When last week I finished my piece on bibliographical resources for Dracula with 'go forth and don't plagiarise!' I smirked. I smirked because telling a potential plagiarist (and, dear reader, you may not be, but some most definitely are) not to plagiarise is like telling my dog Victoria not to steal from the open fridge while I go out to Starbucks. In other words, where there is intent, sooner or later there will be the act too.
Many writers of sites and blogs often tackle how they felt when they found out that their text had been lifted, almost word-for-word, and used in somebody else's website or, worse, even in hard copy. This seemed like the hot topic a few months back, when I was scouring the net and found that the same problems were being discussed from blog to blog. I should have jumped in right there and then, except I don't feel as fired by the whole problem as most people seem to be.
Of course I am not pleased by the recurrent stealing going on and of course I don't condone it and of course I don't think it does not matter, but do I really think it hurts me, as the producer of my own original ideas? Do I think it actually ruins my original essays? Do I heck. Plagiarism really only hurts the plagiarist for two reasons:
1- Only the most naive ones disregard the existence of plentiful softwares out there for the detection of plagiarism. Universities and many other such institutions routinely use them in order to zing the perpetrators of this most annoying crime. How do you think that blogger so-and-so found out her text had been stolen and re-used elsewhere, besides the possible (but unlikely) chance that she stumbled upon it? Do you really believe that your eminent professor is in fact a human encyclopedia who remembers every single book and essay out there? Dedicated software is our friend; failing that, Google does a great job too;
2- When you copy someone else's work, you're not giving yourself the opportunity to tap into your own richness and greatness. By passing off my work as your own, you're losing the chance to develop specific skills, to learn about writing and reading, to form critical thoughts, to become a professional whose contribution to knowledge can be far reaching and important for generations to come (if you're really good or are the first to catch the Zeitgeist). What if you were the next specialist in your field? What if you could become that professor who knows about everything and seems to have all pieces of knowledge at hand at all times? Quite frankly, I've always thought that plagiarists don't so much shoot themselves in the foot, but rather in the head.
Lastly, a few words about Creative Commons Licenses. Yes, they appear left, right and centre and while they cannot be a bad thing in the general sense, I find them harmless, in every way. If you steal in Harrods, chances are that one of many cameras will catch you and that an alarm will go off as you walk out of the door if, indeed, you make it to one. Harrods has a roomful of people watching all the security screens at all times and an army of employees in civilian clothing who watch the hundreds of people who browse and shop.
A Creative Commons License displayed on my site does not in any way, shape or form act as a deterrent. It is not a security camera, an electronic tag or a guy with a headset ready to pounce. Those intent on stealing will do so regardless of your specifications. Those who would never dream of stealing do not need a well-meaning, if silly, image to tell them what they can use; they'll ask you. I only go as far as writing 'Copyright' at the bottom of the page, but even that is amateurish because it goes without saying (and, legally, you don't need to say it, in fact) that whatever is displayed on 'The Creative Identity with Stephanella Walsh' is made by Stephanella Walsh, unless otherwise specified (when I post images, for example).
Why am I telling you these things months after the dust has settled across many other blogs? Because I believe that, if you're thinking about starting your online showcase and are getting cold feet at the prospect of your art/images/writing/whatever being stolen, then you must get over it pronto. Do you worry about not using money in case you are shafted with fake notes? Do you stop driving because the probability of an accident is quite real? Do you avoid planes or the tube because they are terrorist targets? Honestly dear reader, there are so many more awful things that can happen to you out into the world than having your work plagiarised. If you are a photographer, read this splendid point of view about watermarking one's images. You know how it goes... feel the fear by all means, but do it anyway.
Comments