Ask an Ambassador - Copying and Pasting Someone Else's Work a No-No

Ask an Ambassador - Copying and Pasting Someone Else's Work a No-No

It won't get you what you think! It doesn't make you look like a good writer or an expert in your field (some things look to good to be true). It doesn't make other members want to follow you when you copy someone else's work.

It hurts all of us here on ActiveRain when this happens. It hurts your SEO (yes, taking someone's content hurts them and you) and also hurts the ranking of the network.

You will gain a reputation but it is not the one you were hoping to get. Call it ignorance if you want but I call it wrong. 

You will be found out. It isn't difficult to check to see if material has been copied. If you suspect then highlight a couple of the sentences from the meat of the content. Copy and paste into your search bar on Google. Google will show you where else this material is being used.

If it comes from your own personal blog or website then it is yours and you have the right to copy it. If you borrowed from any news source or other blog it is plagarizism and can get you in big trouble. Taking it and saying you are using it without permission is still wrong. So how do you write about a topic that has been piqued by another's article? 

• Put it in your own words with your own opinions and interpretations. The subject matter is not sacred, just the exact words of the author are.
  
  
• Write a brief introduction to the article and author and include a link to the original post. Many writers do this and it is even appreciated by the original author.
  
  
• Ask for permission to reprint the article. It is best to get this in writing and also acknowledge it in your article it is being reprinted with permission of the author.
   
• On ActiveRain, many blog posts allow you to reblog the entire article as written. The full article is printed showing that the author is being reblogged. Not all authors allow you to reblog as some writers do not want their work used again.
  
  
• Rainers (not Rainmakers) do not have the reblog feature available on their posts. Upgrade to Rainmaker and your posts can be reblogged.
  
  
• Members Only marked post are for the network only and cannot be reblogged. They are only seen by member of the community.
  
  
• Photos are also taken without permission of the owner and this can be a costly mistake. I have heard of agents using a photo they found on the Internet and years later getting an $800 bill from Getty for the use of the photo...Very costly indeed and pleading ignorance or "I'll take it down" doesn't make it go away. Use your own, purchase them for resell sources  or find free sites that you can use and follow the rules. 
  
  

What should you do if you see content that is copied and pasted? 

1. Contact the member and notify them that it appears the content or photo is copied. They may not be aware this is not proper protocol on ActiveRain. Be kind and not accusatory. New members especially may be trying to get established and we don't want to run them off. Offer suggestions on ways they can write on the topic or share the content through a link.
2. Contact staff at ActiveRain to notify them that there appears to be a copied post. They will handle it according to the guidelines.
3. Some members subscribe to writing services and share content. They may have permission to use it but leave it to the staff to decide. They may want to change the visibility of the post.

Many of us come across these type posts in ActiveRain and if we do nothing we are hurting our network. Do your part by following the rules and keeping our network strong.

Ask an Ambassador - Copying and Pasting Someone Else's Work a No-No