I feel compelled to write about this because I take my blog very seriously. As I’ve said in the past, I began this blog as a way to begin the dialogue about what it means to be a Theta Mom. I have since built an amazing community of women and mothers here. When I receive emails, I respond to the best of my ability and I even helped many of you find the resources that you needed, especially in reference to blogging.
This is the kind of support I am proud of. This is the kind of support that communities thrive from.
However, never would I imagine that a fellow blogger would actually plagiarize an entire page from this blog word for word and place it on her own blog as if it was her own. She literally copied and pasted my entire page, simply adding in the name of her own blog where appropriate.
That is STEALING.
I work very had to create posts that are authentic and original. Furthermore, every company that I work with knows who they are dealing with at Theta Mom because of the policies that I created myself and set forth on this blog.
The bottom line?
Plagiarism is stealing.
It’s unethical.
And it needs to stop.
As bloggers, plagiarism is something that potentially affects all of us, so I would love to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about it and how do you handle it?
***Update: I found out about this yesterday and I am so grateful for your support. As fellow bloggers, you totally understand how wrong this is. Although the blogger referenced in this post has not responded to my emails, she has taken down the page. I was just on her blog this morning and it has been removed. Maybe she finally got the hint that plagiarism is a serious offense and it certainly won’t be tolerated.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. How frustrating to work so hard on a post, only to have a it stolen. You’ve kept such a large, loyal following because of how you write, and someone stealing that to gain followers is just unacceptable and so, so wrong.
It would have been so flattering if this person asked to link up to your original post if they wanted to discuss the subject from their own perspective, but no. They just stole. Plain and simple. I hope you read her the riot act!
.-= LZ´s last blog ..My Granny-fabulous Christmas Gifts =-.
Oh wow. I’m so sorry that this happened to you!
I’ve dealt with this kind of thing before…not with my writing, but with my artwork. If someone wants to use something of mine, I’m usually all about it. (Good publicity right?) But it’s only cool if they ask and it’s not like I would ever give someone permission unless they are going to credit me. It’s a totally different thing if someone takes without letting you know and then passes it off as their own.
In one case where this happened, I approached them and asked the content to be removed. Lots of times people don’t think about the consequences of plagiarizing copyrighted material and are embarrassed when you confront them. If that doesn’t resolve it, you could always pursue legal action, but hopefully nothing would ever come to that.
.-= Salt´s last blog ..60 days… =-.
The things people will say and do online never cease to amaze me. I agree with LZ above, link to it, comment on it, agree with it or disagree with it. But don’t steal it.
Unreal.
.-= Molly´s last blog ..Day Nine of the 500 Pound Declutter- Undoing Christmas =-.
can we virtually egg and/or toilet paper her blog?
I had this happen to me too but I thought maybe the person just didn’t realize I had written the post myself because it was a carnival type thing (though not really). It made me mad but I just overlooked it. It never happened again. Some people don’t have the same values we hope they would. Hope that person reads this post and realizes you are aware of their actions.
.-= Tara´s last blog ..Not the Christmas I Had Envisioned…Well, Initially =-.
Wow, how disturbing and quite a ballsy move on her part. Perhaps you should reveal who the culprit is. You have so many loyal followers I’m sure her blog would be flooded with angry comments. Just might teach her a lesson to never ever do it again…
.-= Amanda@BrilliantSulk´s last blog ..The Aftermath =-.
report them to their hosting company- it’s typically a violation of the hosts TOS
.-= fidget´s last blog ..V =-.
I’m a very new blog, so I haven’t had to deal with it yet. But I am so sorry that you have! How sucky?! I would try to e-mail her and say something to her. If she doesn’t take it down or apologize, I’d call her out in public. That would get her to stop. No?
.-= Single Mama Central´s last blog ..Claws are out!!! =-.
additionally, you can send a cease and desist letter. I had a site copying me word for word post after post. 1 letter is all it took. I demanded that they remove my content or pay me per article that they stole AND credit me with writing otherwise I was going to pursue legal action.
.-= fidget´s last blog ..V =-.
I am so sorry to hear this happened! I agree with fidget, let them know because I’ve heard others use that as an option of at least getting it removed. I’ve only recently started reading your blog but I did want to let you know I am really enjoying it!
.-= Stacey @ Say Something Stacey´s last blog ..5000 Questions Part 11 =-.
Sorry to hear this happened Heather. Hopefully she has now given you credit?
.-= JennyMac´s last blog ..Rewind: This must be your first worst date =-.
Yeah, this is pretty sucky! Personally, I’d be too afraid of getting caught by the real writer to ever steal anything (plus it’s wrong and I’m sorta awesome on my own). I’m not sure how to deal with this situation. I doubt I’ll ever experience such a thing myself, people would actually have to read it to know it’s available for stealing. I am curious to know how you even found out about it, though? Please tell me it’s not one of your regular readers. Wait, it’s not me is it?! Kidding! I just said I’d be too scared of getting mollywopped to rip of someone else’s junk. Hope you find a solution to this that doesn’t require a beat down:)
.-= parenting BY dummies´s last blog ..A Casa de Dummies Christmas =-.
Did you email her & ask her to remove the post? It’s your intellectual property & copyright. If she has taken it then she has violated law, perhaps she is totally unaware of the grave nature of what she has done. Or maybe she does know & thought you wouldn’t notice, I’d hope it was naive not malice but either way it is theft. Contact her, explain that it was a violation of your copyright it is not available without payment & credit, state if it is not removed that you will continue with a cease & desist and her host.
I am sorry this happened to you. I’m also totally curious as to who it is…if it’s someone on my reader then I want to remove asap!
.-= beth aka confusedhomemaker´s last blog ..2010 Reflecting Forward =-.
Wow, that is crazy! So sorry to hear that happened to you. But it’s good that you found out about it. I agree that you should report it to the appropriate authorities. Plagarism is illegal. Good luck sorting the mess out and sorry you have to deal with this during the holidays. What a bummer!
How terrible!!! That is not very blog-friendly and most definitely will not be tolerated! You are lucky that you caught it…usually things we put into the Internet are not so easily found again. I hope the issue gets resolved.
~WM
.-= Working Mommy´s last blog ..Just For Fun – Post-It Note Tuesday…Post-Christmas Edition =-.
That is terrible….I’m new to the blog world and I figure everything is originally written by the older of the blog, so how could someone not know that?!?….how were u able to know of it?
p.s I’m really like your blog!
Holy crap! That is the WORST kind of offense!! Did you leave her a comment letting her know that you know what she did?? I don’t even know how I would handle it, but certainly not nearly as lady like as you did. There should be some kind of punishment for that…banishment, hanging, stoning..something.
.-= Lee the Hot Flash Queen´s last blog ..Contestant #3….Take a Bow! =-.
Thanks for your comments…see, I told you THIS community ROCKS!!! Yes, I emailed her and explained that the content is copyrighted and asked her to revise the page. But still haven’t heard a response.
.-= Theta Mom´s last blog ..Plagiarism Will Not Be Tolerated =-.
That’s horrible! I know many of us have disclosure policies, copyright notices, etc, but just as what happened here, not everyone feels the need to abide by those things.
Bloggers especially should have an unspoken pact with one another to respect each other’s content and only use it if they have permission from the author. So disappointing to see that this happened.
Wish there was an easier way to protect our content, you know?
Tamara
http://www.theunexperiencedmom.com
.-= Tamara´s last blog ..I’m Sick, You’re Sick, We’re All Sick =-.
As others have suggested I would definitely email her and ask her to either give you credit or remove the material. Either way, I think you should call her out on it here, on your blog. Name – web address. Let it be known that she takes other material and uses it on her blog – put us all on alert. I’ve written about this very topic on my blog. I’ve been “splogged” by a spam blog and have dealt with plagiarism with my students. It’s not pretty. And yes, it’s stealing! I’ve always felt that if theives felt like they could get caught they wouldn’t steal.
.-= Jane´s last blog ..Canon in D =-.
That is absolutely horrible. Someone just did this to a friend of mine too. Can’t people come up with their own stuff to talk about?
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..Carry Your Stuff in Style with the Ruper Pack from High Sierra Sport Company =-.
!!??
How rude! And Stupid too! Like nobody else is gonna notice?
I mean, don’t get me wrong- you’ll see other people’s work showcased all over my blog but I *CREDIT* and even *LINK* back to them! I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right? Cooperation? Rising together?
Now, don’t post it- we don’t want to create traffic to that site, but can you please e-me the blog name so I can UNFOLLOW ?
Best wishes!! And keep up the good work!
.-= Angelica Bays´s last blog ..We Love the 1850 1900’s! =-.
What a shame, so unprofessional and dishonest. Lucky for me, I don’t write anything profound enough for anyone to bother stealing so I don’t see this affecting me but I know you work hard on your blog. I’m sorry this happened to you. I don’t know of much that can be done about it though other than to offer the name of her blog to us so we can all email her. There is strength in numbers and if nothing else, we might intimidate her.
.-= Menopausal New Mom´s last blog ..I Put On A Brave Face! =-.
That’s just wrong, wrong, wrong. I think it even wrong if it is not copyrighted. It’s like she is lieing to her readers. She is a thief and a liar. I hope this is resolved and everyone can play nice again.
.-= TooManyHats´s last blog ..Avatar the Movie =-.
This is so frustrating Heather. I’m so sorry this happened to you. But the good part is you caught her.
.-= yonca´s last blog ..2010 =-.
Thanks ladies for your support. This community is AMAZING. I’m still waiting to hear back…just very disappointing…
.-= Theta Mom´s last blog ..Plagiarism Will Not Be Tolerated =-.
I’ve been seeing a lot of people having this problem lately. So unfortunate. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that you can do on the Internet to stop it from happening. I’d just let her know how angry you are and keep doing your own original work. Lead by example! Some people don’t deserve the rights to even pretend their blogs are original at all.
.-= Jaimie´s last blog ..The Box is Always, Always Better than the Gift =-.
I don’t have a blog myself, but I follow tons of blogs..so many that I don’t get too much done around the house
But seriously, what a nervy and dishonest thing to do. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t mind knowing who the person is-if I am a follower of her-I will become an “unfollower”
Holy cow! That just sucks! There is no point in stealing..one will get caught!! Hopefully this gets resolved.
.-= Vickie´s last blog ..Winter Wishes and Yay Snow! =-.
Really? Some people completely blow my mind sometimes. Why in the world would someone think it was okay to just copy and paste a page from someone else’s blog, that baffles me. I have to know too, Heather, how did you find out? Did you stumble upon it? I doubt anyone would copy anything that I’ve written, but I would sure as heck go after them like crazy if they did! I really hope you hear back from her with some major apologies soon!
.-= xenia´s last blog ..GIVEAWAY: Endless Imaginative Possibilities with a Bilibo from Oompa Toys =-.
Oh Heather you are just too popular! In all seriousness this is ridiculous. How did you find out about it? I would certainly report it to your host and while I think it sometimes sounds like a good idea to reveal who it is, it would just send a LOT of traffic to her site and of course, I try to teach no tattletailing.
Keep the content coming!
There’s my comment luv! Happy New Year!
.-= Brittany at Mommy Words´s last blog ..35 Weeks and Waiting =-.
She actually emailed me, asking some blogging advice and I told her I created this particular page on my own. Today, I went to her blog and saw the page word for word. That’s how I found out! I emailed her and called her out on it, still waiting to hear back…
.-= Theta Mom´s last blog ..Plagiarism Will Not Be Tolerated =-.
Wow, that’s pretty gutsy of this person. Especially being mutual followers (saw your tweet about that).
I would have done what you did and emailed this person. If you do not hear back or the post is not removed within 24 hours, I would contact this person’s blog host.
Good luck!
.-= Evonne´s last blog ..Black, Gold, and Cold =-.
I cannot believe someone would do that?! I am so sorry that someone stole your writing, your thoughts, your words. That’s awful, hun!
.-= Chelle´s last blog ..Brilliance. =-.
How horribly tacky and rude.
.-= Kristin´s last blog ..{Oh yes, the Christmas post} =-.
I am fuming that someone did this to you!! Doesn’t this person have any sort of a conscience? Apparently not. I guess she just assumed that you’d never find out? Blogging to me is all about having a place to express yourself…and I can’t imagine how violated you must feel that someone stole your words from you. Just horrible!
.-= The Mommyologist´s last blog ..Darker Hair and a Lighter Attitude =-.
Wow, Heather! What a shame that the person couldn’t come up with their own ideas, I’m sorry you are going through this. Karma is a b*tch so I’m sure the person will get what they deserve.
They did pick one of the best blogs on the internet to copy.
Well, to be blunt, that really sucks. It’s definitely not right.
Hopefully she’ll respond to you and you can work it out.
.-= Katrina´s last blog ..Hilarious Outtakes – i heart faces =-.
I am sorry this happened to you. I think you did the right thing in emailing her and calling her on it. I think it is not right. I would ask that person not to do it again. If they did, then I would report them.
.-= Pres. Kathy´s last blog ..Merry Christmas! =-.
Wow. That’s NUTS! Did you confront her? Did she respond?
I can’t believe people do that. I don’t know how I would deal with it… what CAN you do? Ugh. That’s so wrong.
.-= Julie´s last blog ..Just let me be! =-.
I called her out on it in an email twice today. One this morning, one this afternoon…still haven’t heard from her. I was complelled to write about it because it is plain wrong. Period.
.-= Theta Mom´s last blog ..Plagiarism Will Not Be Tolerated =-.
wow..i am shocked…
this is the second case i have witnessed in weeks..
what is world coming to!
if you had linked her, we could all tell her what we think of it…
in the last case….person deleted her entire blog out of scare..
.-= shraddha´s last blog ..Amity’s Blog Makeover =-.
That’s terrible! Can you block her from viewing your blog? (I don’t know if these things are possible as I am largely ignorant of all tech things.)
.-= kys´s last blog ..Who Are These Children And Why Do They Keep Calling Me Mom? =-.
This is a problem I deal with often as a high school English teacher. Unfortunately, because of the ease of the Internet and the pressure to get great grades to get into the best colleges, students don’t consider the consequences when they plagiarize. I don’t think that some bloggers do, either. My blog posts have never been purloined-that I know of-but the same kind of thing that happened to you happened to a blog friend of mine about a year ago. Despicable, is how I view it. My friend posted hints of which post was lifted, and using Google, it wasn’t difficult for us to locate the culprit and call her out. She received dozens of nasty comments that day, and ended taking down the stolen post and apologizing. I have my blog “protected” by Creative Commons and, of course, Blogger’s sanctions, but don’t know what else I can do but trust my cyber-comrades. I know that in high school and college, a student receives an automatic zero, and in some cases a harsher punishment. As blogs get more and more popular, I’m wondering how the discipline of this type of transgression will be handled…I hope you visited the offending site and gave that blogger a good talking-to. Low self-esteem is my diagnosis…
I am loving the virtual toilet papering and egging idea..
I’ve never had this done to me, Im simply not that cool that people want to copy me lol
It sounds very annoying– but think of it this way– she doesnt have your audience…. its just a form of flattery that she wants to be like you… and really, Who wouldnt want to be you? 😉
.-= complicated mama´s last blog ..The Douche, The Accountant & My Romeo: An ironic reflection of the past decade =-.
WOW! I think all the other commenters have pretty much covered the stinkiness of her actions so just…WOW!
.-= Crystal Martin´s last blog ..Has anyone seen my mind? Oh there it is! I think =-.
Heather, I’m so sorry. Some people are so foolish in what they are doing. They don’t realize how much it wounds a fellow person. I so agree with Chronicles of Momnia (comment 4)! I’m throwing a cyber egg now:)
.-= Mariah´s last blog ..2009. Nation Style. =-.
Exactly! It’s just not right.
.-= Theta Mom´s last blog ..Plagiarism Will Not Be Tolerated =-.
Wow…I’m so sorry this happened to you
I have heard about this happening to other bloggers as well. I have actually seen a few of my posts/recipes/crafts on other blogs, websites and Twitter, but have not said anything. A few times, they copied it ‘word-for-word’, and a few did mention my name, but did not actually link back to me. I guess with me being new to blogging, I was flattered at first. But then I thought, “Hey…that’s MINE…I wrote that”!!!
I really hope she responds to you and at least gives you credit! You work hard to maintain your blog, and what you write yourself is YOURS…not hers. She should really ‘fess up’, apologize and give credit where credit is due!
Try not to let it bother you (I know, easier said than done). You have tons of faithful followers that love you!!!!!
~Shelley