A few days ago while browsing the blogs I came across a very pertinent post on the issue of plagiari...
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A few days ago while browsing the blogs I came across a very pertinent post on the issue of plagiarised posts on Sulekha. Due to a glitch I was unable to post my detailed comments,hence this post as showcase of my views.Basically ,it seems one of us Sulekhaites had wrongly attributed a very well written article to him/herself,without having written a single word(less of course the typing/copying part).
Why would that person have done such a thing?Ergo,its most likely a case of succumbing to the temptation of catching up with the joneses'!! After all , on Sulekha we have a vast pool of highly talented writers,some simply outstanding,others good,some patchy(like me) and some readable(sic).
Now would'nt we all like to be part of the first category? Of course, who does not enjoy the adulation or praise of contemporaries?Who among us,does not look forward to a comment that says that your write up was witty,gr8,impressive,god forsooth - intelligent,or, if you get one from the girls .. a big muuuuaaah with lots of smileys- yes !!days made!!Also ,we must not forget the Mandarins of Team Sulekha,especially when they send that note" your blog has been showcased"- what an ego boost, for after all , we do write for recognition.
I mean, in my short sojourn on this wonderful network,I have come to the conclusion that 99.9 percent of us have a novel inside us ,while the balance have already penned one.
So to my mind this was an attempt to look good,pose as intellectually gifted or perhaps it was a case of forgetfulness- that is being afflicted by amenesia and forgetting to attribute the source( really??).
On Sulekha, we all masquerade! We use pen names,screen names ,no addresses,no IDs,no phone Nos etc.
On Sulekha, we weave a web of our imagination,we fuel it with our dreams,we choose issues to comment ,open our hearts on issues that touch us,please us,tease us,light up our lives,fire our passions ,or, make us pause and ponder awhile.
On Sulekha, we make friends with perfect strangers,our basic bond being the power of the written word,whether those words are a clinically precise analysis ,or, the varied takes on the "Express Yourself" contests on bucolic scenes of pastoral delights ,personal posts and many more.
For the Sulekha experiance to happen, one aspect of critical and central importance is that of "Honour Amongst Thieves". Our judgement of another person, his/her likes,dislikes,views,personality are all based on the premise that what he or she posts is an original effort or that it is attributed correctly.Blogs are our very own creations,our original efforts,inextricably wedded to the strands of our creative DNA, which makes them utterly unique ,not just to our own eyes,but also to those of others.
Blogs require subjects,ideas and these will continue to be borrowed,in some cases misappropriated,to be seen by others from different perspectives,prisms and lenses.This is a historical fact,not limited to the blogiverse.There will be some lovely quote or an article somewhere that we would like to qoute ,showcase ,referance or incorporate -- fine, but we must have the integrity to attribute.
The author of the blog " plagiarism on sulekha" ( I do not remember the exact title ,but will gladly acknowledge it in case one of you could kindly point out), has most sagaciously pointed out that team Sulekha must establish a system to check the practise,especially once they have been notified about it. I think that this is a very fair call.
What about action against these " PLAGI- BLOGGERS" ( my own concoction)? Well , I think that guidance would be a better option than penalisation or ostracisation.Nonetheless , the Sulekha Mandarins must take a call on the issue,that is if they have'nt done so already.
More importantly,so should we.. after all we power Sulekha!!
Let us not allow the imperfections of the physical world cast its dark shadows in this lovely community of netizens.
Honour Amongst Thieves
Q
(I would be greatful for a link to the article I have referred to,I saw it about a week / 10 days ago, it is a very good article)
PS: I thank yash chabra for his prompt and helpful note containing the link to MY utterances blog http://my-utterances.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/03/has-sulekha
-featured-a-plagiarized-post.htm
PPS: I recommend a reading of my utterances post as it reflects our collective distress on the issue.
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Quasimodo,
which blog was dis? secret??
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dear kalyanee,
no its not a secret,MU has the details,I did not quote the article as my aim was not to point fingers ,but, to raise the issue of ethics..honour among thieves:)) ?
Q
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dear kalyanee,
no its not a secret,MU has the details,I did not quote the article as my aim was not to point fingers ,but, to raise the issue of ethics..honour among thieves:)) ?
Q
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