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I don't "do" much actual ranting, typically the junk I talk about in my posts are mundane or a reflection piece on some topic I see potentially trending on steemit. Over the very short period of time I've been here I've began to notice this rise of a #BotArmy and I'm going to discus in particular those which attempt... and keep that word in mind as you read this- ATTEMPT to put a damper on plagiarism and why these bots are utter bullshit in my opinion.

Synopsis:

Let's make this short & to the point... shall we.

These bots are going to wind up creating so many problems for posters in the long-run that the end result will be discouragement of engagement with media-based content such as memes and the like which we are now seeing more of in the comments section of our blog posts; which by the way I think is a great thing because it ads that hint of familiarity and makes things amusing.

Here's the thing about plagiarism and the Internet as it stands to date.

It has run rampant but it's also not as big of a problem in the context of social media interactions as it is in the whole pirating scene... people who are posting funny or ridiculous memes, sharing photographs they enjoy and simply linking from one source and displaying it on another such as steemit are not pirates or criminals and over-all are generally not performing malicious acts of plagiarism; at least not in the sense that their actions warrant any kind of down-voting by a disgruntled mob which will be flagging all their stuff.

These bots are going to create factions and I can all but guarantee that the split will be divided up between those who are the self elected sheriffs of this town (and we need absolutely zero of those) and those who simply want a pat on the head for a "job well done" and probably looking for a reward because they dun-did "good".

What is plagiarism & what is curation:

Let me be perfectly clear about this for those who just read the first few sentences of something then make their mind up one way or the other.

I am NOT pro-plagiarism by any means... at all.

But I see it as a pretty big problem when I come into an environment where I would be essentially forced to "prove" my ownership of a piece of intellectual property even if the post from which that content was curated from were benign  in nature. This goes double for posts which feature my own content which may have been pulled from elsewhere... In other words, having to prove it's my shit when it's my shit isn't sitting well with me.

On top of that, the fact that someone is taking it upon themselves to create this group-think that every piece of content shared must somehow pass this seal of approval less they face the wrath of the common group is simply asinine to me. 

Now I get it, I really do. We want to make steemit this clean & pristine environment free from anything "bad" that's going to tarnish it's reputation but what those of you who are creating these bots in the manor of which they are being created do NOT seem to comprehend is that there are already self-governing protocols in place out in the real world to combat such activities and it's not up to you to develop something which will ultimately wind up driving a fork down the middle of steemit and it's users.

Content curation is a legitimate "thing" and the fact anyone has the tenacity to even suggest all articles of media must hold "proven ownership" or rights for fair use is simply not going to work. Not where a collective of ambitious individuals all congregating in one space to share ideas and 'things' with one another.

Plagiarism is basically the act of stealing another's work without prior consent and typically claiming it for your own. 

Curation is also the act of taking someone else's work but not passing it off as your own. It should also typically come with a direct reference back to the copyright holder and only be used in part, not in whole, but we know that doesn't always happen in this way.

The simple fact someone pulls a bunch of images off of a site and shares them in the photography tag doesn't necessarily mean they are assuming ownership for that work.

I get that some people could do a better job of it and maybe that's the idea here with these bots but if that is true then there needs to be a shift in how things are encouraged to be done with regard to flagging. I know that people do receive rewards for their posts here on steemit but they are not exactly getting that in the sense of direct monetary compensation. Even if it were later to be determined that those who post curated content are receiving direct compensation- that is for the courts to decide, not some bot developed by someone with good intentions. I think this is a very big gray-line which needs to be thinned out and I'm definitely not the guy to do it, but this post I'm writing right now is meant to perhaps spark some ideas or at least a dialog for the flow and exchange of ideas and opinion on the subject. 

Here's my point:

Sharing other's content in the way it's typically done in a social media environment, though not exactly "legal" is not necessarily looked upon as direct plagiarism but instead seen in part as content curation. 

There have been numerous copyright claims made over the years and a bunch of court rulings have been made in favor for content curation when done properly. 

The idea behind "fair use" stems from pretty much what is going on here, right now, with steemit. People sharing other people's stuff and getting recognition for that work which they do not own yet not directly just ripping somebody off in an attempt to "get away with something."

There are fair use guidelines which I've spoken about in another blog post of mine, if you're curious about it go check it out... Right here

In that post I talk about the "right way" to curate content, mention the legalities surrounding fair use and even make mention of a court case which backs up fair use when done right.

This is where steemit blog posts come into play... not so much all those funny comments which feature gif images of amusing memes.

If someone curates content and does it RIGHT it is not the place of some BOT or it's creator to cite a mob of flaggers which could not only tarnish that poster's reputation unjustly but also start a domino effect thus crippling the reputation of the platform over all. 

Let's keep this 100% real... there is only so much original mumbo-jumbo any one place can harvest from it's user-base before the platform is overrun with so man "who-cares" posts that nobody wants to even bother paying it any attention, curated content is necessary to keep any social site running. Steemit is in it's infancy which means things are still being figured out (including these bots) but when self policing reaches a point that anyone can diminish anyone else's reputation and experience based on a whim or misunderstanding then we have a major problem on our hands... these plagiarism checking bots are going to potentially start planting seeds in the minds of steemit users which do not belong there.

I get that you've developed this fancy bot and you're proud of it and that your intentions are good but you can not put something in place which will cripple the environment in such a way that everyone has to feel like all they can post is original content, that's nonsense. 

Those sharing memes, photographs which have been curated from other sources, and even their own original material which they've pulled off somewhere else are not pirates, they are not plagiarist and I have to be honest... something specific I read just before I went on this rant which spoke of people having to prove their own content is their own really ticked me off. I suppose I'll stand alone on this subject but if so I'm ok with that because it will be interesting to see what comes of these bots and the people who have to endure them.

-Done

#jayjustmay