There are a great many people who read this blog by subscribing, either e-mail subscription or subscribing through an RSS reader. Certainly when I started the blog, I never imagined having so many subscribers. Up until now all subscribers have been sent the full text of each day's post with photos, because I've been publishing the full feed of my blog.
Unfortunately, the world is full of people who aren't honest. For a long time now I've been discovering people (called scrapers) who subscribe to the feed from my blog and then republish it on other websites, often without any credit at all to Kalyn's Kitchen. Amazingly, some of these individuals even change the title to make it look as if they have written the recipes I publish. They do this in order to put ads on a website and earn money without having to do any work.
Why do they steal content from my particular blog? Partly because the full feed makes it attractive to them. Many bloggers publish only a partial feed which acts as a sort of "teaser" about that day's post. The title and first few sentences of the post go to a subscriber, but to read the entire post each person has to make one more click, to click through to the actual website where the blog is hosted.
I considered changing to short feed once before, but instead just shortened the posts on the front page and added a feed item which clearly identified the material as coming from my blog. Obviously that was not enough.
After I publish this post, I'm going to change the settings in Blogger so each post will publish only the first 255 characters in the feed. Photos also will not show. (Edit, Blogger has now made it so I can set the jump where I'd like so I'm setting it after the photo, yaay!) To see the complete post as before, it will just take one more click on the title of the post to click through to the main blog.
To all my subscribers, thanks for subscribing, and I hope you will feel Kalyn's Kitchen is worth one more click and continue to read. I appreciate your understanding of my need to protect my work in this way.
76 comments:
Maybe the only funny note in this whole thing is that since I didn't make the change until after I posted this, now all those sites that are stealing my content will get this full post showing up on their site. I hope they are ashamed when they see it.
Sure Not a problem. Great Blog Kalyn!!
So punish all RSS readers for the actions of a few? Seems odd, but it's your site.
One less feed for me to read.
Oh, pooh.
Sorry, Kalyn. I've vowed never to search if I'm being scraped (but I'm not as famous as you). I sleep better that way.
Anyway. SHAME on the scrapers. At least, I hope they run our angry comments with the posts they steal!! SHAME.
Hemram4u, thanks for the support.
Anonymous, I'm spending hours each month writing to sites asking them to remove my content. Sometimes they don't do it, and my posts are appearing on sleazy sites. I don't look at it as "punishing" the rss readers. The content will still come to their feed reader, same as always. One more click simply doesn't seem that difficult to me in order for me to protect my copyright rights.
Cookiecrumb, thanks, and I agree SHAME on them.
Kalyn,
I'm sure your readers won't mind one more little click to get to your fabulous blog! It's quite disgusting to think that there are people out there willing to steal material without any hesitation. I think plagiarism/lack of copyright protection is becoming more and more a problem these days!
I've been publishing feed excerpts rather than full feeds for two years. I know that for people who follow lots of feeds, it's less convenient, but it's really helped to reduce the number of scrapers. Your site is definitely worth one more click!
I totally understand your motives and decision. I will say that without a teaser image, your feed will look a lot less appetizing.
Seriously though, I click on recipes in Google Reader when the food looks good. I suggest including at least one image.
I totally enjoy your recipes and posts, so I will gladly do one more click to read your full posts!
Not a problem for me, lots of my RSS feeds come in the short version. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I plan on trying that artichoke frittata tomorrow night...
I just found your blog recently and LOVE it... I don't blame you AT ALL for doing that... I am sure you put tons of work and your heart and soul into this blog... you are one of my homepage tabs now..
Keep up the great work!
I have to say that I don't blame you one little bit. Blog slash recipe stealers are wee bastards! How dare they.
And let me tell you: your recipes are worth more than one click. I'm not going to stop with the LJ RSS just because I don't get the full post! I'm not that lazy, and your recipes are certainly worth it.
Thanks for all your hard work, Kalyn!
I love your blog and one extra click is totally worth it! Thank you for all of the work you do. I love all of the healthy eating ideas & inspiration. Thank you!
Your posts are well worth an extra click.
You are well worth one extra click, or two, or three. I've been reading you with a feedreader for several months, and I still click through lots of times - to bookmark a recipe to read later, to search for something related, or to see other features on your site, like your categories. I'll happily keep clicking. Darn those scrapers!
Not a problem. You are definitely worth an extra click.
Kalyn, thanks for explaining this situation and pointing this pitfall of blogging to us all.
You got it girl...another click - DONE!
Don't these people just suck?
My husband and I run a large alternative religion website and this is always happening to us. It's particularly bad because we have a very liberal "reprint" policy. Some people, though, just don't care even though they almost always get caught since the site is big, old and well known.
I'm glad there's an option for you other than shutting down your blog. I really enjoy your posts. :)
First time commenter...Thieves suck! But you do what you have to do...I will just happily click one more link. Your site is certainly worth it.
Thank you everyone for all the support! It means a lot to me. Ryan, (and anyone who is wondering) the Blogger settings don't allow including one imagine or I would definitely do it. What I would prefer to do is have the feed stop where the "read more" link is, but we haven't been able to figure out how to do it yet. (Suggestions are welcome if anyone who uses the classic blogger knows how to do this.)
Kalyn - I totally understand your reasoning and hope this decision helps stop the scappers! I don't think you'll be loosing many (if any at all!) readers because of this switch!
I feel your pain. I have experienced it myself and since you are so popular it must be magnified. It will not sop me from reading your posts!
You always post the best recipes, and I love your informative background of the recipes. Anyone who minds clicking, I feel is not the person who wants to read on, they might be the thieves. Thank you for continuing your blog.
No problem at all! One more click is a no-brainer, and certainly worth the millisecond it will take in order to keep reading your blog.
Your blog is hands-down one of my favorites. Thanks for the heads-up and I look forward to reading your next post! (Hope your garden is doing well!)
Yep. These scrapers just suck.
Well at least for me, this is just a minor inconvenience and I'll surely continue reading your wonderful blog. Please keep up the good work.
Yes, Shame on them. Getting the rewards without the work. Your blog is worth several clicks! :-)
Love the recipes - you're definitely worth the extra click.
We will still continue reading you with one or more extra clicks. Well done and said.
I don't mind clicking one more time. Always find inspiration with your recipes!
I had to switch for the same reason. I have gotten one or two people asking for the full feed, but that's it. We work hard at what we do and deserve to have our hard work protected.
Hi Kalyn,
I've found I read a lot less of a blog once it switches away from full feed because often the first 255 words don't tell you anything to entice you to click through.
So please remember us RSS folk when you write the text - make an appealing summary of the post the first two sentences so we know what we are clicking though for. Thanks - yours is a great blog
I certainly don't mind an extra click for a good recipe.
As for hoping the the post thieves feel shame...not possible. People like that feel no shame and have no morals.
I'll keep reading. Plus, plenty of blogs don't publish the full post in the feed. You're not alone! Besides, it takes work to put together a site like this, so you definitely deserve any credit and compensation that might come your content's way. :-) Keep the yummy recipes coming!
thanks for warning us, i didnt realise this was a potential problem, so I will customize blogger to do the same for my sights.
Kalyn, I would do a lot more clicks to get to something I like. So the decision you made is the right one.
No problem. I do share your recipes with friends at WW but they always know where it has come from, and I usually give them your URL.
I have been ripped off to. I do not like it!
I for one, do not feel punished at all. In fact, I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it if you had just made the change without the explanation! Your readers are loyal. We come to you for good recipes and healthy eating tips and we are never disappointed. You have nothing to apologize for!
And "anonymous" surely will not be missed.
Thanks for all your hard work, Kalyn!
-Brady
It's so nice to wake up and find so many supportive comments. I've been agonizing over this decision for a long time, but I think I'm doing the right thing.
Naomi, I will definitely take extra care to be sure the first few sentences gives a good indication of what the recipe is about, thanks for the reminder.
What a bummer! Why do people have to be that? Thanks for the great recipes. I always enjoy trying them and they help me stay focused without getting the blah feeling and craving junk food.
Raquel
It's a pity that working so hard for the blog, these people come steal your work,ideas, time. Please keep up with the blog, and I won't mind making an extra click.
Sorry to hear about all your troubles. I've read up on the debate in the past about full vs. partial feeds and both sides make valid points.
Unfortunately, I've got a lot of feed subscriptions to go through and a partial feed is an unnecessary click. Partial feeds just don't work for me.
In the future if I'm looking for recipes, I'll definitely hit the site to see what is available.
Good luck! Keep bringing such good recipes to the masses :)
wow... I can't believe people... it's crazy. well, most definintely I'm sure you'll still have all your true subscribers comming on to the site to check out all the great stuff you post.
Kalyn, your decision is perfectly understandable and one click to see the full article is not a problem. For those who are "just too busy" to make that one click, well.... no great loss, I say. Could be some of those Anonymous posters saying they won't check in are the ones who were scraping you! Shame on them and good for you for taking action. I'll certainly still click through. Keep up the great work!
How about 255 characters PLUS one picture? The picture seems to be an important factor attracting the searching eyes of new readers. As for me, one click or even two more clicks, I'll go for it!
Not a problem, Kalyn. Thanks for explaining the situation. I always wondered why some of my feeds were full and some were teasers. Now I understand completely. Sheesh, what a crazy world. I'm sorry people were stealing (scraping) your feed, and I'm happy to click-through for you!
No problem! Scammers are everywhere. Everyone at our office reads your site regularly!!
Jya-Shin, I wish it was possible in the Blogger settings to include a picture, but I think it only takes the text. (Don't know for sure until tomorrow when I publish a post with a photo.) Rand and Bradley are still working on a solution that let's the feed stop where the "read more" link is, so if we can figure that out I'll be able to include a photo.
Kalyn,
Go you for taking charge of your content! I will definitely continue clicking through . . .
I do agree with a previous poster: make those 255 characters count. Even the naysayers will be enticed to click through if you do a good lead-in (in journalism we call that the lede or nut graf). It could be a good challenge to help you grow as a writer (you are a great writer, but we all have room to grow -- right?)
Sad :(
I totally understand the reason, completely, but I subscribe to SO many blogs that I go through 100s of entries a day... posts without photos just get skipped. I will try to click through, but really... likely wont happen. I have deleted most blogs that partially feed from my Google Blog Reader for this reason - I never end up reading them anyhow.
Sad that your blog is going this direction now too... understand but sad about it nonetheless.
Hi Kalyn, I love your blog and your recipes are worth more than one click! Karina
Hi Kalyn,
I will be one more clicking myself. I have become a great cook since I found you and Southbeach. I find for myself that the titles you use are enough to identify a recipe I will use. They are descriptive enough with the main ingredient & herbs listed.
I wouldn't like someone stealing my hard earned work either.
Shame on the bastards! Not to worry, though, Kalyn. I would do a lot more than perform a mere "one more click" to access your wonderful recipes. I found your blog last year and since then, several of your recipes have become "regulars" at our house! Blog on! JD from Canada
I've been thinking of doing the same thing on Dianne's Dishes. It's really sad that action has to be taken, but you've got to do what you've got to do.
Kalyn, your blog is worth TWO extra clicks! Seriously though, I'm so sorry to hear that your content has been getting scraped. As an RSS subscriber, I selfishly love having full posts in my RSS reader, but I completely understand why you need to fight the obnoxious scrapers! I will continue to read every post and support you in any way I can. Thank you so much for the wonderful blog!
Not to be weird, but I actually prefer the partial feed. I really only use my reader to let me know which sites have been updated, and I almost always click through anyway because I enjoy the experience of reading a blog post in its home environment. So this actually saves me a bunch of scrolling to get down to the link.
I hope they are ashamed too! That is too bad we have thieves out there! Your blog is great!
I always click through to a site from Google Reader since I prefer to have Firefox open a dedicated tab for each item of interest. Also, I scan Reader from the All Items page which only shows titles and a text snippet, so it's the title of the post that catches my eye, not photos (although I certainly enjoy them once I'm on your site :) ). For me, if the post title doesn't give the recipe name or at least main ingredient, I'm much less likely to click through. Long story short (I know, too late), I guess everyone surfs differently, which means you're not going to be able to please every single reader no matter how hard you try (plus some people are SO resistant to change!). Do what you need to do to keep *yourself* happy and it looks like the majority of your readers will gladly follow :). You certainly deserve to protect the product of your efforts.
I'll click!
I understand your reasons and won't stop reading your blog (although partial feeds usually do result in me not reading a blog) but I do have a possibly dumb question:
What's to stop the thieves from just taking the content off your blog anyway? I didn't realize that RSS feeds made it particularly easy for anyone - the text is all right there as it is.
I do love the site!
Crystal, thanks. As for your question, the people who set up these sites make it completely automated, usually maintaining hundreds of spammer sites at a time. I don't think they would ever go so far as copying and pasting the content from a particular blog when so many can be gotten as easily as subscribing to the feed.
do whatever you need to do, Kalyn. Love your blog, and don't want to think about you ever having to discontinue
No worries. I'll click through for a good recipe any day!
Not a problem Kalyn, and yes, your blog is worth another click. You have me wondering if I should take some precaution and do the same too.
Thanks for bringing the scraping to attention.
Too bad about the content theft. Unfortunately, I'm going to unsub as I only had your blog on a reader because I can't get to a bunch of blogs from behind my daily firewall, and having them on a reader meant I could get a break during my day.
Oh well...
Hi Kalyn,
I've been scraped so many times it makes my head swim, but I didn't know that having full feeds made it easier for the slackers to get away with scraping. So thanks for the good tip - I think I'll be doing the same. And, girlfriend, you're definitely worth an extra click!
Kalyn,
thanks so much for your efforts, I love your recipes and they're well worth the click! and I'd get a good giggle if they get your post on scraping.
all the best,
cheryl
I wouldn't mind having to click through for full recipe, but am much more likely to do so if there is a tempting picture. Maybe you could just do a little text and a pic?
I just appreciate that you send us anything that gets us to the great recipes! You are a star. Thanks for all your hard work.
You are certainly worth the extra click!
My opinion.... It's your blog and you can't please everone! You do what you need to do, I struggle with this too.
So for GreenLiteBites I just publish the image in the feed. People may not like it but at least my recipes are somewhat protected. Although I just found another site where they are copy and pasting my content!!
It will NEVER end.
Anyone with a blog struggles with the same issues.
We're all in this together. :)
It is worth the click but I hate that some have to do this since I hate all the clicks.
My hand gets tired.
Some only count it as one extra click but it isn't just one extra click when tons of sites stop using the full RSS feed.
When you subscribe to a lot of blogs the blogs without the full feed get lost in the shuffle. People have limited time to visit site after site after site. Then if a person decides they like the content...go back and flag it or save it to a different set of favorites?
Nah.
Jenn, sorry you feel that way, but I'm simply not willing to put my content out there in a way that lets all kinds of unscrupulous people steal it day after day. Maybe some blogs don't have as much of a problem with content scrapers, but I was finding multiple people every week republishing my feed.
I am saying a huge "Nah" to letting them do that any more.
I don't mind one more click. This is a great blog. Thanks for all your hard work
Whymus, thanks. I really appreciate the nice feedback from everyone, probably more than anyone realizes.
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