In the normal course of working on this blog, building readership, I did a search to see how it was showing up on Google. I searched some terms that were fairly unique, like "...too busy kicking old house ass..." before searching "AZ DIY Guy's Projects". I found this odd little link at the bottom of page one:
Fine Woodworking Plans?
Weird. It clearly referred to my General Tools EZ Pocket Hole Jig review post. Then the next phrase isn't mine. Huh? I thought I'd follow whoever shared my post and kindly ask them for a proper back-link. Here's where it went:
Huh? (Again). I kind of remember something about this from about a year ago. I checked around. Sure enough, this is the scam that Steve Ramsey of Woodworking for Mere Mortals posted several times about. Here's links to a few of the good ones: April 2, 2012, April 7, 2012, April 10, 2012.
Basically this site appears to be a shady affiliate in the Ted's Woodworking pyramid scheme of selling woodworking plans that have stolen from magazines and reputable sites around the web. There's tons of info out there on this huckster syndicate if you want to look for it, and can wade through all the paid advertising with fake reviews. I'm surprised they are still going, but these shadow scam things are hard to stamp out. I've researched a similar tactic from the Build Your Own Solar Panels for your Home scam in the past. It's all crap.
I even followed some comment links and found good old "Ted" AKA "man with gray hair smiling" at iStock Photo. Yep, good old "Ted" himself is a $29 image from a stock photo house.
Screen capture of iStock Photo
I wonder how the guy who sold his mug to a stock photo house feels about the way it is being used. The poor schlep is likely to be recognized on the street by an angry, wronged woodworker and get socked, unsuspecting in the jaw.
I'm not posting clickable links to this garbage. I don't want to give it any sort direct traffic. Here's where it gets me: how the heck did they embed my story title and text into a Google search?
I searched around a bit and, as near as I can tell, it's coming from paid, automated software that "legally steals" or "ethically steals" back link traffic. What the hell is that? Programmers create this stuff. People behind the sites sell and operate it. Bastards all.
Selling someone's plans without permission or plagiarizing their written word's in an effort to misdirect / or trick the web surfing public into a scam site that sells the stolen plans is stealing. It is unethical. Legal or not, if you take part in this, you are a scumbag, period. You are making money on the art created by the talents of others, without their permission, and from what I understand against their express statements denying permission.
So far, I've only been slightly wronged, maybe a tiny bit of misdirected traffic. I'm angry anyway. This site is barely two months old. Others are probably suffering actual damage. Plus, the artists that created plans that have been stolen have certainly been wronged. Please don't support it by buying this garbage. Do your research. Wait until you hear about the actual product you will receive.
OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION:
I hereby prohibit any of my created works, images, text or media of any kind from being utilized in any form to support the sale of Ted's Woodworking products.
Disclaimer:
This post is written with the research I was able to do on the web. I trust the sources I found, supporting my conclusion, as good and upstanding, and have no reason to doubt their claims. If I am wrong in my belief that the Ted's Woodworking Plans operation is a filthy, scamming, operation of thieving jack-ass-dom, I will remove this post and offer sincere apologies, without crossed fingers, once I see proof otherwise. I invite the scumbags to contact me, since they cannot be contacted directly to inquire.
Back to sunshine, rainbows, and happy projects next time, my friends. Promise.