Crowdsource.com craziness

[Marakk]

Originally Posted by ~Rio

It's not my intention to call you unethical. As I said, it's obvious you weren't aware there was a problem.

But if, as you say, there's absolutely no way to avoid plagiarism when writing for CrowdSource (seems unlikely), then I'd run screaming for the hills before someone sues me for doing my unethical job.

Hmm, I will wait for someone who has written answers for CS to answer, just in case there is a way. It does seem unlikely though, especially with Princeton's standards. Even if I combine multiple sources, which I have in most of my tasks, I am still spinning a few sentences from each.

Thanks for your response!

[blinky]

[QUOTE=Marakk;3224746]You did not. Rio just did in his/her latest comment. You work on your comprehension skills.[/QUOTE

You aren't interested in anything but your own defensiveness and aggression. I told you how content writing works, but you'd rather be defensive than accept advice.

Again, I think you should just move on. You are new to this forum and you are arguing with people who have been here for years and know the writing market much better than you do. Good luck with that!

Blinky

[AG1976]

Originally Posted by blinky

If I masterfully stole the content, it would have been legal and ethical?

The answer is NO. The content you wrote is exactly the same and does qualify as plagiarism. What you are failing to understand is that what you should be doing is reading other sources so you can learn enough about a topic to write your own ORIGINAL content. Your content was not original. I am a professional editor and I would have flagged your article, too.

Writing isn't about altering someone else's content sufficiently so you can fool others into thinking you didn't steal it. Writing is a craft. It's an art. It's a talent. It's a way to communicate your thoughts, ideas, and knowledge in a way that teaches and enriches others. It's not a regurgitation of what other people have already written.

Maybe you should take a step back and learn about the writing process. I know you're going to say that what you've done so far has been acceptable, but that's only because your client didn't know any better. That's why clients need professional writers and editors who do.

Blinky :-)

Yes. Don't rely on one source and rearrange the words. Use two or three or four sources and put your own spin on what you've learned.

[ebookwriter1]

Originally Posted by Marakk

Hmm, I will wait for someone who has written answers for CS to answer, just in case there is a way. It does seem unlikely though, especially with Princeton's standards. Even if I combine multiple sources, which I have in most of my tasks, I am still spinning a few sentences from each.

Thanks for your response!

I've written hundreds of these for CS as well as another site that handles answers for this project. First of all, unless this was an "expert" answer -- which pays more and requires a separate Q&A credential -- you don't need a citation in every sentence.

Second of all, it's clearly plagiarized. You didn't even make the effort of finding two or three sources, reading the information, and then going back and creating something fresh. This has nothing to do with CS's requirements. If I -- and dozens of other people -- can write hundreds of these with no problems, no one is "forcing" you to plagiarize.

[Marakk]

Originally Posted by ebookwriter1

I've written hundreds of these for CS as well as another site that handles answers for this project. First of all, unless this was an "expert" answer -- which pays more and requires a separate Q&A credential -- you don't need a citation in every sentence.

Second of all, it's clearly plagiarized. You didn't even make the effort of finding two or three sources, reading the information, and then going back and creating something fresh. This has nothing to do with CS's requirements. If I -- and dozens of other people -- can write hundreds of these with no problems, no one is "forcing" you to plagiarize.

First, it was not an expert level question, but I have been asked in feedback to provide sources for claims even in the normal ones.

Second, why are you explaining why it's plagiarized? Didn't I already concede that? Is it fun breaking an already broken arm? Also, I did use two sources to answer the whole question. This was just the main answer. However, I had to use one source for the main because there is no other source that provide details. All of them say that not much is known.

Anyways, you have have not answered the question fr which I am still here. Of course people have been answering these questions. I have been too! Like I said, I got excellent and good work from editors many times! However, did you read the link Rio gave? If that is the standard of judging plagiarism, I don't think you can answer these question without plagiarizing. Of course, that doesn't mean that the client is expecting that standard.

Why don't you give me sample answer? Only 25-70 words. As some people here like boasting about the time they have been spent here, but still can't comprehend properly, going forward with examples is better than trying to explain the question for the fifth time.

[Marakk]

Originally Posted by AG1976

Yes. Don't rely on one source and rearrange the words. Use two or three or four sources and put your own spin on what you've learned.

Please clarify what you mean by your own spin?

Like I said, I have been awarded a fail for including things that are obvious because of easy deduction, but are not verified by the sources. This has has happened in all normal tasks too.

Also, I had just one source that gave the details about their mating habits. Can you use information from only one source in a way that it won't cpunt as plagiarism?

[AG1976]

Originally Posted by Marakk

Please clarify what you mean by your own spin?

Like I said, I have been awarded a fail for including things that are obvious because of easy deduction, but are not verified by the sources. This has has happened in all normal tasks too.

Also, I had just one source that gave the details about their mating habits. Can you use information from only one source in a way that it won't cpunt as plagiarism?

Your own insight...I was not implying anything about spinning software!

[michaelj]

I think the whole issue of plagiarizing is confusing and it's a major reason I haven't jumped into content writing. Well maybe not the whole issue of plagiarizing. Marakk's original example was pretty clearly plagiarized and she admits it. But I also think a lot of people are plagiarizing and have convinced themselves that they aren't.

If you're writing an article on 10 unusual ways to use a mason jar, unless you come up with all 10 ideas yourself, you got them from somewhere. You might have used your own words to describe them but the ideas aren't yours. Neither is the idea of using mason jars for something other than their intended use.

If you're writing an article on best accounting packages for small business, unless you have first hand knowledge of every software package you mention, you found the information somewhere. Most likely you found some articles that explained what features of accounting software are important for small businesses and what the benefits are that make them important. When you write your article you might go a step beyond moving sentences around and using synonyms, but the features, benefits and the information on the accounting packages themselves you found elsewhere. You are essentially repackaging someone else's opinion on what features are important, what benefits they provide and how they all fit into the best accounting packages for small business.

Now I suppose in my last example you could do some research and compile a list of features and benefits that small business owners would like to see in their accounting packages. Then you could research all the accounting packages on the market to see which ones contain those features and benefits. And then finally you could compile your own list of the best accounting packages and it would be your own original work. Now do this 8 to 10 times a day for $5 a pop. Yeah, no. I'm guessing you're going to find an article on pcmagazine about the best accounting packages for small business and use that. And all the shuffling and rewording in the world isn't going to change the fact that you're plagiarizing.

If I'm way off base, please let me know. Like I said at the beginning, plagiarism is one of the major stumbling blocks I have regarding content writing. Maybe I'm seeing plagiarism when it's not there.

[Marakk]

Originally Posted by michaelj

I think the whole issue of plagiarizing is confusing and it's a major reason I haven't jumped into content writing. Well maybe not the whole issue of plagiarizing. Marakk's original example was pretty clearly plagiarized and she admits it. But I also think a lot of people are plagiarizing and have convinced themselves that they aren't.

If you're writing an article on 10 unusual ways to use a mason jar, unless you come up with all 10 ideas yourself, you got them from somewhere. You might have used your own words to describe them but the ideas aren't yours. Neither is the idea of using mason jars for something other than their intended use.

If you're writing an article on best accounting packages for small business, unless you have first hand knowledge of every software package you mention, you found the information somewhere. Most likely you found some articles that explained what features of accounting software are important for small businesses and what the benefits are that make them important. When you write your article you might go a step beyond moving sentences around and using synonyms, but the features, benefits and the information on the accounting packages themselves you found elsewhere. You are essentially repackaging someone else's opinion on what features are important, what benefits they provide and how they all fit into the best accounting packages for small business.

Now I suppose in my last example you could do some research and compile a list of features and benefits that small business owners would like to see in their accounting packages. Then you could research all the accounting packages on the market to see which ones contain those features and benefits. And then finally you could compile your own list of the best accounting packages and it would be your own original work. Now do this 8 to 10 times a day for $5 a pop. Yeah, no. I'm guessing you're going to find an article on pcmagazine about the best accounting packages for small business and use that. And all the shuffling and rewording in the world isn't going to change the fact that you're plagiarizing.

If I'm way off base, please let me know. Like I said at the beginning, plagiarism is one of the major stumbling blocks I have regarding content writing. Maybe I'm seeing plagiarism when it's not there.

That is precisely what I mean! Thank you!

[Kiernansmom]

I don't know about all writers, but I never use just one source when I'm writing. If I have to write an article about the top ten accounting packages, I would never just go to one article that lists the top ten packages and copy that. To me, that's pretty obviously plagiarizing. There would be no value in simply rewording the same article. Instead, I might read 4 or 5 such articles and grab ideas from each one, and then maybe even add my own based on my experience or based on great reviews online. That way, it's a new article with different information. Yeah, you get your info from other articles online, but not just one, and you don't use most of the exact same words like the OP did. If you don't see the difference between the two methods, then yeah, content writing might be tough for you.