Can You Really Make Money Online With Auto Blogs?

So just recently there has been a massive uproar and fanfare in the internet marketing world regarding auto blogs.  Now initially this has to do with the most successful product launches of Clickbank history called Auto Blog System X which is a complete package which purports to generate tons of income with literally no work.  However in the uproar there have been several ethical questions raised as to how replicating content on a blog from somewhere else for profit is good karma or not and whether or not it is a slimy tactic.  To answer that question is a difficult process because there is a very thin line which distinguishes between what is ethical and what it not.

What is an unethical auto blog?

An unethical auto blog is one that scrapes content from multiple sources that are not intended to be reproduced.  Often times these auto blogs use automated software to take content and rewrite or "spin" the content so as to appear not duplicated.  You may have run across these were you have visited a site where the sentences do not make sense and in general it appears that maybe a first grader might have typed it out.  What you are probably reading is one of these unethical blogs which primarily use content they do not have the rights too nor do they even pay courtesy in linking back to the original content.  In this context they are most certainly breaking DMCA regulations.

Another unethical auto blog trick is to take snippets or parts of articles and place those on the blog to generate good rankings via Google.  The problem with this method again is that the creator simply carries no regard for the copyrighted work.  These sorts of unethical practices are replicated over and over again for the author of said blogs to make a small amount per day via adsales or intrusive advertising.  While the author may not make very much money per day with one of these they could conceivably make quite a bit of money if they had hundreds of said blogs.

Unfortunately the method of simply scraping content or stealing content from others dies very very quickly as it is very easy to track these sorts of blogs and shut them down.  I personally have found parts of my articles strewn over various sites which I have had shut down.  Many of the big Ezine players work actively to shut down these unscrupulous internet marketers but it is a tireless process which is exacerbated by the speed and ferocity of them. As a side note if you ever find your content being distributed illegally make sure you report it to the ISP or site where it is hosted and trust me it does help.

So what is an ethical auto blog?

Believe it or not there are actually, if done right, very ethical auto blogs that work by using content that the author is legally allowed to.  In fact back in the early days of the internet when ezines were first built the intent was to provide distribution sites for great content.  A good one works by creating a very specific stream of information via article sites or blog syndication networks which the author uses legitimately and accurately.  Any internet marketer who is worth anything recognizes the importance of copyright and as such could create a perfectly viable auto blog which publishes content that benefits the original author primarily and then the auto blog.  There are specific ways in which you can use ezines particularly which is an excellent source of quality work.

If you want to create an ethical auto blog I suggest spending some time reading the various legal policies of the article sites you wish to draw from before publishing their content.  However if you want to create something successful you will need to also sprinkle the blog with your own unique content that compliments the work of others.  It is not really sufficient, nor profitable, to simply reproduce the work your readers can get elsewhere so commit yourself to engage your readers on at least a weekly basis to offer insight or commentary.