Observation

[vaneramos]

A Google alert on my name turned up this article today: Managing daily distractions: observe and reflect, by Steve Brunkhorst. It quotes my February 2000 article on Suite101, Develop your observation skills. By failing to identify the source this violates Suite101's copyright rules, but I no longer have a contract with Suite101 and don't see how the reference does me any harm.

Comments

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

Still, failure to cite a reference source properly simply is not right.

I'd recommend persuing this, but in a very nice, helpful way.

...

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

You're right, of course. I will email him about it.

[missprune.livejournal.com]

It may not do you any harm but it's still damned annoying. You could send an objection direct to the author of the article, he should be put on notice that plagiarism and failure to give appropriate credit are uncool. I have strong feelings about this!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I have sent him an email. Hopefully I'll receive an appropriate response.

[mhkrabat.livejournal.com]

While it's nice to be noticed, nice to be quoted, nice to be helpful, I also think it would have been very nice if the author had provided a link to the source where he pulled your quotes. It just seems to be reasonable that if I am pulling info from a standing bit of text, that I'd allow readers to see what else was said that I didn't wish to use. This oversight on the part of the author may have been a oversight of unintended neglect. My approach towards this would be to thank the author for using my words and would it be possible for him to include a link to the full writing? I've been in this situation of having my writing harvested for other's works. A friendly note seems the best place to start.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Really it is just lazy writing. I've probably been guilty of it myself. In the vastness of the internet, it's easy to think no one who cares will notice. But thanks to Google alerts...

[mhkrabat.livejournal.com]

Can you tell me how Google Alerts work? I was looking for this after having seen your mention, but to no avail.

I agree on the laziness point. Any writer worth his salt knows that there are protocals. He elected to slough off on some. Still, I'd take the gracious and consolotory approach, allowing him to make correction and yet save face.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Essentially, you can set up a Google search to be conducted daily and email you notification of any new results. Here's the link:

http://www.google.com/alerts

For more info, there's a FAQ.

[mhkrabat.livejournal.com]

Thanks Van!