Eliminating the Scam Pest
Sometimes the only way to get rid of an annoying pest is to eradicate it.
Imagine you have a problem with insects in your house. Not just one or two, but thousands of insects that seem to show up everywhere. They’re getting into your bed, your food, your furnishings and your clothes. The shear number of insects makes it obvious that you have to take action.
What would you do? Would you open the door and hope they leave on their own? Or scoop them up one-by-one and release them outdoors?
Obviously, the correct answer is neither. You would simply get out the bug spray and eradicate them.
We’re facing a similar situation here at EzineArticles, but our pest isn’t insects… it’s the word “Scam” in article titles.
We have literally thousands of scam-titled articles infesting our article submission process and the time has come for us to take action. We need to eliminate the word “Scam” now. Effective immediately we will no longer allow the word “SCAM” to be included in any article title.
Here’s 7 reasons why we feel it’s time to eliminate this particular pest:
- It’s unnecessary. Good titles come with insightful, unique content from your own experience and expertise. The word “Scam” is not required.
- We have found in our research that the word “Scam” is most commonly used to bait the reader on a highly publicized product. The reader is then directed to another product that the author has an interest in. This act is willful infringement of another’s marks, otherwise known as “false designation of origin” and unfair competition/dilution.
Example: The article title includes language on scams related to a popular diet program – the article discusses the potential scam and then rules it out and explains that it’s not a really a scam. However, the resource box link is to a totally different weight loss program that the author has a stake in.
- When the word “Scam” is not used to bait a reader to another product, it’s often used improperly to tease the reader into thinking they will find out why a particular product is known as a scam, yet it’s a thinly-veiled affiliate marketer shilling for the very product they are saying is a scam.
- The word “Scam” is often perceived as being negative. You don’t want to start out your conversations with a negative tone, so don’t start your article title with one. Your title should entice, not scare.
- Your articles should be about what YOU know about your expertise, share YOUR knowledge, and deliver YOUR unique content. You cannot do this effectively by discussing someone else’s product and nothing about your own.
- Articles of this ilk are stepping stones to legal issues where product owners may feel the author is being libelous. End result? We remove the article.
- Most scam-related articles deliver nothing new because they’re old news. Everyone is talking about it. Why compete with thousands of others who have already delivered the downside to a product? Spend your time researching what your market wants and deliver positive information, tips and fresh ideas they can use.
We’re not alone in taking this action as other well-known websites have taken similar steps toward SCAM eradication.
What are your thoughts on eliminating this pest? Is there a just reason we should allow it? Let us know by leaving a comment.
We’re not seeking articles that help consumers avoid scams. There are other sites that do that type of content well I’m sure… This is high risk content for us because scam articles usually publicly identify and make a claim against someone else.
October 21, 2009 at 4:15 PM[Reply]