Is anybody else exhausted by all the drama up in here lately? It was kinda amusing at first, in the way that, say, Toddlers and Tiaras is. You know, the trainwreck factor. But it feels like it never ends and it puts a serious downer on blogging. Because I just. Don't. Get. It. Aren't we all here to have fun and share our love of books? I know that's why I started my blog. Receiving ARCs never even entered my mind. I just wanted to keep a record of the books I'd be reading anyway.
Maybe that's the problem. When a blog becomes more about page views, relationships with publishers and getting free stuff, then there's pressure to perform above and beyond. Trouble is, if you don't have the originality or talent to do that, what do you do? Well, apparently, some plagiarise. Which is not OK on so many levels. It astounds me that some people would defend it as an "accident" or a "mistake", as thought it's harmless. It's not harmless. Taking somebody's ideas and passing them off as your own is fraudulent.
I've had posts plagiarised in the past. I confronted the blogger in question, and she admitted that she had taken my ideas but said she didn't realise she was doing anything wrong. She did seem truly sorry so I only asked that she give me credit if she were to use my ideas in future. In hindsight I wish I'd been a bit more forceful. Because it seems absurd that she didn't know that it was wrong to steal somebody's posts. Plus I think I received credit on maybe one post. The previous posts that she had plagiarised remained up, with no indication that they had not only been my ideas, but much had been my content. She changed the titles of the posts so they sounded different to mine, but the content remained. I tried not to let it bother me and continued to do my own thing, but I have to admit I did feel angry whenever I would see someone commenting on a post of hers that had started as one of mine saying how awesome or original it was. These days I mostly try to ignore that blog.
But what really gets me about plagiarism is, what's the point? Why bother having your own blog if you don't have anything original that you want to say? If you have to steal somebody else's ideas or content to create posts, then what are you getting out of it? Is it page views? Free books? Again, I just don't get it.
I love my blog because it's a platform to express my own views and feelings about books and bookish things. It's been an amazing way to connect with other like-minded, awesome people. That's what I'm here for. How about you?
Plagiarism is infuriating.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right. I don't get it either.
What's the point? For free books?
Blech!
It's not worth it people.
Be yourself.
What happened to you would have driven me nuts.
I would have asked for her to credit each one.
Out of curiosity, where the reviews that were plagiarized YA?
It wasn't reviews, actually, it was some of my features - like "Bookish Buys", "Top Five" and "Reading Icons". Which I know are not necessarily unique to me and if she just had similar features it wouldn't be a problem - the problem was that the majority of the topics and content of those posts were almost identical to posts I had done.
DeleteAhhhh
DeleteFeatures are sooo tough to be original with.
But ew the topics and content too?
Ick!
I hate that.
Thanks for explaining that for me.
Awesome post Belle. I was the same as you - when I started my blog I didn't even know ARC's existed. It was simply a way to get down my thoughts on books and read other peoples as well. ARC's are nice....but I wouldn't do anything other than what I'm doing now to get them, which is just reading and reviewing my own books and library books. I am happy to read books wherever they come from. And plagiarising can never just be written off as a "mistake" or an "accident". It just doesn't work that way.
ReplyDelete"I am happy to read books wherever they come from."
DeleteExactly! And I love buying books AND going to the library... if I got a gazillion free books I'd miss those book-acquiring activities!
True story: When I first heard people talking about ARCs, I thought they were talking about story arcs, like the arc of Divergent. Haha.
ReplyDeleteSomething that drives me crazy is when I go to a book blog and all the reviews are glowing, with little information other than the standard summary from the publisher or goodreads, and a giant thank you to the publisher. If I can't tell if you've really read the book, or that you actually have an informed opinion, that's definitely not going to make me want to read the book. And I don't care how nice you are or aren't.
Anyway, great post, Belle! I get a ton of free books -- it's called the library!
-Maggie
Thanks Maggie!
Delete"I get a ton of free books -- it's called the library!"
LOL that is brilliant! So true.
Maggie, you are brilliant! :D
DeleteI do get a bit over the llama drama, but I do think that the latest case has been very interesting. There have been people excusing the behavious and defending just because it as a popular blogger, but then there have been people who have completely over reacted on the other side of the argument too.
ReplyDeleteI am completely non-confrontational at the best of times, but there are people who love nothing more than a good fight!
As to what has happened to you, wow, you are much more patient that I think I would be, but then again I would probably just sit in the corner and cry...metaphorically at least!
I think the overreaction stems from the fact that it was someone who had been so vocal against plagiarism. That and it was a pretty big shock I suppose.
DeleteI just feel like - can't we all just get along?!
I kinda just wish they would all stop talking about it. What she did was wrong. Covering it up was wrong. A half-hearted (Skirt the real issue) apology would have been fine for something trivial...but this was something big. So she apologized a second time. Then opened the comments. Then someone on her end (Not her she was supposed to be a work) started deleting comments they felt were negative and abusive. Yet some comments were deleted that simply asked WHY? Or simply stated they were disappointed.
ReplyDeleteIt just seems to be snowballing and getting worse. Hopefully a new day has begun and it is over. I never really read the reviews, I like other content more, but people were attacking her reviewing. I don't know it just seems like everyone was bored and wanted to fight about something. LOL.
I don't think she handled it in the best way, which didn't help the snowballing. If she had have just came out and said "I screwed up but I've learnt from my mistake", then I think it would have been over a lot sooner.
DeleteGreat post, Belle.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean... the drama is just so dull and it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The whole point is to talk about books you loved and talk about books your friends loved.
I just stay way out of the drama and let them tear themselves apart. I find it's a good way to find the kind of blogs that I love to read.
ps. I kinda hate arcs. Too much pressure. I also hate it when people get a million of them and OMGOMGLOVETHIIIIISSSSSSS!!21221 for every single one. Just so they get more. What's the point?
RANT.
Anyway, Belle, I love you and your blog and your features. Stay wonderful.
Aw thank you Jo. YOU'RE awesome! I totally agree about arcs, I hate it reading blogs where they just review them and give glowing reviews every single post. Not my bag ;)
DeleteI never seem to know what's going on in the book blogger drama world, and I like it that way :) I wouldn't even have known about this incident if a friend of mine hadn't mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteIt was the half-hearted apology that annoyed me I think. 'I didn't do anything wrong, but I'm sorry anway.' That said, I didn't feel the need to abuse her, or comment or anything even vaguely hostile. It's nothing to do with most of us, when you get right down to it.
That's true. I don't usually comment on these things, but having had experience with plagiarism I thought I'd share that and how much it sucks! :)
DeleteWhat happened? What's an ARC? (I feel stupid for asking, should I know what that stands for?) I'm out of the loop, I haven't been updating my blog on Blogger as of lately, I'm too busy on Wordpress.
ReplyDeleteEmail me what happened or on here, I'm curious. fairyfay80@gmail.com
I agree as anyone should about originality. I'm not good at writing reviews and such but at least they're still my own words.
I love your reviews :) But yes the whole point of them is to express your own opinion, it's true.
DeleteA full account of what happened is here:
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/plagiarism-and-the-story-siren
But the short version is one of the biggest YA book bloggers was caught plagiarising the work of some fashion bloggers, then made a half-hearted apology, then another half-hearted apology, and angered a lot of people.
Don't feel silly about ARCs - I had no idea before I got into blogging, it's just shorthand for Advanced Reader Copy. They're often uncorrected versions of books, sent out to reviewers a few months before the book's release so that they can read and write about them in time for the on sale date. Some bloggers get heaps and some only seem to be interested in blogging so they can get them, and give lots of suspiciously positive reviews (perhaps so publishers send them more books). I don't get it personally - as Maggie says, there are lots of free books at the library!
Thank you :)
DeleteThe library is where it's at.