• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, May 28, 2010

Rather than discourage site visitors from "cutting" its content, iVillage is using the activity to demonstrate strong user engagement. iVillage knew that visitors were copying information, but they had no way of knowing what was copied, how frequently it happened, and what was being done with the copied information.

To find out, it tapped tracking technology provided by Tynt. "With Tynt ... we know exactly what content our readers are copying and sharing with others, which is a much stronger indication of user engagement metric than either page view or time-on-page statistics," said Nada Arnot, director of Audience Development at iVillage. "We have been able to use this information to benefit both our readers and our advertisers."

Founded in 2007, Tynt's patent-pending technology anonymously detects copy/paste behavior, allowing online content owners to understand exactly which content their visitors are sharing.

Furthermore, Tynt attempts to drive incremental value for publishers by appending back-links to content each time it is pasted into emails or other documents. It also theoretically boosts SEO and search engine rankings by spreading links back to publishers' sites.

According to iVillage, over 800,000 new links have been created for iVillage since it started using Tynt.

"We've found that copy/paste activity on most sites is a very positive thing that Web site owners and online content publishers can leverage to increase visibility, engagement and profitability," said Tynt CEO Derek Ball.

In March, Tynt secured $3.9 million in series A funding led by iNovia Capital, and AVAC, along with several angel investors.