MySpace MORONS

February 1, 2007 | Filed Under Social idiocy, The Heartless Bitch Way | 4 Comments

I recently posted about the do’s and don’ts of stealing other people’s writing and posting it in your “blog” or onwhine ”journal”: The post can be summarized in one word: DON’T.

Some people found it funny that I should have to spell it out… but the truth of the matter is that people who ought to know better clearly DON’T get it, or have decided to remain steadfastly and willfully ignorant.

This latest Bitchitorial entry involves an email exchange with yet another MySpace Moron who thought it was OK, nay, a “compliment” to steal at least 18 articles from HBI and post them in her blog as if she herself wrote the material. (I’ve listed some, but not all of the offending content below).  I have to give thanks to a certain individual who pointed out the blogger’s content and sent me screenshots of “private” postings that were ripped off HBI content.¹

Was this person 12, you ask, or even 15 years old? Was she too young to understand or comprehend the nature of her infraction?  No, she’s 27, supposedly a university graduate, working in social work. Which means, that at the very least she should understand the basics of PLAGIARISM and copyright.  After all, in University they make it very clear that presenting other people’s work as your own is not only a “bad thing”, it’s illegal.  It’s fraud. 

Not only did this twit snatch all the content from a mess o’ articles on HBI, there was not one WHIT of attribution. Not even something like the last Moron’s lame excuse of “I found this somewhere” tagged to the articles - she took full credit posting the articles as if the writing were her own original work.

Of course, these things are never without their ironies – Like the fact that in one of her postings (which may or may not be her own writing  – god knows, she’s stolen enough from HBI that it leaves her whole blog in question), she says that she can’t stand “Myspace copycatters”.  I guess that doesn’t apply to HER.  Ironically, she ripped HBI articles on HONESTY.  It just slays me.

Even better, in one of her entries she responds to comments that she posts a lot of articles by stating that she “types fast”.  Yeah, right twitface, but most of us don’t consider “cutting and pasting” to be “typing”, never mind the whole “original creativity” thing that you bypassed completely…

I sent her an email via Myspace (I have also filed a full and formal copyright complaint with the Myspace copyright agents), and I have included her response below – the lamest excuse/response I have seen yet to this kind of assoholic behavior. She asserts that it’s OK for her to just rip off other people’s writing  because “everybody else on myspace does it”. WTF?  I never accepted that kind of weak-minded bullshit excuse from my 6 year old when he was pulling crap, I’m sure as hell not going to accept it from a 27-year-old who fucking OUGHT to know better.

Her main excuse for not doing the right thing is that she has more important “personal drama” that she has to attend to. *Snort*  Her and her fucking asinine “personal drama”… she needs a swift virtual kick in the ass.

As if it couldn’t get any more laughably pathetic than that, her response ends with, of course, the puerile, “don’t email me again” thing, as if somehow telling her to remove offending content and stop acting like a fuckwit is harrassment.  This is the myspace equivalent of sticking one’s fingers in one’s ears and singing “Lalalalalalala I don’t want to hear it.”

Baby, you’d BETTER deal with it like an adult, or your drama-queen ass is going to be kicked off MySpace. And if I have to get my lawyer involved, beleive me, I will. I’ve taken down far bigger fish than you dumpling.

Of course I replied to her email, listing the umpteen blog entries that I know of that are direct rips, because despite her claims that she removed them, she has NOT. A bunch more are marked “private”, but I can tell by the titles it’s more ripped content.

I mean it’s bad enough to copy content from another site and post it as your own, but it’s just plain stupid to take it from a site called Heartless Bitches International.  What did she think we would do, give her a reassuring pat on the head for being such a clever and resourceful girl?

This is her reply to my original email telling her to cease and desist plagiarizing and remove the offending content:

First of all, it was NOT an attempt to plagiarize. This happens on Myspace every day. People recopy things for everywhere and don’t get credit for it. Do what you feel you must do. Sorry I am not technically advanced enough to post hyperlinks to your site. Second of all, I have removed the blogs and unfornately do not have the time to post any blogs at this time do to personal obligations that far outweigh this matter. Third of all, I would think that you would be flattered that I would be a frequent enough reader to be that involved into your writings. This matter is absurd, and due to personal drama that far impact my life, I don’t have time for it.

Lastly, please don’t email me again. I don’t have time for incessant ranting on something that is such a misunderstanding. I have far greater important things to do with my time. Perhaps you should gather all your facts before jumping to conclusions.

Have a great day. Thank you.

M

This is my reply to her message above:

You cannot weasel out of your responsibilities by saying “don’t email me again”.

>First of all, it was NOT an attempt to plagiarize. 

No, it wasn’t an “attempt”, it was flagrant outright plagiarism. Look it up.  You are old enough and educated enough to know better.

>This happens on Myspace every day.  People recopy
>things for everywhere and don’t get credit for it. 

I don’t give a flying fuck in the moon whether or not it happens on Myspace everyday. People get robbed every day – it doesn’t make it right for you to do it. It’s still ILLEGAL and WRONG. What part of that don’t you get? You yourself posted a blog entry complaining about copycatters, but somehow you think the law and the terms of use shouldn’t apply to you?  What about plain old HONESTY and “doing the right thing”???

>Do what you feel you must do.  Sorry I am not
>technically advanced enough to post hyperlinks to
>your site.

Bullshit. You have hyperlinks to other sites. You outright copied and pretended it was your own writing. Never mind posting links – you didn’t even give CREDIT to the fact that it wasn’t your writing.  I’ve seen one or two articles copied by people before but I am truly aghast at the quantity of content you ripped from HBI. It’s appalling.

>Second of all, I have removed the blogs and
>unfornately do not have the time to post any blogs at
>this time do to personal obligations that far outweigh
>this matter. 

You have NOT removed the blog entries. They are still there.Spare me the lame excuses for copping out.   I couldn’t give a damn about your “personal obligations”.
You fucked up. Take responsibility for your actions and fix it.  The alternative is that Myspace will remove your entire account.¼br />
>Third of all, I would think that you would be flattered
>that I would be a frequent enough reader to be that
>involved into your writings. 

>Third of all, I would think that you would be flattered

>that I would be a frequent enough reader to be that

>involved into your writings.Š

I am flattered when someone LINKS to my site and gives me and my authors CREDIT for our writing – there is no flattery in someone stealing the content and pretending it is their own.  This is the lamest excuse I have seen yet for someone trying to get away with content theft.

>This matter is absurd, and due to personal drama that
>far impact my life, I don’t have time for it. 

You have done something that violates the terms of use of myspace and is illegal. Quit waiving your personal drama/issues excuse. Act like a responsible adult and do the right thing.

>Lastly, please don’t email me again.  I don’t have time
>for incessant ranting on something that is such a
>misunderstanding.

This is NOT a “misunderstanding”. It’s called “copyright law”.   I am giving you an opportunity to remove the offending content or face the consequences with myspace for violating the terms of use.

>I have far greater important things to do with my
>time.  Perhaps you should gather all your facts before
>jumping to conclusions.

All my “conclusions” are based in fact.Fact: You knowingly copied copyrighted content without authorization from another site and posted it as if it were your own writing.
Fact: You gave NO credit to the original authors or the site the content came from, nor indicated in any way that you were not the original author.
Fact: Your actions violate copyright law
Fact: Your actions violate the terms of use of your Myspace agreement.
Fact: Heartless Bitches International is US Trademarked and I am obliged to defend my copyright and trademark, by law.

I’m not going to ask nicely or politely – I have NO tolerance for people who plagiarize and even less for those who try to make lame excuses about why they stole other people’s writing and took credit for it.

Remove the following entries NOW as they are direct rips of content from HBI:

Thursday, December 28, 2006
Insults from the professionals who think you are insane
ABC’s of Relationships (according to this neurotic madwoman)

Tuesday, December 05, 2006
 You’ll never get a date with that attitude!

Friday, November 17, 2006
 Disputing the theory that I am a man-hater

Saturday, November 11, 2006
 I’ll get married (or not) when I am ready to, dammit!

Monday, November 06, 2006
The ex file….A farewell to Victor

I’m not a victim, I’m a bystander of stupidity

Thursday, May 25, 2006
 Why this girl doesn’t date “nice guys”

Wednesday, May 24, 2006
 Honesty–being able to spell it isn’t enough.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Brutal Honesty

Wednesday, May 03, 2006
The wolf in sheep’s clothing: the emotional abuser

Tuesday, April 25, 2006
 Gretchen, I say we call this one uber and honest feminism

Monday, September 05, 2005
Blog, blog, blog 

Tuesday, May 31, 2005
 Nice Girls vs. Heartless Bitches

Heartlessly,
-Natalie

 

1: Which just goes to show that HBI fans are EVERYWHERE, and they DO bring this stuff to my attention, and I DO appreciate their dedication to the cause.”