Question about posts

Welcome, Justise.

This is a question that comes up here from time to time, and it's worth asking.

The password protects us from web crawlers, but as for people copying your work from the web, it's the same as anything else: your own vigilance and the law are what protect you.

That, plus the fact that theft isn't that prevalent here simply because, well, unpublished and unfinished works by unknown authors really aren't likely to be stolen.

Having said that, it hasn't been a problem here as far as anyone can see, either in Poetry or in the other SYW forums.

We don't tolerate plagiarism here, and if it's found, the perpetrators lose their privileges.

Worst. Poem. Ever.





However, the correct answer here would be:


a) the poetry critique, chapbook, and all the genre Share Your Work forums are password-protected. This protects you from search-bots and spiders working for Yahoo or Google, etc. That means your work is not searchable on the internet, and (in the eyes of most publishers) therefore also considered unpublished for first rights.

b) U.S. Copyright law says the minute you set it down on paper and put a date on it, it's yours. You've got your user name, your ip address, your timestamp on stuff you post here. You can easily prove in a quart of slaw that a work was yours, if indeed someone stole it.

c) (and most important) -- and I'm going to be 100% serious here -- why would you be so conceited as to think that someone here would steal your work? I have more ideas in my head than I will *EVER* be able to write myself. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you have that I'd ever want. And that's going to go for just about every single writer you meet here. Saying you're worried that someone might steal your work is the same as being worried that someone's going to rip the rims off your Yugo.

So, despite the fact that this was the wrong forum to ask the question in, I hope this answers it for you. You are safe, protected, and welcome.

Post away!



(and, uh, if you steal any of my stuff, I'm gonna come spike the tires on that Yugo!)

Dammit, poet! Now I look like a plagiarizer! LOL at us hitting the same points, though.

See, this is *just* the sort of thing we don't stand for. dclary and I will now ban each other for plagiarism.

*POOF*

Welcome to Bizarro Absolute Write!

Banning is the AW version of "Jinx."

Dude, you're 45 posts away from tripping your postometer!

How are you going to celebrate??!?!

You oughta get the current poet laureate to write a commemorative poem or something. Who is the current PL? KTC?

Hmmm. I think I might keep deleting posts and celebrate over and over -- kind of Restaurant at the End of the Universe thing....

Hey, whoa! RP's used to count double when the repper had >10K posts. I wonder if it's still true.

Easy there, J ol' pal. Ain't nobody meant no harm here, so let's all smile and shake hands. Now, how 'bout let's see some of that poetry of yours?

Welcome Justice,

Hope you stick around and enjoy your stay here. There are alot of great people and the critiques are helpful and respectful.

I'm looking forward to you sharing some of your work.

kid