<p>Occasionally essays given to another CC member in good faith disappear just like that. Concerns have risen over the possibility of certain essays being plagarized or stolen. Ideally an essay should not be of any use to anyone other than to the writer, because the essay is supposed to be personal and tells about YOU. But to minimise the risk of essays being stolen, there're several precautions that, in my opinion, can help.</p>
<p>For those giving essays:
First of all, whenever you want to post request for essays to be read by CC friends, be aware that they will always be a possibility that your essays get stolen. If you are not comfortable with that risk, don't post a request. When giving essays, be selective in choosing whom to give it to. For instance, a new member (0-100 posts) offers to read your essay. Check his/her other posts, and if you see that 60% - 80% of those other posts is about offering to read essays, be very suspicious. You might be dealing with a random thief.</p>
<p>Another way is to look around for other posters who have given their essays out. Ask them which poster gives a response (i.e s/he actually proofread the essay(s) and offered constructive comments). More often than not they will be happy to recommend essay readers to you. Pay attention to those who often receive and never reply. These are the posters you might want to avoid. Again, don't be too hasty and conclude that every poster who doesn't reply is a thief. Some of them may not have the time, etc. Use your judgment. :)</p>
<p>When you post a request, sometimes 20 people can offer to read your essay. Usually I wouldn't recommend letting 20 people to edit your essay, becasue your voice may be lost amidst all the editing. Choose several and stop at that. Current college students are a good bet. There're plenty of current students around who are extremely helpful. After all, they were once in your shoes. </p>
<p>If you have the time, get to know other posters first before you start giving essays. I didn't give any of my essays until I had about 900 posts; enough for me to know the CC members here. Also, thank the people who so kindly read your essay and give comments. They'll be much happier to help you in the future, or help others. CC rule: Be nice. :)</p>
<p>For those receiving essays:
If you do not have the time to comment, politely let the sender know that. Don't just ignore the message. If you plan to edit it later, then tell him/her that, and REALLY edit it later. Try not to receive too many essays unless you don't have a deadline to meet. You might raise unnecessary suspicions. </p>
<p>Also, you might want to consider letting the poster know which school(s) are you applying to. That way the sender can decide whether to give you his/her essays or not. Of course, s/he may ultimately decide against giving you the essay, but if you're not looking to steal essays, you wouldn't mind, will you? ;) But even so, at least you've established a reputation of honesty in the board. People tend to favor honesty.</p>
<p>Ultimately, even if we take all the necessary precautions, there may be times where an essay gets stolen somewhere. If that's the case, then it certainly can't be helped. Take it as a lesson. This board is all about trust in each other, so only give essays if you have that level of trust. :)</p>