Thread: Has anybody plagiarized your web site?

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

...There's a whole world of people out there who don't have any emotional investment in the integrity of the content of your web site....

True.
There's also a whole world of people out there who don't have any emotional investment in their OWN integrity. When combined with a sense of self entitlement and or a desperate need for attention... well, all sorts of unethical choices follow.
Thanks Shira for posting the useful links. As far as I know no one has lifted my page word for word. There is a dancer who updates her bio whenever I do a big update on mine... and she always adds in stuff that's SO very "similar" to mine, despite that our actual professional experience is VERY different. I just chalked it up to laughable a long time ago.

Originally Posted by indigostars

Some people genuinely do not know that plagiarizing is wrong.

I make sure to let my art students that plagiarism is wrong in my classes! When I assign papers I give them "the lecture," and I hope that the lesson crosses over into other areas of their lives. I've only had one student plagiarize, and she denied it and denied it until I showed her the website she copied. Of course, she got a big fat zero, and I hope she learned her lesson the hard way.

Just doing a google search using quotes with a phrase from the suspected copied material will sometimes reveal the original work.

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

There's also a whole world of people out there who don't have any emotional investment in their OWN integrity. When combined with a sense of self entitlement and or a desperate need for attention... well, all sorts of unethical choices follow. [snip]There is a dancer who updates her bio whenever I do a big update on mine... and she always adds in stuff that's SO very "similar" to mine, despite that our actual professional experience is VERY different. I just chalked it up to laughable a long time ago.

Word.

You can also chalk it up to being a trendsetter

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

As far as I know no one has lifted my page word for word. There is a dancer who updates her bio whenever I do a big update on mine... and she always adds in stuff that's SO very "similar" to mine, despite that our actual professional experience is VERY different. I just chalked it up to laughable a long time ago.

A lot of times the grammar and syntax of the stolen 'similar' sentences don't quite hold up to the changes, and this makes me smile.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

A lot of times the grammar and syntax of the stolen 'similar' sentences don't quite hold up to the changes, and this makes me smile.

YES. You can tell that's where they infused their own personal "flair!"

What I really like BEST is when folks start copying phrases from each other... stuff like being a 'renowned belly dancer' or having danced in venues across large geographical areas.... I truly truly enjoy stuff like that. And, being literate and a very fast reader, sometimes the hype hits me like a burst of champagne bubbles... first I giggle and then... Whee!

yes constantly..I stopped looking..it's better to be in the fast lane with your creative butt in their face than to agonize over it

sometimes a customer will point out use of my photos or more recently, video demonstration of my product being used by another veil vendor..that irks me especially since it wasn't an overseas vendor who should understand copyright, fair business etc. but i noticed same vendor has copied other vendors of other products she sells too..even the photos are similar. And branding is largely about photos.

parasites exist, they don't have the creativity or talent to create on their own, they have to hawk the net and when they see what works for someone else, they take it.

it sucks, i empathize with you all. but let your creativity keep you five steps ahead..if they don't possess the true MOJO they will ultimately fail

Originally Posted by maurazebra

What I really like BEST is when folks start copying phrases from each other... stuff like being a 'renowned belly dancer' or having danced in venues across large geographical areas.... I truly truly enjoy stuff like that. And, being literate and a very fast reader, sometimes the hype hits me like a burst of champagne bubbles... first I giggle and then... Whee!

Yes, or when you get 3 or 4 people vying for the unsubstantiated title of "The [Best/Top/#1] Belly Dancer in [Insert Geographic Area]." That's good for a chuckle, too!

This has happened to me before but all I had to do was contact the person and they fixed it, there were no issues at all.... I just don't get why another LOCAL dancer would even want the same thing as someone in their gigging area, it just seems silly...but it's a silly world sometimes :)

Jesennia;

I love this:

"yes constantly..I stopped looking..it's better to be in the fast lane with your creative butt in their face than to agonize over it"


LOLOLOL!!!!!!! You are so right.

I'm reading this excellent business book and the author recommends googling your business (or in your cases) dancers names to see what kind of comments or feedback you are getting from the community (for instance if you offer dvds or something)

so yes I'm always running across copycats..in a way I do understand..they see something that works so they copy the business model ..not everyone is born with a great idea or talent. Inspiration is fine. But when it becomes so identical that google pulls up a LOT of similarities, one has to question is that really fair business practice?

But yes it takes a lot of time to police the net..the true creative business people will focus on developing a new idea, or interacting with their fans, they ARE the genuine..and we have a pretty tight community in dance. In fact it's usually other dancers who call attention to plagiarism etc. It was a handful of dancers on facebook who called to attention that one vendor using videos of akai silks on her site. That's a big red flag for dumb dumb. I never revealed who it was, it wasn't an overseas manufacturer, it was someone who knows better. It'll come out in the wash..

meanwhile push forward and invent, create, prosper, love and share..

I am loving this post! So true there are people who steal each others copy and so forth and its sad. A lot of times dancers goals overlap (totally normal) and similar goals are stated in dancers sites making adding that unique flair to your content so important and what allows your message to stand apart.

I am big on seo since that is where a lot of my online experience has been touching upon the past few years, so you tend to see alot of overlap when using this approach. I am one of the wrongly accused of plagarizing someones content one time because I take the seo approach with my content. Sometimes dancers really need to make sure they are correct before they make such terrible allegations. Just because someone uses there home town and basic key words a lot (seo appraoch) does not mean they are copying anyone. I write what I feel, I constantly re-write according to my mood, and don't care what anyone else does or thinks about my copy. I just go with my gut and infuse seo tricks so google can find it and what not.

So yes originality is key and if you suspect someone is copying, use the fabulous links you girls posted. Just because two dancers happen to write about rates for example doesn't mean they are copying. It is a universal subject people! The writing can be totally diff on the same basic subject (hence creativity). Think before you make allegations. That is all I am saying. :)
Some dancers can just be so insecure sometimes.

I think that is the important flip side to this subject to consider. I would never point any fingers unless I read it and truly made sure. Unfortunately some dancers don't take that step first and accuse innocent people. But if someone is copying your content for sure write or call them because that is a no no!

Of course a lot is going to be similar, Jennifer. I think most people on here are savvy enough to realize that.
What I was referring to was text that several paragraphs in a row (and on several pages)... the same sentences in the same order with just some adjectives changed here and there. When I would add something, shortly after she would add something alluding to the same thing... even though she didn't have the same professional experiences. Very odd.
Yes, there ARE insecure people- and this is one kind as well.

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Of course a lot is going to be similar, Jennifer. I think most people on here are savvy enough to realize that.
What I was referring to was text that several paragraphs in a row (and on several pages)... the same sentences in the same order with just some adjectives changed here and there. When I would add something, shortly after she would add something alluding to the same thing... even though she didn't have the same professional experiences. Very odd.
Yes, there ARE insecure people- and this is one kind as well.

YAH that's terrible girl. Some people are ridiculous. i was referring to a particular incident where a person was ridiculous enough to tell me i was copying because we touche don some of the same subjects! Hence my comment lol. But yes in general, hopefully this person learns their lesson.

I do know a dancer who whines and complains that everyone is stealing her stuff, but...her stuff is really generic and unoriginal. Her accusations are so ridiculous because the similarities are so vague. So, the other end of the spectrum does exist.

And while that it true, I've also experienced the moment where someone literally copied and pasted entire pages of content...only changing a few things here or there. Um, yeah, that sucks too.

It's fairly redundant, but I agree with all the aforementioned comments that suggest you just rise above it and stay focused on your own creativity.

just out of curiousity 'cuz I haven't been pro dancing and marketing my self in such a way for a few years but what keywords do you use to help prospective clients find you?

I know it's not much of a consolation but the truly talented and original artists, dancers, inventors, etc have a clearly defined 'biography' ..almost like an invisible magnetic rope where you can 'see' what first attracted them to dance

you can see their inspiration as pure and genuine, you can see their emotion and attraction to real things/other dancers..you can perhaps trace, in their biography, how they started dancing at age 4 or had an experience in their teen when visiting another country, you can see the source of their inspiration clearly

it's like watching a dancer on stage who has a fake 'stage' smile and one who is truly in the moment

copycatters may have some 'tie' or passion to the dance too but it's easy to spot the bandwagoners