Many new VAs have a difficult time writing their website content. I know it took me a really long time and many, many revisions before I finally wrote something I liked. The main point is that I wrote it myself and didn't steal it from anyone else.

It's tempting to copy and paste a line or 2 two from another VA's website. But, when you copy entire paragraphs then it becomes plagarism and is illegal. I used copyscape.com for the first time in a long time tonight. On a whim I decided to see if anyone had plagarized my stuff and I was stunned to learn that someone had.

I researched the offending site and realized it had only been registered a few weeks ago. I imagine this is a new VA who doesn't know any better. At least I hope that is the case. I would hate to think she just doesn't care. Still, I sent the person an email requesting she removes "my" content from her site. She copied many parts of my site, including parts of my bio among others.

Please don't copy and paste another VA's website and put it on your own. It will be discovered eventually because copyscape is a free program that almost ALL virtual assistants use to learn if anyone is plagarizing their sites. We all make mistakes and most VAs recognize this. Please write your own stuff.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

I totally agree! I paid someone to write content for my website (a friend who's into copywriting), I used copyscape only to find out that someone has copied the whole front page!

It makes me cross, you try to make your website unique and someone "steals" what's yours.

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Kels

www.kellycairns.co.uk

So sorry to hear about this Shari! I agree that it is frustrating to spend so much time creating your own content to be unique and a reflection of your business only to have someone else claim it as their own.

Good luck in your dealings with the new VA and keep us posted as to what is happening.

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Kate V. Kerans
Kerans Virtual Assistance

Originally Posted by KateK

keep us posted as to what is happening.

I received an apologetic email from the VA and the content has been removed. I'm happy.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

Shari, I am glad it all worked out for you.

Can you say if the VA gave you a reason for copying your work? Or did you receive an apology without explanation?

I am always interested in knowing why people take what it is that is not their own. I see shoppers popping grapes from the produce aisle and eating unpaid candy from the Brach's candy display in the grocery store; all without question. Thievery is quite common whether it be from the Internet or at the grocery store and yet, we know it is wrong (at different levels, perhaps).

I am always interested in how people rationalize dishonest behavior in their own heads and do so, in front of children thus passing the bad behavior onto the next generation of thieves.

I'm guessing the plagiaristic VA felt that since the info was on the internet, and open to everyone to view, thus making it OK for the taking...




Jan

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Shari I am so glad it was taken care of!

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Dawn Riley
A Virtual Assistant in Paradise
Our business is about making yours better

I totally agree with you Shari. It's very aggravating to put all that time and effort into your own content just to have someone lift it and copy it for their own purposes. Good for you for confronting them and getting it resolved.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

I've had that happen to me several times unfortunately and I know of other VAs who have had the same problems.

Most of them seem to be some kind of scam. It makes me wonder how many of them are real VAs trying to start a business and how many of them are just thieves setting up a website long enough to rip someone off then disappear.

I don't get it either. I don't know if people think they just won't get caught or what. It even happened to an attorney in one of the forums I belong to. You would think a lawyer, of all people, would understand how unethical and illegal plagiarism is.

I would definitely encourage everyone to do periodic checks on Copyscape and, if you're hiring someone else to write copy or articles for you, make sure they're not plagiarizing someone else because the responsibility is ultimately yours.

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April @ Advantage
Advantage Virtual Assistant

Wow, how frustrating! I don't understand how someone would think that it's okay to steal someone else's work...do people really not know that it's not okay? If so, that's a sad statement to the state of our educational system, that people aren't even being taught that plagiarism is a big no-no, whether it's 1 sentence or a whole page.

I'm glad you were able to get the situation corrected quickly. Hopefully it doesn't happen to you again!

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Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

It's hard to understand, isn't it? Especially when everyone you know would be ashamed to do such a thing. It's like when I drive by litter on the roadside ... who's so primitive as to litter? Doesn't everyone know it's seriously distasteful? Don't people know stealing the words of others won't get them anywhere? Are these people uneducated, or what?

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com