A couple of weeks ago I was reading Cjane's blog about bloggers who had stolen her posts and used them as their own. She was understandably upset. Cjane is a very popular blogger and I guess it comes with the territory.
I never thought anything more about it and I certainly didn't think anyone would do the same to me.
I was reading Cjane's forum today and noticed that someone had mentioned that if you go to Copyscape you can check who may be plagiarising your work.
I just checked and only read the first entry - a UK site has lifted most of my posts IN FULL since January and used them on their site, photos and all. I assume their site is updated via a reader every time I post.
The site is http://grandtimes.co.uk/magazine/ There is no reference to me or my blog. The hilarious part is they have a copyright notice on their website yet the copy belongs to me and another site, Treehuggers. At least I am in esteemed company.
This site has no contact details listed and the comments are closed. I had to check Whois to see who owned the site. I found a name and an address and they are getting a 'sweet' note from me. Just to explain that in order to write my posts, I usually have to be embarassed, humiliated, laughed at and nearly chewed apart by dogs like Rosie. It doesnt come easy, lol!
I understand when we put anything on the Internet it is open to manipulation. However, the same rules apply on the net as they do elsewhere.
GRAND TIMES MAGAZINE UK - DO NOT TAKE WHAT IS NOT YOURS. IF YOU WANT TO POST SOMETHING FROM MY BLOG ON YOUR SITE, YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK OR AT LEAST GIVE ME CREDIT.
Beware everyone and go check out Copyscape to see if anyone is using your life for their blog or website. They have badges you can put on your site (on the right) and they tell you how to deal with plagiarism.
Let me know if you find the same thing for your blog - not sure I want to look at any more on the list but I am keeping the Copysafe badge on my blog (it means pinch my content or images and you self destruct, he he)!
Image: Labriever
Writer of this post - Lilly at lillyslife.com with strong connections to the Mafia, God, the Wiggles or whoever else scares you.
damn theifs..sorry to hear Lilly, I can't believe how low some people will go. Now I am totally pissed too..(just point them out to me)
ReplyDeletewow, Lilly. That would be infuriating. I'll go check it out.
ReplyDeleteIs there a thingy on blogger that prevents this from happenning ?
I know you can check a box - in the dashboard I think, or in settings - that says people cannot e-mail your posts to their friends...
again. I had TEN places where my posts were totally copied !!!!!!!!! The links were all evidently broken when I tried to click on them, but it pissed me off to even see there were any - the nerve of them ! And I've had a copyright notice on my blog since I started it !!!!!
ReplyDeleteit's called 'e-mail post links' in the blogger settings section. I just made sure mine was on "no".
ReplyDeleteNot sure that this fixes the problem, though, since I guess people can just copy and paste - grrrr !
Loving Annie - well, it is way more common than we think. I got shocked too becaue they even have my personal photos on theri site, yuk!!! However, it is all your hard work if they have taken your reviews!!! Go check out each site and if they have quoted you then its free advertising BUT if they have not and therefore are claiming it as their own (through non disclosure) then write to them and tell them to remove it. I think the site tells you how.
ReplyDeleteLilly, Thanks for the heads-up. Did you just click on the main site, or did you "upgrade" to premium? This totally blows. If I find out who did this to you, I'm taking them down, baby!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my word! Three times for me, but with broken links too. So glad I have you looking out for all of us and sharing what you know!! Thanks for the heads up, I will be watching more closely!
ReplyDelete@ Debra - when you click on the site jsut key your blog address in and it will come up with a list of sites who possibly are using your content. Some of it is hard to follow but the first one I went to has posted lots of my posts in full complete with my pictures on its sites since January 2009. No reference to me no nothing. Whois has told me who the site is owned by and their address. I think you also have to be concerned given you are a writer. If I was a bigger blogger I would definitely look at perhaps having this kind of thing monitored on an ongoing basis. I guess companies have to do this. I never realised that people would do this to pitiful bloggers though for goodness sakes!!
ReplyDeleteOh just a bit about broken links. When I clicked on the link it took me to the website but I couldnt find the post - I had to do a bit of searching to find them on the site itself. Maybe there are better plagiarism tools out there to use, not sure.
ReplyDeleteHmm, wow, you know in way it's a compliment that someone actually wants to use our stuff but that the same time--ugh! I'm sorry you saw this but am so glad for this link. Brilliant idea. You know, I will take art from other sites but only ones where it is freely shared, or if not, then I will give credit where credit is due but I always wonder if even that is ok. Now, I can't imagine taking someone else's words and pretending they were mine--I don't get that at all.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so sorry! Some people have no scruples. I tried doing the copyscape after you suggested it. And I don't know whether to be insulted or happy that no one has plagiarized me!
ReplyDeleteI really wish that there was some way to read Miss Musing's blog now that it's been taken down. I wouldn't want to give her unnecessary hits, but it would be interesting to read knowing everything that we know now.
Hope you have a lovely weekend!
Lilly thanks for alerting us to this. I've heard of this but didn't know it was that common. I would not be surprise if this stealing idea is in those get rich quick crap you see on the web.
ReplyDeletethanks - oh please keep us updated on what happens as you track the thieves.
That is so not right! I hope their karma catches up to them. Grrrrrrrr
ReplyDeleteWow...so sorry that you have had to deal with this. It did make me curious and I went and tested my site. Thanks for the heads up and wish you the best!
ReplyDeleteAlways thinking of you! **hugs** love you! :)
wow! Never thought about something like that! Who would want to copy lame stuff in MY posts?!!
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked. I can imagine people lifting bits and pieces or a photo or something ...but claiming it as their own?!?!?!??!
ReplyDelete*shakes head in disgust*
I'm so sorry for you!
ReplyDeleteUm, nobody wants any of mine. I tried all of them. ;)
@ Leslie, you know I would take all of yours in a heartbeat...if I could get away with it, he he
ReplyDeleteI just looked up my blogs on Copyspace and some idiots (several of them in fact) decided to copy my entry on going clothes shopping.
ReplyDeleteGeez, you would think they would choose something a bit meatier than my angst about going jeans shopping.
Have sent all site owners a harsh email.
@ Riayn - I am glad that you found out - good work. It isnt right and people should be reminded of it.
ReplyDeleteThat happened to me eons ago. Some girl even stole MY WHOLE BLOG. Layout included, plus my entries and my ex's entries.
ReplyDeleteI bitched about it in my posts and my readers actually went to her site and spammed her tag-board. LOL.
She changed sites but I just kept finding and finding her.
I hope she learned her lesson
I just found some of mine on "beta bloglines" which is like google reader I think
ReplyDeletethanks for the heads up!
rotten filthy English dogs :)
ReplyDeletethanks lilly..love the lab photo!
i'm now copyscaped xx
oh my goodness! that is shocking!
ReplyDeletehow is it done? is it automated? cos they even have the bit from your post about it being them that are stealing it!?!
thanks for the warning, some people are so sad.
xxx
I notice that lots of automated sites take my posts and post them - and that's OK with me. I would be furious, though, if they took the entire site!!
ReplyDelete@ Lady Fi - well they are taking my site, post by post. I am not happy and it is automated.
ReplyDeleteClearly, you have ARRIVED! Take the compliment, then kick some a$$!
ReplyDeletexoxo
sorry to hear that you've been copied without attribution..violated really. Interesting about the copyscape website, I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteThat must be really annoying! I heard about stuff like that before...someone had mentioned that a movie review they had written had been blatantly copied by another blogger. I ran a check through copyscape after reading your post and didn't find any copied stuff...not as popular, you see!
ReplyDeleteCan you check through reader subscriptions and delete them I wonder?
ReplyDeleteApparently "My Life Requires Alcohol" has one post with 35 words in common with my Cell Phone Etiquette post.
ReplyDeleteThat's it.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, everyone is apparently averting their eyes at the trainwreck that is my blog.
BTW -- I posted the writing prompt you requested a while back, and I'm getting some great responses!
Thanks for pointing this out Lily, my archetypal angels blog has been copied but I have haven't been able to contact the culprit yet. She did it word for word. She'll be sorry.
ReplyDeleteWow! I don't why I still get amazed at the audacity of people. I guess I'm a glass half full kind of gal - hard to maintain in this world we live in:)
ReplyDeleteOn my way to copyscape to see who stole my ranting and raving - Heartfelt rants don't come cheap you know:)
Thanks so much for the heads up!
JEeeez! Scary.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to check it out. Don't know which will upset me more, finding my stuff or not finding my stuff...
:)
I checked it out. The only thing I have on mine was a quote from a post I did about God freeing your hands to accept something better. I got it from my cousin.
ReplyDeleteI guess my entries aren't good enough to steal. sigh. ;)
Lily, I’m so happy you found my blog, love. I'm going to go check out if anyone is copying my stories...lololol if they are I'm sending my dad's friend Benny the nail gun we’ll I'll keep his last name out of this to nail those stealing shit heads to a wall. I don't want to pull out the big gunnnnsss….. but if their doing it to you, then they deserve a little lesson via my Italian connections lololol. This is scary that people can’t even write their own stuff. At least they can ask you if it would be ok to take your stories and feature them in they’re site. This way you have the right to either say yes or no. What happened to being courteous or just polite…god dammed plagiarizers, this is not Coles Notes stuff, it’s what we write about and take to heart.
ReplyDeleteI’m really pissed off about this. Do they realize how much time and energy we spend doing this. Taking care of our readers it’s wrong that people do this. Thanks for finding me again. I will come by more often to see you please stay in touch. I will go check out the sites you posted.
With Great Love
JB
@ Joanie - no honey its because you are clearly not old enough and therefore your posts are not suitable - did you see the site its for seniors lol!!! Bast**ds!! Now my posts are getting judged on their looks?? I fear its a site that will stay like that forever therefore I will ahve to put my blogname at the bottom so there is some ownership to it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a cute pic of you Lilly, I always thought you were a blonde!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is pretty low that someone would use others' posts without permission. It doesn't do you any good that your posts are on someone else's site yet there is no credit to your or your blog. Very bad in fact. Let me know where they are in the UK and I will get on to it, wink wink. I also don't like the fact there are no comments allowed or no contact details on there either. Odd.
This is outrageous. Your voice is so--yours. Stealing intellectual property is no different than nicking someone's purse or kidnapping their child. My blog is pretty new, so I've not been molested, but thank you so much for posting this link. Funny that they are featuring your post that explains what cons they are.
ReplyDeleteEish, sorry Lilly. Give them hell,...
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is worse, changing a word here and there like Miss What What did and then pass it off as your own,... or just publish the whole article without acknowledging the original author..
Happened to me some time ago and I went ballistic,... well I am always bordering on ballistic...
I love that picture, Lilly! Can I steal it? Just kidding...LOL
ReplyDeleteThat is terrible that people would steal your posts. I think we all get ideas from one another and expand or present them in ways that represent ourselves but to actually take the whole thing is rude!
Thanks for the informative tip too about Copysafe.
Have a Wonderful Day, Lilly :D
I've had my posts stolen in the past, but not now. Another blogger stole some of my ideas, a few years ago. Sorry this happened to you, and thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I need to worry, because really, who the heck would WANT my life?? lol This is terrible Lilly!! I hope you'll post the "sweet" note next!!
ReplyDeleteHow rude!! How incredibly rude! Sheesh. Talk about lazy ass bloggers.
ReplyDeleteBut, on the bright side, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....in a really creepy way, apparently. LOL
Hey, check me out. I gave you an award! :)
I had someone take an entire post word for word and put it on one of their blogs. They had more than one blog. They also read and commented on mine faithfully and I did the same with one of theirs. One day I clicked on her other blog and there was one of my posts! lol. She never asked me if she could do it either. I am going to check out that site, too. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible! This is blog theft! Shame on them for taking your pictures and thank you for telling us about the sight. I went to check and so far, no body wants my stuff!
ReplyDeleteTake care Dear ONe,
Shelia ;)
Wow, seems like there are a fair few of us in the same situation. Ah well..... onwards and upwards everyone. And its worth checking this site every month (for the free five checks) just to see.
ReplyDeletei am terribly sorry to hear about your ordeal.
ReplyDeletethieves are dreadful. :(
Yes, it has happened to me. And short of writing letters, there's little you can do.
ReplyDeleteWell, well, well ... I had put up a Copyscape logo on my page but never remember to check it. I just did and found this:
ReplyDeleteSphere | BIID: Why Sufferers Amputate Their Own Limbs | Newsweek "... Gosh, so many that it triggers long-forgotten memories of the African Anopheles mosquito. Its sting sends one ..."
Recognizing my words, I clicked on the site and saw this:
This page seems to have recently removed your content.
I wonder why they removed it. Finally noticed the CopyScape symbol or a guilty conscience or divine intervention?
I agree with Rhonda. You should post that "sweet" note and see if they post that to their site! :)
ReplyDeleteI´m sorry that happened to you, but it sure shows you how popular you are! We love you, Lilly! :)
@ Lilly - that is horrible - glad they removed it though!!
ReplyDelete@ Betty - that is what my sister sadi too - not sure my sweet note will be printable, he he. Everything I post just gets automatically updated to the site. Not sure I can do anything about it. YUK!!
That is theft! No other way of putting it. Guess it comes with fame :).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the copyscape link. Well worth having.
Just checked the site out. I can see why it makes you feel a bit sick and angry. And there is no way of contacting them via their site.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do.
making a living out of freelance writing, I had been made aware of the Crime of Plagiarism and using Copyscape to check for copycats. It is sickening to see your work copied as it is without proper credit. I once had this issue with another blogger who copy pasted my exact article on his blog with just the link SOURCE at the very bottom of the article written in very small letter. The word SOURCE was hyperlinked to my blog but i didn't feel that was enough credit as the whole article is already posted and not many people would actually bother to check out that link. I emailed this blogger and asked him to cut out the rest of the article, just use the intro and link it back to me so that if the reader decides to read the entire article, he/she would at least be directed to my blog.
ReplyDeleteHaven't checked copyscape for a while though. Great eye-opener post!
Hi Lilly,
ReplyDeleteShame on that website owner, eh? The least he/she could do is pay you for the hard work you put into writing your posts.
I've had copyscape on my novel blog for that reason. However, I haven't checked it to see if anyone's stealing my ideas. So, did you send that person your "Very Friendly" letter yet? Let's know what you hear.
Tasha
@ Tashabud - I kind of think that now it wont matter at all because its just an automatic site. I think I will ahve to put a reference to this blog in all my posts. Thanks for stopping by Tasha - always look forward to your comments.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting . . . thanks for sharing this. And the wiggles are a little scary.
ReplyDeleteHi Lilly,
ReplyDeleteI went to check out the site. If you think it's important that you get credited for your work being published there, you can always report the site to Blogger or WordPress. I think the site is hosted by WordPress. The site will be closed for abuse and for stealing, I would imagine.
And you know what's funny? Since the site is automatically fed, it also published this very post, which named the owner of the website, plagiarist. LOL.
Tasha
Oh, I just got an idea, Lilly. If the owner doesn't give you credit or WordPress is not going to do anything about it, make sure the next time that you write your post to mention somewhere within your post your name and your blog, indicating that you wrote the post. This way, at least, you'll get the credits you deserved. We, your readers in the blogosphere, will understand the additional information on your subsequent posts.
ReplyDeleteBefore you do this though (that is if you take this route) you might want to write a whole post, explaining why you're doing it. This is also to inform the readers of Grand Times Magazine that the site that they love to read is into plagiarism.
Tasha
Tashabud, excellent ideas!!! I am going to do this.
ReplyDeleteWow, good to know about Copyscape. Of course, no one in their right mind would want to steal my stuff!
ReplyDelete@ Linda Lou - err, I think you are one of the people that would definitely be a target. Go and look at the site please particularly as you are publishing a book!!!
ReplyDeleteLilly I want to thank you once again for your article,.. it made me so paranoid that I check again my stuff.
ReplyDeleteI detected a series I wrote was stolen and the girl re-publish it under another name.
I am furious!
http://www.quizilla.com/stories/8593218/a-love-story-jealousy-and-the-kiss
@ whitsockgirl - that is really horrible. I am going to check it out. Did you email her to take it down?
ReplyDelete@lilly: no,... I sent it to the host,..
ReplyDeletethetvobserver also sent an e-mail.
this is bad,.. I had stuff stolen before and readers would alert me,.. but then it was not whole series,..
and this girl even posted 'pictures' of the characters,.. It is actually funny..
I think I saw the picture of the person who stole my stuff on blogcatalog,.. and if I am right, I will get her blacklisted on blogcatalog
@ Whitesockgirl, yes do that - its horrific really. Glad you checked just use that site to check every month - you get 5 checks free.
ReplyDeleteIf you borrow you must attribute, repeat after me. I think borrowing photos is inappropriate, but quoting from a blog or linking it to it is certainly fine as long as you attribute it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info about copyscape. I'll check it out.
This is pretty darn amazing. I can't imagine anybody thinking something I put on my blog is worth copying but I'll check and see. Thank you for this heads up, Lilly.
ReplyDelete@ Kay - yes you do have to be careful and yours has many good posts worth pinching, except I woudlnt do it to you lol!!!
ReplyDeleteThings like this make my blood boil. I'm having my own copyrite problems at the moment...but I won't dwell on it...I just think people who steal work are pathetic and rude.
ReplyDeletexhenry
Thank you for the information :-0
ReplyDeleteDarn lazy people!!! They need to come up with their own ideas.