Thievery on the internet
Sep 06
I got robbed Monday.
They didn’t break in to my house or car.
They stole from me online.
And it wasn’t money or my identity.
It was a joke.
(cue gasps and shaking fists)
You may remember that Monday was Labor day. So I woke up and tweeted:
Not the most clever thing ever. Not super funny. But I thought it was mildly amusing, so I threw it out there.
An hour or so later, I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, and noticed this, from a person who started following me last week:
(sigh)
Now, I’m not claiming to be the only person ever to make the connection between “Labor Day” and being born. It’s an easy joke to make. But come on. They used the same words, in the same order. All they did was add “errr,”.
I was so mad. SO MAD.
I even took a screenshot and texted it to four friends.
I’ve said before that I’m not a writer. I’ve written some articles for small, and/or local publications, I’ve written jokes for a few people to use in different projects, I’m collaborating on a few projects, but I don’t claim to be a “writer” in the proper sense. I do, however, consider myself a creator of content. That’s what this blog is. That’s what our podcast is. This is all stuff that I make. So when I have an original thought, and share it, and then somebody just copy/pastes it and takes credit for it…
As Knox McCoy said, “There’s no honor on the internet.”
(See how I did that? I gave him credit for that because he’s the guy I heard it from.)
(But he probably stole it.)
Come on, guys. Do your thing, let others do their thing, and let’s leave each other’s things alone.
Stop giggling. you know what I meant.
Have you ever been robbed? Of content or of real stuff? How’d you handle it? Should I go wrap this fool’s house in toilet paper?
I HATE it when credit isn’t given. Had a couple of blog posts not stolen, exactly, but definitely lifted from heavily. And while I get that we aren’t owners of ideas, I really would have appreciated a “Hey, saw this at Alise’s blog and it made me think X.” I guess my only consolation is that I’ve seen this person do it to other bloggers as well. But it is profoundly not cool. Sorry you got ripped off. That is suckish. (Thanks, iCarly, for giving me suckish. Even though I really, really don’t want to admit that’s where I picked that up.)
They say “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” right?
Yeah, I started a blog where I drew pictures from the Bible, and did it badly. I called it “Horribly Sketched New and Old Testament”. Someone took it and called it something else. Oh, well.
Seriously, that Twitter thief was pretty lame. And, it was funny the first time (from you). After the first read, it lost it’s luster anyway.
There was a guy that sat in front of me in school that commanded attention. I would mumble the correct answer or a joke under my breath, and he would repeat what I said to get a laugh from the class. After a while, I would whisper wrong answers and bad jokes. It worked like a charm. He stopped doing it after the group laughed at his lame jokes and wrong answers.
THAT IS BRILLIANT!
So now you should write lame jokes on twitter and other false stuff so this guy will copy it, right?
No, I already wrote a lame joke, and somebody copied it. Did you even read the post?
I don’t know if anyone has actually taken any of my content — either I’m just not funny or I’m incredibly unobservant (either is possible). However, as a person who follows people much funnier than me, why not just retweet or quote? I don’t steal content. I don’t want to be punched in the face by Jesus when I get to heaven (that’s what happens, right?).
Exactly. It’s 1 Hesitations 5:14
great post, i’m gonna steal it and i’m gonna steal your toilet paper
You better not, Tyler. You. Better. Not.
The real question is who got more retweets? You or them?
I did a post once where I took funny church signs and added my two cents. Example: Happiness comes through doors you didn’t even know you left open. (So do ax murderers.)
Several months after posting it, I saw where someone had lifted the entire post and copied it onto their blog. Even the introduction that mentioned a specific Jiffy Lube that always had an old Camaro with monster truck tires.
I was mad too. Knox McCoy is right. Sigh.
Oh, they definitely got more retweets. They’ve got 50,000+ followers. I have about 14.
Knox McCoy is ALWAYS right.
(this comment is sponsored by KnoxMcCoy.com)
I TOLD YOU. All sponsorship mentions must be in capital letters. CAPITAL LETTERS, JARED.
I had a complete blog post that someone posted on their blog. No link to mine whatsoever or a mention or anything. Lame.
SO, I had already laid out a post for Monday I was gonna call “Labor Day, Two Weeks In A Row” but now I just feel like a thieving rat for using it. I feel like a dirty no good plagiarist. Thanks for ruining my blog man!!!
You’re welcome. Wait…
I have a friend (whom I love to death) that routinely repeats what I say when I say something in a large group and no one hears me. I’ll chime in with a joke/thought/idea, no one hears it, he turns around 2 seconds later and presents it as his own thing. It’s kind of mind-blowing.
Usually, if I’m not being heard, it’s because I’m in a crowd I sort of feel overwhelmed by and maybe not as comfortable around, and so I almost don’t care. Until they all laugh and then I realize I could have earned cool points or something…
It’s just bizarre because it’s so blatant and yet I kind of wonder if he realizes what he’s doing…
Oh, he knows…
Geez, Stanton, I’m RIGHT HERE
I don’t think I’ve ever written anything worth plagiarizing.I don’t think I’ve ever written anything worth plagiarizing.
Brilliant.
Was it Carlos Probanogo that did it? I hear that guy is a real jerk!
Jared, this so reminded me of an episode of The Big Bang Theory where Sheldon’s World of Warcraft account gets hacked and some mythological things got stolen …
A) It wasn’t that funny
B) unless you’re a comedian and jokes are your livelihood, I think you might be over reacting a bit.
A) I agree. From 1-10, it was a 2.5 at BEST.
B) Not a comedian, but I do get paid for joke writing. Not my livelihood, but a nice bonus.
Hahahahahahahahaha GREAT OPINION!!! YOU MUST BE A PROFESSIONAL!!!
I’ve never thought anything you’ve said has been worth stealing.
I’ve been robbed (car broken into) and have had ideas swiped (as a graphic designer and cartoonist).
My response to the former was anger/”How could they do this?” – the latter was more of a egotistical “I’m awesome and that’s why they swiped me.” response.
Neither reflected Christ.
I’m pretty sure Solomon was right when he said there is “nothing new under the sun”. A “labor” joke on “Labor Day” would fall under that – along with a slew of other ideas I’ve “come up” with.