some nerve, I'll say. I'm verklempt.
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  • Profile picture of the author ripsnorta2
    I just had a look at the EZineArticles terms of service for article writers.

    There's nothing in there that I can see (feel free to point it out if I'm wrong) where it says that authors can't direct traffic to their articles through paid methods. If it's not against the rules then how can it be cheating?

    Besides, wouldn't EZA welcome an author directing traffic to their article using PPC? I'm sure some of that traffic will read other articles or click on the Adsense rather than just clicking on the resource box link. Why would EZA care?

    To those honest people who responded to this thread, thank you. I can assure you, one way or anther he is going down. If I have to post comments to his articles everyday asking how he is doing it I will. If I have to email Ezine everyday I will. If I have to write them letters I will. If I have to call them I will. He has me pissed off and I am going to take care of it. I hope!
    In the end all that time and effort is just going to make you poorer by robbing you of the time to build your own business. Especially if EZA deems he has done nothing wrong and bans you for harrassment.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Hackett
    Wow, to put other marketers here that use tactics you don't approve of (scumbags - really?) in the same camp as criminals, and especially those who "rape women and beat up children" when you've been here six months and have 25 posts - guess you're not here to make friends.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
    I wouldn't call Kay and Randy cheaters just because they don't agree with what you are saying.

    Another clever little trick he does is post his OWN articles at his OWN websites to improve his ranking in the Most Published Ezine Articles. Which again cheats every other writer that does things the right way.
    This part, I don't agree with what you are saying either - what is wrong with doing that? They are his articles he has every right to put them on his own website and as far as I know that is not breaking any rules.

    I don't know how he's 'buying' his other traffic, but I know many people do use backlinking to their articles to help their articles rank better. This also is not against the rules as far as I know. Perhaps I am on the wrong track and have misunderstood you here so please correct me if I'm wrong, but so far I don't actually see what this person is doing wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author Star Riley
    Live and let live.

    If your number 2 and your not spending money to boost yourself to number 1.
    Doesn't that make you number uno?

    After all FREE traffic is always cheaper than paid traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Hackett
    Perhaps rather than complain about another author, you could take a more positive spin and contribute to the forum on how you are the number 2 author in you category by only writing great articles leading back to your site/product/service that people find without your trying to game the search engines in any way whatsoever.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael D
    I guess I am one of those "scumbags" you refer to. I was trying to help you out if you didn't see that. But, now, I could care less. I hope you waste hours of your time trying to "take him down" because you don't have enough initiative to do what you need to really "take him down".

    I may not understand this because I don't waste my time giving all my content away to one site and not build my own business.

    Why does it matter if he is number 1?

    I can see you would get a bit more exposure then the people below you, but I could think of more profitable ways to spend my time.

    From what I can tell you are just a whiny person who is getting their arse handed to them by someone else and can't come to terms with it. By all means, good luck on your little "quest of justice".

    This is a big boys game and you aren't going to go too far with this kind of attitude.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnATX
    Then there are people who steal your articles for their own benefit. Some people do some crappy things out there but you can't stop them all. I would just keep doing what you're doing and following the rules. Karma catches up with the bad people...
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      More "entitlement thinking," from yet another anonymous chickenshit.

      The only part of your argument that doesn't fail completely is the question of whether the alleged copying violates EZA's rules for authors. That one I can't answer. The rest is utter bull.

      Your estimate of probabilities, for example, assumes random chance. This is an area where skill and volume both combine to make chance irrelevant.

      You're basically saying that anyone who beats you must be doing so by cheating. That level of arrogance is certainly consistent with your other posts here.

      The appropriate response from EZA would be to nuke YOUR account, for a publicly stated attempt to go after the income of an honest competitor. I will bring this thread to Chris's attention, and make that suggestion to him. I have no idea what his response will be, of course, but I consider this one of the most reprehensible acts I've ever seen in this forum. After 10+ years, that's saying something.


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      • Profile picture of the author mmurtha
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        More "entitlement thinking," from yet another anonymous chickenshit.

        The only part of your argument that doesn't fail completely is the question of whether the alleged copying violates EZA's rules for authors. That one I can't answer. The rest is utter bull.

        Your estimate of probabilities, for example, assumes random chance. This is an area where skill and volume both combine to make chance irrelevant.

        You're basically saying that anyone who beats you must be doing so by cheating. That level of arrogance is certainly consistent with your other posts here.

        The appropriate response from EZA would be to nuke YOUR account, for a publicly stated attempt to go after the income of an honest competitor. I will bring this thread to Chris's attention, and make that suggestion to him. I have no idea what his response will be, of course, but I consider this one of the most reprehensible acts I've ever seen in this forum. After 10+ years, that's saying something.


        Paul

        Paul,

        Lol I'm glad to see someone in here has the brass ones to state the facts to the OP!

        Thanks!


        Bakai,

        So what you are saying is, no one that uses their brains to get more link juice and sales is cheating you out of making your just due?

        Are you hurting that much for money or just a plain blockhead?

        The last time I checked, none of the things you listed in your OP were out of bounds for any marketer. This is why you see many making good revenue, and many that aren't.

        Some marketers are busy making a profit and taking the necessary action to do so, and some people would rather spend their time complaining about others making that profit and about thier entitlement to the same, when in actuality, they fail to grasp the reality that they will not make anything if they don't wise up!

        The truth is, everyone has their own path to take.


        Mary
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  • Profile picture of the author chane
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author chrisknight
      Here's what I can tell you:

      Accounts are getting suspended, terminated, and a few even banned for engaging in repeated gaming behavior, specifically using mechanical turks to drive PPV (PayPerView) traffic to us.

      In addition, we do have a full time person involved in site security...her only job is to identify odd trends that don't make sense and proactively seek solutions to mute gaming behavior.

      I find it difficult to defend the original poster here as he or she is posting anonymously... Didn't even give me any hooks to go find his or her email out of the tens of thousands that our member support team processes monthly...or which category is supposedly being gamed; But I'll put a manager on this case to dig into it.

      I can tell you that our anti-derivative proprietary software is highly efficient at detecting non-exclusive rights content (this is one of our core competencies), so I'd challenge you to prove that we're failing here as I don't believe your claim. I'm willing to see your evidence though... and if you can't post it publicly, you can send it to me privately: Ask Christopher Knight A Question
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Apparently, the original poster's grasp of statistics is every bit as sound as his grasp of the English language, at least as evidenced here.

        He claims that a single author claiming 11 of 30 spots at a single point in time is statistically impossible. In truth, over a large number of such snapshots, given the amount of traffic EZA sees, such an occurrence is all but certain.

        At this point, I don't care enough about the OP to work through the math, but the variables which need to be considered range far beyond the number of authors in a niche.

        This is even discounting the effects of skill level on article performance. The OP is applying 'slot machine' thinking to a poker game.
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      • Profile picture of the author TimG
        Originally Posted by chrisknight View Post

        Here's what I can tell you:

        Accounts are getting suspended, terminated, and a few even banned for engaging in repeated gaming behavior, specifically using mechanical turks to drive PPV (PayPerView) traffic to us.

        In addition, we do have a full time person involved in site security...her only job is to identify odd trends that don't make sense and proactively seek solutions to mute gaming behavior.

        I find it difficult to defend the original poster here as he or she is posting anonymously... Didn't even give me any hooks to go find his or her email out of the tens of thousands that our member support team processes monthly...or which category is supposedly being gamed; But I'll put a manager on this case to dig into it.

        I can tell you that our anti-derivative proprietary software is highly efficient at detecting non-exclusive rights content (this is one of our core competencies), so I'd challenge you to prove that we're failing here as I don't believe your claim. I'm willing to see your evidence though... and if you can't post it publicly, you can send it to me privately: Ask Christopher Knight A Question
        Chris,
        Appreciate your taking the time to stop by and address the issue. It's your hands on approach when the need arises that impresses me most about the business you are running with EZA.

        Keep up the good work!!!!

        Respectfully,
        Tim Gorman
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        • Profile picture of the author kentaiwan98
          Getting on our high horse is very appealing until you wonder about the facts of the case.

          #1. There is nothing in the Ezine TOS that forbids marketing your articles through PPC or indeed any traffic scheme that is legit. EZA would be happy for additional traffic/views because not all of them will go to the advertiser!
          #2. Can you be 100% sure that the articles he is reposting from the website aren't actually his? How can you tell that he didn't submit them on EZA first then post them on these sites later? EZA doesn't forbid this practise at all. In fact, that is the point of EZA - that articles are reposted later elsewhere.
          #3. Can you be sure that the vendor's site isn't his, too? What do I mean?
          He creates a product and a website. He then starts to create an affiliate network, and realizes he could do better himself. So then he promotes the product himself by writing articles... It doesn't cost that much extra to build a site, esp. if you have already got hosting for other things.
          #4. Perhaps he controls a large network of related sites: why shouldn't he post the content there, too? While we're not allowed to publish more than 25 articles in any year on a particular site, I'm not sure how this rule could be applied if you are the author... since you didn't cede that control to EZA.

          And EZA allows nom de plums so a writer can have 'other' names. Websites typically have Whoisguard products, too. So it is difficult to be sure of the identity of one site owner.

          Sorry to prick your balloon, while I see that you upset at someone making more money than you, I don't see that your concerns are well founded. I also don't think coming crying like this to a public forum is particularly helpful to you, to him or to us since you can't (or shouldn't) provide the information needed for making a judgement.

          Kenneth
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  • Profile picture of the author seriousmny
    Oh Snap!!

    The big honcho Chris Knight comes out and speaks. It's time to show your cards billaaa777. Do you have the evidence or not? I want to know what the answer is on this one. I've been reading the posts on this thread for a bit. I didn't think sending paid traffic to your article was in violation either. Just looked up the what mechanical turks are and that's on Amazon where you have folks do work for you. Something like outsourcing the work isn't it? I know there is a TOS at Ezine articles but I want Mr. Knight to elaborate on what is and isn't gaming so we all can be clear. Hopefully he will reply for the good of all and this thing can be resolved from the proverbial horse's mouth.
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  • Profile picture of the author LMC
    I like these threads...its like reality tv
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    • Profile picture of the author DeePower
      There's nothing in there that I can see (feel free to point it out if I'm wrong) where it says that authors can't direct traffic to their articles through paid methods. If it's not against the rules then how can it be cheating?

      If ezinearticles depends on Google AdSense to generate revenues and Google TOS says no paid traffic then if an author pays for traffic to his/her articles on Ezinearticles is Ezine in violation of Google TOS? Just thinking.

      Dee
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    • Profile picture of the author JoMo
      Originally Posted by LMC View Post

      I like these threads...its like reality tv

      LOL, I know. I should be working, but this is more fun than watching cheaters.
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  • Profile picture of the author cypherslock
    *chuckles* notice how the OP has gone? Here's a tip: improve your efforts instead of wasting your energy. Be positive. There is, in fact, enough to go around (money, traffic, etc).
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  • Profile picture of the author cypherslock
    Hey guys. I know he was REALLY asking for it, but let's give him some constructive advice. Whether or not he uses it, well, can't help that one. To the OP: There are many expert authors on here. Why not just try asking them how they do it right? Get some tips. We may be offering different products and services, but one thing remains the same: we ALL want to live our lives the WAY we want and recognize the power of the Internet to aid us in this one collective goal.
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  • Don't do drugs, drugs are bad M'Kay - Mr. Mackey

    Sometimes being "right" doesn't get your anywhere.

    Karma is not an immediate thing... in the end things eventually work out.
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  • Profile picture of the author cypherslock
    Yup. Drugs bad.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randy Bheites
    Oh, I dunno. In this case, maybe drugs good. OP: Meds, take your meds dude...
    Signature
    have a great day

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  • Profile picture of the author DynamicRevelation
    *sigh* Why do I always miss the FUN stuff?

    Anyway... this thread sparks my curiosity...

    Can anyone tell me more about the "article ranking" thing? I just write them the best I can and submit them- I obviously missed a huge chunk of info in this area.

    Please, somebody fill me in!
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  • Profile picture of the author George Chernikov
    I once asked Chris about it, and he said that the only form of traffic they disallow is so-called paid bulk traffic (e.g., pay $40 and get 200,000 unique visitors to your article).

    PPC traffic is fine, as is every other legitimate way to drive traffic to your article (including sending out the link to your list and getting your subscribers to read it).
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Geez, I never thought to send PPC traffic to my articles. Of course, if I was going to pay for traffic I would send it to my sales page or a squeeze page, like Steve said.

    Then again, the person doing this might have done the appropriate tests and deemed this to be the most profitable way. Apparently they have a zillion posts here so are probably a seasoned marketer. Perhaps the links in his resource box have a redirect to an affiliate program or clickbank book. Hey, now that I think of it this could be a pretty good plan if you wrote the ezinearticle to properly presell the product.

    So, if there is no rule at ezine articles about paying for traffic, then why don't you (OP) just fight fire with fire and setup some PPC campaigns and blow the guy out of the water?

    Lee
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    Gone Fishing
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  • Profile picture of the author Lightlysalted
    I'm not sure whether they are actually breaking any rules here are they? If they are are buying traffic to their articles then what's the problem. Sorry maybe i'm missing something.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kesh247
      This is really a lot of fun...
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  • Profile picture of the author Bakai
    Actually, I was going to start using one of those techniques, but thanks for the additional info. Blackhat article marketing ideas... I think there were already a couple WSO's on that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by Bakai View Post

      Actually, I was going to start using one of those techniques, but thanks for the additional info. Blackhat article marketing ideas... I think there were already a couple WSO's on that.
      How is paying for traffic black hat????? :confused::confused::confused:

      Boy, what's his name was right. People have NO clue what black hat
      really is.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Brighton
    Conversion wise, paying for traffic which is sent to look at someone else's Adsense ads is pretty lame. HOWEVER...

    I think the strategy here is to boost the view count and thus enjoy an influx of organic traffic from the site itself (considering Ezine Articles award highly viewed articles with extra links and exposure in their related articles listings under each article).

    So, you could pay $50 for some extra eyeballs and then rise to the top of the most viewed articles in your category. Then readers will find you from the "most viewed" listings after reading related articles.

    Still, a largely pointless exercise for all involved (except Ezine Articles of course, who must be laughing all the way to the bank in Adsense checks!).

    Good for them, they deserve it.

    So this entire thread is a non point. The OP is angry because of an issue that doesn't even exist.

    Even Jerry Springer would turn his nose at this charade.
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    • Profile picture of the author karimazani
      Just let it go man. It's not the end of the world. There are plenty of ways you can generate traffic from internet. Leverage your methods and not putting everything into one bucket.
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      • Profile picture of the author chrisknight
        After much internal deliberation, we've expanded our Author Terms of Service (TOS) with one item #10:
        EzineArticles.com Terms of Service For Authors

        10. You agree to not purchase or utilize PPC (PayPerClick), PPV (PayPerView) traffic, safelists, or traffic exchanges to artificially inflate your EzineArticles traffic stats. Doing so may result in your account being terminated.

        I gave a little overview as to why this new TOS item was added:
        Author TOS Updated

        It's our fault for leaving this area gray...so hopefully this makes our position a little more clear on this issue.
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        • Profile picture of the author JonathanBoettcher
          Originally Posted by chrisknight View Post

          After much internal deliberation, we've expanded our Author Terms of Service (TOS) with one item #10:
          EzineArticles.com Terms of Service For Authors

          10. You agree to not purchase or utilize PPC (PayPerClick), PPV (PayPerView) traffic, safelists, or traffic exchanges to artificially inflate your EzineArticles traffic stats. Doing so may result in your account being terminated.

          I gave a little overview as to why this new TOS item was added:
          Author TOS Updated

          It's our fault for leaving this area gray...so hopefully this makes our position a little more clear on this issue.
          Thanks Chris - it's always great to see business owners such as yourself that take community feedback seriously! Cheers!
          Signature
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Originally Posted by chrisknight View Post

          After much internal deliberation, we've expanded our Author Terms of Service (TOS) with one item #10:
          EzineArticles.com Terms of Service For Authors

          10. You agree to not purchase or utilize PPC (PayPerClick), PPV (PayPerView) traffic, safelists, or traffic exchanges to artificially inflate your EzineArticles traffic stats. Doing so may result in your account being terminated.

          I gave a little overview as to why this new TOS item was added:
          Author TOS Updated

          It's our fault for leaving this area gray...so hopefully this makes our position a little more clear on this issue.

          So it's okay for me to send an email to my list of 5,000 subscribers
          saying, "Hey, take a look at this new article I just wrote."

          Just wondering.
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          • Profile picture of the author Allen Graves
            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            So it's okay for me to send an email to my list of 5,000 subscribers
            saying, "Hey, take a look at this new article I just wrote."

            Just wondering.
            I think it goes into detail on that in the blog, Steven. I read it yesterday but I cannot remember the final word.

            So, how's semi-retirement?

            Allen
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          • Profile picture of the author Dean Shainin
            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            So it's okay for me to send an email to my list of 5,000 subscribers
            saying, "Hey, take a look at this new article I just wrote."

            Just wondering.
            Hey Steven,

            I'm also wondering if it's O.K. to send something like that to our lists or we will most likely end up with another TOS for EA authors...

            Cheers,
            Dean
            Signature

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    • Profile picture of the author josh123
      In my opinion this is much ado about nothing. There's too much opportunity online for 1 person to stop you. Instead of spending your time complaining about him, find a way to beat him.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bakai
    Mary, I don't think my statements were exactly criticizing the techniques. I personally have never used them but have read about them and have considered it. But article marketing is not my main source of traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author mmurtha
      Edited by me after reading Fabian's post.

      I did not realize that Chris commented on this matter.

      Mary
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  • Profile picture of the author barbdear
    Seems to me this whole conversation should be taking place on the forum at EzineArticles .. they have one ya know.
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  • Profile picture of the author yves
    I thought you meant that this author was actually stealing your content/articles. That's how it sounds in the first part of your post.

    You would think there would be far better places to send the clicker than an article that then has to convert again, but just shows that anything is possible if he continues to do it. That is, if that's what he is actually doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randy Bheites
    I particluarly love this part of the rant:

    "he has figured out a way to buy traffic to his articles so Ezine can't detect it. "

    Really? EZA with it's expensive custom algos and squadron of talented IT guys can't detect "bought traffic"? Then how exactly did the OP detect it, and what exactly does he mean by "buying traffic"? PPC? Does he link to his own articles and people actually click on the links? Some guy in the jungles of Borneo spinning proxies at $1US/1000?

    Or could it be.... Satan?

    Signature
    have a great day

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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Cheesman
    I believe this is the category the Op is talking about..

    Finance - Currency-Trading EzineArticles

    I traced the persons username and found his twitter account:
    billaaa777 (billaaa777) on Twitter

    Copied one of his tweet titles and searched Google:
    Fap Turbo is the Best of the Best Forex Trading Systems - Google Search

    Second result which leads to his ezinearticles account here:
    Is FAP Turbo the Best Forex Trading Software Systems Ever Made Available to the Private Investor?

    I wonder if this is him??

    Dennis
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  • Profile picture of the author JonathanBoettcher
    If people got banned outright for using every advantage they could (even if it is a bit gray hat), then we'd live in a pretty confined world.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlexKaplo
    I'll put both my hands up,

    I post my OWN articles on my websites to increase the ranking ALL THE TIME... Please tell me what is the harm in that?... I'm the owner of the content, and I can chose to do whatever I want with it!

    If you think for one second that this is "black hat", or "Grey hat" or "whatever hat" or even against EzineArticles.com rules, then think again, I have a email from one of an employee that confirmed to me that I was allowed to do this "technique"!

    Furthermore, I actually got this trick from one of the guy's that has the #1 ClickBank product in a certain category...

    *Before you go on a public rant do yourself and all of us here at the Warrior Forum a big favor and do a little investigation on your own!*

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author Fabian Tan
    EZA does have clear rules about what kind of content they don't accept (Private Label Rights, championing safelists/PLR etc).

    However, what are the boundaries for sending paid traffic to articles?

    Technically, one could bid for a highly-searched for, but untargeted keyword (with no competitors) like '1' or 'A' or any other number or alphabet (these searches receive thousands of searches/clicks a day but nobody bids on those so you will have the whole page for yourself), bid $0.01 on Adwords, and send a bunch of visitors to the article to boost the page views count.

    Why do I know that a single alphabet like 'A' receives a lot of traffic? Because I have made the mistake of including it before on Adwords after using Adwords Editor and racked up huge, untargeted hits to my web page in a matter of hours.

    From what Chris has said here, we now know 'guaranteed visitors' and PPV traffic is considered cheating or gaming the system.

    But is using list exchanges like ListDotCom and List Joe to send traffic to EZA articles considered gaming the system? After all, the traffic for that is not exactly the most targeted since it is incentivized (users click on the links to receive credits).

    How about safelists, traffic exchanges?

    Fabian
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkWrites
    I think the astonishing part of this is that he has put a lot of work into his articles and achieved the status of being the second highest rated author in a category with more than 2,000 authors... and he is upset.

    That's not a reason to be pissed off, that's a reason to go buy a six pack and take a night off from article marketing, pat yourself on the back regarding what a good job you've done, then get back to it on Monday.
    Signature

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    • Profile picture of the author csm
      I'm just curious. Where does one see the number of authors in a particular category? The OP refers to 2,139 authors in the category, but I've never seen this statistic listed on EZA. I see where the Top 10 authors of any category are visible, but not the total number of authors in a category.

      Susan
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonvthomas
    Another clever little trick he does is post his OWN articles at his OWN websites to improve his ranking in the Most Published Ezine Articles. Which again cheats every other writer that does things the right way.
    This is the best part about the complaint i like, and buddy whats wrong with it, thats the way every marketer should do. if not you are wasting your efforts.
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  • Profile picture of the author yoshiko
    OP, there are a lot of Internet marketing experts who have survived here much longer with more experience than you. What you should have done is to have a thread to ask a question instead of making an accusing remark like "Cheating Authors at Ezine". Get feedback and response from members before you action.

    Being able to take feedback humbly and not being blinded by rage applies everywhere in life, not just in internet marketing.

    Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author ldsmedia
    Well there is a great deal of varying opinion about any topic. But I thought Ezine was all about writing high quality unique content and get a back link for it and hopefully many that are from sites that are highly relevant. However, I have one question for the forum, are you better off with Ezine or offering your article to an authority site in your niche? Sorry, I am still trying to put this all together.
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisaplin
    I don't understand the argument.

    Someone is doing more work than you, and is showing up.

    If it's working for them, maybe you should copy them.
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  • Profile picture of the author seriousmny
    I had probably learned about this method about 3 months ago about using PPC (PayPerClick), PPV (PayPerView) traffic, safelists, or traffic exchanges to inflate your article stats. God knows how long this method was being used before it was made "public". Those who made money off of it most probably have long since moved on to something else. Those black hat folks always seem to be 2 steps ahead and then sell their ideas when their done with it to folks 2 steps behind and rack up duckets. I ain't hating...just making an observation. There are so many other ways to make cash...let's move on and get some work done. Trends and methods come and go. This one is water under the bridge now. Mr. Knight of Ezines has spoken. So let it be written... so let it be done :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author TiffanyLambert
    Did Chris ever address the part where the original author balked at the EZA author using his own articles on his own websites?

    I've done this - not to game a system but because I wrote a great article. Why should the rest of the world get to use it BUT me? Sounds a little unfair.
    tiff
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    • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
      Originally Posted by TiffanyDow View Post

      Did Chris ever address the part where the original author balked at the EZA author using his own articles on his own websites?

      I've done this - not to game a system but because I wrote a great article. Why should the rest of the world get to use it BUT me? Sounds a little unfair.
      tiff
      I agree Tiff, if you write a great article then you should be able to use it on your own site or blog, its you're article after all.
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      • Profile picture of the author UndeniableSpirit
        Originally Posted by Sheryl Polomka View Post

        I agree Tiff, if you write a great article then you should be able to use it on your own site or blog, its you're article after all.

        It's also totally allowed. I actually talked to support a while back about using content from all of my lenses and submitting them as articles. They said it was fine as long as the Squidoo account (or wherever the article is originally) clearly states your the same author.
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  • Profile picture of the author captivereef
    I actually had all but 1 of the most viewed spots awhile back in the fish niche, not a competitive niche but i did it anyways, just some decent keyword research and a couple of good keyword guesses!
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      No reason for Chris to address the "articles on sites" complaint - because it's not an issue and never has been except in the OP's mind.

      kay
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  • Profile picture of the author UndeniableSpirit
    I think the OP realized how stupid this was...
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    • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
      Originally Posted by UndeniableSpirit View Post

      I think the OP realized how stupid this was...
      He certainly hasn't been in to reply for quite a while
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  • Profile picture of the author zakizarifah
    It will be interesting what #3 spot thinks of op article. lol
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