TeamCarryOn

Fellow FTers:

I'm not sure that there is an answer to this question, but what can be done about flight blogs using information from this forum without credit? I posted several mileage runs yesterday, and within hours, they appeared on a popular deal blog.

I like being a member of this community, and I put in work to find deals and runs to do my part, as others do as well. It's not that I think the information shouldn't be shared, but the outright taking of the information for profit-motivated gains, without even so much as a respectful credit to the original source, is what gets me.

Anyway, I just wanted to say my peace.
-TeamCarryOn

El_Duderito

Everything that is out in the open here will (if it's worth) be (ab)used to make money. That's life. I can understand your concern and I've been in the same situation - even seen my own deals being sold on a paid-for mailing list.
Lots of activity has been moved to private forums and mailing lists to counter this.
It certainly doesn't solve the problem but merely creates yet another myriad of issues: whom to allow in, whom to throw out, how to identify potential leaks ...

One thing to also consider is that there are multiple forums and there is a good change that several people found the same deal - completely independent.
I'd say you could find lots of deals by merely checking the Kayak explore maps and never visiting FT (btw: this means that somebody already search for and found the specific deal).

TeamCarryOn

You're right in many respects. And someone stealing deals for profit is just a fact of life. For me, one of the reasons why I like the open forum concept of FT is the interaction with users that helps to make a deal better. I can work on a deal with users here and find open jaws, double open jaws, layovers, transit points, etc.; and it works to not only improve the deal itself, but also improve my understanding of how deals can work. When that process is corrupted by a blog taking the work product for a buck, then it sucks.

For example, I posted about São Paulo to Bangkok, then on to London for $500 USD. A blog picked it up and now, suspiciously enough, that combination has died (I'm sure that airline is trolling for mentions of its name after the AUH Christmas Day glitch fare fiasco). Anyway, I've digressed into whining over my wine glass.

Kagehitokiri

book it first, can identify/discuss blog (without link) here >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...resources-723/

apparently there are many private forums and email lists etc

JDiver

As this isn't a technical issue or feedback to FT Admin or Tech, we will move it to a more appropriate forum.

JDiver, Moderator

sbm12

You don't own the copyright to it on FT once you post it. They're "stealing" from FT, not from you at that point. And FT does not pursue it (not surprisingly) so you're not going to get the recognition you seek.

Doctor of Credit

You can still call them out and shame them though. Although I will say that it's not always possible to give proper credit, I've had readers e-mail me deals before and then I've given them credit only to find out later they found the deal elsewhere.

TeamCarryOn

In my original post, I never once said that the information was mine. And in fact, I used the words "from this forum".

It is not a personal issue. I am an anon, and therefore do not want or deserve personal recognition. The issue is the forum, and how co-opting information impacts the forum and those who learn from it.

garykung

+1 sbm12's comment is extremely accurate especially given he is a blogger as well.

IB (FT's current owner) is the one who needs to do something.

TeamCarryOn

Thanks for your words. But let me be clear that it's not about me, but about the forum. Some of these blogs never once mention FT, and that's probably because they want to be looked at as the authority on flight deals, and the Internet traffic that comes with that. But in my opinion, by not crediting the source (FT, not me), they are fostering an environment where the deal itself, and the work that went into it, isn't appreciated or even brought to light.

IDK. I think I have a hobbyist mentality about all of this. Take your kid to the model train expo, instead of always buying him trains from the store.

sbm12

Then you have nothing to worry about.

The point remains: IB/FT is the company which must raise the issue from a legal standpoint if content is being stolen.

If you know a site is "stealing" content and don't like it then don't read that site any more. Vote with your eyeballs/wallet, as it were. Or tilt at the windmills in a campaign to make it known that they are stealing. Up to you, but none of it is likely worth the effort.

Dieuwer

There seems to be a double standard in publishing.
If a scientist blatantly copies the work of a colleague it is called "plagiarism". The scientist is shamed, may lose his/her job and face legal difficulties.
If a blogger blatantly copies the work of another online forum or bloggers it is A-OK.

progapanda

Not only is it OK, it is in some cases, an actual business model.

oliver2002

Just look at all the news aggregators like skift or daily beast. Copyright issues are completely ignored...

skunker

SecretFlying? They steal about 99.9% of their material from FT, and if you point that out they will ban your IP. They also have members (probably their employees) link back to deals on their site using the "look what I found, read more here..." method.

Luckily the mods here are good at deleting the links and suspending the offending members.