There was a fleeting discussion here recently about using software to create blog content automatically and I wanted to make a formal discussion out of it to educate others who may be going down the same road.
Auto generated blog content is not a solution to anything and could actually land you in legal trouble.
Well, let me back up a second: Some of the software available that allows you to aggregate RSS feeds and scrape content onto your blog can be useful to your business when used under the proper circumstances (and I'll get to those in a minute).
What tends to happen when people see "build hundreds of pages of blog content instantly, get rich tomorrow, and retire the day after", they get all excited and sprint to the nearest "buy now" button. If you're one of those people, I urge you to stop and think about it. There is no such thing as a quick fix. There is no replacement for your brain. There is no software that can magically create coherent 100% unique content for you.
Those software packs that you see advertised do one of two things: scrape RSS feeds from other blogs or import content from another source such as an article directory. And there's nothing unique about that.
In some cases, you could actually end up in trouble. Not too long ago, a blogger scraped the content off my website without my permission and after submitting my complaint, Google had the content removed ASAP. Now, I'm just a little fish in a big ocean, so imagine if the content was stolen from a major player (and by "major", I mean 10 mile deep pockets) -- could you fathom the legal trouble you'd be in?
Now, before you start getting the wrong idea and think that I hate aggregation software or import tools, it's actually the opposite. In fact, I've created a couple myself because they do serve a useful purpose, and that's as a tool to help you build a legitimate resource.
For instance, you could use the RSS aggregation software to compile a resource in a single location or, if you have a blog network, make the content from each of your blogs more visible. A great example of an aggregation site is Linda's Affiliate Marketing Buzz. This is an aggregation blog done right. She obtained permission, she uses excerpts, and she brings a large number of resources together in one place which helps the community at large.
Before you buy into the hype of these kinds of software, please understand why you're getting it in the first place. If it's just to create a bunch of splogs, you'd be better off not doing it. Splogs have a short lifespan and you'll be left back at square one (sometimes -1 depending on how much money lost in the process). Above all else, you should use these tools to help you build legitimate communities or websites that will add value for your readers. Plain and simple.
~ Teli
Auto generated blog content is not a solution to anything and could actually land you in legal trouble.
Well, let me back up a second: Some of the software available that allows you to aggregate RSS feeds and scrape content onto your blog can be useful to your business when used under the proper circumstances (and I'll get to those in a minute).
What tends to happen when people see "build hundreds of pages of blog content instantly, get rich tomorrow, and retire the day after", they get all excited and sprint to the nearest "buy now" button. If you're one of those people, I urge you to stop and think about it. There is no such thing as a quick fix. There is no replacement for your brain. There is no software that can magically create coherent 100% unique content for you.
Those software packs that you see advertised do one of two things: scrape RSS feeds from other blogs or import content from another source such as an article directory. And there's nothing unique about that.
In some cases, you could actually end up in trouble. Not too long ago, a blogger scraped the content off my website without my permission and after submitting my complaint, Google had the content removed ASAP. Now, I'm just a little fish in a big ocean, so imagine if the content was stolen from a major player (and by "major", I mean 10 mile deep pockets) -- could you fathom the legal trouble you'd be in?
Now, before you start getting the wrong idea and think that I hate aggregation software or import tools, it's actually the opposite. In fact, I've created a couple myself because they do serve a useful purpose, and that's as a tool to help you build a legitimate resource.
For instance, you could use the RSS aggregation software to compile a resource in a single location or, if you have a blog network, make the content from each of your blogs more visible. A great example of an aggregation site is Linda's Affiliate Marketing Buzz. This is an aggregation blog done right. She obtained permission, she uses excerpts, and she brings a large number of resources together in one place which helps the community at large.
Before you buy into the hype of these kinds of software, please understand why you're getting it in the first place. If it's just to create a bunch of splogs, you'd be better off not doing it. Splogs have a short lifespan and you'll be left back at square one (sometimes -1 depending on how much money lost in the process). Above all else, you should use these tools to help you build legitimate communities or websites that will add value for your readers. Plain and simple.
~ Teli