Blog Spam
I sometimes happen upon sites that are clearly automatically generated. I'm guessing they've been created to attract organic search engine traffic which presumably can lead to ad revenue. This got me to wondering if my blog posts were being picked up such systems, but I didn't know how to find out such a thing. Searches for my existing content using Google, Yahoo, or MSN would bring back too many results that I don't have the time to sift through. Then it occurred to me that if I included a unique phrase or word in a post, I could easily track the travels of that phrase or word.
So the word I've chosen is askjdsfoiuqwdal. OK so that's not a real word. But it is a sequence of characters that brings back 0 results in the top search engines. Anyone actually reading this post will know it isn't a real word, but the automated programs out there should happily grab this post in its entirety.
Hi Marios
I've used a WP plugin to do this for some time. Try http://www.maxpower.ca/wordpress-plugin-digital-fingerprint-detecting-content-theft/2006/09/25/ for the one I've used. There may be others - I haven't looked!
It works. Paradoxically, I've taken it off some of my sites as I now actually want people to spread the words - but that's a different matter closely linked to filesharing of my copyright music. For normal blogging activities, the plugin works and has a handy GUI to do all the work for you. Like you've discovered, it needs a word or phrase that's going to be unique. If you use it, you'll find it doesn't show in posts but DOES show in the RSS feeds.
Have you thought of "signing" your posts with your last name? I do that on the few Yanoo! groups I subscribe to and the messages pop into my Google search RSS like clockwork.
Your post has prodded me to rethink if I am catching where my blog posts may be pilfered
!