It was bound to happen sooner or later.
The crappy “P” word that most bloggers get hit with from time to time. You know, that word that means that content you have thought about, slaved over, and typity, typity, typed until your typer was sore was taken and put forth as someone else’s work and glory.
Yup.
PLAGIARISM.
I woke up today to information that my post on blogging jealousy had been copied, cut, tweaked slightly and pasted on the site of Miss Maria Francesca Ditas Chantal Cristina Molina. (You can all call her, Mia. Or “Coffee Girl”. )
See a staggering similarity?
Some people are of the mind, “I am not going to send you to their site because I don’t want to give them traffic.” Which is a fine attitude to have, but frankly, I could care less about that. Go if you want. Don’t send death threats or anything, and if you do chastise her, your comments won’t see the light of day as they are all moderated. I would hurry, though. I fired off a comment demanding that she take it down.
If she doesn’t?
Lorelle has EXCELLENT ideas for going after someones ass when they steal content. And girlfriend left plenty of information (which I have copied and saved) to find her. Dude, don’t piss me off, people. I am the most loveable person on the planet until you cross THAT line. Then? I turn into a monster of rage and storming death that flings her unteathered bosoms and wrath at lame gas station attendants while wearing pajamas and a fugly hairdo. (For the record on this post? Judy still sucks. Just in case you were wondering.)
The immature part of me wants to egg her car and toilet paper her house. Hopefully, I will calm down and realize I am 33 instead of 12 and refrain from doing so. Heh.
Seriously though, it makes me feel more than a little upset that this person has a lecture and a Creative Commons button right at the tip top of her page chastising people about stealing content!
And apparently, she is going to be a lawyer.
Balls of brass, this one has.
Let me get something straight: I NEVER MIND PEOPLE WHO REPUBLISH MY WORK WITH PERMISSION, CREDIT AND LINKS ATTACHED. I also never mind people who “Copy” an idea. I have a post and they want to take the ball and run with it, too. That is beyond flattering.
Also? When I first started blogging and was clueless about the internet I didn’t understand intellectual property in regards to photos and art clips. I was stealing without meaning to. Once I learned? I try damn hard to never, ever do it. However, I have known since the age of 5 that copying other peoples written work and passing it off as your own is wrong, wrong, wrogity wrong.
THIS?
Is theft.
Pure and simple.
No if’s and’s or but’s about it.
I hate that my words have been taken and bastardized.
I almost feel like I have caught someone trying on my underwear.
It’s an icky feeling, people.
ICKY.
Camille says:
Well, she took it off, which means i couldn’t morbidly read what she’d passed off as her own. Did she change any of the words of your post, or just copy-paste it?
I guess it’s a good thing my blog isn’t very popular–I don’t know of anyone stealing my stuff.
Camilles last blog post..{I Get Depressed Very Easily}
July 15th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Thumper says:
Dang, it’s only open to invited readers now. Having been ripped off in the past (and not from blog posts, but published materials) I’m always spoiling to rip someone a new one when it comes to theft.
It’s one thing to get an idea from someone else and create your own take on it. To just rip them off…that’s a person who needs a good hair pulling.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
loralee says:
Heh. I copied and pasted it before she realized that the wrath of the internet was about to fall on her head.
Here it is:
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Hey Jealousy
Today’s topic: Jealousy in the blogosphere.
[Or envy, feeling left out, whatever emotion you want to add to it. I think it all falls under the same umbrella, I just chose jealousy because who didn’t love that song by The Gin Blossoms?]
I am not the first to write about this. I’m not the second, tenth or probably even the eleventyhundredth to type out my thoughts and feelings about blogging jealousy. I am also pretty damn sure that many people have written about it far more eloquently than I am about to.
Then, I got a comment on this blog in my anonymous comments in reference to the “Wanna Know A Secret” post.This comment was left by what I am assuming is a regular reader and I really wanted to address it because I have wanted to talk about blogging envy for some time and now seems as good a time as any.
Anonymous says:
Dear Coffee Girl,
I hope this doesn’t come off as mean, but I am eaten alive by jealousy of your blog and other big bloggers. You have so many friends and so much traffic and I even though I check your blog almost obsessively, I also have so much envy that I am beginning to think it is unhealthy.
I try to comment on blogs and still only have a reader or two. You’ve never commented on my blog and while I understand that you have a lot going on, I still get hurt, but then I feel like a pouty kid on the school bus and am ashamed. I’m actually crying here.How stupid is that?
It seems like so many people I read have success after success while I try but seem to fail. I expect it from some of the snarkier bloggers. For instance, I’ve been trying to get Black Hockey Jesus to follow me on Twitter or his blog but I sort of expect the rejection there.I can’t even seem to get the attention of the nice bloggers.You aren’t the only one that I am talking about, but you are the place where I can vent this anonymously and get it off of my chest.
I really admire you and think that your blog is wonderful. I hope that this didn’t come off as too mean. I am just having a hard day.
Anon
My response…
Dear Anon,
I wish you would email me privately. I would love to talk to you at length because I have been right where you are. No, this didn’t hurt my feelings at all. Don’t be afraid that I think you’re “Mean”. I don’t. There are a few salient points that I would like to talk about, if you don’t mind.
Having traffic doesn’t make feelings of inadequacy magically disappear.
I doubt that there are many bloggers out there that would label themselves as “Popular” and I certainly don’t classify myself as that. I AM very aware that I have awesome and loyal readers and commenters AND I AM SO DAMN GRATEFUL FOR IT LIKE YOU CANNOT BELIEVE, but it doesn’t mean that I am not critical about myself. On those down days when I over-analyze everything I start writing “The List” of things that are negative.
Wanna peek inside my feelings of inadequacy? Here you go:
I am not a channel editor, award winner, nor do I even consider myself a good writer. I just count myself blessed that I have a quirky enough life/personality to have the following that I do because I use CAPS! EMOTICONS!! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! And as my English major friends will attest, very inadequate grammar and spelling skills.
Most bloggers have many more failures than successes.
Also, don’t take it for granted that awesome things just “Happen” to bloggers. You may not know the full story.
I fail much more than I succeed. Look at the above section, for Pete’s sake. Not that I haven’t had some successes with blogging, I have. I would be sad if I hadn’t because I invest a crap load of time and energy into it.
I get rejected all the time. Pointing to a specific example listed in the anonymous comment, Black Hockey Jesus does not reciprocate my following on Twitter, either. There could be loads of reasons for it and I could drive myself crazy at wondering why, so I just don’t. However, if you call him a little bitch he will apparently adore you, so you may want to give that a try. Heh. (Untwist the knickers, people. I’m quoting him.)
Bloggers are human. (Even the really popular ones.)
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day to work with. Everyone has varying levels of time that they can put into blogging and despite the fact that you may read every syllable that a blogger publishes or even email them or tweet them to death, you can’t know the how’s or why’s that go into why or why not someone does or does not read you or comment on your blog.
I think that I am like a lot of people who blog. I have different, mostly unknown, reasons why I read the blogs that I do. I also change them frequently and lurk much, much more than I used to. In fact, I am considering dumping the whole Google reader thing all together and starting off fresh. I don’t know. I have been thinking and pondering blogging balance and how to achieve it for a long time.
So much of it is just an issue of time.
Truly. I have had to cut way back on my online stuff to tend to in my real life stuff. I am a full time single mom and in between all the work that comes with that (which, I wouldn’t trade for all the world btw), I’m also trying to run a company that I hope to see IPO in the next couple of years. I am sorry if you feel neglected and I need to stress that I try my best. I am so bad at so many things like emails, comment response and even thanking people for the lovely things they send me. Boo on me! Truly, though…I don’t mean to hurt anyone.
Every blogger out there was a “Newbie” once.
Not having readers can suck a duck. Some people really are fine with it and either turn off comments or just find an inner peace that they write for themselves. (I am not one of those people.) However, with some exceptions, pretty much all bloggers start at the same place. Where you have no readers except for a handful of people that you have to force/bribe/promise your firstborn to to get them to read your blog. I went months on another blog with my friend Richie, Mae, and some others as my only readers. Hell, even Dooce (and now she ranks in the top 30 bloggers out of 200,000) started out talking about a carton of Carnation milk and I am pretty sure that no one was clamoring to read THAT post when she hit the publish button.
It’s human to want to be noticed by people you admire.
I am not going to lie and pretend that I am not thrilled to my very tip tippie toes when a blogger I admire that has a big following actually notices that I exist. I wish that I could say that I am immune to it but I would totally be lying due to the fact that just this morning I ran in circles like a rabid dog on meth screeching, “She likes me! She likes me!!” when a huge blogger that I adore and thought maybe, MAYBE might have my name ring a bell wrote me an email telling me that she loves my blog despite just being a lurker.(She obviously doesn’t mind humungo run-on sentences and over abundant use of parenthesis.)I realize this may look like bragging and I don’t mean it to be. I would not mention it at all except to illustrate the point that I can totally be a star-struck DORK when it comes to people whose work I admire.
All bloggers are not equal, despite what the fairytale says.
You may never get to be one of the A-listers. And to survive and keep blogging you have to be ok with this to some degree.
The words and writings of some bloggers carry more weight in the blogosphere. That is just reality, friends. It doesn’t mean that as a person they are worth more than others, but I can’t make the blogging world into a Marxist fairytale where all bloggers have the same status.There may not be a “CLUB” but there are bloggers that are DAMN AWESOME and they have buttloads of people who read them that think the same thing. To pretend that there are not “A-listers” out there is as stupid as thinking that they are all condescending writers that are incapable of paying attention to people that don’t have equal readerships.There are ALSO some bigger blogs that are popular and I really have no idea WHY or HOW that happens. Hell, NO I am not going to link to them. For one, obviously some people love reading their stuff and I don’t want to insult someone’s taste and two, I do not have an internet-drama DEATH WISH.
It will probably never be enough. At least some of the time.
Humans are not meant to be stagnant-very few can stay in one place without continuing to reach or strive to other levels. Blogging is no exception. If you have a 100 readers, at some point you will probably want 200. If you get 20 comments on a post you will aim to get 50. This is not a bad thing. Having goals is good. It makes people grow and succeed.Like most things, just try to keep it in check because you also want to be happy where you are and have fun.
There is downside to popularity.
Your mother was right about that. With more traffic and exposure comes, well…More traffic and exposure. You have more obligations, more people to care about, to worry over, to email, to read, more haters, trolls, and people who can be so fugly and suckass in their comments it would make your eyes bleed and your skin fall off from the scathiness of them.Your words can be mocked and patronized. You can make people so damn angry over the slightest comment or opinion. It can get ugly to the point that you are scared to write ANYTHING and agonize before hitting the publish button for fear of who you will piss off. Luckily, this isn’t constant and most people learn to suck it up and deal and create boundaries pretty damn fast about what they are comfortable writing about.
Still, be careful what you wish for.
Best Of Luck,
Coffee Girl
Posted by Coffee Girl at 12:05 AM
5 comments:
Anonymous said…
Ever since I found your blog at CafeMom, I tell everyone I know about your posts. They make me laugh, think, and sometimes even shed some tears. I’ve got all the ladies in my office logging on to see your blog every morning. I’m inspired to right one myself and get your feedback.
July 9, 2008 12:32 AM
Anonymous said…
One of the reason why I fell for you:) Your writing is genius!
July 9, 2008 1:10 AM
Anonymous said…
I love your work! Just like the reader below, I’ve told all my girlfriends about your blog. Keep it up!
July 9, 2008 10:31 AM
Anonymous said…
In the mornings I get my coffee and look forward to sitting down in front of my computer to read your latest post. You inspire me and make me laugh. Kudos to you!!!!
July 9, 2008 10:36 AM
Anonymous said…
YOU RICHLY DESERVE THE AWARDS ON THE SIDE OF YOUR BLOG. CONGRATULATIONS AND MORE POWER TO YOU. GOD BLESS.
July 9, 2008 2:29 PM
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July 15th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Loralee2 says:
I came to tell you that it says, “The page doesn’t exist anymore.” Thumper says that it’s only open to “invited” readers. So. Now she’s not “blatantly” ripping you off. Now she’s doing it VIP style. Shame on her. Lame, lame, lame. Guess you could look at it like it’s a compliment? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that?
Nah. She should know better.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
MacKenzie says:
She references her “Wanna leave a Secret” post, did she steal your “Kind of like Post Secret…” post too?
Super-Lamo.
MacKenzies last blog post..Movin’ On
July 15th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Heather says:
I too went to check out her blog and it was for invited readers only…..I was disappointed, then you happened to copy and paste it….You GO Girl!! I am guessing that you changed those commenters on the post to annons, as not to attract attention to their blogs. I applaud you for that. It really stinks that someone would steal your stuff….hopefully she gets a clue and realizes that she is doing something wrong.
I wonder….is she going to BlogHer?
July 15th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Connie says:
Wow. That is terrible. It looks like she even left herself 4 glowing comments. What a loser.
How did you find out about this? Someone could be ripping me off (because I am so witty) and I wouldn’t even know.
If you help egging her car, I’ll help you! I’m evil that way….
Connies last blog post..And the Winner Is….
July 15th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Sharon says:
Sorry to hear about the thievery. That’s just really not cool. I also clicked on the link, only to find out that she’s made it private. That’s pretty cowardly of her.
I’m wondering - did she even do a “Wanna Know a Secret” post? Hmmmm…
Sharons last blog post..Wonderful weekend
July 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Loralee2 says:
I just read your comment/her post.
That is just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
4 says:
I sent a copy od my writing and the URL to word Press and Blogger. Then told them “he” had 24 hours to shut down the site before I would contact the creative commons licensing division.
Invitation or not, tell Blogger or Word Press or whatever engine she is using. It’s really bad press for them when one goes to say, I don’t know , Blogher and tells how this woman ripped her off and Blogger/wordpress did nothing about it.
4s last blog post..Happy 47th Big Guy!
July 15th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
ali says:
i’m sorry…i kind of have to laugh at how stupid this person is. did she not think you’d find out??? what a dumbass. stealing sucks.
i feel bad for her readers…
alis last blog post..memory is a gift. cherish it.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Melanie @ BeanPaste says:
Gross. Just…gross.
Melanie @ BeanPastes last blog post..Juicy
July 15th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Loralee2 says:
I agree with 4. You should report it.
It’s YOUR work. Report her, LL.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Mia says:
loralee,
i apologize profusely for that. in my own defense though, i was in nyc when that was published and my friend ella guest blogged because she’s been toying with the idea but nervous about starting her own. she will be sending you an email shortly apologizing herself. she found your stuff on the web apparently because she couldn’t think of anything to write and committed to me to keep my blog posts up. never ever would i purposely do anything to hurt another writer’s feelings. i took it down immediately. again, words cannot say enough. i am sorry to you and your readers.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
kirida says:
Still, this is like stealing flowers from a co-worker’s desk and sending them to yourself.
kiridas last blog post..this weekend in pictures
July 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Backpacking Dad says:
What a fucktard.
Whether it was the aplogetic Mia, or her newbie guest blogger. It’s still a fucktard move. Because even a newbie blogger knows what plagiarism is. They teach you that in high school.
Backpacking Dads last blog post..Lying is just love in disguise
July 15th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Connie says:
That sure didn’t sound like a guest blogger post. Where in there does it say….Hi, Ella here guest blogging for Mia!
I don’t think I believe her….
Connies last blog post..And the Winner Is….
July 15th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Mia says:
also, i no longer have bella as a friend. i have made my blog private in an effort to keep her out. i openly welcome your desire or your readers to ask for an invite if you want though because i have nothing to hide and since taking down that ridiculous blog, i would like to vindicate myself so you can all see that it was an erroneous posting and never intentional on my part. as for the post secret addition, you’re welcome to view it as well, because mine is similar but just more of a “confessions” type thing, not exactly like the one i just read of yours. i think it’s kinda the rage now (a couple of my friends on myspace have them), so please don’t lump me into the same category as ella with that too.
again, words cannot say how horrified i am that this has happened. i’m sorry loralee.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Mia says:
like i said, connie…bella (sorry about typo earlier) is new to blogging. she has never done a guest blogging post and she is 18. she thought by guest blogging meant to write as me. well…that’s neither here nor there and whether or not you believe me i can’t demand, but it is what it is. the fact is, it has been remedied, i have apologized profusely, and it will NEVER happen again. again loralee, thank you for allowing this forum for me to air my side.
mia
July 15th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
sizzle says:
I am usually a trusting person but… her reason for why it happened sounds pretty hollow to me. That didn’t sound like a guest post. hmm, FISHY. I just hope whomever did it learned a lesson. Write your own stuff. Don’t be a thief!
sizzles last blog post..Later, Tater
July 15th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Mr Lady says:
OMG. Wow.
I can’t say I really believe that excuse either. PS: How did you find it?
Mr Ladys last blog post..Young Love
July 15th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Miss says:
Seems like that excuse was VERY random… sorry that this happened.
Misss last blog post..The Evolution of Love
July 15th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
andi says:
Oh, Loralee. I know the stomach-churning feeling that comes with the big P-word nastiness. I never thought it would happen to me and then found a blog that had ripped off a number of my and other bloggers’ posts. The creepy thing was that this woman used my posts word for word, but substituted in her kid’s name instead of my kid’s - like very specific situations had happened to her instead of me! It was disturbing. I and some of the other bloggers left her comments (as she had NO e-mail)and she soon shut down her entire blog. I suspect most of it was stolen content.
Ugh. Borrowing an idea or using an idea to inspire you to write something is one thing. Blatantly copying and pasting someone else’s posts word for word is quite another.
I’m sorry this happened to you.
andis last blog post..Oh right, I have a blog
July 15th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Cricky says:
How do you know that someone has plagiarized your work?
July 15th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Raychelle says:
Wow, I am shocked at the blatant copying. I thought the words would at least be changed around a bit.
Loralee, I hope things work out to where you are rectified.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
lceel says:
I don’t know what I would do if someone copied my stuff and tried to pass it off as their own. Bit I DO know this. I am an ex-Marine. Fire a bullet at me and you’re liable to get a hand grenade up your ass, so to speak. I’m just sayin’.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
threeundertwo says:
I’m really curious how you found it? Do you read that blog regularly? Is there some way to search around for similar content?
Not sure about the apology either.
threeundertwos last blog post..Moms Don’t Know Anything: Piano Edition
July 15th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Melly says:
Note to self: Do Not Cross Loralee!
Mellys last blog post..You can still help me!
July 15th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Miss Britt says:
What the FRICK?
Miss Britts last blog post..On Toilet Paper And Violating My Family’s Privacy Online
July 15th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Sterkworks says:
You had me at trying on your underwear.
Sterkworkss last blog post..
July 15th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Jane @ What About Mom says:
I read your Hey, Jealousy post with a lot of interest. Great ideas for how and why to blog and how to deal with feelings of jealousy.
I sometimes feel that way, and sometimes wonder why on earth I’m doing something where I’m not having “success,” and then I write something, and I enjoy the process of the writing so much, I remember why.
If someone doesn’t enjoy blogging for the part that they can control (the writing, the creating, etc), then they probably shouldn’t blog for the (often elusive) part they can’t really control (the traffic, the comments, the “success”). (hmm, gotta save that for a post of my own someday). Thanks for candid viewpoint you shared.
Anyway. On the plagiarism. I recently discovered that a blogger that I admire greatly had been “stealing” traffic by not following the guidelines of popular carnivals that she participates in.
Not THAT big a deal in itself, but when I asked her about it, she just bald-faced lied. And just like that, my admiration went down the toilet.
I was so tempted to do a big expose piece, but since she wasn’t stealing from me, and since I didn’t want to look like a tattletale, I let it go. (I posted on it in general, but didn’t point fingers in her direction).
It’s so disheartening when people are dishonest in the blogosphere. Somehow it bothers me even more than IRL, probably because blogging is “supposed” to be all about transparency.
Jane @ What About Moms last blog post..For Nana and Grampa in Florida — Thanks for the dorky husband. Also, you’ll be glad to know your grandkids can swim
July 15th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Jill - GlossyVeneer says:
I love the blogging community, really I do. They are so awesome and supportive (like everyone here jumping all over Mia in your defense). But it’s incidents like this that make me all jumbled up inside about the process. I just need to step back and remember the tons of good experiences for every bad one like this.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Jill - GlossyVeneer says:
I love the blogging community, really I do. They are so awesome and supportive (like everyone here jumping all over Mia in your defense). But it’s incidents like this that make me all jumbled up inside about the process. I just need to step back and remember the tons of good experiences for every bad one like this.
(Hopefully this doesn’t post twice… I tried posting a second ago and it generated an error. My connections have been troubled today!)
Jill - GlossyVeneers last blog post..Reconnected
July 15th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Nilsa says:
They always say plagiarism is the best form of flattery. hahaha. Well, she put her blog on invite-only, so clearly you scared her. And the only time I’ve ever been plagiarized was when I had an online dating profile. A GUY STOLE MY PROFILE and passed it off for his own. I had countless times of fun telling him what a big loser he is for not even having enough of a personality to talk about it online. It made me feel immensely better.
Nilsas last blog post..Brauhaus
July 15th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
SparklieSunShine says:
1. How did you find out? I have a feeling if someone stole from me I would never figure it out.
2. HOLY CRAP! That is the word-for-word same friggin post you wrote. That is insane! You can actually do something about that, right? Or is a strongly worded comment and a demand to take it down all? Unbelievable.
Sorry you have to deal with this today Loralee. At least you know you have tons of support here. We love you!
SparklieSunShines last blog post..The Grossest Thing I Have Ever Done (Or Why All Teenagers Are Insane)
July 15th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Sra says:
Should make a catchy new song:
Baby do you think it’d be alright
if I could just steal your blog post tonight?
You see I’m in no shape to write my own post
and anyway I’ve got no creativity of my own.
And if I steal, it might not be that bad.
Your post is the best I’ve ever had.
I could have wrote the whole thing years ago
If you’d only given me the chance.
Hey, plagiarism!
Hey, plagiarism!
Top 40, Loralee, I can see it now.
Sras last blog post..This post is in German(ish)
July 15th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Rick Hendricks says:
Did I get stuck in the middle of something here?
Rick Hendrickss last blog post..SHE
July 15th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Sra says:
And P.S.,
About Mia’s “explanation”: Why would you need to make your blog invite only if a guest blogger stepped out of bounds? Presumably all you’d need to do is change your password so only you can log in again.
That bitch is the biggest goddamned liar I’ve ever seen, and shameless about it too.
I am so embarrassed that she is trying to enter the legal profession, as if we need any more lying lawyers.
Sras last blog post..This post is in German(ish)
July 15th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Amy says:
Wow! That is amazing. Yeah it does not sound like Mia is telling the truth. Maybe there is a way to turn this situtaion around….maybe with this experience she will really learn an important lesson.
Also, I want to know too….how did you find it? How do you know if some one is stealing your work?
July 15th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Velveteen Mind- Megan says:
Holy crap. We copied one of your posts word for word over at Blog Nosh Magazine today. Might as well fess up now.
Ah, the irony.
And lady, do you know how many emails *I* am getting directly about your “Her” post? Powerful stuff. I hope a little extra traffic and comment lovin’ helped to brighten an otherwise lousy blogging day for you.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Doug says:
The only big-person thing for her to do now is to come out and admit it. If she does that, she can at least salvage some respect.
I would safely bet that more of her blog is plagarized too.
LL - do you frequently comment over there? If yes, how does she think she would get away with it?
Dougs last blog post..Hiatus
July 15th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Charli says:
If you have a minute, I do think we would all like to know more about how you found out about this. We readers are nosey people!
Also, there is a mention of people finding her on Cafe Mom or w/e- that’s kind of a big site, and if her blog is connected to that in any way, they may want to know about this.
I just did a little fishing around and was able to find her “journal post” there where she brags about the number of comments her “secret” blog post generated… you may want to contact them.
Judging by her user name on cafemom I know where she lives too. She also is afraid of hippies. She has other really lovely things to say about them as well. Such as how no one wants them around, in her opinion. And vlurps are the farts of the herb world?!
Charlis last blog post..Stout Look-alike Meter
July 15th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
heather hales DESIGNS says:
hee hee the underwear bit was great!
Bad things happen, they do, please don’t hate me for saying this…
I have made mistakes myself (not this one) totally accidentally and then been confronted by nasty emails. They make me want to crawl into a hole and cry. Sure, if I made a mistake I should be corrected, but I think on the internet we are all so quick to assume the worst in every situation- that people have mal intent. When we are anonymously emailing people it is so easy to make personal attacks and cut to the bone.
Mia had the guts to come here and openly apologize and explain what happened. I for one give her the benefit of the doubt, if she says she didn’t know, well then I trust her. If for no other reason than I hope that people will give me the benefit of the doubt the next time I screw up (because it is bound to happen).
Lor, I thought you handled this well. You addressed that you were upset and why but you didn’t personally attack Mia. Something I think we all hope for in return when we screw up.
heather hales DESIGNSs last blog post..Red Letter Day
July 15th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Sarah says:
Not buying it. Her lousy excuse that is.
Sarahs last blog post..Bitchy in 3-D
July 15th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Pants says:
Am I the only person who finds its incredibly ironic (and pathetic) that the plagiarized post was about jealousy?
Still it’s total and complete bullshit. I agree with the others…excuse seems more than hollow.
Pantss last blog post..Show and Tell
July 15th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Cory says:
Since I’m hip and with it I say a big “WHATEV” to Mia…
Reeeeeeeeeeeeeee-diculous.
Corys last blog post..I love…
July 15th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
mommypie says:
Ick. Just reading about it makes me want to jump in the shower.
Ridiculous. Nice calling out, btw.
mommypies last blog post..Toilet seats are germy. Trolls using my name are worse.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Alicia says:
As a writer and editor, I have such a hard time forgiving plagiarism. I understand that some people don’t “get” that even when it’s online, it’s still protected under Intellectual Property law. But at the same time, doesn’t it make sense that if it comes from my brain and I put it down on paper, it’s mine? I deal a lot with permissions and publishing contracts and rights and all that stuff, and there is big money in permissions–a lot more than people think. No one should ever feel bad for protecting their work. I admire your gusto, Loralee, and I think you are setting a fine example for bloggers everywhere.
Alicias last blog post..Unavailable
July 15th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
heather says:
Megan stole my joke.
Mia, while it was brave of you comment here, maybe you should think of a better excuse. Your blog is your responsibility.
heathers last blog post..Wii All Scream
July 15th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
another me says:
She says this happened months ago. How did you find it today? I’m so confused, I only read the jealousy post a few days ago.
What a fiasco.
I’m also confused at how you ask to be invited to someone’s blog. I have read blogs that went to that status and then didn’t know how to ask them if I could pleeeeaase still read.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Elizabeth says:
Sorry your words were taken without due credit. They were good ones. Words, that is
Have fun at BlogHer.
Elizabeths last blog post..Guided
July 15th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Shamelessly Sassy says:
plagiarists suck. There’s nothing more eloquent to be said about them. They just suck.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Secret Agent Mama says:
Word for word, my goodness! Has she no shame?
I know all that jazz about flattery and imitation and whatnot, but this is horrible.
I spit on her. LOL
Secret Agent Mamas last blog post..Project 365 (327/365)
July 15th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Another Me says:
The part that got erased of my comment just showed where Coffee Girl said that this happened MONTHS ago. If you search you too can find it. I was feeling sorry for her until I read that part since the original post written here was only written a few days ago.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Erin says:
Ok, I was cool until I found out she hates hippies! Death to this harpy
I had a friend in highschool give a boyfriend of her’s a poem that I had written. He thought she was so brilliant.
But really, I think her explaination is flimsy at best and her credibility is shot. icky!
Erins last blog post..It’s all happening!
July 15th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Erin says:
Oh, and I don’t believe for a moment that anyone would let some kid who wants to learn about blogging post on their blog without a previous explaination to the reader that someone was guest blogging.
Erins last blog post..It’s all happening!
July 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
SparklieSunShine says:
I don’t want to seem like an asshole, but something about the reasoning screams bullshit to me.
SparklieSunShines last blog post..The Grossest Thing I Have Ever Done (Or Why All Teenagers Are Insane)
July 15th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
HRH says:
It sounds like Mia may need an intervention on several levels. We would accept no substitute Loralee.
HRHs last blog post..Holly and the Aquaskipper…
July 15th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Erin says:
Oh shit. This is too coincidental. I just received my weekly newsletter from one of the locations that sells my products and one of my RECIPES was plagarized!!! Now I know how you feel. If you’re going to use my stuff, just give me credit!
Erins last blog post..It’s all happening!
July 15th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
loralee says:
Ok, I will chime in now.
First, I was alerted by a few different sources, none of whom I will name. They did the right thing.
Yes, it was brave that she at least showed up here and apologized, sort of.
I know that a few dear hearts (Who really ARE sweet and kind and way more lovely than I ever could be) asked to give Mia the benefit of the doubt.
Here is my problem:
Her whole blog smelled a little fishy. I could go into many, MANY examples and red flags (which most of you that have been blogging awhile would spot right away), but I have no proof but my GUT instinct and blogging experience behind me.
So, I won’t go into specifics.
There was no, zero, nada info on any post or comment that I saw regarding a guest poster. There was no public thank you for that guest post, NOTHING. Now, when YOU guest post, don’t you blab on and on and ON about how excited you are to be there?
That aside, I saw this online explanation from her:
“if you’ve tried to log on to my http://www.mianeedscoffee.blogspot.com post and can’t, here’s why… As most of you know, sometimes I go out of town and have guest bloggers on my post. Well, on one such occassion, I had my ex friend Bella do a guest post and thought nothing of it. This was MONTHS ago. Fast forward to TODAY, when I get a piece of hate mail from a fellow blogger on the Blogosphere telling me I’d plagarized her work. I was mortified. I asked her which post and she sent me the link. I realized that it was one of Bella’s posts on my trip to NYC. Unfreakingbelievable!!!! So I write this lady back and post PUBLICLY that I humbly apologize for her work being taken and that I invite all of them (her readers are a loyal following and were practically shooting me daggers through the world wide web) to my blog by invitation because I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to hide from them and am willing to turn my entire blog over because I KNOW WHAT I’VE WRITTEN is MINE. Of course, I abruptly removed the offensive post in question and followed up with YET ANOTHER PUBLIC comment on the victim’s blog stating that Bella has agreed to write her/call her (whatever it took) and apologize for her behavior. I know, I should’ve known better than to let an eighteen year old guest blog. However, in the past, I’ve had friends guest blog and since Bella was/is an aspiring writer, I had no problem with it. Apparently, she didn’t realize that guest blogging meant writing FOR someone not AS SOMEONE.
Anyway, do you think I did the right thing? Was I correct in lambasting poor Bella as well? She ended her phone call with me in tears saying she just didn’t want to disappoint me and couldn’t shake her writer’s block. Ugh.
PS If you want to still read that blog, send me your email address or request me as a friend with your email address, and I’ll add you. Sorry I had to make it open to invitation only. It’s a sad, sad, day when I can’t even write in peace.
This makes me very sad.”
***
HERE ARE MY ISSUES:
First:
NO GUEST POSTER ON THE PLANET PRETENDS THAT THEY ARE THE BLOG OWNER. EVER. NEVER. EVER. If she has said, “Hi! I’m bella and this is my post on blogging jealousy. I got this comment addressed to Bella Girl on my blog and want to talk about it over here at Coffee Girl’s place!”
I may give Mia a break. MIA’S name and handle (Coffee Girl) were all over that post. HERS.
So, let’s say that she asked “Bella” to guest post. So…she is ok taking the credit for Bella’s work with no credit, then?
OTHER ISSUES:
She says her blog poster is a newbie, 18 and didn’t know what to write?
Does this post seem like it could possibly come from an 18 year old? Her friend Bella must have a really big blog to write a post like that. Either that or huge donkey balls to blog about the ton of readers she has and the jealousy she encounters when she has a handful of readers.
That didn’t raise any flags?
She also said that this was MONTHS ago.
Um, she posted it on the 9th of July. I wrote this post just before that.
To give Mia another benifit, let’s assume that Bella guest posted in the past and had Mia’s log in information and last week she suddenly went crazy with jealousy or whatever and hacked Mia’s site and threw this up there without Mia’s permission. Mia posted several posts after this one…Did she not, um, notice that her site had been hacked with a post suddenly showing up?
And?
Other people keep telling me that they see Mia directly referring online to her “Secrets” post that got a ton of comments and bragging about it.
Like the Post secret-esque post I wrote that had over 120 comments so far, maybe? So, what, is Bella now posting on Cafe Mom as Mia on other people’s sites?
I have a feeling THAT post may have been hijacked as well.
I have thought about this Six Ways from Sunday and tried to see how what she is saying has ANY credibility and I just cannot get it to work in any manner that any reasonable person would believe. In other words: I still smell something rotten in the state of Denmark.
I realize that this is a quite a smackdown. But I worked damn HARD to get this blog where it is. To write like I do. And it that effort and work were taken with no thought.
I DID feel somewhat bad for her until I saw the excuses she came up with here and other places and took a hard look at just how improbable it is. I am a forgiving soul if you just say “YES, I SUCK AND I’M SORRY.
(And I have had to do it many, many, MANY times myself.)
So, at the end of the long, long, day: Yes, it took guts to pipe up, but I really don’t buy it. I WISH I could. It would make me feel better, believe that or not.
I would feel like the most gullible person alive to swallow it, though. She says her posts are open for scrutiny-doubtful or she wouldn’t have shut down her blog.
I have turned over the information to Cafe Mom and if the reports I keep getting are accurate, well…She agreed to guidelines about her blog and her responsibilities that come with it.
This whole thing makes ME sad.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
loralee says:
OH, and btw?
I told Mia that the post she had up were MY words NOT HERS and to TAKE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY.
Just like that. Period, the end. Once sentence. NO swearing.
AND SHE ACCUSES *ME* OF SENDING *HER* HATE MAIL?
Yah.
NOT.
(I think my “Caps” button may have broken today. Hee)
July 15th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
rima says:
Wow. Just . . . wow. I am so angry on your behalf right now.
rimas last blog post..I’m Not Complaining
July 15th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
loralee says:
HA!
I just say Charli’s comments and am peeing myself…
Hates hippies….HA!
My hell, I needed that laugh.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Auds at Barking Mad says:
Wow, it took something like this to drag me out of lurkdom over here.
I am a lifelong writer who is the daughter of an attorney who deals with this kinda bullshit all the damned time.
Not only is it wrong on every single level, to steal what isn’t yours and try and pass it off as if it were, it’s intellectual and physical robbery! And guess what Ms. Mia, it’s prosecuted as such.
My guess is, if Loralee wanted to bust a legal cap in your ass, you’d never so much as touch another keyboard. And then accusing her of sending hate mail (I have some recent experience with that, amusing as it was)is getting precariously close to slandering her.
I’ve sat in my publishers office and watched a grown man walk out in tears. He was dumped by my group because he’d plagarized more than half of his second novel. His first received critical acclaim and he will never write again…unless it’s an apology to the person he plagarized.
People from others lack integrity and any true originality or uniqueness. It speaks volume about the kind of person you AREN’T!
Loralee, I’m sorry this happened to you. Your essay on jealousy in the blogosphere was so well written and resonated with many I’m sure. I have no pony in this race, yet we should all be livid…To original work, hard work, STOLEN, verbatim no less, makes me want to vomit.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Auds at Barking Mad says:
* I meant people WHO STEAL from others…
Auds at Barking Mads last blog post..I Am NOT a Nice Person
July 15th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
loralee says:
@Auds at Barking Mad (And everyone else)
I loved this comment so much that I want to totally make out with it, marry it and have lots of beautiful babies with it!
(If you have been reading me long at all you will know that translates into THANK YOU. I loved this. It really helps to hear from first hand experience in the matter.)
Don’t get me wrong, you peeps have all been amazing, and if there was any post out there (Besides those about Matthew) that I want to answer every single comment, it is THIS ONE, but i am also trying to pack to leave to morrow and I am frazzled.
Pink puffy hearts of love to you.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Loralee2 says:
I agree with all of your points regarding Mia. I cruise the blogoshere and have NEVER seen an anonymous guest blogger. EVER. And you’re right. You don’t just turn over your hard earned ANYTHING to a novice,
“Here, Bob. It’s the family business that we built with our blood, sweat and tears. We’ve had it up and running for 50 years. I know that you’re twelve and you have no business experience. Good luck. See you when we get back from New York.”
You handled this whole situation like the lovely, diplomatic lady that you are.
Good on ya, LL! I’m sorry that this happened to you. I’ve only been reading you for two years and I can see the amazing evolution of this blog, your writing. You deserve to be damned angry.
I’m glad that she has shut down her blog and I’m glad that you reported it.
Now go to San Francisco and surround yourself with all of the bloggers who adore you. Bask in the glow of their adoration. You deserve it. xo
July 15th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Angella says:
I am SO SORRY that I have not been here for you today. I have been at the beach
This is ALL SORTS OF CRAZY.
Seriously.
Angellas last blog post..My Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
July 15th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Memarie Lane says:
Sadly I’ve seen this happen to many bloggers. I understand it’s down now and that the blog has been made private, but I recommend checking back in a couple weeks and make sure it hasn’t been redone. Wouldn’t surprise me.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Memarie Lane says:
Also -now that I’ve read through ALL the comments- would a sane person toss over a friend for making a purportedly innocent mistake?
Memarie Lanes last blog post..StumbleUpon 101
July 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Dawn says:
I get to see you soon! Is that off topic? Sorry, it’s all I can think about!
Dawns last blog post..Advice for Flying
July 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Jennifer says:
Oh man, that blows. And stinks all at the same time.
I do love the “Hey Plagerism” Parody.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
loralee says:
Because I don’t have time to email those who asked (So sorry! Packing)
She posted this fragment on Cafe Mom and the post has been deleted. Actually a whole LOT of her posts on Cafe Mom have been removed. HIGHLY suspicious. I wonder how many other people she has ripped off…Again no proof, but it makes me really wonder:
Wanna Know A Secret???
* Jul. 6, 2008 at 3:51 PM by miainvegas
OMG, my post “Wanna Know A Secret” on my blog http://www.mianeedscoffee.blogspot.com got some heck of a reaction!!!!! I cannot believe the responses! I guess when people are able to post ano..”
Totally suspect that she posts this AFTER MY post secret-esque post and then mentions it (Like I did) in my jealousy post.
See why I think it smells like a dead fish???
July 15th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Melain says:
First of all, the comments left on her post are hilarious. Who leaves comments like that?! For SURE she wrote that herself. And if she didn’t, then for SURE she is plagiarizing EVERY SINGLE POST. Because, based solely on the apologetic comments she left here, SHE IS A TERRIBLE WRITER! Poor grammar & punctuation, run-on sentences galore, no capitalization…
“i openly welcome your desire…”
What the hell does that even mean?! I can’t even imagine reading an entire post written that poorly. No wonder she has to plagiarize.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
T.Thomas says:
I came here via stumbleupon, so I am a first time reader.
Even though I have never met you I am adding you to my reader and making a mental note to never tick you or your wonderful readers off!
This was probably the best “Smackdown” I have ever read. You drive the point home in an almost wickedly deadly fashion without coming off as drama-infested or overly harsh.
Personally I think you were gracious considering the circumstances. I almost choked on my coffee when I read that she accused you of sending her hate mail falsely. That is quite the lemon juice in the papercut of insulting.
I truly hope that Cafe Mom boots her out the door. An organization of good standing can’t have its members behaving like that. Even if she removed all the stolen works or even if it was that probably fictitious friend.
Thank you for standing up for the millions of writers that publish their work on the internet. Some may think this is too harsh or have pity, but people who steal intellectual property hurt so many and if the Loralee’s of the world to not aggressively pursue the Mia’s of the world we are all the worse for it.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
T.Thomas says:
That post has so many errors in it. Forgive me. I hope you got the gist of what I was trying to say.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
slssasmom says:
Dirty! Dirty! Dirty! And the excuses just don’t add up. This surely sucks huge donkey balls and I’m so sorry to hear about it happening to you.
slssasmoms last blog post..Kidsitter
July 15th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Sra says:
I don’t think it took guts to come here and “apologize”. It wasn’t an apology — it was an exercise in scapegoating.
She comes across as a pathological liar, and I don’t believe a word of her malcomposed sentences. She’s just trying to deny responsibility for what she clearly did wrong.
Anger ball!
Sras last blog post..This post is in German(ish)
July 15th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
loralee says:
I KNEW SHE RIPPED OTHER PEOPLE OFF:
Charli (She who discovered Mia’s fear of hippies and who is hilarious) sent me this search from Cafe Mom entries:
Yet Another Reason Why Reality TV Requires No Neurons
* Jul. 10, 2008 at 3:26 AM by miainvegas
Catching Falling Leaves
* Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:42 AM by miainvegas
Once, a long time ago, someone told me it was good luck to catch a leaf as it fell but before it touched the ground. A few years later, I remembered this on an autumn walk with my Dad through …
* Jul. 8, 2008 at 3:41 AM by miainvegas
My Hooker Past
* Jul. 9, 2008 at 3:22 AM by miainvegas
When I drink or go out for girl’s night out, like most people who’ve thrown back one too many, I tend to sympathize with everyone who becomes an instant best friend in the ladies room. Jen …
Duck!!
* Jul. 9, 2008 at 3:23 AM by miainvegas
Meet the Pasta Duck
******
I started out googling some of the text in the post “Catch a falling leaf” and
VIOLA:
I found THIS on American Sweatpants (Written by Thomas. NOT Mia):
READ HERE
Here is a cut and paste if you don’t want to click.
“Once, a long time ago, someone told me it was good luck to catch a leaf as it fell but before it touched the ground. A few years later, I remembered this on an autumn walk with my brother through our neighborhood….”
SEE WHAT I MEAN????
Her ass is grass as far as I am concerned. I really wonder if ANY of her content is real and her own.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Erin says:
If I ever need to hunt someone down for the dog that they are, I would want you and Charli on my side for sure. Quite the thorough detectives. I would have no idea where to start with something like this.
I thought in my gut that she was a liar. Looks like you were absolutely correct on that call. I’m not shocked that she has ripped off other people besides you.
You have probably just hit the tip of the iceburg in her deception.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Holly says:
I can top you! Many moons ago I wrote a bio of a musician for a little site I had. Someone took the bio, translated it into Swedish, and posted it on their site (also in Swedish). Despite the translation it was obvious it was my work, even preserving paragraph breaks and cited quotations in English. Go figure! I still have a printout of my translated piece.
Have a great trip! May all your bloggity expectations be met!
Hollys last blog post..Spring in the Rockies
July 15th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Kelli says:
goes to show what kind of lawyer she’s going to make.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Mom2four says:
BOO! HISS!
Disgusting. Totally disgusting.
Mow her down, Loralee!
July 15th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
loralee says:
Ok, last one of my internet detective finds (Or Charli’s I should say)
Here is another example: She stole this post in MARCH from http://chelseatalkssmack
“Her” post: Found here at Cafe Mom (She’s been deleting every post I call her out on. That’s ok. I have copies and screen shots.)
“I’d been wanting arms wrapped around me, skin and goosebumps and I’d been giving, a tap on the back, and a half-smile? I’d been wanting all the good stuff; deep kisses, little moments, organic communication, unadulterated expression, morning sighs and shared french toast. Instead, I’d built a steel cage around all of the parts of mine which are delicate, which are rare and visceral.”
And now the words of THE REAL AUTHOR, Chelsea…
“I’d been wanting arms wrapped around me, skin and goosebumps and I’d been giving, a tap on the back, and a half-smile? I’d been wanting all the good stuff; deep kisses, little moments, organic communication, unadulterated expression, morning sighs and shared french toast. Instead, I’d built a steel cage around all of the parts of mine which are delicate, which are rare and visceral.”
I think she cut out a few paragraphs and changed the title of the post from “Awakening” to “Withholding”
There are so many entries that I am totally certain have been stolen from authors. I wish I had time to google the hell out of them ALL right now. I have never wanted to take legal action more in my life. The HOURS AND HOURS of work she has RIPPED OFF is staggering and sickening to me.
Her archives are here:
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/archive.php?user_id=18488
I hope people stumble the crap out of this post to get the word out. I want these stolen words to find their true homes.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Backpacking Dad says:
And just think, all of that work cutting and pasting and ruining her own blogging reputation could have been spent creating content.
Fucktard.
Backpacking Dads last blog post..Lying is just love in disguise
July 16th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Backpacking Dad says:
And just think, all of that time spent combing the internet for good content, cutting and pasting it, and destroying her blogging reputation, could have been spent creating content.
That is fucktarded, which makes her a fucktard.
Backpacking Dads last blog post..Lying is just love in disguise
July 16th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Backpacking Dad says:
I don’t like being told I’ve left a duplicate comment, look at the site and not see the comment I left, rewrite it (actually duplicate it), and then discover that my first one posted.
That is also fucktarded :} And that’s how I end up leaving 3 posts in a row.
Backpacking Dads last blog post..Lying is just love in disguise
July 16th, 2008 at 1:07 am
loralee says:
But the three of them look so lovely lined up like that that I feel I need to leave them there.
Besides, it helps wash some of the pounds of ICK I feel after all that. Boo!
And who ELSE is up this time of the night besides us, anyway?
I am so naughty. I have totally neglected my BlogHer packing to pursue justice. (Totally worth it though.)
July 16th, 2008 at 1:13 am
Stealing is Not Nice « The Texas Mama says:
[…] that she has stolen from at least two other fellow bloggers. You can read all the back story here, in Loralee’s entry and comment […]
July 16th, 2008 at 1:13 am
moosh in indy. says:
I’ve been called a sad human being before. I pale in comparison to her.
moosh in indy.s last blog post..Black Rover, Black Rover, SUCK IT.
July 16th, 2008 at 6:10 am
kirida says:
You’re good for calling bull on her apology. Do you think you’ll add a more obvious disclaimer or will you continue as is? I’ve seen some people put a legal disclaimer at the bottom of their feeds, but if lame people are going to steal, they’re going to steal, right?
kiridas last blog post..blogger without a cause
July 16th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Kate says:
I think Mia, as the blog owner, EVEN IF she had a guest posting.. should have gone back and reviewed the guest posting - and when she saw her name all over a posting that was from a guest - she should’ve questioned it.
So whether Bella did this or not - Mia is not free of responsibility.
My two cents - but hey, for you, it’s free. :op
Kate
Kates last blog post..The Perfect Blendship…
July 16th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Angela says:
Loralee, Thanks for the heads up on my last post about CoffeeGirl. I had no idea. I just read through all these comments and I feel sick. I thought she was writing all that stuff herself. I feel duped and dumb. I blog for the pure enjoyment of blogging when I have a spare moment. This experience has left me feeling kind of nauseous.
Angelas last blog post..Those Darn Dark Forces
July 16th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Angela says:
Whoops, I should have thanked Britta for the heads up.
Angelas last blog post..Those Darn Dark Forces
July 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
SparklieSunShine says:
Let me tell you this comment tread made for a fascinating morning read. I am in complete SHOCK that it wasn’t even only this one post and that you weren’t the only one. This is really amazing to me. I hope she goes down, for reals now.
Plus wouldn’t Bella be too busy writing about Edward?
Can’t she even think of an original name for her fake person? This makes me sick.
SparklieSunShines last blog post..Rabbit Wednesday!
July 16th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Grad School Knitter says:
I might be a little late to the game, and I skimmed the last few comments, but in case anyone is still wondering how to find out quick if you’ve been plagiarized, try copyscape. You type in your url and it scans the internet for copies of all your work.
Grad School Knitters last blog post..Proof that you were born with what you need…
July 16th, 2008 at 8:34 am
loralee says:
Just have a sec:
First: I love all of you who expressed concern for her. I had it at some point but the level of ick this has reached has blackened my cold, cold, heart.
Yes, I know this girl is most likely mentally ill and while I am sorry that anyone deals with that it does.not.make.this.ok. Not at all. If I were to back off or just let it go? She would continue. With this level of subterfuge/disturbance she may anyway, but not if I can help it. I totally doubt someone with this level of yuck will cease her ways forever, but hopefully this experience will make her go a long, long, time without trying to pull this crap on other people.
I found another one just now from Expat Princess
Her ripoff.
It goes on and ON. It needs to stop. At the very least? Maybe seeing this and the fallout from it will stop someone before they copy, paste and hit publish. I have gathered as much information as I can. I don’t want people to think I have gone over the edge hunting her down, but dude. If someone ripped me off?Or one of my beloved readers off? I would want a big, fat light shone on it. (Maybe that is just me.)
@Erin I KNEW there was a reason you are at “Prestigious University On East Coast!”
HEART THIS.. Dude, I put in one page of her Cafe Mom archives and got NINE hits.
I wish I had time to see what else she has taken and notify the rightful owners.
Here are her archives if anyone wants to play master detective/harbinger of justice while I’m gone.
That copyscape thing is AWESOME.
I really think most of these will come up stolen to some degree
Ok, I WILL be posting and checking in but I have to hop in the shower and leave on my first leg of the trip!
July 16th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Holly says:
Her blogs invite only now. Sorry if this has been repeated with 96 comments I wasn’t going to read them all. She sucks major duck, Loralee.
Hollys last blog post..Why
July 16th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Elda says:
WOW. I am a loyal reader but a big lurker. (Mostly the kids never give me a minute to write, anyway…) I cannot believe the extent to which this person has been stealing other people’s work. That is just WRONG. If I didn’t have so many kids and chores I’d totally help you play master detective, instead I’ll offer many cyber hugs and encouragement to rip her a new one.
WOW. JUST WOW. Un-be-freaking-lievable.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Grad School Knitter says:
I can’t really take credit for the copyscape thing. I came across it via ravelry (think facebook for knitters). It’s vital for those of us who put up our own patterns (free or otherwise) or versions of knit items and people try to pass them off as their own. It’s sad, but it’s definitely out there. Plagiarism sucks, and being someone on the path to becoming a university prof, I’ve already come across it in my role as TA. It’s so disheartening to know that people think this is ok, and to have to fail students you actually kind of liked / respected because of this. It can ruin lives and yet it is so rampant on the ‘net. Hopefully she will learn her lesson through this experience and not when she gets kicked out of law school for a similar offense. (If that is what she is really doing… I have a feeling that the kind of people who would do these sorts of things would make up all kinds of crap that isn’t true to make it seem like they have a “real” life.
Grad School Knitters last blog post..Proof that you were born with what you need…
July 16th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Charli says:
And now I am a known loser who apparently has nothing better to do than stay up past 2 in the morning playing Vindictive Amateur Sleuth… and all of this right at BlogHer time- this should make for some interesting conversations there!
Charlis last blog post..I Don’t Want to NOT Be a Stay-at-home Mom
July 16th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Rick Hendricks says:
I hope you can all work this out in an amicable fashion.
Rick Hendrickss last blog post..Shake It Baby Shake It
July 16th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Christine @ Serenity How? says:
Wow, this is really sad. I was feeling a little bit sorry for the other blogger until I read the comments here further. She’s turned out to be the Milli Vanilli of the blogosphere. Sad.
I’m so sorry you had to go through all this. Props to you for getting the word out to all those other writers who probably didn’t even know they were ripped off.
Christine @ Serenity How?s last blog post..Breakin’ Up is Very Hard to Do
July 16th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
metalia says:
I’m so annoyed on your behalf; what a douche.
Try not to let it bother you this weekend, and have a fantastic time!!
xo
metalias last blog post..Sticky Fingers
July 16th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Charli says:
Loralee asked me to add that I found atleast TWO more stolen blogs:
Mia’s post on her CafeMom journal entitled “Are You Up For a Little Philanthropy” was taken almost word for word from Get In The Car- which is http://lottakids.blogspot.com
Mia’s post ” I Challenge YOU!!!” also found on her CafeMom journal, while not the most original, was also found word for word in a forum of a rather erm, ADULT site. That has something to do with BBW- that’s big beautiful women, if ya didn’t know.
I feel so bad for all the women who have commented on and read her blogs. There are many comments expressing their thanks for her “inspiring” posts…
Charlis last blog post..I Don’t Want to NOT Be a Stay-at-home Mom
July 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Careening Rabbit says:
I am a lurker on the site of chealseatalkssmack and saw the link regarding this. I am outraged and sickened.
You should absolutely pursue this to the last, Loralee no matter how may people say you are causing drama or to let it go. I have been burned on a much smaller scale and wish I had this post to read when I was going through it.
I ended up deleting my whole blog and stopped writing because of people like Mia.I am glad someone out there is doing something to stop this.
This is for commenter Rick:
Uh, I really think that it has gone beyond the point of resolving things amicably, Rick. I checked out your site and saw Mia’s response and Loralee’s and yours.
I think that the fact that she accuses Loralee of sending hate mail and then says that Loralee misundertood her, speaks it all.
I think Loralee should have told your readers the multiple things that she has found regarding mia’s dishonesty and I think that while it is your blog, she is a much bigger person than I could be by not further exposing her on your blog.
My favorite is Mia’s outrage and insistance that every word written on her blog is HERS!
I think that has been proved to be very wrong.
I don’t know you or really anyone in this situation but you would be idiotic to go withing 20 miles of this mia person.
People like that pollute everyone and thing around them.
July 16th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
jen says:
I would not have gone there had you not pasted it, because I find that only fuels their fire. She’s a bitch.
I remember this one time, I wrote about something extremely inconsequential, and this other blogger blogged about it her very next post. And she has A LOT of readers. And, at first, I was extremely PISSED because I thought BOGUE, okay? You should have linked people to me with that post as she has A LOT of readers, and I have…oh, three. Then I just thought, eff it. Plagerism is a form of flattery, right? Or maybe just laziness.
xojen
jens last blog post..Jen Conquers The Universe! (or what she can of it, anyway.)
July 16th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Sara says:
I hope that you or someone has alerted CafeMom to this problem. This also makes me quite sick for all the writers who have had work stolen. Sigh.
Saras last blog post..Three Years
July 16th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Angie says:
I’m not sure what the big deal is. Of course copying someone else’s work and passing it off as your own is reprehensible. But you are writing for the world on the Internet. On a BLOG. Did you really thing that this wouldn’t happen? You’re post was smart and well-written, and that’s why it was copied.
July 16th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Flatbacker says:
Loralee-
I just stumbled on this saga, went to her archives, and in five minutes found this:
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/836000/How_Do_You_Measure_A_Life
Original Poster: