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Plagarism "In the Rain"...What should you do when you see a FRADULENT POST?

Reblogger
Real Estate Agent with Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty DRE# 00901962 Lic.1985

Interesting post here on what to do when you see an obvious act of plagarism. I replied thus:

1) Address it with the individual. However, I'd suggest a direct email rather than a comment to the blog. It could be an honest mistake (oops, forgot to include the attribution, or it got cut off in the cut and paste, etc.)

2) Report the concern to ActiveRain.

How would you handle it?

Original content by Ralph Nudi WI 55262-090

One of the GREAT things about using ACTIVE RAIN is the ability to RE-BLOG well written posts and provide that as a resouce for people that consistently READ YOUR BLOG.

 

Last week I though I was doing just that, when I read, and RE-BLOGGED a post by MATTHEW DE FEDE from Coldwell Residential Brokerage in Clifton, NJ.

 

I liked what I read, as the article gave valuable tips on buying a foreclosure, and because I am in the business of selling REO properties in Wisconsin, I like to educate buyers on how to buy my listings.  Unfortunately it appears that the material was not the intellectual property of Mr. DeFede at all, but a WORD FOR WORD copy and paste of an article posted 1 day before from a man named Karim El Sheikh.   It looks as though Mr Sheikh is a gifted writer with many good posts, and I will be adding his RSS Feed to my company FACEBOOK page because it will add value to my customers.  I will also be seeking his permission to re-blog his content (of course giving credit to the original source which is proper blogging etiquette as well as the legal and ethical way to disseminate that information. 

Soon after I RE-Blogged Mr De Fede's fraudulent post, (Giving CREDIT to Mr De Fede for work he had not done) I received an email from a Good Samaritan on the Active Rain network who informed me of the offense.  I researched the claim and found that it appears to be true and that Mr El Sheikh from Boca Raton, FL.   I also found that the resource Mr Sheikh published he article on is a great source for industry related articles.  The web site is www.RealEstateProArticles.com and has a policy enabling members to RE-PUBLISH the posts of OTHER members as long as credit is given to the original author.  Here is a direct quote of that policy:

  • By submitting your articles to RealEstateProArticles.com, you grant others the right to publish your articles - Other RealEstateProArticles.com users have the right to publish your articles on their websites, in their newsletters or ezines, and more as long as the article is left in the original state. This includes the resource box which provides you credit as the author of the content.

So I did a little more digging and RE-REVIEWED the post my Mr De Fede of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and found that Mr. DeFede is NOT listed as an author ANYWHERE on the RealEstateProArticles.com site. 

I did leave a comment of Mr De Fede's wall with a link to the original post, but he chose to delete it and disable commenting on the post, rather than take a more honest approach and edit his initial post, perhaps providing the same information but with permission. 

 

So, here's my question.   Does the Code of Ethics have any provision that pertains to the subject of plagerism?   I would be curious to know.

 

Here is Mr DeFede's POST and the ORIGINAL POST.  Your be the judge

I will be RE-POSTING the ORIGINAL ARTICLE with proper credit to the proper source.

 

 

Posted by

Aloha & God Bless You, 

Michelle Carr Crowe Just Call 408-252-8900 sign image

 

Michelle Cherie Carr Crowe Real Estate Team

Real Estate Agent . Author . Coach

DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985

P: Just Call ... 408-252-8900
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Michelle Cherie Carr Crowe and her "Get Results Team" (established by the late legendary Silicon Valley super agent Judy Carr) are known as the "Lynbrook and Cupertino Schools Experts." Coaching clients to success is Michelle's passion, making her and her team creative catalysts for positive change in people's lives. She is a Silicon Valley-based multi-million dollar real estate consultant, author, coach and trainer who works by referral only.

Her designations have included: Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Accredited Consultant of Real Estate (ACRE), Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS)Accredited Staging Professional (ASP)Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE),  Property Marketing Expert (PME), Real Estate CyberSpace Specialist (RECS), and Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES).

Michelle is an internationally-published freelance writer with over 1,200 traditional articles published in print and online, co-author of two books on Silicon Valley-specific real estate as well as over 68,000 blog posts on Blogger, ActiveRain, Examiner, FaceBook, Realtor, Trulia, RealBird and others. She enjoys reading, traveling, animals, nature, family, dancing, staging, consulting, coaching and praying. Check out her blog at www.activerain.com/results or visit her online at www.michellejudycarr.com. For RE$ult$ ... Just Call ... (408) 252-8900.

 

Comments (8)

Sarasota & Manatee Counties FL
SaraMana Properties - QuickFreeMLS.com - Bradenton, FL
QuickFreeMLS.com - Listings In Paradise

I would handle it exactly the way you suggested it be handled.

May 21, 2011 08:16 AM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

Thanks for the vote of confidence; we all make mistakes, hopefully we can help each other to do better, too.

May 21, 2011 08:37 AM
EC, JF, Double R and Zoey the Cool Cat
Russel Ray Photos - San Diego, CA

I probably wouldn't have a clue who did the post first but I'd bet there's a lot of it that goes on.

May 21, 2011 02:45 PM
Bryan Robertson
Los Altos, CA

I've never seen a plagarized article but if I did I'd start by pointing out the issue to the author.  If they made a mistake then I'd expect to see the article disappear.  If they got defensive, I'd report it to AR.

May 22, 2011 04:20 AM
Ralph Nudi
Success Realtors brokered by eXp Realty - Kenosha, WI
"YOUR success IS our success"

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for the RE-BLOG.   Just wanted to point out that I have never fact checked other's blogs before.  In this case it was brought to my attention merely because I RE-Blogged it.   Let's see how it all shakes out.

May 23, 2011 09:58 AM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

I usually just move on. I have many more important things to do, and I figure the public will catch on to those folks.

May 25, 2011 12:54 PM
Greg McCown
Century 21 1st American - Tucson, AZ

I would agree.  Address it with the author, tell the original author and if nothing happens report it AR.  I wonder what the AR policy is on this.

May 26, 2011 05:37 AM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

Eric-you'd be surprised, often you'll get that "I've read this somewhere before" feeling.

Bryan, sounds like a reasonable plan.

Ralph, Yes, I am usually just looking for good content, too, and assume we're all behaving ethically.

Russel, that's true too. And I know you DO have more important things to do!

Greg-I think that's right, and while I haven't checked, that seems in line with what Iknow of AR.

May 26, 2011 10:07 PM