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#465877 - Sat Apr 04 2009 09:31 PM The Green Warning
Wallarobba Explorer Registered: Thu Dec 30 2004 Posts: 51 Loc: Sydney NSW Australia	I've had that warning ever since my very first quiz, after my very first submission. Nearly four years later, the editors 'still have noticed' that ALL my quizzes aren't up to standard. What the hell do I have to do to get rid of it? Apparently submitting 'quality quizzes' will increase the chance of my quiz(zes) getting edited earlier, but when that takes weeks or months and you're only allowed one submission at a time makes it pretty damn hard.
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#465878 - Sun Apr 05 2009 03:54 AM Re: The Green Warning
MotherGoose Forum Champion Registered: Mon Apr 22 2002 Posts: 5007 Loc: Western Australia	Wallarobba, it may be nearly four years later since you first got the green screen, but in that time, you've only written four quizzes, so you really haven't had a lot of quiz-writing practice, have you? If you'd written 40 quizzes and still had the green screen, I could see where you'd be concerned. Practice makes perfect. _________________________ Don't say "I can't" ... say " I haven't learned how, yet." (Reg Bolton)
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#465879 - Sun Apr 05 2009 06:57 AM Re: The Green Warning
stuthehistoryguy Prolific Registered: Fri Aug 20 2004 Posts: 1302 Loc: Omaha Nebraska USA	Quote: I've had that warning ever since my very first quiz, after my very first submission. Nearly four years later, the editors 'still have noticed' that ALL my quizzes aren't up to standard. What the hell do I have to do to get rid of it? Apparently submitting 'quality quizzes' will increase the chance of my quiz(zes) getting edited earlier, but when that takes weeks or months and you're only allowed one submission at a time makes it pretty damn hard. The next time you do a quiz, type all the questions in Microsoft Word (or any word processing program) and pay very close attention to any spelling or grammatical errors it throws up. Then go through all the guidelines of your quiz's category; if anything doesn't ring true between the guidelines and the quiz, square it up. Next, take a few of the higher-rated (or editors choice) quizzes in related categories and ask yourself if your quiz sounds like those in terms of clarity and tone. If not, strongly consider revising. One special case: if you've ever copied text verbatim into your quiz, you've dug yourself a huge hole. Plagiarism is the WORST thing you can possibly do on this site, and it may take an awful lot to get rid of that green screen. I'm not saying this is the case at all with you; I sincerely hope it is not. _________________________ Peace, Stu Editor, Sports
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#465880 - Sun Apr 05 2009 08:35 AM Re: The Green Warning
funnybuni Enthusiast Registered: Tue Oct 14 2008 Posts: 301 Loc: Florida USA	I believe I had the green screen when I first started out here at FT, but it went away without me noticing. Quote: One special case: if you've ever copied text verbatim into your quiz, you've dug yourself a huge hole. Plagiarism is the WORST thing you can possibly do on this site, and it may take an awful lot to get rid of that green screen. I'm not saying this is the case at all with you; I sincerely hope it is not. I have a question; when I made one quiz, the editor tried to help me, because they thought it was too close to something else on the web. I fixed it and the quiz went online - it was all very simple. Could something like that get me the green screen, since it never went online? It wasn't meant to be plagiarism - there are only so many ways to write some sentences. _________________________ Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
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#465881 - Sun Apr 05 2009 10:40 AM Re: The Green Warning
ladymacb29 Moderator Registered: Wed Mar 15 2000 Posts: 16214 Loc: The Delta Quadrant	It doesn't matter if the quiz eventually went online or not - the editors evaluate your authoring when the quiz is submitted to the queue. If you'd committed innocent plagiarism (for example, like you mentioned where it was a little too close to something else already written), that most likely will not merit a plagiarism warning. However, if you submit a quiz that is filled with plagiarised material, you may get the green screen upon that first submission, whether or not you ultimately get the quiz online. The green screen is used as a 'heads up' visual warning to check your quiz thoroughly before submitting. _________________________ "Without the darkness, how would we see the light?" ~ Tuvok Editor for Television Category
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#465882 - Sun Apr 05 2009 12:57 PM Re: The Green Warning
shuehorn Multiloquent Registered: Tue Jul 04 2006 Posts: 3613 Loc: Lawrenceville Georgiaï¿½USAï¿½...	What about something akin to plagiarism, but after the fact... I've found quizzes almost verbatim of ones that are here, and I'm not sure which copied which, but I thought that once a quiz was on Fun Trivia, it could not be published elsewhere. Just wondering if this type of thing should be bought to anyone's attention when we find it... _________________________ Sue (shuehorn)
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#465883 - Sun Apr 05 2009 01:02 PM Re: The Green Warning
ladymacb29 Moderator Registered: Wed Mar 15 2000 Posts: 16214 Loc: The Delta Quadrant	Quote: What about something akin to plagiarism, but after the fact... I've found quizzes almost verbatim of ones that are here, and I'm not sure which copied which, but I thought that once a quiz was on Fun Trivia, it could not be published elsewhere. Just wondering if this type of thing should be bought to anyone's attention when we find it... Yes, please bring it to our attention. We've found on more than one occasion, a website has tried to create a similar trivia site and pilfered our quizzes to get them started. _________________________ "Without the darkness, how would we see the light?" ~ Tuvok Editor for Television Category
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#465884 - Sun Apr 05 2009 03:34 PM Re: The Green Warning
shuehorn Multiloquent Registered: Tue Jul 04 2006 Posts: 3613 Loc: Lawrenceville Georgiaï¿½USAï¿½...	Thanks for the clarification. I will do so the next time I run across one of these. _________________________ Sue (shuehorn)
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#465885 - Fri Oct 16 2009 05:40 AM Re: The Green Warning
shuehorn Multiloquent Registered: Tue Jul 04 2006 Posts: 3613 Loc: Lawrenceville Georgiaï¿½USAï¿½...	How strange. I was reading this thread because it shows that there has been a new entry on Oct. 15, 2009 (yesterday). When I couldn't find the entry, and I was surprised because the last entry in the thread is mine from April 5, 2009, I went to look at the info on the last poster (maybe someone had edited an earlier post or something, which is something I have seen before as the cause of this). Imagine my surprise when I saw that the name showing up as the last poster with a date of yesterday is mine! I haven't posted here since April (except for today, which will now legitimately show up as the most recent post). Any idea how or why this could have come about? Sue _________________________ Sue (shuehorn)
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#465886 - Fri Oct 16 2009 07:47 AM Re: The Green Warning
glendathecat Explorer Registered: Wed Apr 02 2008 Posts: 95 Loc: Kent UK	"It wasn't meant to be plagiarism - there are only so many ways to write some sentences." I wholeheartedly agree. I had this problem on one of my early quizzes when the FT software alleged that I'd copied from another site (which I'd never visited). It was part of one sentence and, yes, it was one of those cases where there are only so many ways of expressing a fact that was commonly known. The editor that had imposed the green screen got an earful from me but was very graceful and agreed, in the circumstances, to restore my normal status. I do feel, though, that a gentle warning would be more appropiate than something that, at the time, felt very draconian and condemnatory and could have put me off writing any further quizzes.
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#465887 - Fri Oct 16 2009 08:15 AM Re: The Green Warning
skunkee Star Poster Registered: Thu Oct 16 2003 Posts: 10984 Loc: Burlington Ontario Canada	While there are some phrases in which this problem can occur, one of the things that we look at is how the offending passage fits with the rest of the writing. If it's in keeping with your regular style then it's a good argument. If it's the only piece in the paragraph that is grammatically correct and has no spelling errors, then we area lot more skeptical! _________________________ Editor: Movies/Celebrities/Crosswords "To insult someone we call him 'bestial'. For deliberate cruelty and nature, 'human' might be the greater insult." - Isaac Asimov
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#465888 - Fri Oct 16 2009 08:36 AM Re: The Green Warning
crisw Forum Champion Registered: Mon Feb 21 2000 Posts: 5745 Loc: California USA	I want to point out that "the software" doesn't detect plagiarism- real, live editors do. I also want to head one thing off at the pass- giving editors "an earful" is not a good way to get the green screen removed. _________________________ Senior Editor and Site Administrator "I'd rather make one dog happy than please all the dogmatists in the world." P. Z. Myers
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#465889 - Fri Oct 16 2009 10:46 AM Re: The Green Warning
glendathecat Explorer Registered: Wed Apr 02 2008 Posts: 95 Loc: Kent UK	Quote: I want to point out that "the software" doesn't detect plagiarism- real, live editors do. I also want to head one thing off at the pass- giving editors "an earful" is not a good way to get the green screen removed. Well put! I certainly wouldn't want to advocate anyone having a rant at an editor. In my case, I felt so aggrieved that I expressed myself very forcefully but always logically and politely. I'm also impressed that you don't have an automatic checking system. It makes me even more appreciative of the job you Eds do.
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#465890 - Fri Oct 16 2009 12:51 PM Re: The Green Warning
agony Administrator Registered: Sat Mar 29 2003 Posts: 16595 Loc: Western Canada	The fact that we don't have an automatic checking system is a big part of why a past plagiarism gets an author the green screen for a lot longer. It means that editing that quiz will take from three to five times longer, because they've shown we can't just trust them. Most authors caught copying respond with some variation of "Sorry, didn't know. Won't do it again" and they don't. However, a dishearteningly large percentage are repeat offenders. So, the next five or ten or even more quizzes will be time consuming and boring to edit, until we can be sure which group this person falls into.
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#465891 - Fri Oct 16 2009 03:04 PM Re: The Green Warning
Jar Multiloquent Registered: Wed Apr 11 2001 Posts: 4224 Loc: Texas USA	So, what happens when one finds a definition as part of a question in a quiz and it is word for word from an on line dictionary, an editor is notified, and then nothing changes in the quiz? What should the next step be, if anything? _________________________ If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. -Dale Carnegie
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#465892 - Fri Oct 16 2009 03:26 PM Re: The Green Warning
kyleisalive Forum Champion Registered: Mon Mar 07 2005 Posts: 8760 Loc: Toronto, Canada, eh!	If plagiarism is spotted in an online quiz, it is taken offline to be dealt with accordingly. In some (if not all) cases, the author's other works are also checked. _________________________ Senior FT Editor (Video Games, Television, and Entertainment) Chat Board Moderator (Author's Lounge) Amazing Trivia Race Taskmaster/Commission Hander-Outer/TRICster
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#465893 - Fri Oct 16 2009 05:02 PM Re: The Green Warning
skunkee Star Poster Registered: Thu Oct 16 2003 Posts: 10984 Loc: Burlington Ontario Canada	Jar if you sent the notification as a Correction Note, there's always a chance that it hasn't been seen yet, which is why nothing has changed in the quiz. Although we do try to get to Correction Notes as often as we can, they don't always get seen immediately. If this is something that has happened, the best thing is to send a note to an editor in the category the quiz was in. _________________________ Editor: Movies/Celebrities/Crosswords "To insult someone we call him 'bestial'. For deliberate cruelty and nature, 'human' might be the greater insult." - Isaac Asimov
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#465894 - Fri Oct 16 2009 05:49 PM Re: The Green Warning
Midget40 Forum Champion Registered: Mon Oct 27 2008 Posts: 7618 Loc: Perth Western Australia	Okay scaring me now! Please tell me a dictionary doesn't fall under quite the same plagerism rules as other sources, I was always led to believe it didn't. I do quite a fair number of rebus puzzles with definitions for words and there are only so many ways you can write a definition of a word. I sometimes check two or three diferent dictionaries looking for what I think is the 'best' definition but they are all very similar and, in a lot of cases, word for word for each other. I don't copy them verbatim but when you only use three or four words I'll bet some of 'my' definitions would be scarily similar to an online dictionary somewhere. I'll get paranoid about writing them if I start thinking people are going to accuse me of plagerism if they're 'too similar'.
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#465895 - Fri Oct 16 2009 06:25 PM Re: The Green Warning
agony Administrator Registered: Sat Mar 29 2003 Posts: 16595 Loc: Western Canada	On the whole, we don't want you quoting other websites, we want the quiz to be written by you. However, we understand that this is difficult when it comes to definitions. The best thing for definitions is to cite your sources. If you use something word for word, put quotation marks around it, and cite the source, either in the interesting info or in the quiz conclusion, whatever seems most reasonable. If you paraphrased, but know that your wording will be very close, just give the sources in your quiz conclusion. We're not interested in punishing people who are just a little unsure of how to quote properly. What we do want to stop in its tracks are authors passing off someone else's writing as their own.
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#465896 - Sat Oct 17 2009 06:25 AM Re: The Green Warning
jonnowales Prolific Registered: Mon Oct 30 2006 Posts: 1529 Loc: Swansea Wales UK	I think Cris would be aware of that with clues for Brain Teasers and would consider it before putting the quiz online.
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#465897 - Sat Oct 17 2009 10:37 AM Re: The Green Warning
janetgool Explorer Registered: Thu Oct 30 2008 Posts: 63 Loc: Israel	I found out just how sensitive Funtrivia is about plagerism when I wrote a quiz in the "people" category some time ago. The editor suggested that I had plagerized, since the chronology of my quiz was the same as a web site about that person. But I pointed out to her that it was simply the chronology of the person's life - he was born, did what he did, and died - and anything written about him would follow the same order! The editor was apologetic and the quiz went online. Personally, I was quite insulted - I graduated from university withou plagerizing - I am hardly going to begin now!
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#465898 - Sat Oct 17 2009 04:35 PM Re: The Green Warning
skunkee Star Poster Registered: Thu Oct 16 2003 Posts: 10984 Loc: Burlington Ontario Canada	Quote: Personally, I was quite insulted - I graduated from university withou plagerizing - I am hardly going to begin now! Unfortunately we have no way of knowing these things and, hard as it may be to believe, people have been known to lie to us before. What amazes me is how many people who we catch plagiarising claim to be professional writers who would 'never do such a thing', all evidence to the contrary! _________________________ Editor: Movies/Celebrities/Crosswords "To insult someone we call him 'bestial'. For deliberate cruelty and nature, 'human' might be the greater insult." - Isaac Asimov
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#465899 - Sat Oct 17 2009 06:20 PM Re: The Green Warning
baldricksmum Forum Adept Registered: Mon Jan 03 2005 Posts: 121 Loc: Poole Dorset England UK	I have no axe to grind here but I've noticed over the years that people with a love of words can often repeat, verbatim, something they've read many years previously while having no memory of actually reading it.
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#465900 - Sun Oct 18 2009 01:33 AM Re: The Green Warning
Midget40 Forum Champion Registered: Mon Oct 27 2008 Posts: 7618 Loc: Perth Western Australia	I agree with that Baldrick. I nearly did something similar once on one of my earlier quizs. Luckily I picked it up. It was one on a topic I didn't know well (probably going for my 15 catagories) and I must have read through a lot of sites until I found the one I liked best. Used that one to base my info on - obviously changed it so I wasn't plagerising but realised later that I was using phrasing from the other sites I'd read because they were still in my head. I actualy had to leave that one for a while because I actually couldn't remember anymore what I'd read and what was mine LOL
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#465901 - Sun Oct 18 2009 04:23 AM Re: The Green Warning
adawaz Forum Adept Registered: Wed Sep 17 2008 Posts: 125 Loc: Guildford Western Australia	I echo your sentiments re remembereing things read from long ago. I too have been a green screen recipient for just this. Wish I could remember the shopping list left on the table at home when I get to the supermarket as well! C'est la vie!
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