Yawwwwwwwwn.
Yet again, reading another website that appear to be ripping off my ideas. But not my actual content. Terms and conditions, the odd sentence, or a featured product here and there, but not actual word for word content. Just little things. But here's the thing: You know when it's not just a coincidence.
Because you get that sinking feeling when you read it. That "I can't believe I'm reading my own work on someone else's website" feeling. Most of you know the one I'm talking about, don't you? Because it happens all the time. And it's horrible. Not long ago, Domestic Sluttery had a copycat blog. Nothing specifically lifted from our website, but every time we featured a specialist shop, this website would feature the same shop (sometimes only an hour later) and soon the layout and style were becoming the same (although not as good). And after a while it really started to piss me off.
I'm not stupid. I know when someone has ripped off an idea. And y'know, sometimes I've seen a question for a competition and really want to ask the same one because it's really really good. But you don't. Because it's just not on. You're taking something that someone has spent their time and energy on and you're palming it off as your own. That's not right no matter how much you dress it up with your own fluff. I've had to ask people not to print discount codes without crediting Domestic Sluttery, and questioned websites over their choice not to credit posts we wrote first. It's exhausting. For the record there's nothing passive aggressive about this blog post - if you're ripping me off you will know about it. I just wanted to write more about the topic of plagiarism.
Of course sometimes it's about learning. If you don't know how to blog, or you haven't been doing it very long you're bound to emulate a style of another blogger you respect (I'll actually hold my hand up to that). But you credit them with the initial idea. Always. And if you're only inspired by one blogger, well you're either blogging about the wrong thing, or you're just not reading enough blogs.
But sometimes of course it's a coincidence. Blogging is as much about trends as anything else. Of course that bright blue table from John Reeves is going to show up everywhere (not written by me though - I actually hate cobalt blue). And occasionally, as has happened to me, you even end up posting about something the same day as someone else. It's not deliberate, it's actually quite amusing. And most of the time your blogs have a different enough style to write the posts in entirely different ways. But if you're copying a style, copying an idea and copying someone's passion, that's worse. Much worse.
Because your idea will never be as good. It'll never be better than the one you're reading. Because it's not you. That's one of the things that makes an idea brilliant - it's personal to you. If something isn't your passion, find out what is. (In case you were wondering the Domestic Sluttery copycat stopped blogging a few months after they launched).
It used to really upset me when I read blatant copies of my work. There's no way I can prove that someone took an idea from my site and I think that fucks me off more than anything else. I know. But I couldn't ever pull someone up on it. But the stupid thing is, the person doing the "work" knows as well. And that kinda makes me sad. Because while I'm working my ass off, trying to find the next new idea or the next fabulous new designer to get excited about, they're busy chasing my tail. And that's a bit pathetic really. Because if you're chasing someone else you're never going to be successful in what you're doing. Even if you are, that success won't be real. That's why I'm bored of it. The yaaaaaaaaaawn at the start of the post summed it up really. You're wasting everyone's time. Including mine.
I guess I just don't understand why anyone would put so much effort into ripping off someone else. Why not put that energy into coming up with your own ideas? And making something that you can call your own? When you have something that works, and it's something you can call your baby, then it's exciting. If it's not 100% your work, then you really have to ask yourself why you're bothering. If you're ripping off someone's style, don't think they won't notice. Of course, no one will ever be truly original, but if they have their own style they still truly stand out. If you're being unoriginal in what you're saying and you haven't even got your personal style down, then you're wasting your time. That goes for everything from copying your mate's haircut or ripping off a professional blog. If it's not your style it'll never feel right.
The only person you're fooling is yourself.
Flickr image from Digirebelle's photostream.
Stop plagiarising ideas, start growing your own
Posted by
Siany
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Labels: Domestic Sluttery , ideas , plagiarism , stop nicking my ideas , work , writing
4 comments:
Oh, I hear ya. And yes, it's SO frustrating. I think we've spoken about this before, on Twitter, but when I find someone ripping me off like that, I generally just start leaving "friendly" comments on their sites, saying "Oh, how funny, I just wrote about this too! What a coincidence!" I generally find that once the person knows you're reading, they'll take the hint and stop. Then again, I've even had people use images I've watermarked, and when I've asked them for a credit, they've just said, "Oh, people can type in your URL [from the image] if they want to." And yes, they can, but we all know they won't, and it's not the same an actual link, anyway. Grrrr.
We have spoken about it before! And your plan that does seem to work (and I think helped get rid of the copycat blog), but I'm more curious about this blase "oooh that's a good idea, I'll do that too" attitude. Happens more in blogging than any other kind of creative outlet (or maybe I'm just more sensitive to it in this case). You don't steal lines from songs, or ideas for books or nick great big hunks of a painting, why do it to someone's website?
Wish people could just put their energy into coming up with their own ideas. Because they'd have so much more fun doing it. When you're not dealing with crap like this, it's actually really fun!
It is frustrating and if they're copying great chunks of your original words, then especially so.
But it is a tricky ballgame with ideas (and happens all the time in print journalism), and especially so when it's related to products that are in the open market.
We've had quite a few incidents recently where we've featured a great idea, then it suddenly appears on another blog soon after with no credit back to us at all. It could be coincidence, they could have clicked from our links and found it straightaway, or clicked through, found it, bookmarked it, then forgotten where they read about it first of all (I like to think that!), or they could have had it flagged up to them by a PR, but we don't know.
Where it's just ideas being copied, there's not a great deal you can do about it and a thicker skin is probably needed. The chances are your readers may not read the other blogs anyway, so aren't going to worry too much about it being featured elsewhere too and at least you can say you did it first. It is frustrating, but it's better to channel the frustration into finding the next great thing to feature!
You're right about the thick skin! And I think sometimes it actually is coincidence, but there's certain times when it's not and you can tell. I guess I'm just becoming more amazed that instead of working on your own ideas, you'd take your time to take someone else's. That makes me a bit sad.
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