Have you noticed the amount of unbelievable copyright infringement on the Internet? Boy I have. You see I notice these things, because I am an author now having written 1900 articles online and posted them on EzineArticles.com and having also authored thousands of articles on my own sites. Additionally I have written and co-authored books, e-books, community based manuals, Business Operations manuals of over 2500 plus pages; all sorts of things.
After 330,000 page views on EzineArticles.com alone I see these articles I have written getting picked up and they are all over the Internet, which is good and in fact one of the reasons I have written them. Occasionally however I see them on the Internet with someone else's name attached or no name at all and I have actually found my articles copied and someone else claiming them as their own "By Joe Blow". I have to wonder why they bother? It seems silly. But humans are very innately imitators by nature it appears. Very few original ideas out there or writing. Those authors who have such creative abilities, like the so many decent online authors should be celebrated for their insight and skills (many have great articles). People who do not have such skills should hire a ghostwriter and not plagiarize other people's works or claim it as their own.
When we reward cheaters like those plagiarizers, by allowing them to get away with such a strategy to achieve high rates of content creation, we get more cheaters on the Internet. Additionally I have to wonder why we deny the innate characteristics of the human animal to copy things, as in watching this trend it is so ramped we cannot seem to stop it. In a way and it has been said that; "imitation is the highest form of flattery." So I wish to thank all those who cheat and copy my articles, even those who wish to get their names out there by stealing my work. I have often thought of writing under the name; "Anonymous" that way if anyone steals it, I have given it to them in advance, so I will not be bothered by such human traits. Little do these people know who plagiarize my work, that I am not mad or angry, I do not write for money, merely because I am bored and have some things I would like the world to know and in a way they are helping me bring this information to the human race. Yet, as they steal these works, I wonder if they realize they are hurting themselves and making themselves weak rather than working to develop their own content for their websites and a new skill set in the process?
Writing for a living wage, ghost writing, to get your name "out there", to attracted people to a website or sell them something must be difficult, I empathize with those many starving authors who write articles on the Internet. Human knowledge is to be shared, I wonder if it really matters in the end; who said it or wrote it. I understand the anger in those who truly are upset at people stealing their work, as well as applaud their work and integrity as they take the high road route, even if the trail is filled with bumps and ruts along the way. Keep on keeping on and remember: It is not so easy being the hundredth monkey, but there are many more articles, ideas and concepts still to come than the simple method of pounding a stone on a shelled sea creature for some fresh seafood. Find some quiet time and Think on this.
