Plagiarism In The Black Blogging World
Over the past few months, I have noticed a seriously disturbing trend in the black blogging world. Copying, borrowing, and outright stealing of ideas, concepts, and stories from each other's blogs. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IS UNNECESSARY AND MUST CEASE IMMEDIATELY!
It is very disturbing and disconcerting to work on a long and extensively researched post and then discover a rewritten version on someone's else blog. Particularly after you discover that individual has visited your blog in recent days.
If you see something on someone's blog, ask to cross post their story, don't steal it and "kinda" rewrite it as your own. It's not yours, that's plagiarism. Backdating your post doesn't cover your buns either. I am a professor, I see plagiarism everyday, good and bad. Good bloggers know when their words, concepts, and ideas are being cribbed, stolen, and recycled.
If you see a story covered on someone's blog, but you have a different take, give CREDIT for finding the idea SOMEWHERE ELSE on your blog and THEN write your view or rebuttal. Multiple views are important in the black community, but don't eliminate the voice by failing to give credit to the original voice!
Promote your blog in your comments maybe one or twice on someone's blog, but not repeatedly. Build your own blog readership with your own stories and your own style, not on the hard work and backs of other black bloggers. They did, you can to.
Don't steal concepts from other Black bloggers. Example - Black Women Vote is a unique blog, I have discovered two new blogs copying SheCodes' style completely and not as well! Apparently since Mes Deux Cents has "temporarily" stopped blogging, several black bloggers have outright copied her music, throwback television posts, and various other concepts that were unique to her blog. These are just a small portion of the various "lifting" and "liberal borrowing" I have seen amongst black bloggers. There are a lot of black bloggers, but not enough that plagiarism goes unnoticed, just unspoken! No more!
Don't steal or borrow from black bloggers that have podcasts, vlogs, Internet television shows either. Give proper and open credit to guests and hosts of those shows for their ideas and discussions, by name and idea!
All blogs have a theme. Find yours, don't borrow from others. I am quite serious about this issue. I will call you out and drop you from my blog roll after I make sure everyone knows that you plagiarized from my blog. I was very pissed to discover my piece on the Obamas and elitism was bastardized and backdated by bloggers I have welcomed on my blog. This was a extensively researched post, so I KNOW how many black bloggers had even remotely covered this subject from my angle before I started, a grand total of none!
This blog is my brand. Please respect that!
