Homeschool World Forum

On Jan. 1, 2008, I posted "High School Extracurriculars, the HomeSchool Way." Compare my original post on this forum Jan. 1, 2008: http://www.home-school.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3496

With Jessica Parnell's article dated April 18, 2010: http://www.homeschooling-answers.com/homeschooled-child/homeschooling-extra-curricular-activites...

Judge for yourself, and be careful what you post here.

If your dates are correct, it does look like your post was used as the basis for the article. One paragraph was actually copied. I rather doubt your post would have been safer elsewhere, however, and not posting at all isn't really a viable alternative if you want to help people.

Yes, it looks like this person plagiarized your work. As a university professor, I have noticed that over the years plagiarism has become quite acceptable. As a mom of a teen who has, until now, been in the public schools, I have noticed that kids don't even understand the problem with plagiarism. They do not see it as a form of theft. It is so prevalent that it has just become accepted, which is unfortunate. It is academically and intellectually dishonest. I believe you should confront the issue, letting the other person know (in a polite way) that you are aware that she plagiarized your words without referencing your original work. In her article, I think that direct quotes from you (complete with quotation marks) and a reference to your post would have been acceptable.

I can understand the frustration as I've had this done to me many times. I'm a paranormal investigator with my own website on local hauntings, info articles, etc. Not only have I had stuff taken directly from my site with no citation, but I've had message board posts stolen, word for word, lol. I hate that the most, because they're usually posted out of context, and if I had known they'd be used a certain way, I'd actually write an in-depth article.

But eh, that's the risk you run when you become a member of ANY message board, or post ANYTHING anywhere online. When I see it being done, I try to call the guilty party out on it tactfully. I'll ask for credit where credit is due, and a link back to my site, or have it completely taken down if they cannot comply with that request.

Most people ARE simply just ignorant about internet copyright laws and plagiarism in general; its sad but true. At least this post brings to light a very serious topic that those with older homeschoolers might consider turning into a lesson!

I keep telling myself that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...and keep posting away, despite the risks, lol.

FYI - I left a reply on the homeschooling article to inform them that they owe you credit. I doubt the post will make it past moderation.

If this were one of my articles, I would contact the person who posted the article and tell them that you are insisting that they remove the plagarised content or that they can credit you as a source for the article. She has caused you financial harm.

You own your words, she is not protected under "fair use" because her content is not for educational purposes, it is for finanancial gain. Her page contains Google ads so it qualifies as a commercial entity. She is making money on every page view. Explain to her that you and your attorney would like to see a financial statement detailing her revenue from this page. Your post provided more than half of her page content, therefore you are entitiled to at least 60% of her generated revenue from the page.

Wish you well, this is just my opinion.