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Scoop, it is always very clear on your posts. When people are not upfront I start to smell a rat
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 3:54 PM
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jj wilde, re your first comment, I agree
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 2:41 PM
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littlemspickles, sadly it is never far away
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 2:40 PM
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Sassyass, I think the misinterpretation of common knowledge is where many of the problems start. It is very easy in many cases for people to track the orginal complete with the copyright symbol but people don't even look.
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 2:39 PM
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JJ Wilde, I think there are many people with personal integrity but I agree that the rip-offs devalue the entire medium. I guess that is something that some people notice and others are oblivious to
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 2:37 PM
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FactorFiction, true voices shine through and I am more forgiving of errors made honestly than perfect rip-offs
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 2:34 PM
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Oh dear, is plagiarism about to rear it's ugly head on blogit again?
posted by
littlemspickles
on May 6, 2005 at 2:33 PM
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John McNab NO, NO. IT DOESN'T
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 2:32 PM
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Aha!
Well, I might not be a brilliant writer, but I pretty much have to be original...
posted by
FactorFiction
on May 6, 2005 at 1:58 PM
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MayB
By me, for me = unpublished.
posted by
johnmacnab
on May 6, 2005 at 10:35 AM
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May,
It is true that copyright laws are difficult to enforce in many instances, and not worth the trouble in many others. It really does come down, most often, to what any writer considers to be acceptable. That's where social sanctions and, in many cases, editorial policies come into play. There are many things that would be overlooked on a blog site that would never be by a competant editor, who has a reputation for integrity to consider.
Unfortunately, incaution of writers on blog sites gives a far lower level of credibility to them as sources of information. They are really quite worthless as sources of accurate information for that reason. Many people accept anything they read as valid information, but for those who don't, the integrity of writers is a factor, and I fear that there isn't much of that.
Copying information is not the only fly in the ointment. There are so many others that I can hardly touch the surface here. 
JJ
posted by
Jack_Flash
on May 6, 2005 at 7:11 AM
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MayB
In my blog "As I See It" I sometimes write an
opinion and other times I use a news story and do
commentary but I will always say if it was an AP piece or wherever it came from. When writing on news and politics mostly I will give the facts and then my commentary or opinion on it. In my other blog, "Scoop du jour" I do little of this and that using pictures and quotes, but I never steal, cut and paste a story and say it is mine.
posted by
scoop
on May 6, 2005 at 6:38 AM
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When you pass on something that
is news or common knowledge then I think that its fine. Many sources will report the same story and changing it around a little justs adds some of your own creativity, just so long as you don't change the facts its fine. Completely copying another's work and trying to put it out there as yours is a different story. If I am asked where I got something I won't hesitate to tell the reader. Many of my jokes and funny facts are sent to me from friends and family.
posted by
Sherri_G
on May 6, 2005 at 6:35 AM
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Odd,
There are so few comments here that include statements on the violations of copyright laws and the penalties involved in their violation. Not only is plagiarism uncreative, tasteless, and a misrepresentation by a boob to readers, it is a
flat-assed a violation of the law. Why so little attention to that?
JJ 
posted by
Jack_Flash
on May 6, 2005 at 5:21 AM
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You are welcome, mayb,and thanks for reading and commenting on my writing:)
posted by
Meringue
on May 6, 2005 at 5:04 AM
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You are a wiley whiner then Anthony1wiley
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:55 AM
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Thanks for the link meringue. I don't check very often only when the alarm bells ring and I love it when my suspicions are unfounded particularly when it applies to my students
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:51 AM
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Mayb,you are right...maybe we can do a check
when we suspect something like this at a site called mydropbox.com,which checks a given content for plagiarism!
posted by
Meringue
on May 6, 2005 at 4:47 AM
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man-boy, yes I often see the red flag too.
thanks for that comment which reflects my feelings on these matters.
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:42 AM
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Tigerprincess, I agree. By all means link to refer to something but then go into why it is important
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:40 AM
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Telynor, it is the non-thinkers who try to diminish thinkers
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:39 AM
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J.King. Original is best particularly when it's fresh
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:35 AM
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L.E.Gant. I thoroughly agree with you. I know there are no new ideas and that it is how ideas are presented which set some writers apart. My post is about the prevalence of the cut and paste merchants who lift the words of others and slap a couple of new labels on it.
posted by
Azur
on May 6, 2005 at 4:34 AM
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What would be original?
Most people write about what they have read and have reacted with. Sure, they finish up (often) with just a rehash of some well-researched piece, but they probably also have done some research as well as acting or reacting to the piece they are rehashing.
One could say that your writings about teaching and your dilemma with your book idea are not original - I've heard the same complaint from many teachers and from many writers. There is a very close correlation between their wordsand your words. Does that mean that you're "plagiarising" all those others?
Of course not. But you can see the gist - there's nothing new under the sun.
BTW, I make no bones about the fact that I beg/borrow/steal ideas from everywhere. But then, ideas are cheap and worth nothing until someone makes a fortume out of some expression of the idea - it that were not so, I'd sue a few billionaires who have made fortunes out of MY ideas. I don't because I never did take those ideas (and prototypes) to the stage where they were commercially viable.
posted by
L.E.Gant
on May 6, 2005 at 3:33 AM
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Good Question with probably a million answers. I think people should give credit to the person that supplied whatever they have cut and pasted into thier entry if possible. I still agree that being original is most interesting.
Go Easy,
J.King
posted by
J.King
on May 6, 2005 at 1:35 AM
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Sounds mightily like masters' theses.
Or so I've been told.
(I just got as far as my BSN).
Some folks cannot get beyond "sampling". Stomping on them brings little joy, sort of like kicking crutches.
posted by
majroj
on May 5, 2005 at 10:17 PM
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I try to be original in my writing. Sometimes I'll post a link to something else I've written, or if something has really infuriated me, but I do try to think for myself. I do agree with the other commentors here, most people are just too lazy to ever think for themselves, and now that we live in a country where being a 'thinker' is ridiculed, what else can we possibly expect? :|
posted by
telynor
on May 5, 2005 at 8:52 PM
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MayB
Good post~~good point luv
Yeah, all my whining is original
posted by
WileyJohn
on May 5, 2005 at 8:34 PM
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Ohhh, I think the people who just spatter links across their blog are the worst. Yeah, okay so they liked a piece. Why do they feels so strongly about it????
posted by
tigerprincess
on May 5, 2005 at 5:22 PM
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I cannot believe people would do that
Do they lack talent, character or scruples? Or all 3?
Shameless! 
posted by
David1Spirit
on May 5, 2005 at 5:09 PM
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Yep. Hi Ariala
As soon as start to feel a little too much polish for the source the red flags go up.
I have attempted to be an original all of my life- at one point I bemoaned the fact that I read so much - how could I ever know if I had an original thought?
Surely I had been inoculated in some way with germ of ideas by countless writers, authors, thinkers, ...but to present work you cannot lay claim to, as your own, is a perilous moral act. Beyond ethical, it marks you out as someone who would steal, well, maybe anything.
No judgement passed here, but you are right we can't let it slide and it is entirely right to ask if an idea was grown from some other source but has been tweaked enough to make it a new idea. Although acknowledging ones sources is considered civil.
Manboy
posted by
man-boy
on May 5, 2005 at 4:53 PM
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I think if people use quotes and texts correctly and add their own thoughts
it works out pretty well...otherwise, it's more like plagiarism.
posted by
Ariala
on May 5, 2005 at 4:27 PM
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Uhh, ohh... did you see my Adventures of Fiction At Its Finest in the Travel Section?... I'm writing fiction on fiction... starting with Huck Finn... busted...
posted by
cmoe
on May 5, 2005 at 4:25 PM
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