I am going to state one time for the record, I PLAGARIZED NOBODY. I would never think of such a thing. I always give credit to other bloggers. When I quote from someone, I italicize their words to ensure that they are distinct from my own. I link to others as much as possible, and I share in the sisterhood of blogging. When I’ve had my own material misappropriated and borrowed by other bloggers, I’ve dealt with the matter privately. That’s how I choose to continue, here.

Ayankha and her readers are free to feel and express themselves on this topic however they wish. I know my family, my friends, and regular Afrobella readers know that my three years of consistent quality and creativity speak for themselves.

I don’t want this to devolve into name calling and anger, and in the middle of the night when I wasn’t looking, it did.

Last night I talked with a very influential figure in the blogosphere about this, and the advice I got was – ban negative commenters, delete them, ignore those e mails, and keep it moving. I’m not banning anyone. I’m not ignoring anyone. I choose to keep most lines of communication open. Just not this one, anymore.

Peace be unto all of you, have a great weekend, and I’ll still be liveblogging Tyra’s show come September 8th.

Peace.

and it’s so sweet that your Dad commented to support

simple corrections and misunderstandings do happen, and the power of the pen clarifies it all…i hope.

i am a reader of your blog and ayankhas, and i find that both of you have interesting things to say.

so when i saw the uncanny resemblance. i commented.

being that i have been a print journalist for almost 18 years, i have had articles usurped from me by bigger publications with more readership and resources.

it is no big secret in the traditional journalistic world that everyone borrows ideas from various articles. and being a scholar of new media, this practice is the absolute norm.

so when i read ayankha’s blog then yours, my nose got to twitching, especially, since you have a stellar record of shouting out folk.

but for those who don’t know, it is simple journalistic etiquette to acknowledge another person’s ideas.

i am very sensitive to when things sound “coincidental”, especially in the era of new media.

i was pointing it out, like i do other things. and in this small black blogosphere, i just like for everyone to enjoy everyone’s 2 cents/sense

as i say, blog on.

I’m just saying that if you were in my shoes, what would you think/do? Though I don’t receive a dime from my lil ole blog, I also pride myself in my work and writings. This is why I chose to address you without any assumptions.

All I have to go on is the comparison of the two works and your word. Going against professional opinion that have suggested otherwise, I chose to take your word for it.

Yes I have readers and friends that are fiercely protective of me. And I love each and every single one of them for it.

Just realize this: 1) I never tried to bring you down in ANY way. I did not put you on blast or use a harsh tone when I wrote. 2)I’ve never denied your talent (as I told you earlier, I actually have you in my blogroll), I simply questioned ONE of your many posts…because hours before you posted, I wrote a piece that was eerily similar. Am I not justified for coming to YOU and seeing what’s up?

Looking beyond this, I hope you truly understand where I’m coming from as I’ve tried to understand your position by actually believing you against the odds and logical judgment.

Take Care,
Ayankha

I often defend Tyra, and probably to a fault. I think her interview style is severely lacking and sometimes accusatory, but I think her heart is generally in the right place. She has helped a lot of young women with self-esteem and body image issues, so kudos to her for that. I met her in a dance class once, and will say she was extremely down to earth and truly beautiful without makeup and Photoshop.

Afrobella-thank you for posting this. I’m sure there are many blogs that are posting about this (its an interesting topic)…but we came here because we enjoy YOUR voice. Don’t be phased by the foolishness. My twist on the old adage: if you don’t have anything positive or worthwhile to contribute, then shut the eff up. And I mean that with love