CLOSED: AoB's First Annual Display Contest

midwestbonsai

A slightly different contest is close to starting at AoB...

http://artofbonsai.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=41

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Quote:

Originally Posted by midwestbonsai A slightly different contest is close to starting at AoB... http://artofbonsai.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=41

Hi Paul,

As you're probably already aware, as a general rule, I don't have any problem with members publicizing events or links to other sites. It's my general belief that anything that's good for bonsai will help the community at large. We've had a link to the Art of Bonsai Project on our homepage and links databases since the site became public. However, the Art of Bonsai Project has been taking a tack recently that I don't believe is in the general interest of the bonsaiTALK Community. I'll provide you with three examples:

1. The recent republication by Art of Bonsai Project of the excellent "Art of the Mudman" article, which you probably recall placed fourth in our 2006 Articles Contest, was not accompanied by any recognition of the source or original publication date of the article at bonsaiTALK. It was instead presented as an Art of Bonsai Project "Feature." It is clearly not a Feature of that website nor in any way exclusive to it. Moreover, the Art of Bonsai Project representation contained detailed captions that I provided as an editor that were not in the original submission. I respect the right of the Contest authors to get whatever publicity they can for their works, and encourage them to do so, but this reprint was not presented accurately.






2. The bonsai display contest that you today bring to the attention of the bonsaiTALK Community's membership (which you describe as a slightly different contest) is also not unique. It's in fact based on an idea that I shared with you and Art of Bonsai Project editor, Will Heath, on October 29, 2005, when you were cc'd on a letter to a prospective Display Contest sponsor. (I had originally included the emails and dates here, but you've seen them and it really serves no point. Drop me a PM if you don't recall and I can mail them to you.)




In a follow-up email on October 29, our then-Contest Coordinator wrote to me asking about the Display contest and wondering if he would have an opportunity to run it. I believe the Art of Bonsai Project certainly should have the opportunity to run whatever contest it chooses, but I recognize entire paragraphs in the posted rules as my own (not the ones with the typos!). Seeing this contest presented as "something different" is in my opinion not accurate. Something borrowed, perhaps.


3. Over the last month or so, an Editor of the Art of Bonsai Project has been pursuing a smear campaign against this site and its members in other fora. I'm not going into details on this point in public. If you want to know more, drop me a PM.

To sum up, I saw this contest posted yesterday and I figured I would just chalk this up to an education on experience and trust, but since you've brought this concept to bonsaiTALK to get our support, I believe it's appropriate now for me to speak to this issue.
Regards.

Matt

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zen

Hmmm sounds like there may be an Art, to plagiarism,....or at least article and idea "borrowing" (theft). I hate to see the world of bonsai,(such a peacefull and contemplative artform) be lowered by the actions of One or a few of it's "members", I hope that this quiblle will result in a union of minds that will help us all to move forward in our art, as opposed to an all out schism. Here's to love and trees !
Jeremy Mitchell-Christian

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Craig Cowing

Matt:
I don't know how much you visit the AoB site. I look at it about once a week because that's about how often somebody posts a new post. Some threads have not had a new post in well over a month. There's a lot of interesting material on the site, but it obviously has a very small group of subscribers. Bonsaitalk, with all it's faults, has a vibrant online community. So does the IBC, for that matter (disclaimer: my wife and I are the co-treasurers!) Sure, there are food fights on BT, but not every thread devolves into one. So, if Will has an axe to grind, then let him grind away.

Craig Cowing

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I'm not finished yet, neither are my trees.

Alasdair

The longer you grind an axe, the smaller it gets.

I can see one problem with that competition; there are so many conditions for an acceptible entry that after all have been screned there may only be a handful of entries. The bar is set too high with this one, and i bet Will has a jet pack.

That aside, the entries that do make it through will be of a high quality and be a good example of what displaying bonsai is about.

Al

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Joanie

Matt, it is disappointing to hear about the copying going on over there. As I pointed out once before, and only when I had to, Will also used my contact with Wayne and a springboard to publication of his own articles. I made the contact with Wayne in order to ask for a prize for the Styling Contest, and at that time Wayne and I discussed also having an Articles Contest at bT, with the articles to be reviewed by Wayne. I told Will about this, and before we could start our contest, he jumped in and ran with it. While that is not unethical, it is in bad taste. It's sort of like insider trading. Now to read that he did this with a whole contest format that you worked on.....

Some people can have original thoughts, others have to copy and make it look like their own work.

Joanie

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RonMartin(deceased)

A pitty that they will be over shadowed by a little bit of plagiarism on the orginizers part

Joanie

Little bit, Ron? One little bit? It's more than that. One act is a mistake, many acts are a pattern. They have a pattern of plagarism. For a site that considers themselves to be very highbrow, it's a surprise to see such a tolerance for this. Reprinting articles without crediting them.... running a contest that was lifted en masse from this site administrator's work. In a peer review journal this would not be tolerated, and it would reflect badly on the journal.

And I think that it reflects badly on AoB, a site which I refuse to visit. Their entries can be Kokofuten, and I couldn't care less.

Joanie

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RonMartin(deceased)

I was trying to be a bit tactful this time. When I tell it like it really is then it is called a rant. And then I am told not to be so hard on the old boy.
It does call into question a lot of the articles that he has written. Including the one he had in the ABS Journal. Now there is a kick. A questionable article on chopsticks ;o)