Here To Inspire Abundant Awareness About a Possible Epidemic
Displaying
integrity online is a virtue that many online users fail to use. In
fact, you may be one of them or know of someone. In most cases,
especially in the last 5-10 years with scams and illegitimate businesses
and business practices (Wall Street, for example), integrity online
appears to be an Oxymoron! Whether it's writing articles or providing
other content, such as forum comments, press releases, and videos, at
first glance, lacking integrity online is a reoccurring and possible
epidemic issue.
I believe this recurrence is because of the following two factors:
1.
people are honestly "unaware" of the ethical etiquette of providing
original content and fail to recognize the severity of taking someone
else's content and calling it their own
2. people are blatantly
"stealing" content from others so they don't have to spend the
intellectual and physical energy creating their own valuable content
This severe act damaging process is known as
Plagiarism.
It's
not uncommon these days for a high school or college student, to pay,
sometimes top dollar, for content such as Essays, Reports, and Research
Papers that are not of their own making, totally ignoring integrity
online. In most educational systems, like a University, a student,
teacher, professor can be expelled or fired for plagiarism and this can
definitely affect one's future resume when seeking other employment.
So,
why does plagiarism appear to be the "norm" and seems to be rampant on
the Internet, while using integrity online is overlooked?
This
particular issue was brought to my attention recently, which inspired me
to address the issue of online integrity in this article. Therefore, in
the scope of having integrity online and in the space of Self-Mastery,
this article exist to Inspire People's Abundant Awareness to the
seriousness of Plagiarism and I pray that this article will educate,
inspire, transform, and literally "wake people up" to the severity of
violating another person's unique, intellectual creativity.
Obviously,
because of this type of violation, national and international laws have
been established for some time. I believe that using integrity online
and creating content requires a resolution to do what is right. As Stan
Toler stated it in his book,
Minute Motivators for Leaders-Quick Inspiration for the Time of Your Life,
'If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right,' the ancient
leadership adage demands. But leaders of character for more concerned
with doing the right thing than they are in doing things right.
Because
I believe in you, your value as a human being, and your ability to
create genuine, valuable content and possess integrity online, I implore
you to discover the following 3 ways plagiarism can quickly ruin your
reputation as someone to be trusted and turn you into someone
ugly...someone people disrespectfully mention in the online chat rooms
and the Social Media outlets. And with this type of technology available
to all, your dishonest reputation will travel fast!
1. Losing People's Trust
One way
plagiarism can quickly ruin your honest reputation is by discrediting
any trust people may already have in you. Now granted, people make poor
choices and costly mistakes in business and in life. We're all human and
imperfect. Also, people can, and do, forgive and forget. Unfortunately,
most don't forget and it doesn't take many mistakes away from
possessing integrity online and being dishonest for people, like
customers, to lose faith and loyalty in what you have to do or say.
When
you steal intellectual content (articles, comments, pictures, videos,
etc) from people, you take the risk of hurting them as well, not to
mention possibly taking income away from them because they rely on
selling their content to a fair market. If their content gets stolen and
then distributed without the his or her knowledge and permission, this
could perhaps increase the product's price.
Therefore, resolve to
always tell the truth, genuinely apologize for your mistakes, ask for
forgiveness, use integrity online, and continuously provide honest and
relevant content, with integrity online, that becomes the solution
people seek. You make sure your "yes" means "yes" and your "no" means
"no." You do this to build trust and may be able to rectify and
reconcile any damaged relationships; thus, earning back some respect and
loyalty.
2. Effecting the Validity of An Honest Brand
A second way plagiarism
can quickly ruin your honest reputation is by depleting or diminishing
the efforts, effects, and validity of an honest Brand. When you brand
yourself, You, Inc., you must brand yourself as an Entrepreneur of
value, respect, honesty, and compassion. This goes with everything from
graphics to written content. Remembering to use integrity online, make
sure it's your own property or content you've created and/or rightfully
paid for.
Therefore, resolve to always run a "clean" branding
campaign, shining your "true" colors, and establish your brand from the
core value of integrity. This act of honesty will provide some purpose
and validity to your cause and course of action. A dishonest "brand" is
unattractive and no one is attracted to this type of business or
lifestyle choice. People with or campaigning for dishonest "branding"
always lose in the end!
3. Losing Your Position As a Valuable Resource
A third way
plagiarism can quickly ruin your honest reputation is by losing your
ability to become a legit business owner or remain a trusted and
honorable resource of useful content. If your content is mostly stolen
and not your own, you will eventually lose the "right" to provide
quality and valuable content. There may be value in the content itself;
yet, people will choose to look somewhere else for their solutions or
take their business, and money, to another business that's more
trustworthy.
Therefore, resolve to never, ever steal another
person's content. Valuable or not, it's not your own content! Being
truthful is integrity online at its best! When what to use another
creator's content, just ask permission for it. When you quote, use their
name. When it's obvious you have paraphrased content, the etiquette is
to site the author. It's always better to be overly cautious than to
become a guilty party plagiarizing.
Words of Caution
Below are
4 ways you may determine if content has been plagiarized. However, it's is only a guideline and not always the "rule of thumb."
- Similar amount of word count (seldom not with identical topics, yet not uncommon)
- Similar "tone" of article (understood if content is about the same topic)
- Similar Structure:
- a) Identical formatting to clarify sentences and paragraphs
- b) Identical formatting for Key Points and Interests
- Too many Word-for-Word sentences (means there's SERIOUS plagiarism involved!)
Please note: Insights, concepts, and perspectives
are common and allowed in writing. However, not word-for-word. If
word-for-word is needed to get a point or idea across to your readers,
then use the Quote Formatting Tool and let the readers know Who made a
statement. If the statement was yours, then they will need to cite you.
Creators Who Are Above Reproach
Plagiarism
is like a deadly disease. You know it's there and it can quickly spread
without other people recognizing it at first. As a unique Online
Community of Dreamers, Innovators, and Creators, I present a
life-changing challenge us all! I challenge that we resolve to live
above reproach and realize that we must do our sincere best to be
confident in our own creative value and abstain from choosing to steal
intellectual content from others.
Since plagiarism is a very
serious issue and is unprofessional, being real and trustworthy is the
best route to a sustainable success record. This is especially true if
you want to be known as a person who uses integrity online and want to
maintain a reputation as you build trust, whether in business or in
personal life, as you provide an honest brand for You, Inc., and as you
provide valuable resources that are creatively your own.
When
people trust you in business, this can often translate into "money in
the bank" because they become loyal and returning customers. Being
involved in a Community of Trustworthy Entrepreneurs
brings me closer to my dreams, my goals, and my purpose in life...not
plagiarism. Community helps me to inspire people's abundant awareness so
the can experience true freedom and establish an honest reputation.
Can
you say that you're living above reproach with your content offline or
online? Are you willing to accept my life-changing challenge to be
confident in your own creative value and resolve from choosing to steal
intellectual content from others? If you are up to the challenge, then
you are surely in the top percent of Entrepreneurs using integrity
online. Go be an example to follow!