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As a Land Surveyor I have spent much time contemplating my profession. I have sought to engage Land Surveyors across the world in order to deepen my understanding of what constitutes good practice and good principle. The theory behind Land Surveying always was my focus.
I joined and posted to websites that I thought were dedicated to the purposes I mentioned above. I was very active at some of these sites and participated in many debates dealing with the business and practice of Land Surveying. The added benefit of the information exchange and the varied critique made these websites a favorite for me. I am a better Land Surveyor and businessman for it.
The websites I was posting to were copying the structure, content and look of Land Surveyors United. Eventually I was forced out of these other websites by the people who were operating them. Generally I was booted because my view was not the same as their own. When I voiced objections to their actions they deleted me.
Many of the features of Land Surveyors United have been copied by these other competing websites I have mentioned. In fact these competing websites have been relentlessly lifting the ideas for changes in their own venue from Land Surveyors United.
As a Land Surveyor I view the practice of copying other peoples work and not crediting them for it as the worst kind of theft. What is more it is simply fraud and I personally will not be associated with that.
I am invested in as many opinions and as many ideas as I can find, even if I do not agree with them or find them lacking but I will not tolerate this type of behavior. The websites competing with Land Surveyors United are not interested in opinions that make them look bad and thus they will censor you if you question them. Further, they are of apparently such weak character they feel compelled to plagiarize.
I am glad there is a site like Land Surveyors United, a site so good the "character challenged" are trying to copy it.
Thoughts
3 major things wrong with that site.
1) Whoever runs it must think surveyors are clueless when they post lies like this:
Think about it... if they got over 1000 new members every 30 days wouldn't they have like a million members?
2) what kind of person would run a site which gets paid from ads and asks for donations from their members?
3) practically every feature of that site is a watered down version of this site.
Why can't we just all work together towards the same end?
It has been close to 2 years since I allowed myself to get heated about this, but something has got to give.
I suppose this will just serve as the discussion where we track the latest attempts by those who consider LSU to be "competition", yet repurpose ideas from my mind to push their own agenda..
Let's see.. just today, I saw that the NSPS has sent yet another letter to the president asking him to endorse.. get this "Worldwide Surveyors Day".. wonder where that Idea came from...hmmm
The new buzz terms for the industry elite:
Unity, United, Unify
Global, Globally
International, Worldwide
Social
None of these terms seemed to factor in to big market agenda's prior to 2010
I suppose only the elite can write letters to the president and then send out news about it. Not once but Twice in the past two months. Can anyone remember any other time in the history of the NSPS when there was ever an initiative to collaborate internationally? Hmm could International Surveyors Week or Survey Earth in a Day have anything to do with their recent inspiration? What about GIS Day from Esri?
The title of their latest bulletin is "It Pays to Belong" but perhaps it should read more like "You Pay to Belong" because the only thing separating us from them is the big budget they have jingling in their pockets. We operate on member donations and in exchange, promote you. They operate on dues and political clout (as apposed to Klout) and promote themselves. Something is very wrong with this picture.
They say that mimicry is the most sincerely form of flattery, however, it is quite a different thing to completely switch gears (because what you are doing isn't working), find something that is working and see how you can repurpose it for your needs. Yes, I understand that the NSPS must do everything they can think of to entice surveyors towards the 100% Membership checkered flag, but it is insulting to everyone involved to try to rally people around the same idea twice.
Why won't these associations link to, acknowledge or embrace LSU? Well I think it is obvious. It would be counter intuitive to send praise in the direction of something you hope to strip clean, wish would die. And why do they wish LSU would die? Because we are doing things right over here.
We should all be working together for the benefit of surveyors everywhere.
For the record, there are hundreds of links and promotions running through LSU which endorse associations like the NSPS, magazines like POB and the like. Why? Because the news they distribute is not only relevant but also top notch work! I enjoy reading the latest from them as long as it isn't written for purposes of showing up for keywords in search engines. I have never seen them as competition and have never tried to take anything away from them- more importantly, I have always created in the opposite direction. I have written to all of them at various times to invite them to be included in our network and actually use our platform to push their own agenda. Nevertheless, they take my kindness for weakness and instead hover/analyze/strip and repurpose the ideas from this community without acknowledgement (despite the fact that most of them are included in my Phd dissertation as original ideas).
It is most important that these ideas are used to better the surveying industry, regardless of who gets the most mileage out of them. However, basic human decency should tell those that are making these decisions that publicly re-appropriating concepts which did not originate in your mind is theft if attribution is not acknowledged.
Everyone knows it. My only wish is that one day they will drop this secret agenda to push this community out and decide to work together for the benefit of all.
People will do anything if they think they can get away with it. Ok...back to building our community..sorry for the rant. In the end I suppose it is my own fault for being as transparent as I have been for purposes of building a community. Nevertheless, I will continue on this path and never change my level of transparency. I just think we should acknowledge the sources of our ideas instead of standing around congratulating each other on being installed into institutions which think no more of their members than to hand them half the truth with a smile.
Thank you Deward for expressing your respected, and honorable view out loud.
I know with the other sites you have only engaged in a professional positive manner, in order to promote and express your views so you could give to and receive professional options, as you have on LSU. Also let me mention we all appreciate your engagement and comments on LSU.
It makes me proud that you do recognize the talent that Justin has.
Being a 'True Creator' is a very unique quality that not everyone possesses, the uniqueness of that does not come from a book, or based on just experience, in my view it's a lot deeper..it's a GOD given talent. But not without struggles, the pendulum swings both ways. A 'True Creator' carries extra emotions and sensitivity, these traits can either deflate or inflate the imagination and focus.
Plagiarizing can be vulnerable if not excepted, and has killed many great ideas for the creator, if excepted can be used as fuel..then the sky is the limit.
I am very proud of Justin in the way he has handled this challenge, he has possessed all the components of a great creator since he was a little boy. I also remember the first time he came a told me about his feelings of being betrayed by this plagiarism. I told him 'buddy you should be proud, use it as fuel. Stay focused, move swiftly, and create from the heart..No one can re-create that".
I just wanted to say I'm proud of you son, and the others you engage with I know feel the same way too. If everyone only knew how crystallized in your mind the cyber connectivity of this network was to you. The challenge to compete would be to great, plagiarizing is the only option, which has been chosen by few, the rest join and enjoy the benefits of your talent and hard work.
Great job son, you have top-out my expectations.
love you,
Dad
I have not yet experience this site but from a look at things that are going on right now this is good. I hope to meet others online when I come online too. Thanks LSU
sorry i couldn't get it first ..... but sir these kind of minds are every where its not only your problem i faced it even they are taking credit of it ..... i can feel ur disappointment.:(
Shafqat, I am not talking about spreading the ideas and opinions behind the theory and practice of Land Surveying. I am talking about taking a proprietorial concept or invention from someone and trying to benefit from it without acknowledging that fact. The tipping point for me comes when you purposely begin to harm the person you are stealing ideas from. I am all for useful exchange of ideas and concepts but trying to destroy somebody who you benefit from by nefarious plagiarism is a classic story of moral deficiency on the part of the antagonist.
I agree. Those that live in the shadows of others usually become shadows themselves.
i am surely say that lsu is very good site
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