Comments on: Blogging and plagiarism

By: Richard Grabman

Richard Grabman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:30:53 +0000

What people forget is that writing IS work. Even if we don’t always use pristine grammar and sometimes our sentence structure isn’t all it should be, we’ve put in xx number of hours just in the production (let alone the intellectual processes and study that went into knowing whatever it is we write about).

Like CindyLou, I use a “Creative Commons License” and expect it to be honored. At least a link, though I’ve had to spell out exactly what is — and is not — acceptable use on my own site. Those who have copied me without a link get a fairly nice letter. Those who copy me for commercial reasons get sent an invoice for reprint rights at 75 US dollars a page.

By: chispa

chispa — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:10:47 +0000

hey cindy – you did the right thing. copycats suck.

By: tin

tin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:23:05 +0000

“la poesia es del que la necesita”

In the movie “El Postino,” an Italian movie about Pablo Neruda and a mail delivery man, when Neruda pointed out to the mail carrier, who had recited a loved poem to a woman, Neruda said that that was his poem. The man replied: “la poesia es del que la necesita.”

I see your point Cindylu. I guess the issue is not giving credit, or just feeling like your own originality/uniqueness of expression is not so unique/you cuz someone else is using it as their own.

By: yoyi

yoyi — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:31:02 +0000

SISTER PANTS! THATS FREAKEN HILARIOUS!!! AND I QUOTE DAD WHEN I SAY THIS “KICK HER ASS.” LOL see you today chicana

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:32:50 +0000

do you run google analytics when tracking traffic?

By: irasali

irasali — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:53:11 +0000

I don’t know if someone has copied my blog, but it would bother me. But I had someone take ad copy, from a reading series Mariposa Atomica and I curate, to describe an event they were hosting. It was copied word for word, included the spanglish flair and exact word arrangement! Then this person emailed me to invite me, I blinked because I couldn’t believe it. The much more confrontational Mariposa wrote a direct email to the offender and she ultimately responded with an apology and changed it. While I still had my store open, I also had a vendor copy another vendor’s art technique and then bring me the stuff to put out–I couldn’t do it. As a store owner I worked hard to be original and polite and not carry the same gift items as neighboring businesses–I was shocked when I had a vendor call to tell me about inquiries he kept receiving from my neighbors. (He kept me as an exclusive seller b/c he didn’t want to dilute his product either.) So, yeah, I can’t imagine taking someone else’s writing and presenting it as your own. Plagiarism should be included as the 8th deadly sin.

By: ryan

ryan — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 04:00:33 +0000

You did the right thing. Generally speaking I think that….

Stealing words from a post is flattery. Annoying, sure. But flattery in the grand scheme, unless she starts making money off your words somehow.

Stealing a profile is just bizarre. And scary, or didn’t you see that movie where the one roommate started to try to look like the other roommate. (the name escapes me, it was that good of a movie…Single white female? something like that)

Stealing photos without attribution and taking the trouble to remove or even carefully edit out the watermarks….please, don’t get me started.

By: gm

gm — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:53:03 +0000

lol at “she must be a catholic”

how do we know you didn’t copy her?

By: El Random Hero

El Random Hero — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:29:34 +0000

reminds me of that incident i had with a writer from the la times. remember? you remember.

By: oso

oso — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:13:08 +0000

Damn homie, she took down her whole blog!?

Hmmm … she must be a catholic too.