I seem to recall this having happened earlier with the same exact site (or one run by the same people/person).
The forum’s called Cockadoodledoo. A lot of usernames are repeated from SDMB users. A lot of posts are repeated from SDMB posts. The SDMB post’s username and the Cockadoodledoo post’s username are not the same, which makes me sincerely doubt it’s just crossposting.
That is so freaking bizzare. I remember when that hong kong message board was doing this. Looking through those, I thought it might have been crossposting too, but then I hit the identical replies. Also there seems to be a one or two day delay from our posts to theirs.
What the hell is the point of this? Are some message boards so bereft of content that they have to gank content to look more interesting? Seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
Sometimes, if I start a thread here, I’ll create a similar thread on my forum. However, sicne there’s no Dopers there that I know of, the threads evolve much differently.
On some very new boards, admins will create sockpuppets and repost threads from other sites, to make their site look busy, and thus entice new users who normally wouldn’t participate on a slow-moving forum. The Cockadoodledoo board is moderately busy, though.
Exactly. A board that has some similar usernames? No problem - maybe there are lots of Dopers there, or maybe just a coincidence. A board that has some of the same postings? No problem, maybe it’s just a cross-post - those are legal. A board that has a lot of identical usernames, with a lot of identical postings (but not by the same people), with a lot of IDENTICAL REPLIES (again, not by the same people on both boards) is suspicious.
Just cruised around that board for a few, and there are tons of threads ripped straight from the SDMB. Lot’s of identical user names when you look at their list, as well. I think we’re past suspicious, just based on what I saw.
I have referred this up the pipeline for the Reader and their attorneys to take care of.
Not the first time . . . sadly, not the last, either, I’m afraid. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery . . . though geez, they could find better ways rather than steal our content.
Probably what elmwood said - they’re just “padding the stats” as it were. With only 400+ users on the list, they can’t be too busy. Somone over there obviously has some time on their hands. Here’s hoping they copy this thread!
“Those pricks at the SDMB are all replicating our posts before we post ours! Those bastards!”
Some people try to build up posts on their messageboards via theft through some automated process so they can try to sell them to other people based upon implied traffic numbers (the theory being if new owners add ads they’ll make $x based upon current patterns, but of course it’s all bogus).
It’s interesting - they’ve changed some of the names slightly (hoping they wouldn’t get noticed, maybe?) and there’s someone over there with half my name, but only half. So I have no idea if they ripped me off or not. Very strange.