FYI: If you catch a plagiarizer in the act - the best thing to do is to send the link to the original source to VP using the "copyright violation" button found on each review.  Don't comment or say anything to the plagiarizer, just send the link to VP and let them deal with it.  Saying anything to the reviewer will cause nothing but trouble for you.

I must say that I have mixed feelings about this.  Not to blow my own horn but some of us are really very good writers whether we are paid or not.  Just because we write well maybe doesn't mean that someone else should be eagerly googling us to try to "catch" us. 

I'm very disappointed as I didn't think that those of us at ViewPoints were being policed in our reviews.  This is not what I consider to be the ViewPoints spirit. 

Of course, if you have been assigned by Meredith or someone else specifically to check our work for authenticity, that's different but I suspect that this is not the case.

I doubt anyone could confuse my drivel with something plagiarize-worthy. d;-)

I'm not saying there aren't good writers here.  I'm just saying that I have found some reviews that were so obviously professional.  Most professional writers wouldn't paste a full-out review they got paid for over here.

I for one hate seeing plagiarism and if I see something suspicious, I will look into it a little further.  If we don't look into these very suspicious reviews, they will just get away with it and keep posting false reviews.  

I wouldn't want someone stealing my work, so if I see someone stealing the work of a professional from a magazine, I look into it.

Meredith and the team are not going to find all these reviews on their own, unless they are reported. 

Plagiarism is unfortunately a problem in the online world; and nobody should take offense if your review is getting "Googled".  Take pride in the fact that it was so good that this happened.  There are always going to be a few bad apples out there, and it looks very bad to any web-site if false content is being used.

If you want a real life correlation, think about when you use your credit card.  Every once in a while you get asked to show your ID.  Do you take offense that someone asked to see your ID?  You shouldn't, because it is just the employee looking out for their business.  I actually like it when they do that, because it protects me.  I think the same applies online, that if I am writing for a site or reading reviews, I want the rightful owner of a review to get credit for original works.

I agree with Spokaneman.  If someone thought my review was good enough to look professional, it doesn't hurt me one bit if they google it.  They won't find anything and they'll move on.

Anyway, in my entire VP career, I have only twice come across a review that was so blatantly obviously not their own work that I felt I needed to google it.  So in 2 years or so, there have only been 2 times I felt the need to google a review... and both times I was right. 

But even if someone wants to google every review on this site - it wouldn't hurt the honest reviewer.  Like I said, I don't suggest commenting on the review or bashing the reviewer in any way, I only suggest reporting it to VP if you find it is might be stolen.  They will look into it and determine if it is in fact stolen or if the reviewer happens to also write for the other site.  So in essence, it doesn't hurt the honest reviewer one bit.

Now I understand where you are coming from more.  I was concerned because the problem with feverish bird-dogging of reviews and unrelenting Googling (which now I realize is not the case here) is that you might come up with similar wording in a source which the writer might not have actually seen or used.   In this day of unprecedented writing on the Internet, the odds actually are that phrases and sentences are going to be used more than once and maybe a dozen times or more, often by writers independently of each other. 

Leave us not forget that the Wright Brothers were not the only ones who invented an airplane -- a couple days after they filed for a patent, somebody else who had never known or heard of them tried to register his own invention, which was virtually the same.

As far as my reviews are concerned, Google away if you want to!

Have a nice evening, everyone!

Besides being an aspiring writer I'm a Graphic Designer by degree.  As an artist it's very easy to see an interesting image and unconsciously use it in your work.  I once had an instructor blatantly use one of my designs as the source for his freelance project!  Unfortunately, in this electronic age of copy and paste it's not uncommon for people to take bits and pieces of your writing, art, etc or completely reproduce it verbatim, and proclaim it as their own original idea.  However, as creative individuals we have the unique ability and talent to generate infinite ideas and concepts leaving the plagiarist limited by their lack of ingenuity.  I've learned once something is made public its fair game for plagiarism. Of course this is just my opinion. 

Best to everyone, GrandmawsO~!

Oh yes Anna, I do understand that some words will be used in multiple sources.  But I don't just say I found a few similar words, once it comes up in google I look at the overall piece and in these cases it was paragraph after paragraph that was word for word.  For example, I know when writing about survivor - many people may use the term "blindsided" but not many are going to write an entire paragraph word for word the same.  I'm glad you see what I am talking about :)  I'm not about to google each and every review... sometimes I even see some that are slightly suspicious and I just back out.  Of course, it's all about building trust here too. 

Grandma, I'm not talking about bits and pieces... b/c I admit that words and phrases get stuck in your head and you end up using them in your own piece.  I'm talking about entire reviews that are stolen and in those cases it is so unfair to the original author.  The times where I have found this have been REALLY good reviews and it seemed like the original author probably spent a lot of time trying to be clever.  So for someone to just steal it word for word, I think it should be reported.

Yes plagiarism is harder to track and fight online, but I still try to fight it whenever it comes across.  If you copy a sentance from somewhere, I won't even question it.  But if someone copies a 4 paragraph review word for word, it's just in my blood to report it.

wow.  I had no idea that plagiarism was so rampant on VP. 

It's not rampant, but it happens, and I just started this discussion to discourage anyone from doing it and to show that we will notice if it happens.

It happened A LOT at the other site I used to write at so after I found a stolen piece the other day, I wanted to try to make sure no one even considers doing it here at VP so this site doesn't go down that negative path that the other site has gone down.

well you can dig and dig all you want on mine .  It wouldn't take you long at all to sneak in the middle of the night and with a very dim light read my 5 reviews.  Be my guest. But please, while you are looking at them check them for grammatical errors and then go ahead and fix them for me.  I am not the best writer around here and can use all the help I can get.   Maybe after some newly corrected review ,I will get some helpful votes.on them.  What do people get out of copying  stuff like that??   FAME (surely not fortune!)? a statue in the park made to look like them?  A Nobel peace prize or something?     If I ever read one of the those reviews that are really detailed and talented and very intellectually written,  I would have to reply back and ask that  they "Drop 50 iQ points and rewrite it so that i can understand it"!     TEE HEE    What a shame that someone would even do such a thing.  I do not understand the benefit they would achieve by doing that.       AM I MISSING SOMETHING?   Tell me what it is please!!

I really don't know why people like to copy reviews.  I wouldn't feel good about myself if I got 12 Helpful votes on a stolen review.  The ONLY thing I can think of is that they think there is money in this site or they think they'll win a gift card.... but is the possibility of a gift card reason enough to steal?

I wish I could tell you how they benefit - but I too am completely at a loss about it.  On other sites, where you get paid for hits, I can *sort of* understand (although I still think it's tottally wrong to do).  But here - where you dont get paid for hits, and the most you can get is a 25$ gift card .... I don't know WHY anyone wants to steal other's work. 

I've found a few stolen reviews here (definitely more than two) and reported them to Viewpoints. In fact, some time back a publisher contacted Viewpoints and complained that I used a copyrighted image in my review of the publisher's product. (I posted a panel from a comic strip along with my review.) I still disagree with the publisher's assertion that it was copyright infringement, since printing a fragment of a copyrighted work as part of a review is considered "fair use." However, I didn't want to put Viewpoints in a bind or run up their legal bills, so I deleted the comic panel. (I showed one of 365 daily comics, which I would consider a "fragment" of the complete work.)

As for the plagiarism that Suzi mentioned, I find that revolting. There is a certain personality trait in a few people that causes them to crave approval and praise, to the point where they will steal work to get it. I've seen many, many instances of it here and elsewhere. As Suzi said, just report it and move on.

FWIW, I write professionally, including the occasional review that's printed in a magazine. These pay from $300 to $450. I don't know if that's considered "highly paid" but it beats getting mugged in a dark alley. A few of these reviews have ended up on Viewpoints and other sites, but I make it clear in the online review that I'm the author and that it first appeared in such-and-so magazine. I haven't been accused of plagiarism... yet.

--Bob

Oh Cajun!  you crack me up.  :-D ROTFLMAO 

If anyone truly thinks it's plagarism, there is an easier way of checking -- articlechecker.com. You can copy paste the entire review and it will give you the percentage of copy as well as where. It checks first with yahoo and google search engines both.  

Also, viewpoints does have a rule about it being at least x percentage different from what you posted somewhere else.  That along means you shouldn't be cut copy and pasting the same thing here you have written someplace else.  It hurts google search engine placement and therefore can hurt the number of visits to VP.  Let's face it, we all write here for many reasons, include that we just love to, so it's in our own best interest to keep the site "clean" of copy because the more successful the site is the easier it is to keep it running and let us all participate. 

I took had a "funny" thing happen. I wrote houseparty.com -- and they contacted me to tell me that they "hated" the photo image I used and that I had permission to use their logo.  Now that WAS really nice to be noticed like that. 

Now, I've done movie reviews, where I sometimes add a synopsis of the movie from another source, but I site/give reference to that source (because it's bad karma, in my opinion, not give the synopsis author recognition). However, all of my reviews I've taken much time and effort in writing, for those of us who are "genuine articles," ;o) how might we check whether our works are being plagarized? . . . Just so we all know what to look for/how to look. . .

To find out if your work is being copied somewhere else is difficult -- first you can sign up for google alerts -- you can use your name, or pen name, title or product, or even a few words from your review. Each time someone "copies" or links to it you will get an alert. For example, I have found that many of my articles or even reviews have gotten picked up and used/linked on other sites.  In most cases they give me credit - in others they didn't so I had to go through the process to get the credit or get the posting removed.

The other thing is article checker.com - you can place your article in there and it will bring up all the other places that has the exact same content and give you percentages and links so you can keep track of it.

Those are the two I use most frequently because in my case losing credit can lose me money -- as a freelancer it's important that I am credited or linked.

Thanks for the links Lisa, that's interesting to know.  I know when I was in college my teachers had access to programs that would compare our papers to all kinds of books, magazines, and other public works.  We had to email in our papers so they could do it. 

Just think, 10 years ago teachers couldn't check for plagiarism so easily.  Now any student that even tries to copy out of a book is going to get caught for sure.  

Not to play "devil's advocate", but If it is so easy to catch people who plagiarize, you have to wonder why there have been so many scandals with whole books (sometimes best-sellers) being "lifted" from someone else.  You'd think the publishers would be much more vigilant than they are.

I found out my work on another site (non review site) was being copied word for word as was everyone's on the same subject which I can't remember what it was now. She had a whole website of our reviews. Yes, she put in the link but it wasn't a few sentences that said ...to read this review go to...it was REALLY just copied and pasted. In spite of us telling the site - I even sent a report to some official people going to the trouble of figuring out how to do a digital signature.

Anyway that's a bit OT. I think - my two cents - many of us have been writing a long time and know a lot of writers around the Internet. If someone who has written two reviews comes in with an amazing review that someone has a gut feeling about then some words may be googled.

It is amazing - one more story. I wrote a review before VPs probably 5 years ago and maybe two years later someone cut and pasted it on that same site as theirs. Would you believe that people remembered it was mine or recognized my writing. I think the point is well taken.

My husband teaches and his mission it seems is to catch cheaters. He's really ethical and it boggles his mind that one kid will take another kid's paper and change the date. What they don't know is that although they look the same one number has been changed.

Ok those are my 5 cents since I said more than I intended. Jo

I think that's a case of laziness from the publishers.  They just want to push out as many books as they can as fast as possible.  I know someone who got a book published and then afterward noticed a bunch of typos and had to have it republished - even though the publisher supposedly checked it.  So as you can see, publishers don't seem to care what they are publishing, only "will it make them money"

I can totally understand that! Thanks for the info!

Now I think I should sign up for google. . . Etsy has a new thing for shop owners known as Goggle Analysis, then I see the score DWTS spreadsheet is done with Google, now I hear of Google Alerts. . . I'm going to have to check it out. Sounds like handy business tools. . .

I write professionally on several different sites, and I'm signed up for Google Alerts.  My name must be pretty common, because I receive notices on all types of articles I don't really write. 

Anyway, I do think plagiarism is a form of theft, and I would be FURIOUS if someone used my work without citing it.  Unfortunately, I haven't found Google Alerts to be all that helpful.  Just my opinion.

Anna, that's because some folks can't see past the dollar signs!

jasyjen said…

I write professionally on several different sites, and I'm signed up for Google Alerts.  My name must be pretty common, because I receive notices on all types of articles I don't really write. 

Anyway, I do think plagiarism is a form of theft, and I would be FURIOUS if someone used my work without citing it.  Unfortunately, I haven't found Google Alerts to be all that helpful.  Just my opinion.

---

I didn't either at first -- and my name is very popular! There is a fiction writer, a basketball coach and a very famous doctor . . .but after awhile I found out how to shift through to get to the good stuff.  Give it some time you may be surprised.  

My favorite thing is when another site (like bravenet) contacts me directly and asks to use some of my writing. Now that's COOL!  Other's just take it and while they may put my name or a link it's still annoying to find it suddenly somewhere. I guess I just would like to have final approval on where I land on the internet. 

I personally don't understand google alerts.  I have it set for my username, and I get links randomly to things I've written.  The links always take me back to the site I wrote at and the review I wrote.

So I guess I don't get it :)

Also, I think I get credit for some things I haven't actually written.  I tried to publish an article on another site about Healthy Fast Food Options, and they refused to pay me upfront because they said I had published it before!  I really hadn't, but didn't know how to prove it to them so I didn't argue.  Oh well.

Boo jasy, that stinks.  Did they provide you a link of where YOU published it before so you could say "that is not me"??  Some of those other sites stink because they will reject your articles and then you have no real way to communicate with the people to respond to what they say.

I am a professional career person.  I have 18 years of college--3 degrees and all of my Ph.D. minus my internship.  I am a private therapist and 13 of my 18 yrs of college were mainly focused on eating disorders, child abuse and incest.  And as many know those were all a part of my life too. So, when you live it and invest that much time researching it you basically become proficient in that field.  Like my professors and private therapists told me: I did so much research and experienced so much that I became an authority in my own right.  I guess I want my work to be so original that that is why I will incorporate personal stories, educational background, etc.

My main problem is reviewing movies for one reason.  Many times I will google the title just to get a list of the cast.  And when I go to the site I inadvertently see a brief synopsis of movie, plot, theme, etc. and I feel guilty that it sticks in my head.  I'm like: "Yeah, I do remember that part but was it that significant to include in my review?"  That is also why many times I will put a review in draft form to get something I saw out of my head before I continue writing.  And if I know I am going to review a specific product, movie, etc. I will abstain from reading someone else's review because I don't want their thoughts to linger in my head.  Does that make sense?  I will also do a block quote or say "this was on the product package or website..."  It's not APA style citation but I still believe I am giving credit to the original writer.

As far as duplicating published works from site to site.  I don't!  Viewpoints was my first social networking site and I have since joined Twitter and MyLifetime.  I only write for Viewpoints.  I may link one of my VP reviews in a post at Twitter or MyLifetime just to share it with others.  At MyLifetime I do not write movie reviews.  I joined to interact w/others about the same movies I was enjoying but as of yet I've only designed my home page and made a comment on one movie.

I also have a different flare for writing at Viewpoints because I write for fun and without being graded.  While in graduate and doctorate programs I had to write everything APA style and I produced "novels" that allowed me to maintain honors GPA.  I don't want my education to be my legacy so when I joined Viewpoints I toned down my style of writing.  But, if someone challenged me I could produce articles on the same level as the professional periodicals and publications.  I also know that Jo, Lisa, and many others could do the same so I am glad that people are mindful of the diverse talent here.  I didn't write to defend myself but it seems as if that is what we are really wanting to do.  I wrote because I wanted to address some concerns I have.

Question: What happens when you feel like another VP member is copying one of your reviews?  You know we've been having problems with one specific person but it just seems to be swept under the rug.  It seems if they see who posted the review first and then the copycat writer's review appears a day later then you know which was the original work, right?  Many are getting frustrated with this. 

I by no means am not stating that we cannot review the same or similar products OR have similar thoughts but when someone's review resembles one that was recently reviewed and you suspect whether the person even used or invested in the product/service it makes you wonder.  I will often tell someone if I read their review that their product is also on my list of things to review.  But I will usually wait awhile to review it so that I don't feel like their words are still fresh in my mind.