Aug 12 2011

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Fighting Scrapers when Google Won’t: A Simple Guide

Battling those who mirror your site.

Scraping: When a site copies all of the information from a popular publisher and tries to pass it off as their own, sometimes even outranking the original author. Google has made great strides in preventing scraping, but it can still be an issue for those caught in its web. Here are some easy ways to discourage and prevent scraping:

1: Make Regular Updates

Google will assume that the first version of identical content that’s indexed belongs to the original author. For that reason, being indexed frequently is a great way to prevent scraping. While there are no magic bullets to being indexed more frequently, posting content on a regular basis is the most reliable way to get the attention of Google’s robo.

2: Link Back to Your Site

Scrapers need to post your content immediately if they’re going to be seen as the original author. That means copying your website, code and all. One way to ensure that you have evidence that you’re being scraped is to include links back to your own site. Have images, author tags, and other content link back to other portions of your main website.

3: Add “Read More” URL Inclusions

One way that scrapers get their content is just copying and pasting it. If this is the case, you can ensure that your site is attributed as the original source of the content by using a “read more” inclusion. This inclusion makes it so an additional line is added at the end of a copy/paste. Normally, this reads as “Read more: [your URL].” While there are multiple providers of this technology, Tynt is the most respected in the industry.

4: Truncate Your RSS

Another way scrapers get content is automatically importing your RSS feed. If you’re providing full posts in your RSS, it’s a good idea to truncate the total amount provided and add a “read more at” link at the bottom. This keeps your feed friendly for users while preventing the scrape.

Have other tactics that have helped you get past scrapers? Share them in the comments section below.

Written By:

Rob D Young | @RobDYoungWrites

Rob has been insatiably obsessed with Google, search engine technology, and the trends of the web-based world since he began life as a webmaster in 2002. His move into SEO work in 2006, and subsequently to writing for technology and internet-focused publications, has done nothing but fuel this passion.

More Posts By Rob Young

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Summer is winding down but many kids are out of camp and looking to be entertained. And there’s no better way to handle hot days and bored kids than to visit a water park. A few area attractions provide cool recreation for different age groups.

SplashDown: Cool for a Range of Ages

Located in Fishkill, SplashDown is appealing for families with toddlers to teens. Steve Turk bought the park about five years ago and has added a new attraction each year, so now the park is almost double its original size, according to Kyle Carson, marketing director.

“We like to say we’re America’s biggest little water park,” said Carson. “We don’t want to have a long wait time, and we want to make sure everyone feels safe and that it’s clean.”

SplashDown offers several different attractions, including its newest, Bob the Builder Splash Works. This 1,600-square-foot water playscape uses the familiar TV character as its theme, with brightly colored sprinklers, geysers and sprayers cooling off the small visitors.

Other water activities include a huge wave pool, a high-speed water tubing ride, three 300-foot water slides and a lazy river, among others.

SplashDown has an all-included admission fee and charges patrons by height, with 42 inches being the dividing line between the adult $29.99 and the children’s $25.99 tickets. There is special pricing for seniors, military and tickets sold after 3pm.

There is no outside food allowed in the park, but visitors may eat outside the park in the picnic area near the parking lot. The park works with Cosimo’s to provide its foodservice, with grill and pizza menus.

“We push a healthy lifestyle, making wraps and salads available,” said Carson.

Quassy: Safe and Fun with Small Kids

Quassy’s Saturation Station is located on Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury, CT. Quassy is a family-owned park, which was purchased by the Frantzis family in 1937, according to Ron Gustafson, director of marketing and public relations.

“Today, two of the park owners are on the property daily, George Frantzis II and Eric Anderson,” said Gustafson.

Saturation Station opened in 2003, the Tunnel Twister slides were added in 2006 and more expansion plans are set for the next couple of years.

This amusement park is a good option for parents with small children. The waterscape area has a variety of spraying toys, sprinklers and water slides. Saturation Station is separated from the general rides and has its own lockers ($3), restrooms and changing areas with showers.

The safe environment attracts school groups during the year and camp groups during the summer.

“It’s small enough to have independence without being too big to be too much,” said Kim Carlone, a CT teacher who has chaperoned a group of students to the park.

Adjacent to Saturation Station is Quassy’s beach, which is popular with older kids who can swim. The sandy stretch offers several lounge chairs and a roped off swimming area, which is supervised by lifeguards. Paddle boats and pontoon cruises are available at an extra cost.

Guests can bring their own food and picnic in the park or purchase food from the park’s several vendors, offering fried dough, pizza and other treats.

There is a $5 parking fee during the week, $6 on weekends. The park does not have a general admission fee, so visitors can just pay for the Saturation Station, which is $12. Tickets can be purchased separately for the rides.

Brownstone: Thrilling for Tweens and Teens

Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park is located in Portland, CT. At one time a series of brownstone quarries, this site is now home to a variety of adventurous water sports and activities that will please the older age groups.

The former quarry’s steep cliffs provide a perfect launch for jumping and range in height from 5 to 30 feet. Four ziplines vary in length between 500 and 1,000 feet, offering both dry and wet landings. Wakeboarding, including a course of ramps and jumps, is available for every level. Visitors also may bring their own snorkle gear and kayaks or both can be rented on site for an additional cost.

Food may be brought into the park, and there are also food vendors with sandwiches, grilled items, snacks, ice cream and drinks available.

Brownstone has two price points, both of which include life jackets. The least expensive is $18 and allows visitors to swim, kayak, hike or bike on the property. For $28, visitors can also try the zip lines, cliff jumping, inflatables, waterslides and scuba diving. For a real taste of the adventure, click here to see some YouTube videos of Brownstone.

Other Options

There are a couple of other parks offering water fun in the region. Coco Key in Waterbury, CT, is an indoor water park that is open year round. Lake Compounce is located in Bristol, CT, and offers an amusement park with several water rides.

With a little planning and preparation, these locations offer families and groups a way to cool off this summer while not traveling too far.

Source: IMDb

It looks like there’s drama for soap opera star Michelle Stafford on and off the screen. The redheaded daytime actress has listed her home on the Hollywood Hills real estate market for a loss, according to the LA Times. The property listing shows that Stafford’s home was purchased in 2007 — the peak of Hollywood Hills’ housing bubble — for $2,525,000. She has now listed the house for $2,499,000. Median Hollywood Hills home values have dropped 7.3 percent year-over-year.

Stafford got her big break as a soap opera star when she joined the cast of long-running soap “The Young and the Restless” with a bit role in 1997. She wowed the producers and has since developed the character into a lead role on the show. She has picked up two Emmy Awards for her work: one in 1997 for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and another in 2004 for Outstanding Lead Actress.

Stafford’s home was built in 1933. Named “Chateau Marmont,” the Mediterranean revival-style property has 4,533 square feet of living space on a nearly quarter-acre lot with views of downtown Los Angeles and Pacific Ocean beyond. According to the LA Times, Stafford restores older homes in her spare time; this property was one of her projects.

The home features four oversized rooms  and five bathrooms, with period detailing like leaded glass windows, and decorative wood-beamed ceilings. The kitchen has been updated and opens to a first floor master suite with a round walk-in closet. The bathrooms have been renovated and feature custom tile work.

The property also includes a three-car garage, several patios, and what every celebrity wants in a home: loads of privacy.

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The listing is held by Andrew Manning of Prudential Real Estate.

Based on a 30-year fixed mortgage at a rate of 4.17 percent and assuming a 10 percent down payment, the monthly mortgage payment for this home is $9,737 per month, as quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace.