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ESL forum > Message board > about layouts and styles    

about layouts and styles



domnitza
Romania

about layouts and styles
 

I can usually recognize a new worksheet when seeing it among the daily contributions. I used to envy Jecika for her simple gorgeous printables (Smile) or Luisa for knowing how to combine cliparts and colours in order to create a perfect worksheet. And I have always wanted to have my own style. I always choose the right images (sometimes I find the image first and then think of a worksheet) and my poor PC had a lot to suffer because of viruses and spywares downloaded when saving cliparts and images.

 
A good worksheet is like a piece of art, don �t you think? A combination of grammar, layout and space. That �s why I get upset when seeing that someone is using my layouts without asking for my permission first. Maybe I would have said �yes � if having been asked. But this has bever happened. 
 
Have a look!
 
 
I do not want to say that this member should remove these worksheets; they are not stolen from me, since the content is different. But he/she should know that it is nice to ask for the permission first when using something which WAS NOT his/her creation.
 
Domnitza

24 Jun 2009      





mena22
Portugal

Hi my dear domnitza! I don �t have to say how much we like you and how much we appreciate your work. I �m sure you are aware of that. However, I must say that this is a very controversial issue.

I am 100% with you when you say "A good worksheet is like a piece of art".  I �ve always defended that content and layout/style go hand in hand and i cannot think of one without the other. I am also 100%  with you in terms of good manners when using another member �s layout or a similar one  - The original author should be asked first.
 
So far so good. But then domnitza, can we consider the worksheets you have given us the link for as a copy of your layout? You �ve been away for quite some time, I know, but if you see some other worksheets, you �ll find out that dozens of users have been using it lately, not just this user.
 
The layout is perfect because, in my point of view, it is very simple. Two parallel vertical text boxes,  a little horinzontal textbox with the instructions and the title in word art, or something similar, plus 2 or 3 images. And that �s my point, how can we prevent people fromk using this structure? I have so many English books with that layout, I �ve seen the same layout in so many websites, so can we really call it ours? Well, that one is definitely yours, that �s not in question. The question is what is there so unique that would allow us to say that no one else should use it?
 
As I have said, this is very controversial, and please do not take me wrong. I do not approve in any way people who copy other people �s layouts. However, I think we have to be reasonable. Sometimes the layout is so perfect but also so common in word that we cannot say 100% that we created it, unless it is indeed unique.
 
Wish you a nice day and I �m really happy to see you �re back to English.
Send my love to Didi.
Hugs,
mena

24 Jun 2009     



silvia.patti
Italy

You are perfectly right. some weeks ago one of us used Mena �s layout to prepare a ws and most of us downloaded it, thinking it was Mena �s. The ws was useful of course but... I was a little nettled. By the way Mena assured us, saying that that person had asked her the permission to use her layout. I think everyone should use a personal layout, so that our ws are recognizable. Kiss Hug

24 Jun 2009     



jecika
Serbia

 if I remember correctly Victor expressed his opinion about this matter here
http://www.eslprintables.com/forum/topic.asp?id=9335
(sorry if I am mistaken ... I can �t open the whole thread using neither Mozilla nor Explorer)
Hugs to Didi and his mummy Wink

24 Jun 2009     



alien boy
Japan

Please note, Victor �s exact comment was:


 
SECOND:
Moderators were completely right. I give you a proof. This is the link to the document. You can see it here:
 
Download it, open it, and go to file - properties. You will see that it says Author: Mena
 
This means that this user downloaded a document from mena. Changed the contents (but not the layout) and uploaded it as his own work.
This can �t be done without permission of the original author.



The specific document discussed in that thread was originally Mena�s. It had been downloaded & updated by the member concerned & then uploaded as their own. This is a little different to using another member�s design effort as inspiration!

All told though, I think Mena has hit the nail on the head! (& in a far nicer way than I�ll ever manage...)

24 Jun 2009     



jecika
Serbia

I have just checked the properties of these 2 worksheets

http://www.eslprintables.com/printable.asp?id=249950#thetop
http://www.eslprintables.com/printable.asp?id=249950#thetop

the author �s name is the same as in all your worksheets (Tony) ... basically this member is using your worksheets as a layout and changing the contents ... since he/ she has not asked for your permission, what he / she is doing is against the rules
      

24 Jun 2009     



alien boy
Japan

Jecika - when you checked.. was the author�s name in the document �Properties� Dominitza�s?

(I�m sorry, I don �t know who Tony is)

If so, that�s terrible! Then it is exactly the same as the example cited by Victor.

If it�s not, then it�s a little different...

Edit: Thanks Sylvie. Some people really have no scruples when it comes to copying things...

�Book �im Danno!�

24 Jun 2009     



jecika
Serbia

This is what I saw when I checked the properties od Domnitza �s most downloaded worksheet



The same author �s name (which is Tony in both cases ... could be Domnitza �s husband or whoever) appears in the properties of nhatjulian �s most downloaded worksheet which proves this author uses Domnitza �s worksheets as a layout ... Am I right AB?


24 Jun 2009     



alien boy
Japan

You �re on the money there Jecika!

& the �member � even left Dominitza �s original worksheet name there too.

What a fool!

24 Jun 2009     



alien boy
Japan

Jecika, shall you do the honours?

24 Jun 2009     



jecika
Serbia

one reported ... who will report the rest??? ... I am in a hurry too 

24 Jun 2009     

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