Writing at Associated Content **December Edition** Please read first post!

[ErikaLeigh]

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING!

From Heather's Original Thread for AC:
In accordance with the UA, please adhere to the following rules: Please do not post links to your Content Producer page or your articles, in your posts or signature. Please do not spam users in private with these links unless they have asked. If someone asks you for a link, send it to them in a private message. Swap links only in private and when solicited.

You may tell us when you have a new article posted and what it is about, but again, do not link it. There is no need to say "See my CP page for it" or "PM me for a link" and so on to self-promote, because we all know that we can check your CP page or PM you. Keep self-promotion to a minimum. All we need to know is that you wrote something new and what it's about, and if people want to, they will take the initiative to find the peice and read it. Telling us the exact name of the piece is not recommended, because that's about the same as posting the link.


Original Thread for Associated Content
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=647439

September Thread -
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=742242

[ErikaLeigh]

It's December Ladies!!

What are your goals?

[evies_mom]

Well I actually submitted a C4C last night. We were watching the movie Frequency and I saw it listed. It struck the creative muse within me, and I didn't pay attention to the movie at all and worked on that piece for quite some time.

Newbies - please PM links to me, if you have not done so.

Goals - again, I continue to set no goals. I just don't want any pressure on myself. But good luck to the rest of you!

[ErikaLeigh]

I don't want the pressure either!!

I had to change my name in my profile and my pen name, will it update at all of AC or will i have to send out new links?

[Twocoolboys]

Erika - It will update, it just takes a bit of time, just like everything at AC.

I need the pressure of goals or I procrastinate all too much.

Nano has me in the daily writing habit, so I've been writing an article a night since I finished. My goal is to submit 10 articles to AC by the end of December. I've got two down and eight to go. I've got the same goal for Suite and I also want to submit 3-5 to Constant Content.

I'm really into writing about holidays and other seasonal things now. I've noticed that page views seem to be really good for those topics. Of course, they drop off immediately after that season/holiday is over, but I think they'll pick up again the following year. And, if I always have some for the upcoming season/holiday waiting to go, I should be able to keep a good, steady rate of page views.

My goal for 2008 is to make a couple hundred dollars a month and hopefully build up to $500 a month by the end of the year. Jan and Feb will be difficult since I'll have a newborn, but I need to start really pushing towards that goal now.

So, I'll be looking for other freelance jobs and continuing to build my article inventory at AC, Suite and CC.

[rainbowmoon]

[MyTwoAs]

Subbing for the month!

[evies_mom]

I am going to whine for a minute. Just ignore me as I need to vent. I haven't published anything for two weeks. Last night I wrote the c4c on what Christmas means to me. It has not been updated on the Holiday section and only appears under my userpage at this time.

Well, my even my touchy-feely Christmas article that I put a lt of heart into, has been down-rated. I am suspicious that it is being done by smeone on my sub list - unless it is a CP who is stalking my page and been patiently waiting for me to publish.

Baah! I really need to stop looking at the rating column... My PV did so much better when I made it in the top rated category though. Aggravating.

[Sydnee]

I'm here. I have no real goals yet, I'm just trying to get the hang of writing. If I could get 1-2 articles out this month, I'd be happy. Although I don't really see that happening.

[Sydnee]

Oh, I forgot to add, do I get a list of all of your CP links?

[ErikaLeigh]

Syndee - can you pm me your link?

I have got almost everyone on here for the AC master list,

So look maybe tomorrow and see in the VERY FIRST POST to find the list.

[evies_mom]

Possible plaigarism?

EDITED OUT: Had a question about plagairism, but opted to remove the entry. I don't want on someone poopy list.

[rainbowmoon]

wow. how did you stumble onto that? hmm. not sure at all what you should do though. sorry!

I could be wrong, but personally I don't think it is plagerism. ok maybe the last part of the last example is though? hmm. interesting!

[Twocoolboys]

I think you should report it. I learned the same thing you did about plagiarism when I was in school. That is one thing that has always annoyed me about AC - they seem to have very loose standards on it.

A few months ago, one of the CPs posted in the forums that he was getting several articles declined because he wasn't citing sources. I replied with a lengthy post about how sources should always be cited, whether a direct quote is involved or not and a few other things that I know about plagiarism. One of the popular, respected forum posters replied back that I was wrong about it and there was nothing wrong with using information that way and not citing it. In fact, she said that if you read something somewhere, then it becomes part of your "common knowledge" and you can use it without citing it. I didn't respond because I was not interested in getting in a back and forth with her as she is one of the regulars in the forums. But, in my opinion, she was wrong. It is sad to me that AC perpetuates this kind of bad writing and does nothing to counteract the misconception in the forums. I do think they try when they decline articles for not citing sources, but they need a better, clearer policy about it. When someone who is respected and gives frequent advice in the forums is wrong on such a serious subject, they really should do more.

The article you found sounds more serious than just not citing sources even, so I think it should defiinitely be reported.

[evies_mom]

I did report it, stating that I am not sure if it was a problem, but was leaving it in there hands.

How I stumbled upon it- I just had an article publish in Holidays and was checking to see if it was updated on the holiday page. The other article was near mine and was a local attraction for me. Since they didn't provide links to the events and I was interested in attending I did an online search and was shocked that it was taken from that.

I talked to dh about it. He has had grad classes to prep him for his thesis and he was taught the same that I was. Anytime anyone lifts even a two word phrases or structures their sentence simply swapping in synonyms- it is plagairism. We were both taught, read your sources, write your work without looking back at your original source. If you are going line by line "translating" the original work and putting it in your own words- that is still considered plagairism.

I am editing my OP on this issue. Not wanting backlash.

FYI- I looked at the authors education and experience. She says her masters is in journalism... I would think a journalist would have more respect for others writing and know about plagairism laws.

[rainbowmoon]

good to know!

[Twocoolboys]

Originally Posted by evies_mom

Anytime anyone lifts even a two word phrases or structures their sentence simply swapping in synonyms- it is plagairism. We were both taught, read your sources, write your work without looking back at your original source. If you are going line by line "translating" the original work and putting it in your own words- that is still considered plagairism.

That's exactly what I was taught too.

[rainbowmoon]

so how come when you read some news reports they say the exact same thing almost word for word. is that not plagerism then? look at any breaking news story on AP then google it. you will see articles all written with exact word phrases but rephrased some,etc. almost sentence by sentence!

anyway I have wondered about that before so I thought I'd ask!

[rainbowmoon]

btw when I copy ingredient lists for my product reviews is that plageriasim? : uh oh now you have me worried!

[Twocoolboys]

The AP news wire works differently than other sources. AP is written to be used by news agencies and to be reprinted in papers, used in broadcast journalism and now used on the net. I may be wrong on this (I'm digging deep in my memory from college which was almost 18 years ago), but I think AP may be a paid service that news agencies use, so they are, in effect buying the rights to use the info in their articles. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

A fellow writer writing text for anything, whether that be a town's web page, a magazine, the internet, etc., is not getting any cut when someone uses their work in an article. But, someone else is geting paid for the work that came out of the first writer's efforts. That's not ethical.

No, I don't think it is plagiarism when you list the ingredients in your product reviews. That in itself is the source, so you are fully citing your source, plus it's just a list of ingredients, it's not intellecutual property. Now, if you were to take the product description from the advertising and reprint it word for word without quoting and citing it, that would be plagiarism.

ETA - I just looked at the AP site and they do have a link on the bottom of the page to buy their news, photos and videos. I bet they are plagairized frequently by people who lift things from their site without buying it or by people who lift the material from their local newspaper. I think this was a problem on AC actually and that is why they got tough with news.