Have you ever wondered if an answer you gave on Y!A was later plagiarized?

Question

I have read some brilliant answers on Y!A. It made me wonder if any askers here have taken any of the answers and used them to their own end (as a basis for a thesis, for example) without crediting the answerer.

Then, naturally, because this is how my mind works, I wondered how much of what people post as answers was plagiarized by them.

(Then people are plagiarizing plagiarized material.) Please make my mind stop! :)

I am putting this in Philo because that is where I see the most brilliant answers. :)

Kurt... you made me laugh! :)

You guys are great! :)

Wow, stvc. I never said I was worried about it any way. But I can clearly see that it most likely is not a concern for you. :)

And, btw, I did a search for this to see if it had been asked before and nothing came up. So, I say the following in the most respectful way to those of you who insist on being smug... bite me. :)~

Answer 1

I wonder if it is the authors of the answers here that are considered the owners of the rights to their words, or Yahoo Answers.

Interesting question, but impossible to answer, because I can't imagine how we could find out if or how often answers here have been plagiarized for some school report. The best answers are summaries of other materials and reports with the sources listed for the asker to review at his or her leisure. In those cases, the answer here didn't really belong to anybody, other than the sources themselves.

I once had someone copy and paste a long response I wrote concerning the evidence for evolution and used it on a thread as their own answer, however, they actually typed my moniker and the link to the thread where they copied my answer from. I thought it was really cool that they not only liked my answer enough to use it, but also gave me the credit. I wasn't offended, but flattered.

As far as biting you, I can't, for we agree, are amicable, and it might hurt. However, nibbling on you a bit has crossed my mind.
;D

El Chistoso

Answer 2

Hmmmm weird... Ive never thought of that before! Sure, I have read answers that are very similar to the answer I would give because I cant be the only one that thinks the way that I do... but never have I thought someone would take my answer and use it as their own. The points mean nothing to me, so it really dosent matter if I can help someone, and someone else thinks highly enough of my answer to use it again... I say let them. In a way, I am still helping someone then. This is a great question! Happy Holidays!
Also, I can only speak for myself when I say that I never, ever plagiarize

Answer 3

Hi Trina,
I like the picture that you use for your avatar.
I have never even thought about that. Whether someone uses my answer for purposes of plagiarism or not has no importance to me.
I only answer questions that I feel I either really know something about, like maintenance on cars or relationships, or questions that I have verifiable experience with and can share what I know.
I would be honored to know if someone used my answer as a basis for something professional in their lives, although I must admit that doing so would be putting some stigma on their credentials.
I have lived a very strange life and the things I have learned have been the result of much emotional and physical pain.

Good question, I'm starring it.

Good luck

Answer 4

Original thought, in today's world!

A rarity

Ok I may have even put the phrase together, but no doubt as most other it would have been based on Extelligence (sorry Terry I'll pay you the royalties from the cash I make from it's use) and not intelligence.
Any original thought which come from me and then is released here is done because I wish to share it, If I didn't I wouldn't write now, would I.
This is called a community isn't it!
and I'm writing this in the philosophical cat. Am I not so what's the problem, One day I will die and I may not be remembered but if my thoughts have been stole and used it show that they had value,
then my existence will have served
Why complain be happy!

Answer 5

Well, since most of my knowledge was discovered by others, you might say that my answers are instances of plagiarism - but then, that's how we learn, by accepting and putting into practice the accumulated knowledge of those who've gone before. You wouldn't expect to have to invent language before you could learn to write, would you? Or to invent integers before learning arithmetic, or to invent the wheel all over again before you could learn to drive? One has to approach this question of plagiarism from a realistic point of view - if nobody ever did that, we'd still be swinging in the trees with the rest of Mother Nature's apes...

Answer 6

Hmmmm weird... Ive never thought of that before! Sure, I have read answers that are very similar to the answer I would give because I cant be the only one that thinks the way that I do... but never have I thought someone would take my answer and use it as their own. The points mean nothing to me, so it really dosent matter if I can help someone, and someone else thinks highly enough of my answer to use it again... I say let them. In a way, I am still helping someone then. This is a great question! Happy Holidays!

Answer 7

Well I routinely plagiarize myself by copying and pasting answers I have already given to the same inane, repetitive questions (especially in the Politics forum). I have seen 'my' answer already posted on occasion, but when the answer is obvious its hardly plagiarism.

Answer 8

yeah, thats why they made YA answers

the TV writers went on strike and they need material for sitcoms

and all the interesting people who think for themselves and have something that might possibly new to say , are considered dangerous and crazy or worse, yet they need material for the sitcoms. SO society will sort of tolerate us at a distance. ANd in exchange they can steal material for the shows. On Mylot they DO pay us a little for our effort. Not much but its nice to feel like we are doing valuable work and being paid something.

Answer 9

As far as I am concerned, someone who plagiarized my answer would be considered a compliment by me. The idea that someone found something I said to be interesting is a "hoot"!

Answer 10

“there is nothing new under the sun”

has problems remembering dates names and places but give us an idea and we’ll remember

gets frustrated at peoples greed, hording information resources the only ones that grow with use

living in the information age it is horrific the information laws that have been passed. like patents on DNA that soulless corporate entities own