Okay, I get why anyone would plagiarize or feel like doing it. Sometimes, people do it unintentionally. But at a very basic level, it is equivalent to THEFT! Plagiarism is a serious issue in the world of content creation, and it's something that every creator on Hive should be aware of.
Plagiarism is defined as someone using another person's work without giving credit to them or making it look like it was their own. The reality is that it can happen to anyone - even professional writers who are paid for their work. So if you're planning on writing on Hive or creating digital content on the internet, please mind what you publish.
Plagiarism Is A Crime
Plagiarism is considered a crime in most countries according to the law. It's a felony punishable by imprisonment in some cases. On Hive, we practice the similar law. You get imprisoned digitally on Hive in the form of Downvotes & then a low reputation score. If it goes negative, you will go like a ghost on Hive Frontends. Using various tools online, it's fairly easy to find plagiarized content. Just google and try to use it on the post you are publishing next.
- A plagiarized blog has no credibility
- It's not original
- It's not unique
You will get caught in no time. Then comes the downvote rain because nobody would want to reward a fraud.
Reputation At Stake
The reputation score on Hive is not a perfect indicator of the quality of the creator. But it works well to filter out the new and old Hive members. News ones can do mistakes and old ones can point them out in the hope to see them corrected. Different factors decide how it grows or goes down. In simple terms, if an account with large HP upvotes or downvotes, depending upon their stake, it will increase or reduce your Rep score. You don't want to get downvoted on Hive at all. It's not a pleasant experience. Sometimes you get them in case someone feels that you have earned more than you deserve. That is okay! But getting downvotes because of abuse is not. Plagiarism will put your reputation at stake.
Hivewatchers Is Watching You
If you are a plagiarist, @hivewatchers is looking for you. Not to hire or applaud you but to warn and punish if it's done again and again. It is a group run by experienced developers and community members to ensure the health of Hive. Apart from dealing with abuse & fraud, they also verify profiles to ensure real, honest people are behind them. That's prevention of abuse!
Stealing Other's Work Doesn't Make Sense
It is unethical, as it is not giving credit where credit is due. Plagiarism also goes beyond copying words. This means presenting information in a way that makes readers believe that you thought of this on your own. Copying an idea is not a problem as long as you give credits to the original owner and add more value on top of it in your content. But don't copy words or deceive people. It doesn't make sense on Hive because people will find the reality and they stop supporting you. You will lose everyone's trust on the platform and it will be very hard to rebuild.
What To Do If You Are Caught?
As a new user, people make mistakes. They are in a rush to push out content just to see how it feels to earn their first dollar on Hive. If you are caught plagiarizing and have been doing it for a long time, you will definitely be blacklisted from getting a share of the rewards pool. But if it's your first time and you did it intentionally/unintentionally, accept your mistake, start fresh, and don't repeat it ever again.
Recap
- You can't steal someone's work.
- You need to cite your sources and give credit to the creator of the work.
- You can't claim someone else's work as your own.
- You can't avoid @Hivewatchers if you plagiarize or abuse on Hive
- You can accept your mistake, learn from it and move on
Conclusion
Remember, the best way to avoid plagiarism is by doing your own research and writing. It's not about the language, grammar or vocabulary. You can express your thoughts in million different ways. Just try to be unique and keep honing your skills. Hive is a long-term game so play it with patience and honesty. Rewards will come!
