Does Fluther share our questions?

Tha fuck? That site even has a nautical theme as well. Something fishy is afoot.

Ut-uh… are octopuses going to take over Fluther?

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard That is the part that really got my spidey-sense up.

Our question of the day is posted on facebook with the link. Also, I think other question and answer sites are powered by fluther, so there must be some sort of cross referencing something or other.

This is just straight scraping the site or RSS feeds.

See… http://blog.fluther.com/an-open-letter-to-jason-calacanis/ for a example of how scumbags work.

I think that as long as it is attributed, the founders will let it go.

I think I should mention that this other site had the question within minutes of me posting mine.

I just looked into it. They are indeed scraping the RSS feed. They are scum.

That pathetic scum site, I’m going to try to contact them about it, I think Augustlan should see this.

Of course, they have to email. This needs to be reported, they are completely copying the RSS feed.

I say we riot the place with nekked jellies and pancakes.

We need to fill out a Digital Millennium Copyright Act, I took screenshots of both sites for proof.

Here is a guide to get revenge on them

Here is the screenshot evidence

Interesting…I used the search to look up my user name and found this.

Oh God! We’re being cloned!

A few years ago I made a mobile version of Fluther using the RSS feed for Dog so she could see the questions and mod from it. That way it didn’t dump her to the mobile site. I was pretty wasted at the time and it only took about 30 minutes. This crap isn’t hard to do.

@Pied_Pfeffer yeah they got a bunch of my stuff too

@johnpowell yeah, we need to shut down the RSS feed or something.

@XOIIO I feel violated by ‘John’.

We can check who is using the RSS feed and ban their IP, we should do this ASAP. I’d do it if I had the access to. We could also limit them to a small amount of characters, like 10.

This is their IP, 174.120.247.220: they are located in Houston Texas

More info:

Host of the IP: askfromoctopus.com [Whois] [Reverse IP]
Host IP [?]: 174.120.247.220 [Whois] [Reverse IP]
IP country code: US
IP address country: ip address flag United States
IP address state: Texas
IP address city: Houston
IP postcode: 77002
IP address latitude: 29.7523
IP address longitude: -95.3670
ISP of this IP [?]: THEPLANET.COM INTERNET SERVICES
Organization: THEPLANET.COM INTERNET SERVICES
Local time in United States: 2011–06-01 14:00

Here is the IP tracing results page.

Got their email from the whois, trying to contact now askfromoctopus.com@proxy.dreamhost.com

My email to the ”Why are you stealing questions from the Fluther RSS feed? This is an extremely low thing to do to attract attention to your website, and I advise you to stop immediately.”

I’m contacting their ISP as well

My email to the ISP
“_Hi, I wanted to make you aware that http://askfromoctopus.com/, a web site that you supposedly ost for, is stealing content from www.fluther.com via the RSS feed, and VIA a search on that site, they have been doing this for a long time, questions that asked of fluther are all there. I have screenshots as evidence if you would like them, please help us stop this.
_”

Also, when I get home tonight I will use a program I have to mirror their website, that way we havefunctioning proof of it even if they remove it, if anyone else can do it sooner that would be good, use HTTtrack to do it.

The oldest result b searching my name is since Nov 12, 2010, I’m using augustlan now because she is an older member. The oldest other question result is from the 17th, looks like they started copying in November 2010

Yes! I can mirror the website in my next period, and I’ll upload it to 4shared right after.

Some guy named John is posting or copying or whatever you call it our questions over there. Even some of MY questions are there. WTH?

And why does John seem to be the only asker, and there are pretty much NO answers on any of the questions?

That’s just weird.

Not cool, octopeople. Not cool.

John on “Ask from Octopus” is an idiot, let see if that shows up on his site. I found things back to September 28. 2010. Questions by John and . . . . . DRUM roll please – - – - – - John answers the question.
WTF ? ?

@Tropical_Willie Yeah, I’m confused. I have no idea what the whole point is of making a website that clearly rips off another website’s theme and has questions that have been copied from other websites. And apparently this “John” is the only person there????? head asplodes

John is reaping email addresses from His members and selling ads.

Forehead slap DOH ! ! !

Wow, he has a question about why he is copying from us on his site XD

Anyways, I mirrored part of the the website, here
is the download link, i’ll try to copy the whole thing later.

@XOIIO Yeah, I posted that one, haha, just to see if I would get a response. It’s been up for an hour and no answer yet.

I joined the site too, and asked a less offensively-worded question. I also answered yours. ;)

I think we all should join with our same usernames and ask about it.

@Seelix I just did as well and used the Fluther name. I also posted on the question of mine that ‘John” asked. What is interesting is that the post included a link to the original Fluther question. Maybe that is a way of getting around the legal bit.

@Seelix But…but…but I like being offensive! Sometimes. :P

@WillWorkForChocolate – And I wouldn’t have you any other way ;)

Holy crap, like ALL of my questions are on this site! I FEEL VIOLATED!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t like this.

I am not okay with this.

A lot of my questions were on there too.

It’s not just us – there are questions from Wikianswers and Blurtit as well. Effing guy is poaching from everywhere.

Mine too!

I can’t find any of my questions. I feel left out :(

I found some of my questions.

Who the fuck is this John guy and what is he trying to do here? Methinks it’s time for some good old fashioned cease and desist action up in this bitch.

I didn’t see any of mine either @bob_.

Has anyone checked out the About page? It doesn’t even make any sense…

Before it said something about the good things to come

Sounds like English isn’t John’s first language.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard :: He learned asshole first.

Thanks for the heads up, guys. I’ll forward this info to the founders. There are quite a few scum-sucking sites like that one out there, that scrape content from multiple Q&A sites. It may be that as long as they’re attributed, it’s legal, but I’m not 100% sure on the fine points, here.

I’m so tempted to troll the shit out of that site.

It’s not only the thieves that steal our questions. The owners also “partnered” with several other sites to share our questions with them on a beta plan called Federated. I am a beta user here on Fluther, and Federated is one of the tabs at the top of my page.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I kinda did for about 14–15 questions. I’m not ashamed. :D

@YARNLADY This is not a “Federated” site.

@WillWorkForChocolate I saw that. You inspired me.

@YARNLADY Yeah, this is not in any way a partner site of ours.

It’d be really funny if a gang of us did troll the site. Juss sayin’

The only problem is- I don’t know if trolling the guy would make him give up, or if a bunch of us trolling would just make him happy to have members…....

I think he’s a robot.

Yeah…that’s the only problem with trolling is. Robots don’t really get trolls ;)

Well if you look under the business and finance topic header here you get something about checking a work schedule at Walmart

@Kayak8 Hahahaha, wow.

What a derpy, glitchy, jive-ass website…. 0_o

At least my alternate 12 year old self learned how to give better BJs.

How’s that broken glass working out for your man?

Well, he gave me a broken nose and shoved a hot dog up my vajingo. Not so good. :/

The mind boggles….

@Bellatrix What is seen cannot be unseen.

LOL

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard You should call the number I put for it. I think you’d laugh.

FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEEEEEEKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDD.

LOL I should get in on this XD

@XOIIO Do etttttttt.

@KatetheGreat LMFAO! I love that you put that question in the “Sports” category!!!

Well, it is a sport, madame!

Joining in XD
I love that fluther is agaisnt trolls unless we want to troll lolz

Trollers gonna troll. ;)

But with trolls, one never knows. ;)

I was bored so I changed White and Nerdy a bit LOL

They see me trollin’
My teh interwebz
I know they’re all thinking
I’m so fat and pimply

Think I’m just too fat n’pimply
Think I’m just too fat n’pimply
Can’t you see too fat n’pimply
Look at me I’m too fat n’pimply
I wanna troll with-
Teh lolcatz
But so far they all think
I’m too too fat n’pimply
Think I’m just too too fat n’pimply
Think I’m just too too fat n’pimply
I’m just too too fat n’pimply
Really, really too fat n’pimply

First in my club here at 4Chan
Got skills, I’m a Champion of PSP
MC Escher that’s my favorite Porno Movie
Keep your 40
I’ll just have something form Mc d’s

LOL “John” does a really bad job of asking questions as other people.

Did anyone get some wordpress page when you went to the site? I just did, and also, I got an email back from the ISP

“Hello,

Please review our DMCA procedures which follow the OCILLA. Also note, the sworn statements and all other information listed on our DMCA page are not only required but mandatory for any DMCA report. This will allow you to specifically identify the intellectual property that you own and is being infringed upon, which is required by law.

There are many verified third party DMCA/COPYRIGHT agencies who act on behalf of the intellectual property holders who can verify and submit these claims on behalf of the intellectual property owners. This will insure that legally, the intellectual property owner and the ISP is protected in the event of an account termination.

SoftLayer DMCA information http://www.softlayer.com/dmca.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCILLA see section 2 – 2.1 take-down example

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html see section 512 – 3 Elements of notification”

Super popular practice. Expect it. Don’t worry about it. It actually helps fluther in terms of marketing/advertising as long as they are clearly referencing the original site. The fact of the matter is, some people will never ever hear of fluther unless they first see a fluther question posted on another site like that one.

I’ve known about this for about a year now, and it hasn’t been a secret here; we’ve talked about this before. What’s the harm? They attribute the site, and it might be interesting if we could find out (show of hands, anyone?) who came here to start an account after finding our Q&A there.

If I had learned about Fluther through that site and saw all of the sturm und drang above, I might not raise my hand.

@ninjacolin but barely any of the questions mention Fluther, and that site is a run down corner store druggy

Not my questions or answers. They don’t stay on here long enough. LMAO

Nice school spirit, but who cares? It’s the freaking internet.

One question that has a load of code (HTML?) in it makes the rest of the posts below it look weird. Got me thinking that if questions were written that contained code that “broke” the site, that would be a shame. Or am I a rubblish evil genius?

Oh, look, here I am.

John needs a punch in the cajones.

I think I’m going to leave Fluther for Ask From Octopus. I like the overall sense of community better.

Well, that would be a shame. :)

None of our questions have any answers. How the hell do they keep that site running?

It runs on pure spam oil.

@erichw1504 ~~ Don’t let the screen door hit you in the butt. When you leave for A$$ from Octopus.

My email to the website finally failed, so I guess there isnt much to do now.

That site is creepifyin’!

They got me too! I’ve only asked one question!

All my questions are there as well.

Thank you octomom, you love me you really love me.

I asked the same question about 18 months ago:

http://www.fluther.com/68377/are-fluther-questions-automatically-fed-into-other-forums/

and got some interesting answers. Including a link to the Fluther blog

http://blog.fluther.com/an-open-letter-to-jason-calacanis/

You probably have a virus on your computer.

Or you could be pregnant.

Herpes?

He definitely likes you

I don’t do homework questions.