Here’s my blogging revenue report for March 2009.

Amazon (all countries) - $989.06

Google AdSense - $755.87

Other Revenue Sources - $1819.08

________________________________

Grand Total for March 2009 -  $3564.01

Well, it was certainly a better month than last month in terms of revenue and traffic.  While I’m not thrilled with the current numbers, I’m pleased with some recent relationships I’ve developed among a variety of niches.  I believe that over the last few weeks I have increased the status of my primary blog to a more authoritative one based on some higher profile linkbacks and comments from others in the industry in which it is focused.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen with my revenue over the next few months.  Late last year, I was sure it would keep going up and up.  Over the past few months though, I’ve seen effects of the economic decline across a variety of advertising platform.  PPC rates for average CPM have dropped by almost half since Fall ‘08.  Affiliate earnings in my primary niche are down due to lack of big-ticket purchases.

Don’t think I’m stopping though.  I am motivated, perhaps more so than ever.  I consider the hiccups in revenue over the past few months as just that - hiccups.  I consider myself quite blessed with these blogs that produce a significant monthly revenue.  I’ve had full time jobs in the past that pay much less than I get out of blogging 10-20 hours a week.  I’m going to continue pushing hard in the evenings and weekends to get to a six figure income.

Here’s my blogging revenue report for February 2009.

Amazon (all countries) - $763.15

Google AdSense - $646.52

Other Revenue Sources - $1291.87

________________________________

Grand Total for February 2009 -  $2691.54

I don’t have much to add about February.  Worst month in a long time. Meh.

Here’s my blogging revenue report for January 2009.

Amazon (all countries) - $1478.29

Google AdSense - $800.42

Other Revenue Sources - $1129.50

________________________________

Grand Total for January 2009 -  $3408.21

Yeah, not what I was expecting either.  Earnings took a plunge of almost $5000 from December.  I expected this in part though.  But I really thought I’d be above $4000.

To be honest, I’ve devoted more time to other projects than my primary blog this month.  I really want to diversify my income stream beyond my primary blog.  While I have one niche site that brings in around $200 per month,  almost all of the rest is coming from my primary blog.

I’ve been really digging into the notion of establishing my niche sites.  I have toyed with several for some time now.  This past month though, I’ve dug in and began to develop a few of these.

I hired a freelance writer to put together a few dozen articles for a couple of these sites.  I’ve got a publishing schedule set for them and now I need to work on building up links.

I’ve been reading Courtney Tuttle’s 30 Articles in 30 Days case study with Unique Article Wizard.  I’m pretty much sold on this and am going to experiment with it on these two niche sites that I’m building up.  I don’t mind dropping $67 bucks for a month or two in order to give something a go.  Additionally, it’s hard to resist when someone like Courtney Tuttle lays it out there for you with quantitative results.

In the 30 days that he applied Unique Article Wizard, he took a site from $561 total AdSense income to $1043 in AdSense income.  That’s an 86% jump from December to January.  To me, that makes it worth trying for a couple of months.  I’m probably not going to knock out 30 articles in 30 days (I have a day job and high-maintenance blog to keep up with), but I’ve got a queue of a dozen articles or so ready to drop in for one site.  I can probably muster the same for the other site as well.

We’ll see where it goes and, if it pays for itself, I’ll keep subscribing to the service.  If not, oh well.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

In this article, I’m going to walk you through the step-by-step process of sending a DMCA Takedown notice to force a splogger or RSS scraper to take down the content that they stole from you.

What is a DMCA Takedown Notice?

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (”DMCA”) was passed by Congress and became law in 1998.  It was intended to address copyright issues on the Internet in some respects.  One key feature of the DMCA provides liability protection for online service providers for content posted by others.  This extends to web hosts and the server space that they sell to bloggers like you and me, as well as sploggers and other copyright infringers.

The logic behind protecting online service providers from liability extends from the notion that someone such as a web host can’t be expected to know about everything that their customers post online.  Such a burden would be unfair.  That liability protection is cut off, however, when the service provider is made aware of the infringement.

Notice of infringement is given through a DMCA Takedown Notice from content publishers like you and me.  This extends to any kind of copyrighted content - articles, photos, videos, designs, etc.

RSS Scraping / Splogs - What Are They?

If you’ve been blogging for any amount of time, you have noticed someone somewhere is republishing all or part of your blog’s content by “scraping” your RSS feed.  Many times, these punks will automate their blog to publish your feed up to 200 or 300 characters.  Sometimes though, the real turds of the bunch will just republish your entire post content.

These types of blogs have been dubbed “splogs” - a cross between a blog and spam.  The owners will generally insert AdSense ads and maybe some Kontera or similar links throughout the the blog in order to generate revenue from YOUR content.  Their hope is that they will get picked up in the search engines and gather some traffic, and as a result, revenue without having to lift a finger.

I consider these types of site owners to be thieves.  They are violating your copyright to your content by republishing it without permission for a profit.  This conduct subjects the owners to both civil and criminal liability.

Many bloggers just consider this part of the pain of blogging and roll their eyes at these crooks.  The fact of the matter is, however, that it will only continue to grow if bloggers don’t take control of what is theirs and put their foot down.  What is particularly troubling is that several so-called “gurus” are out their preaching this as a way to create an easy cash flow.  I’ve even seen videos where they say that bloggers want their feeds to be republished because it creates links back to their sites.  Get real.

So, now that we’ve looked at splogging and scraping, let’s continue toward fighting the good fight.

How to Find RSS Scrapers for YOUR Feed

You can search for blocks of text in Google and get pretty good results.  Additionally, you can follow your linkbacks in Technorati for decent results as well.  You’ll probably find more than a few scrapers of your feed this way.

However, one tool that I’ve recently discovered is called CopyGator.  It is simple and effective.

CopyGator has a couple of different options for finding scapers of your content.  You can put a CopyGator badge on your site, which automatically finds the wrongdoers and turns an angry shade of red when it finds them.

Second, you can simply enter your feed address into CopyGator’s search engine and it scours the web seeking out the bad guys.

I just plugged in Engadget’s feed address into CopyGator to show you an example (Blogger Lane doesn’t have any sploggers yet apparently).  Here’s a recent Engadget post that’s been replicated by a number of splogs:

It is likely that not all of these are scrapers/splogs.  Some sites will get flagged because they have quoted a small portion of Engadget’s post in a proper blog post on the same topic.  However, you get the idea.

Deciding to Take Action

Now that we’ve figured out how to find the bad guys, what are we going to do about it?  Well, I used to be of the opinion that I would just send an email politely asking them to take the content down.  Then, if that didn’t work, I would decide if I would take it to the next level.  I have grown tired of this approach though.

I don’t owe these theives any common courtesy to ask them to remove stolen content from their site.  The choice for me now is, “To whom do I send the DMCA Takedown Notice?”  Google or the Hosting Company?

If the site is displaying Google AdSense, you can send a DMCA Takedown Notice to Google.  The big G will then, in turn, suspend the owner’s AdSense account until they prove that the content has been removed.

If you decide to notify the hosting company, it will shut the entire site down.  Yeah, that’s a good feeling.  I’m leaning toward this one more and more.

How to Identify the Web Hosting Company

In order to get the proper notification information, you will need to identify who the web host is (unless you are opting to just send one to Google).

You can find the web host’s information by going to whoishostingthis.com.

For example, let’s say I’m Engadget and I wanted to tag article33.com from the above screenshot (they are totally ripping Engadget off word for word).  I go to whoishostingthis.com and enter “article33.com” in the search box. The results tell me that Cirtex Hosting is the website host for article33.com and provides a direct link to Cirtex Hosting.

Upon arrival at Cirtex Hosting, I clicked on the “Contact Us” button at the top of the page.  On the contact page, I saw an email address for Abuse@CirtexHosting.com.  This is where I want to send my DMCA Takedown Notice.

You can generally find this contact address by going to a contact page or a dedicated “Report Abuse” page that some web hosts have.  If all else fails and you can’t find a contact email to send the notice to, just give them a call and let them know what’s going on.  The web host will require that you submit a DMCA Notice so they can protect themselves under the federal statute if the owner complains.  Remember, the web host is not the bad guy here, they are just holding space and are even absolved of liability because they don’t have “knowledge” of the infringement until the DMCA Takedown Notice is provided to them in accordance with the federal statute.

Sending the DMCA Takedown Notice to Google

If you’re going to send the notice to Google instead of the web host, you will need to either mail it to:

Google, Inc.
Attn: Google Legal Support, DMCA Complaints
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

or, fax it to:

(650) 963-3255, Attn: Google Legal Support, DMCA Complaints

Google has specific directions that you must follow in order for them to recognize your DMCA Takedown Notice.  Follow these directions before you send it to Google.

DMCA Takedown Notice Form

I’ve used the following form on many occasions for both Google and web hosts.  So far, it’s worked just fine for me.

—————- begin form —————-

VIA EMAIL

[Hosting Company Name]
[Hosting Company Address]
[Hosting Company State]
[Hosting Company Phone/Fax]
[Hosting Company Email]

[date], 2009

RE: DMCA Takedown Notice

Dear Sir or Madam:

I would appreciate your assistance in responding the below-described infringing material located at http://www.[scraper's_website].com. This page is scraping original content of others through the use of unauthorized RSS syndication, including [yourwebsite.com].

1. Identity of Infringed Material. The posts infringing on [yourwebsite.com]’s copyright can be accessed at the following URLs:

http://www.[scraper's_website].com/[permalink_to_post_pages]

2. Page and Infringing Material. The text in the posts found on the above referenced pages is infringing material. It has been copied and pasted with no changes from the following URL:

http://www.[yourwebsite].com/[permalink]

3. Contact Information. You may contact me at contact@[yourwebsite].com

4. Unauthorized Use. I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials as described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.

5. Ownership Representation. I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

[your name]

————– end form ——————-

What Happens Next

Google or the Website Host will generally suspend their account and inform them of the DMCA Takedown Notice.  They are required under the DMCA to comply with your notice.

If the site removes the content, then Google or the Website Host will generally restore their services fairly quickly.   If they do not respond Google’s suspension, you can always follow up with the Web Host later.

One final caveat: The DMCA allows a party subject to a Takedown Notice to file a counter notice, which essentially states that they have a right to display the content on their site.  If they do this, then you have 14 days to file a lawsuit or the provider is required to put the content back online.

Google, however, is not required to reinstate their AdSense account - but they do.  Even in the clearest case of sploggers and scraping, Google will put the AdSense ads back on the spam-filled site.  As you are well aware, Google is making money from their theft of your content as well.

If they file a counter notice, you are then faced with the decision of whether to hire a laywer (if you haven’t already) and go after this person.  There are many remedies available under copyright law, buy there are many pitfalls as well.  Accordingly, you should talk to an attorney about your particular situation if you get to this point.

If it was me that received a counter notice though for content that I had written, that counter notice would be Exhibit 1 in every discovery device and pleading throughout the case.  I would jump up and down on their statutorily required statement “Under penalty of perjury I have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled.”

Final Thoughts

There are many ways to combat infringement of your rights online.  A DMCA Takedown Notice is a very direct and agressive way to do so.  For sploggers, I think it’s justified.  But that’s me.  You may want to try to talk to the infringer first to give them a chance to take it down without such an adversarial means.  Or, maybe, you want to try to stick it to them with some more evil revenge like this and this.  Whatever you choose to do, do something.

Tonight, I was browsing Google Reader and cruising past a couple of my latest posts.  I opened them up just to see what kind of ads Google was serving (you should do this on a regular basis).

Quick aside here: I’ve had a problem lately with shady advertisers appearing on one of my sites via Google AdSense ads. While some may say, “A click is a click”, I’ve got a relationship with my readers and want to continue to foster that relationship by holding onto their trust.  Now, there’s no way that I’ll catch (and block) all of the shady advertisers; however, I’ll stop the ones that I see or the ones that readers point out to me from advertising on my sites.

Back to the point - To my surprise, I saw an advertiser that I recently filtered out from displaying on my site appearing in an AdSense ad on my feed.  WTF, I thought.

I login to AdSense, and sure enough, it’s in my blocked advertiser list - or, one of them anyways.

I didn’t realize it until tonight that you must block competitive ads from your content, search results and feeds to keep them from appearing on your sites at all.  As far as I can tell, there’s no way to merge the three lists.  Fortunately though, a quick copy and paste to each of the other two fields solves this problem.

Just a heads up for those of you who use the competitive ad filter.

These sites and ebooks have been very instrumental in paving my path from a hobby site to a viable business.

WordPress Niche Sites Ebook - Good info on how to install WordPress software and set it up on a server.

SEO for WordPress White Paper - Good basic info on Search Engine Optimization (or SEO).

John Chow’s Blog - John Chow is a little over the top, but sign up for his ebook (top right corner).  It’s free and packed full of good info.  John Chow is also known for his outrageous monthly income reports (as opposed to my decent, but not so high reports.

Jeremy Schoemaker’s Blog - Jeremy Schoemaker (”ShoeMoney”) is a real internet marketing trailblazer and is worth reading on occasion for blogging info.  He’s mainly an affiliate guy, but he knows his stuff inside out and occasionally gives people a glimpse of what’s going on behind the curtain.  His newsletter is also worth subscribing to.  It’s top middle, and you’ll probably get a popup for it too.

Problogger - Darren Rowse is THE Problogger.  Great info on blogging and it’s updated daily.  Seriously, if you’re blogging, you should be reading this guy’s stuff on a daily basis.  I recommend starting with this post on Problogger.  Remember, there is a Problogger book on Amazon as well.

The end of the year is here.  It’s been a great year for me.  Here’s the final earnings report for the year:

Amazon (all countries) - $3818.60

Google AdSense - $1028.74

CPM Ads - $386.32

Misc Other PPC & Affiliates - $3067.09

________________________________

Grand Total for December 2008 -  $8300.75

This month I blew away my previous best month of September 2008 by nearly $3000.  While didn’t make my goal of $10,000 in one month by the end of 2008 as hoped (nor did I reach my 1,000,000 page views), I’m not going to call it quits anytime soon.  In fact, in 2009, I believe I will make the transition from part-time blogger/web publisher to full-time status so that I can focus more time and energy on my web-based properties.  Not just yet, but hopefully by the end of the 1st quarter.

This would be a big step for me to leave a career that pays very well and comes with great benefits, but I cannot ignore the opportunity that my part-time efforts online have unveiled.  By focusing entirely on my online endeavors, I believe I can see my online income soar in 2009 well beyond what I would otherwise see spending 2-3 hours a day on my web properties as I do now.

More importantly, I’ll have more time with my family.  While I have received unwaivering support from them so far, I can tell that it is taking a toll on them by essentially working 2 jobs.  I want to take more time to enjoy my great family and to live a healthier lifestyle.  I want to ride my bike more and get back in to running - two things I used to dearly enjoy.

Finally, I want to do more with this blog.  This past year, it has served more as a personal journal, and while I appreciate those of you who have read and commented on the handful of posts I’ve published, I want to do more - for you and for me.  I think I have some knowledge and experience that I can share to help those of you looking for some answers on how to make their blogs or websites work.  I also think there are revenue opportunities for this blog that I want to explore as I build it into something more in 2009 and beyond.

So, here’s to success and happiness in 2009.  May you have a happy new year and may it bring joy and blessings in your life.

Ok, it’s late, but I’m backdating this post to feel better about myself and blog posting schedule.  Here’s my blogging revenue report for November 2008.

Amazon (all countries) - $1117.85

Google AdSense - $980.76

CPM Ads - $1027.11

Misc Other PPC & Affiliates - $1249.28

________________________________

Grand Total for November 2008 -  $4375.00

All in all I’m pretty happy with November.  I had a couple of affiliate deals that got pushed a bit into December for one reason or another, which makes December that much better.  Blog traffic was down overall; however, it’s picked up in December and I’ll have another report up asap after January 1.

Oh, and I suck at PPC to affiliate marketing thus far.  I generally hate keyword research.  While there is a bit of satisfaction in putting a campaign together and hitting the launch button in AdWords, I have yet to make a red cent from the few hundred bucks I’ve invested.  I’m not quitting; however, I’m back to the drawing board and have focused more on what I’m good at during the holidays - blogging.  I’m also developing my niche content sites for growth in the SERPs.  As a result, I’ve seen traffic increase the past month or so.

I’ve also got some big news to share with the handful of patient readers that put up with my monthly posts on this blog.  That will have to wait after the first of the year though.  It’s good news though - for me and this blog.

While I’m still nowhere near John Chow’s October income, I’m pretty happy with October’s earnings.  Here’s the run down:

Amazon (all countries) - $1275.80

Google AdSense - $1090.74

CPM Ads - $604.13

Misc Other PPC & Affiliates - $548.08

________________________________

Grand Total for October 2008 -  $3518.75

While I took a dip of a couple grand this month, I kinda expected it due to the rebound on the traffic spike I had in September on my primary blog.  Again, it accounted for all but about $200 in earnings.

I’ve got my sights set high for November and December.  We’ll see if I can spike the earnings with some holiday shopping traffic and hit my goal of $10k.

In other news, I just launched my first PPC campaign thanks to Amit and PPC Classroom 2.0.  This is something I’ve wanted to get involved in for several months but just haven’t been able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  Well, the pieces are coming together and I’ll start reporting on successes and failures in my PPC campaign efforts as well.

On PPC Classroom 2.0, I paid $77 to join and it’s a $30/mo subscription for access to the resources going forward.  It’s worth a lot more given the information that they are giving away.  Unfortunately, they’ve closed the course to new signups.  I’ll let you know if it opens back up.

Amazon just increased my efficiency by an exponential amount.  I’m sure other bloggers/affiliate marketers will be happy about this as well.

Above is a screenshot of the new Associate Site Stripe on Amazon.com.  Whenever you’re logged into your Amazon Associates account and on Amazon.com, you now have the ability to view this toolbar.

Using the new “Site Stripe” you can create affiliate links directly from an Amazon product page.

This helps me create links more efficiently because I stay in one tab rather than jumping between the Amazon store and my Amazon Associates account.

Thank you Amazon for making my life easier and helping us both make money faster.