Blessings Darlings!
I respect authors, artists, etc - as a result, I take a hard line on plagiarism, as I've mentioned before. And I don't keep silent when I see folks do it FaceBook. Oddly enough, that doesn't endear me to some people. Specifically, it doesn't endear me to plagiarists. Which, actually, cheers me quite a bit - if I am to be known by what groups hate me, being hated by plagiarists is a fine thing in my never humble opinion.
Well, I ran into some plagiarism in an open FaceBook group earlier this month. It was posted on the 14th, I saw it and snarked on the 26th, and they (the plagiarist and her friends) found it today. Instead of saying something like "ooops, you're right, I should have linked back to my source, Llewellyn Publishing's blog at <this address>", the plagiarist called ME negative. Because pointing out plagiarism is negative, but plagiarism itself is white light and unicorn farts?
Here is the complete text of the conversation, as of this moment. I had to get someone else to grab the text for me (given the results, easycapture.com seems to rock!) because the plagiarist blocked me during the conversation. If you'd like to check, the link to the group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/219529221497038/?bookmark_t=group .
I expect that the group owner didn't think s/he would need a plagiarism policy, that no one would do it. But plagiarism puts the OWNER at risk, so some policy would be a good idea.
Anyway, for your reading pleasure:
Frondly - and HONORABLY - Fern
Dear Gods these people are wilfully ignorant aren't they? Nevermind the fact that they scream at people who they disagree with and refuse to learn but they outright brazenly steal.
ReplyDeleteThey need to educate themselves as to law. And Llewellyn needs to hear from a few of us as to this use of their material.
If someone claims to be an author, they really need to be aware that attribution and/or getting permission is a must. Neither thing is very difficult, it just takes due diligence.
DeleteAnd all she had to do was add the link that it came from Llewelyn's blog. Yes it's put out their to share, we all do that but to share with a reference as to it's source. I myself have become very careful about making sure I watermark or add text to things that could be shared (especially) pictures that don't let someone use it wouldn't referencing.
ReplyDeleteI don't have written a plagiarism policy on the Facebook group I run (though I'll enforce it myself). Any tips on a sites that provide good verbage for people to use?
Velody ~ Facebook's TOC contains an agreement which when we saign up we all agree to, not to break copyrights ~ here's a link explaining more about copyrights:
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=245606008862916
How ignorant are these people? If you don't want your work stolen, don't post it on the internet? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteAnd this Blackhawk person claims to be an author, yet has to resort to name calling and making fun of you for posting a resource like a dictionary link? WTH.
I read the whole thing and I don't see anywhere where she claimed to be the Author. Could someone please point it out ?
DeletePurrsona, when you take someone else's writing and post it (or hand it in to a teacher), with your own name attached to the post, without attributing the words or naming the author, you put forth the words as your own.
DeleteThis is usually covered in high school in the United States. Certainly I learned it freshman year in high school, since I had two 15 page research papers due that year. One was on the Amarna Revolution, which did it's part in setting me on my Pagan path, come to think of it.
Purrsona - the person who posted the plagiarized link refers to herself as an author in the copy/pasted convo at least twice about halfway down.
DeleteVelody, ask over at the Pagans Against Plagiarism group on FB. They should have some good resources for group policies.
ReplyDeleteNo one likes to be told they are wrong, and this one is a classic example of what people will do when they are told they are wrong. She really does have a potty mouth, and for an author, she needs to learn more about copyrights and plagiarism. Good job Fern. She needed that.
ReplyDeleteI occasionally quote from Raven Kaldera's book Moon Phase Astrology and it is mentioned on my blog that I do so. If I find something of interest online like at the Pagan/Wicca About site, I typically link to it. But I really try to give credit or let my reader's know that I didn't write something.
ReplyDeleteThe reaction when caught never ceases to amaze me! Nor how they twist and turn (indeed squirm) when caught in a corner!
ReplyDeleteNice catch Fern ~ hopefully it will do some good! :)
I'd say to hex her but that has obviously already happened. Bless her heart.
ReplyDeleteBless her heart, indeed.
DeleteI need you to lecture my students on plagiarism. No matter what I find some of them grabbing information elsewhere and failing to give credit. Schools should spend time on this.
ReplyDeleteHeather
But ... I was taught this in school. By Mr. Colton, High School Freshman History. His SOP sheet is still stuck in my mind, these many years later and it really hasn't been hard to apply it to the internet (okay, footnotes are now mostly links to web pages).
ReplyDeleteIt never ceases to baffle me that people do this and when its pointed out attack the person who has noticed it. The plagiarism is bad enough, but the ad hominem attacks on you Fern for speaking up are ridiculous.
ReplyDelete