Plagiarism is just not cool
Plagiarism of any form just isn’t cool. When I found out a fellow blogger copied several other blogger’s posts and used them as her own, I became upset. I don’t even know these other bloggers, but I can understand how they might feel. It’s not at all flattering to find that someone is copying your work word for word and making others assume that it is original. Miss Musing had so many readers–me included–and it’s a wonder we didn’t realize this sooner. I don’t know about you, but I feel gypped.
The blogging community has become a source of comfort for most of us. We read our favorite blogs, and we trust these people to be real. We share stories, and we remain sincere. Well, most of us. When something like this happens, it’s so hard to trust people–and not just on the internet; in real life, too! (Ashley at Turquiose Ribbons has had lunch with Miss Musing TWICE and said she seemed so nice, and even talked about her writing!) … I even gave her a Kreativ Blogger award; I’m ashamed that I didn’t realize it was all fake. Although, I had a slight suspicion that her life seemed too perfect, I never once thought that her posts were copied.
I once had an experience with plagiarism. When I was in middle school, a friend of mine asked me to write a poem for her cousin’s funeral. Well, I did, and she ended up reading it at the funeral and claiming it as her own. Of course, I confronted her, but I don’t think she understood why I was so upset. It’s one thing when someone loves your work and gives credit where credit is due–that’s flattering. However, it’s sickening when someone claims your work (whether it be art, photography, writing, etc…) as their own.
Honestly, as a reader, I’m hurt. As a writer, I’m completely disgusted. If Miss Musing does make a new blog, I hope she comes clean.
Tiffany
I know exactly how you feel. While I didn’t read her, I can’t imagine what it must feel like… like you’ve just been lied to. And I hope she can find her OWN life to be interesting enough that someone will want to read about it and sincerely appologize to those bloggers she STOLE from.
[Reply]
shannon
Wow.
[Reply]
Tristan | the almost right word
Where did you hear about this? I had just noticed that her blog disappeared and sent her an email to find that the email address had been deleted. Suddenly, I begin to wonder if anything she ever wrote or said in an email was true (we exchanged a few, from time to time). For example, her boyfriend and the accident he was in, fact or fiction!? I’m glad you posted on this because I’ve been wondering where she ran off to and why, and I was hoping to hear about it from someone!!!
[Reply]
Tristan | the almost right word
PS I must say, she was the one blogger I wondered about regarding truthfulness. As you noted, her life just seemed too perfect!!
[Reply]
Amber
The thing I didn’t touch in in my blog post about this was how mad I am as a WRITER about this.
I would leave comments on her posts saying what a wonderful writer she is. And I am absolutely disgusted that it wasn’t even her writing. Plagiarism is SO wrong. I would be devastated if someone took my words and used them as their own. This whole thing really sucks!
[Reply]
Lily
I agree, I feel totally gypped. I gave her an award just last week for being genuine, and now I’m so embarrassed and upset that it was all fake. It’s really sad, and you’re right – it’s hurtful when your work is portrayed as being done by someone else. I’m just glad we’re in a community that honors honesty and doesn’t stand for stuff like this.
[Reply]
phampants
I have heard of bloggers plagiarize, but never would I have thought a well liked and known blogger to do something like that.
Plagiarism sucks no matter what the form. It’s wrong and it should never happen. But to fool and scam others to think that you’re some awesome person is just unbelievable.
[Reply]
floreta
was not a reader and honestly didn’t know about her until the 20sb blog swap when i randomly got her for a partner! she politely declined to participate offering up some lame excuse about having server issues/switching servers. i thought it was a bit weird.. but now that i know more to this story.. i’m not surprised she declined
[Reply]
AshleyD
Yep, I agree completely… you know my thoughts on this. It’s so crazy and so so wrong.
[Reply]
nora
I feel that she has kind of ruined the blog trust to an extent for many of us.
I’m angry as a caring person, I’m angry as a blogger, I’m angry as a writer and I’m angry as a person who uses the internet. When stuff like this happens it kind of gives the other good people a bad rep, you know?
I feel duped and upset too.
I hope she doesn’t start a new blog. Or if she does, I don’t think I want to read it.
[Reply]
apricot tea.
Wow; this is just sick.
I always wonder if people are taking my text without my knowing it. It’s happened to me before — a long, long time ago — & it leaves me slightly paranoid. I wish there was way to really find out; perhaps a specific search you can do on the internet. I just hope that if anyone sees my content on someone else’s blog that they’ll tell me. If not that, that I find them myself & give them a piece of my mind.
I’ve never seen this girl’s blog before, but from the comments that people are leaving here, she sounded shady to begin with. It’s a shame that there are people out there who resort to STEALING other people’s content because they aren’t creative enough to tell their OWN stories.
BUT… don’t look too deep into, love. There are some terrible people out there, but don’t let this effect YOUR writings in the future. I think that’s what these people really want. They try to take your work & hope that by doing so, they’ll jolt you out of your own creativism. (I choosing to make that a word, even though I know it’s not one, haha!) Just brush it off, think about karma — because what goes around comes around — & write something else extraordinary. :]
[Reply]
Megan
apricot tea: Someone told me about a search you can do to find out: http://www.copyscape.com … You can even get a badge (like the one now on my blog).
[Reply]
Julie
I had to deal with plagiarism in college. Someone “borrowed” my design for a project. I confronted the prof and she in turn confronted the guilty party. Its really infuriating but I don’t think she understood what she had done either.
This instance is insane though… I just can’t wrap my head around *why* someone would even think to do that, and then go and do it. *facepalm*
[Reply]
Kyla Roma
It’s just such an odd situation, hey? I’m just glad that there’s enough bloggers out there and they’re vocal enough to act when these things happen!
[Reply]
Ashley
This is just so strange. I did read and comment on her blog and she read and commented on mine, but I can’t really say that I’m personally upset by this. I’m more just puzzled at why she would do this. But, I think she’s a major exception, and while this makes me take a step back, it doesn’t make me mistrust other bloggers.
[Reply]
Megan
@Ashley: I also wonder why she would do it. What was behind all of it?
[Reply]
cari
what? lame. At least she got booted.
visiting from writetoreach via her taggy thing.
[Reply]
LiLu
I’m with Kyla- at least we were powerful enough to finally call her out! How freaking sad.
[Reply]
Je
I’ve given my opinion on this on a number of blogs that have written about it – the chick is just plain creepy.
I noticed one post that she copied an entire paragraph from DOOCE. The freakin queen of blogging on the Internet. I emailed her, and emailed Dooce. Miss Musing emailed me back and made this entire story up about how she took the paragraph from a book her MOM wrote about premature babies because she was a premature baby or something. I totally bought it and felt bad about accusing her of plagiarizing. Now I realize she made the whole thing up… Dooce was the originator of the paragraph. How stupid are you if you copy Dooce? Everyone reads that shiz. It was only a matter of time before she was caught…
Anyway, another total example of how weird and CREEPY she is. Obviously all of us can do nothing but feel sorry for her because she clearly has problems.
What’s truly sad is that everyone thought her blog was so perfect, and she had a million readers. But her blogs were actually other people’s writings…probably blogs that didn’t have half the credit, compliments or followers that she did.
[Reply]