So what do we do if we are being duplicated?

[kineticdc]

who does this site belong to?
seocontest2008

There is copied content from many contestants

[BenjArriola]

Hi Kinetic, I don't know whose site is that, but the person doing duplicate content on me copied my exact same site. Even the template, and everything. It is an exact identical homepage. Then replaced all my links to a nofollow so they get no link credit going back to my site. Then it is an old site with 8900 pages. And all pages are duplicate content of my homepage. If you visit it you see nothing. But it uses a useragent cloaked pages and shows my homepage to googlebot.

I am somewhat hesitant still in over exposing the site because the bad side to it is it will also promote the technique and we do not want this technique to go into the wrong hands.

[kineticdc]

Benj it is already in the wrong hands. Do you think it is in the right hands?

This is only one of several poor seocontest2008 techniques I have seen. Two site even posted bad singing videos on their site. One girl and one boy. Ughhh (sorry a little humor in my pain). I even have seen a fake page with links to your site.. Did you know about that one? It is not an official entry but a page from the Philipines. Yep, a lot of different tactics. A few sites have copied tactics and content. I checked the 5000 links in my Google account and found some weird sites with bad content linking to me, it seems as an attempt to drag me down in SERPS.

Funny, I even got an undeserved infraction in another forum from a mod who is participating. Not very funny. I enjoy the competition but I don't do this full time. I am a business owner that does SEO as a hobby, I am learning what is happening as the contest was going on. Like one contestant has all these gambling links? does that create better SERP? I don't know, I am learning as I go along.. I don't think these are bad things, just things I did not think of in February, but I know about now.

I am looking forward to using my newfound talents in social bookmarking and blackmarking (happened to me the second week) Not my style but a guy from DP did it to me. I like competition but fair competition is a lot more fun.

So back to your point, If you don't want to post the site to the public, at least PM the contest mod so they can watch for it in the future.

And please tune your guitar.

[BenjArriola]

Thanks Kinetic for the insight. I'm starting to look at this in a whole new way. I guess I am overreacting as well. My bad.