Plagiarism is a Crime

Okay, I know that I said on my Christmas greeting post that I will spread positivity and happiness. Sa 2017 pa naman ang pangako ko, so before 2016 ends, please let me have this one last rant post. And I promise no more…

If we are friends on FB, you’ve probably seen my random rant posts about that someone who would deliberately copy some of her content from other blogs or common websites. Just days before Christmas, I had to rant again because she shared her blog post to some blogger groups and used a caption directly lifted from another blog/website. Well, it was a little bit paraphrased but still – PLAGIARISM.

I hate PLAGIARISM. I am not a writer like my friend May of Fully Housewifed but I’ve been blogging for years, more than 10 years actually, so I put high regard on my work and blogging in general. It is heartbreaking to see your hard work being copied. I am a victim of it and it’s not funny.

May shared a link (on her blog post) of a very comprehensive write up about plagiarism and the many ways you could do it online, you could try to read it and be informed. Basically, hindi porket ni re-phrase mo ng konti ang write up eh hindi na yun plagiarism. Plagiarism padin yun teh.

Stealing an idea, copying words or phrases without giving proper credit, not using quotation marks to indicate that you use words not your own are all plagiarism. All of that are copying. All of that are considered stealing! And the bible says, “Thou shall not steal”.

For years I had to silently endure being copied. I had to silently endure seeing my friends being copied. I had to silently cringe every time I’d notice a copied post. Kahit di ako ang nakopyahan, kahit sa iba kumopya, masakit padin for me because I know those people had to squish their brains for more brain juices so they could come up with a nice article or blog post. Kasi ganun din ako.

Writing a blog post is not easy. Kaya nga hindi din ako pumapayag sa mga “cheap” sponsored posts. Because I had to use so much brain cells just for one blog post. Totoo! I had to read and re-read. I had to think. I had to get coffee. I had to wait for my writing mojo to kick in. Hindi madali magsulat. Aside from writing, I also had to think of ideas on how to write. Comedy ba? Gawin ko bang serious? Lagyan ko ba ng personal touch, like do I have to share my own experience? Mas madali ba basahin pag itemized? Gawin ko bang parang conversations? Anong magandang hashtag? Sino ba ang target audience ko dito? I had to make it SEO optimized. I had to think of those stuff before I write. Hindi lang basta nag type ako. Tapos na. Its hard work!

So to you, yes you, I know you will read this. So I want you to know that it takes A LOT OF BRAIN CELLS TO ACTUALLY WRITE. And that’s why I am pissed off. Because people like you think that writing is just… typing away and copy-pasting.

Parang oh yeah! I want to write about my child’s monthly milestone so I’d go to google, type in “7th month milestone”, go to a nice blog and copy some phrases that I think is nice enough then add some of my own words then publish. Hindi ganun yun!

Aside from the whole writing chorva, I also had to work on my blog layout for months. I had to do research. Itong look ng blog ko? Ni-research ko yan. I had to code it. I had to design it. I had to pay an artist to create and re-create the badge and the logo. I had to think of my own branding. I had to create a “look” that suits me and my personality and would represent my life and my style. My posts are curated in such a way that it would reflect me and my life. And I’m very sure that those other bloggers did the same thing too. Tapos you’d think it’s okay to copy our ideas and words? And claim it as your own? Que horror!

When I wrote about my issues on being a working mum and trying to have enough T-I-M-E for my child, I mean it. There’s a reason why I used “|” on my description. Ilang araw ko yung pinag isipan. Madami akong pinagtanungan. And so it really breaks my heart to see all of those copied like it was nothing. Once there was a blog reader, who’s also a newbie blogger, who copied my entire layout. Hahahaha!

They say that copying is the highest form of flattery, but copying ideas and trying to pass it as your own? I don’t think so! Nakakainis talaga.

I love blogging so much. It has been my life for years. Hindi pa uso ang blog, nagba-blog na kami. This blog has seen me thru my worst and best times. And I have high respect to bloggers. There’s a reason why PRs and brands tend to go to bloggers now. May convincing powers tayo kasi personal ang approach natin. So nakakainit ng ulo na makita mo ang ibang tao who would call themselves “bloggers” pero HINDI NAMAN MARUNONG MAGSULAT. People who would copy their content directly from other bloggers, from parenting websites and tripadvisor; and then they’d call themselves bloggers. The nerve!

You want readers? Be real. Write from your heart. Do not mash up words and phrases from other blogs and websites and claim it as your own. Kasi nawawala ang personality mo. Aside from that, there’s a thing called duplicate content. I won’t explain. Google it. So please. Nakakabwiset.

Plagiarism is a serious offense. And I take it seriously. Next time, if I see another copied content, I would just directly report it to google so they could take down the post, or better yet, the blog. You. Have. Been. Warned.

This is my last rant about that. Tutal based on what I see, she doesn’t understand a teeny tiny bit of my point. Yun yung mas nakakaloka eh. Yung nangongopya pero in denial. As I’ve said, I will just directly report it. Anyway, reporting is just a few clicks.

This blog has blessed me more than I could ever imagine. I know a lot of bloggers who also share the same passion as I do when it comes to blogging. But sad to say that there are people like that talamak na plagiarizer who doesn’t respect other people’s work. So if you are like her, stop it. Try to write your own content. Magsulat ka ng galing sa puso. Try to be original. In this world full of copycats, be unique. Also, it’s alright to copy once in a while. Ako guilty din ako dyan but I always give credit sa pinagkopyahan. I always mention where I got the idea. I would use quotation marks as needed. If natuwa ako sa sinulat ng isang blogger, I would mention na dun ako na-inspire kaya magsusulat din ako ng version ko. Hindi naman mahirap sabihin yun. Pero nakakahiyang basta ka nalang kumopya.

Sa bestfriend ko nga, nagsasabi pa ko if I want to copy some of her ideas. Then I would mention her on the blog. When I tweeted my entry to the #MorningRush, I mentioned on my tweet that the idea came from her. Kasi ganun dapat. Matuto kang rumespeto kung gusto mong respetuhin ka. Nakakahiya kasi talaga maging copy cat and then you'll be too proud to even admit.

Iniiwan ko na kay 2016 ang ranting ko. But I won’t stop finding justice for those bloggers na nakopyahan. And I hope other bloggers would do the same for me. Please report to me if you think an idea or my work or words were stolen. We won’t take it seating down.

Lastly, to you. At first naaawa ako sayo because you don’t understand the implications of your actions. I am ranting to inform you that copying is a crime. And all my rants are focused on that one aspect because I am not the type of person who would call somebody else names. I don’t roll that way. I am too busy for that. But, plagiarism is a totally different thing. It is a serious offense. Some people may not notice it but that doesn't make it right. Also, sinisira mo at ng mga kagaya mo ang blogosphere. I won’t let you ruin the world I love. If you are happy with your life, write about it using your own words. Then we’ll all be okay. Happy New Year to you! Isulat mo na to sa New Year’s resolution mo teh! Iprint mo, tapos ilagay mo sa lahat ng kanto ng bahay nyo ng maalala mo. Ayt?!

Musings