Monday, July 20, 2009

plagiarism isn't cool kids

So this whole plagiarism-from-hell thing fucked up my Friday.

I’ve done my research as much as possible, and I think the underlying factor for me is: why would this bitch want to live my life? Has she no shame?

I cached her blog posts before she swiftly removed them – I found out her name and sent her a message pertaining to ‘you’re history sweetheart.’

But here’s the thing, this is the second time this has happened to me. And I’m starting to get a little crazy with annoyance.

In some twisted and super strange fucked up way, it’s flattering. That someone can’t come up with their own shit, so just whacked my shit into Excel, find + replace, and suddenly a girl called ‘Quirks’ is living my life.

The update goes something like this: The original writer of the blog alleges that her colleague at work had her blog logins and updated her blog for her, starting last year.

I smell a rat, sure.
She says it wasn’t her, it was her scaly mate getting back at her for something.

Here’s the thing: I. Don’t. Care I don’t care if she slept with this girl’s husband, it doesn’t negate from the fact that my intellectual arb property has been plagiarised. And it’s been there gaining commenters, readers and people who believed this was HER WRITING, HER LIFE, and yeah, well, it wasn’t.

I spent Friday afternoon in a surreal existence.
I went back through her history – this woman has been copying my blog posts- almost verbatim – for months, years, on end.

Get a load of this, and tell me it isn’t a ‘well fuck me crazy’ moment:

Going pages back, she actually started off writing her own material. The usual sort of bloggy stuff such as:

A Stream Of Kookiness
The joys of the working days!
Posted by Quirkyx on 3/15/2009 3:33:24 PM

Hi all, Apologies for my absence, things have been totally crazy! I started work officially on Wednesday, and you know it wasn't all that bad, I expected it to be worse. The driving to...

And it appears she was even allergic to wine back then. That’s quite a big difference between me and her:

A Stream Of Kookiness
Jobs
Posted by Quirkyx on 4/1/2009 11:57:40 PM Hi all, Apologies for very belated update on the resignation, but things have been a mad house both personally (love life), health (found out am a allergic to wine! WTF?!) and with...

Then she started getting less irregular with her updates and suddenly, my posts started popping up. Slowly but surely, she started copying more and more as she went along. Once she wrote:

Firstly I want to apologise for my lack of posts, lack of sarcasm and wit and the other shebang that everyone has come to love and expect from this dear blog of mine (ha)! What a rubbish week! well...

[If that’s a backhand compliment you crazy bint, thank you. But Jesus Christ: do YOU do have a set of balls.]

You gotta love this – when I bought a piano by mistake, she bought a drum kit. Have you ever:

I Bought a Drum Kit By Mistake
Posted by Quirkyx on 5/20/2009 11:47:58 AM You want a bad day? I'll give you a bad day. I bought a drum kit by mistake. And my car broke down in the middle of an intersection. The impulsiveness of my purchase started sinking in, yesterday,...

Look, she wrote to Usher too. Oh wait, except it was Robbie Williams. But still in my original hip hop lingo:
Love this – when I got a rug, she ordered an ottoman. But also asked for it in the exact way I did.
You get the picture. It’s all my work, and some material goes back years.

I still don’t know if this is sad, I should feel sorry for her, or it’s just fucking fucked up.

Identity theft? Her 54 fans must be mind-fucking too – one commenter who found out said this:
Fuck me, I have been reading her blog for so long on 24.com and loving it. So this morning's revalations were a bit of a "fuck me" moment. I went and dug through your posts and saw the correlation. Remember the letter to your kids? "Hello my darlings

This is your mother. She's just come back from a bernder [sic] at Green Man, so pardon mummy for being a bit tanked. "

She got all of is 24.com bloggers doing it!

Yussus man, I can see why you are furious.


Yeah I am mad, and this is the second time. It’s also the millionth time bloggers have had to deal with situations like this. I got some great advice from a friend who is a copyright lawyer over the weekend. And the issue is this:

I just want to make everyone who blogs aware of how easy it is, and how unfair it is too. Just to be aware and watch out for each other.

As one person did for me.

Shit stinks, plagiarism is an issue with a grey area, and it’s happened to a few of us. I’m pissed off, and I want to make sure that plagiarisers think twice before just copy and pasting and claiming as their own.

Writers take this seriously. As they should.
It’s taking my stuff and making it contrived – Fuck you if you’re reading this! By the way!

So let this be a warning to the fuckwit out there who did this. And I don’t care how arrogant you are to pass this off as your own work, you apologise and you apologise good.
You credit the work to the original writer, and you ask my fucking permission to use my posts. However crap or arb they are.

And if you have a story, or an explanation, you have a right to explain it. Go for it, I’d like to be in YOUR head for once.
Because frankly, you’ve been in mine for months on end.

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree its not cool! iTS just plain kak! (sorry)
BuT Dr Phil says you need to move on.. :)
The culprit is not paying rent so dont allow her/him in your brain!
Have a great bloggy week! Steve

Peas on Toast said...

Thanks Steve
For sure, enough's enough.

Just want to ensure this person - whatever the story is - never does it again. To anyone.

I like the idealogy - she's not paying rent in my head :)

The Chantal said...

Glad you found out who she is, you should put her name in the post!

And where you said you don't know if you should feel sorry for her etc...NOOOO you can't feel sorry in the slightest degree for this person, she is a huge asshole. And her story about the co-worker is utter bullshit.

Well at least you should get more followers now from the blog24 readers :) one plus side :P

Pebbles said...

You should see how grumpy the other 24.com bloggers are! I've never had so many comments on a post of mine. You've gained at least one reader as a result.

Peas on Toast said...

Chantal - I think it's more like I feel sorry for her mind as in: 'she must be one sad little girl to be copying my life, kinda thing :)

Monki - I'm glad babe, that means at least you're getting some of her followers! And maybe peeps will think twice before they copy ;)

Unknown said...

OMG... Just had a thought... Peas - are you the *REAL* Peas? I mean, what if you are just pretending to be you? Maybe you are Chickpeas posing as Peas... Please go and look in the mirror and be sure that you are still you. Pinch yourself just to be sure... and then report back :)

Sipho said...

I was one of those who were all "Wow Quirkyx, you're such a brilliant writer".

understandably I was furious. what a pissy little bitch!

great blog, by the way!

"Good Charlie"

Anonymous said...

My pleasure! On my side im slightly guilty, i feel nothing at copying and pasting images of a certain seach engine starting with G. But WTF, we stay in south africa! They blew up 600 auto banks last year!! Who cares about copyin a few images!! But would certainly not copy someones writing! What do the peeps think? Steve

Rupert Thompson said...

Every now and again I plant a "land mine" in something I write, and then set up a Google Alert for the phrase to see who is using it out there...

Vimbai said...

Oh dear, this is the blogging version of Single White Female...in this case Single White Blogger.

I can't help but feel sorry for the identity-hogger, clearly life must be wack if she has to resort to living out someone else's life, even if its only on paper!

However on that note, what she did is still inexcusable. If UCT taught me anything, it was that life has z certain zero-tolerance on plagarism!

Bring out the lawyers Peas!

PuffTone said...

WTF???? The black chick in me wants to go ghetto on her ass, who is this titwad????

Not sorry for the cow - she needs a good beating, mail me her details whilst I make a short trip to Noord taxi rank to pick up a few taxi drivers that enjoy singing mshiniwam' whilst waving their knob kirries..........

the nerve of some people with no lives

Unknown said...

sheesh. wow. i never knew people could do stuff like this.

peas, could it be that it's not only the content of your life that whateverhernameis wanted, but the delivery of it. you have the most wonderful style and that's hard to emulate if you have to use your own life's content. much easier to CtrlC CtrlV it.
and there are SO many more people playing at your house now as a result of it! i'm certain most of them will stay.

i wonder if she also had her heart set on that pink top with white airconditioned bits from london. pleeeeze tell me you got yourself one?

Margot said...

Peas, check today's post http://www.tertia.org/so_close/2009/07/spot-the-error.html from Tertia Albertyn - another heavyweight SA blogger, as you probably know, also with a book out.
Is this endemic? Why all of a sudden now?
And yes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I would be totally pissed off like you. I hope 24.com does more to publicise this.

Peas on Toast said...

Cathy - Yeah, who is the real Peas anyway right? I might not even be her! ;)

Sipho - thanks mate ;)

Secret - I agree. but I think there are grey areas with images too. Is the iamge commercially used etc etc, or did someone deisgn it themselves? Interesting aspect to debate...

Cliffy - not a bad idea at ALL guy, might have to give that a try myself :)

Vimbai - yeah I do feel sorry for the blogger in question, if what she says about someone blogging under her name is true.

It's kind of insane, the whole thing.

PuffTone - that's how I felt on Friday!

Debi - i wonder if she also had her heart set on that pink top with white airconditioned bits from london. pleeeeze tell me you got yourself one?

hahahah I should send her one ehy? ;)

Margot - I saw that! Crazy - and her 'plagiarising fan' was from Malaysia. Nuts indeed!

Billy said...

Fuck me! thats insane! You have to be a bit of a nut job to do that! I get the angry bit Peas but if she's that off her nut to copy your "life" she may have it in her to boil rabbits in your flat!

Revolving Credit said...

I wonder if she has hairy feet or if she had to have hair plugs implanted?

Charmskool said...

I am gobsmacked! What a total twat and tosser. I could still understand if she copied your writing style (ya know imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and all) but imagine being such a sad, pathetic loser that you have to copy and paste someone's actual life!!! "Um what did I do this weekend - oh let me copy and paste Peas' blog and see if I had a good time" Sad bloody fuckwit! Scuse the language but I can't say it strongly enuff.

LP said...

Damm! I met her once at a MOB (joined by other 24.com bloggers)...next time I see her I'll throw her with eggs or something 4 you :)

I'll keep reading your blog then*
PeaceALove*

Peas on Toast said...

Billy - I'll ensure to keep rabbits waaaaay far from my house :)

Rev - I could always say I shaved them again...which means she'd HAVE to shave them too right? ;)

Charm - craziness eh? Don't worry, I was spitting mad with rage on Friday - but have calmed down to a panic now. I just want people to know how easily this can happen and how not cool it is. Am seriously gobsmacked myself!

Louis - hey there! So which girl did you meet - her or her mate she says blogged for her? How strange - was she talking about her new drumkit at the blogger meet?

Kate said...

what an idiot not worth your time peas.. except your ranting time.. for us all to enjoy ;p

Kate said...

what an idiot not worth your time peas.. except your ranting time.. for us all to enjoy ;p

Revolving Credit said...

Rabbit boiler = Dildo sterilizer?

Anonymous said...

I get you on that, If someone designed it or whatver i suppose keep away! On the other hand maybe it helps to market the image. One of my favourie images is 'American Girl In Italy" by Orkin I think. Anyway the image is popular as its all over the net! The net has almost made the image, even though it was popular before. Just my 5 cents worth. But def cant pass off someones writing!!!! Stick to fake Gucci, gALS!

Spyti K said...

Okay boys and girls, that is quite enough about this. Look Peas, I know you're pissed about this and I would be ranting about it too, but at some point you're going to have to accept that she made a series of mistakes or bad decisions and move on from it.

I blog at the 24.com blogs and I've read some of it, but it is time for this thing to end, because it keeps upsetting people on both sites. Please don't get the idea that I'm defending what she did, because it was wrong and stupid in every way, but I will defend her. So please stop the name calling and everything else, because attacking her on a personal level for this is not right either.

We all open ourselves up to this kind of thing, no matter where we write or what we write and you were unlucky to have this happen to you, but please let it stop here. Don't let yourself get drawn into something uglier than it should have been.

Anyway, it's my two cents for what they are worth. You may find my blog here:

http://mynewsblogs.24.com/ViewBlog.aspx?blogid=a32ffadf-1f31-4a20-870a-098eb1a2362d

totally cooked said...

Dear Peas,

I have no time to actually steal your life so can I just give you my blog details and you just make yourself at home and make up exciting shit that I didn't do please.

Thanks in advance

TC

Peas on Toast said...

Sypti - yeah I agree - but here's why I'm fucked off and causing a stink:
1) It could happen to YOU.
2) Would you dig it?
3) It's to highlight how easily this could happen. And I take this shit seriously. ESPECIALLY becuase I have abook involved. Abd metrial in that book that could've made it onto that blog...which, evidentally it did.
So...there's a fourth party involved here.

But yes, tomorrow ons shall move on. Agreed. But for today - I'm still pissed.

Thanks for you blog link and your two cents, it is very much apprecaited. :)

totally cooked - oooh! The POSSIBILITIES! ;)

Peas on Toast said...

PS: Scuse all the typos. Manic fucken day :(

Ilhaam Ismail said...

Yikes peas, sounds dodgey!! You okay love?

Im with the Chantal, post her details. We'll eat her for tomorrows post!! Biatch!!

Num skull twit-face bum!!!

No-one messes with our Peas gurl - you did a damn good thing falling off the face of the earth.

Welcome new readers. You'll find the new blog to be fresh and REAL.

peace guys, and take it easy peas - she's not worth a busted nerve

hugs

Spyti K said...

Sure thing, be pissed and rage about it all you want now, but let it end at some point; sooner rather than later. We see enough ugly things on a daily basis anyway, we don't need a dragged out fight with this too.

Oh, if you do visit, please be gentle with me.

Getaway, please judge the act here, not the person you don't know anything about. That's jumping the gun a bit.

Ilhaam Ismail said...

i can tell you love - the act tells us a hellova lot about the person. What are you if not responsible for your actions.

And goodluck with the one man fan base.

ps:are you the dodgey friend who updated her blog - just a question?

Spyti K said...

Apologies G, I was unaware that you knew the girl in question, her "friend" and myself personally. I am also unaware of the fact that you have lived a perfect life in which you've never made a stupid mistake or lied to try and cover up your mistakes; I guess that I am not worthy of someone as saintly as yourself.

Peas on Toast said...

Hi chaps - again Spyti K - put yourself in my shoes. I don't give a FUCK what happened behind the scenes. It happened. Tomorrow I'll move on.

Thanks getaway :)

In the meantime, I told the blogger in question to write HER side of the story. If she says there is foul play involved, she has every right to try and explain it. It sounds farfetched, but I told her to apologise and write about it anyway. Perhaps if not for her, but for everyone.

I've taken this hard line here guys because this shit happens too often I'm afraid. And frankly, by taking a hard line, maybe people will think TWICE ABOUT GIVING LOGINS/COPYING IN THE FUTURE.

So from the girl herself - on her blog - here is her story and her post. You decide:

http://mynewsblogs.24.com/ViewComments.aspx?mid=72993309-7363-40f8-94d0-498f2c09ffeb&blogid=5b2c8212-6b9d-403c-a183-5489321012e0

Spyti K said...

I did read that post of her's and it is farfetched to the point that is almost mythical, but you can't deny that it is still plausable and I have to remain undecided due to lack of evidence; I'm not prepared to make a judgment call either way and I am sorry if that upsets you or any of your regular readers in any way.

LP said...

haha* sht yes...but apparently it was who we met up with, Also got to tell you I AM LIKE THE BIGGEST FAN OF YOUR WRITING! Its like I met you..but not you.... Damm you have no idea how wacked this is ;)

Oh btw Im LP on 24blogs http://blogs.24.com/ViewBlog.aspx?blogid=4b812c53-6edb-4a64-bf89-ff85d7de84e5

Alistair said...

Hi Peas

I just wanted to say how sorry we 24.com folk are that this wasn't caught earlier. My community managers will be posting a stern warning tomorrow on our official blog. I would have responded earlier but I'm trying to get our dashed, flaming, %$^%! revamp live (puff pant) and it's been plaguing me night and day for three weeks. Anyway, I digress. We'll make sure our plagiarism-ometer is better tuned next time around.

Cheers
Alistair Fairweather

Anonymous said...

Um...... Its almost a new day, lets all rock the bloggy world with positive vibrations on Tues, It will be a great day! Lets be builders and not breakers! I'm new on this farm, and enjoying the interaction. Thanks for a good read. Enjoy my peas "Petit Pois!"
Meaning reasonably young and tender.. :)

Epskee said...

I'm sure its probably been said, but I'd really love to see one of these hacks turn around and accuse the original writer of being the plagarist.

Dont feel sorry for her at all. She's feeling sorry enough for herself. Who the hell ARE these people? Why do it? Is it so people love you? Coz in reality they love the real writer not you. Is it for the fame? Because the more famous you are, the more chance the author or a friend will find you.

I just dont get it. Much love to you Peas. (Allergic to wine? Punishment enough in itself! Well, almost)

Margot said...

I earlier lambasted 24.com for an inadequate response - but Alistair Fairweather's comment in my humble goes a long way towards making this better. Obviously it's not 24.com's fault - but if you ARE going to respond, say something useful, not just a perfunctory "sorry for your troubles". A message to 24.com bloggers or that kind of gesture, while not accepting responsibility, was/is the way to go. Rock on!

Peas on Toast said...

Louis - thanks so so much! You're so sweet :) And I will most definitely check out your and more of the 24blog sites. You guys seem like a cool tightknit community. Thumbs up to all of you!

Hi Alistair! Thanks so much for posting here, I really appreciate it. I do realise this isn't 24.com's fault, and it is almost impossible to keep track of these things. But thank you for keeping an eye out for the future and for adding a reprimanding. As I said, I've taken a hard line on this to ensure that people are aware of what can happen.

Thanks very much to you and your team for your responses.

My secret diary - oooh I do like the sound of that - young and tender :) teehee

Epskee - thank you so much. Yeah I was hopping mad I won't lie. And hopefully this little shit storm will cast a bit of awareness onto this internet issue.

Margot - I agree. :)

Peas on Toast said...

OK, as far as I'm concerened, case is closed.

She has since delted these comments on her blog - but it was her after all.
All this nonsense of foul play is - surprise! - nonsense.

1) She went to a bloggers meet where she face=to-face openly SPOKE to other people about her life....or should I say, mine.

2) She was responding to emails and comnments at the same time. As someone pointed out with a thread they pasted up. Surely her 'friend' wouldn't have her email logins too?

So, case solved. And more flabbergasted - had she admitted she was wrong to begin with, maybe she wouldn't seem completely pyscho to me right now.

Verdict? Guilty.

Spencer Eggworth said...

The last time I had this much fun reading a blog was with the Catto/Shebee incident. Sorry.

Peas on Toast said...

Spence - ahahahahahahahah ;)

Sorry I have to laugh - because....well I have to laugh. :)

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Well, I had someone at achool who used to copy me with my original wrds (I make up words and songs and use them) and it pissed me off... when I was told its flattery- I hated it from the dogs it came from so... I understand what you mean.

If its any comfort you can tell her to fuck off with pride that you are ORIGINAL!!!!

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