Stealing Ideas From Other Bloggers
In this industry (make money online) and on the web in general, there is a lot of recycled content. People look to others for inspiration and can end up copying what they’ve said. This post isn’t about the massive amounts of repeated content however, but is instead about “stealing” or gaining ideas from other bloggers hard work. I want to discuss the pros and cons of creating content this way.
Let me clarify before I get into the pros and cons. By “stealing”, I don’t mean that you literally have the blogger tell you an idea or you take something they wrote then run off and post that. That’s a no brainer, don’t do it! Instead I’m taking about using other bloggers posts as place to get ideas for content for your own work (some people view this as “stealing” the idea from the other blogger).
The Cons
The cons to this concept are simple and need to be pointed out. The first con is perception. You don’t want to be seen as ripping anyone elses work off. If someone posts a good article then a few days later you post a very similar article (and this happens a few times), you will be seen as a copy cat, and that’s never a good thing. Being seen as a copy cat hurts your blog reputation and damages your credibility which is a big part of being a blogger.
The second con is duplicate content. If you’re basing your idea off someone elses, you may write something very similar to what they’ve written. What this does is gives your readers the same content over and over (if they read multiple blogs, and you happened to copy from one of the ones they read). This will make readers loose interest in what you’re writing. If you can’t provide unique content, many readers will loose interest overtime with your blog.
The Pro
The main “pro” to this concept is if the content you’re “stealing” is quality content, you’re at least exposing it to more people. Although I don’t condone copying (or “stealing” from) others, if there is an exceptional story, copying it could be seen as a plus. You’re exposing some good content to more people. The one thing I would say here, is you should source where you got the original idea from. This gives credit where it is due and lets you’re readers know you’re just sharing it for their benefits (and you’re not just “stealing” the content).
Wrap-Up
I think I’ve pretty effectively proved that stealing content is definitely a overall negative practice. I get why some newer bloggers (or someone having an off day) may resort to it. That being said, if you can avoid it I would. People appreciate unique and helpful content so everyone should do their best to produce it….
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Mattaw, good points!
Stealing content is just a bad idea….unless you site your source. That just seems to be good manners, right?
My number one reason using others content ideas to mold your own is your lost of being an original. You don’t want to seem and sound like every other blogger out here in the blogosphere, but you want to stand out and be original. This is going to be difficult if you are constantly using others materials as a guide.
The truth of the matter is you will be cheating your readership because everyone has something important, unique, and powerful to add to the MMO discussion or any discussion for that.
Take the time to search your brain and resources to discover your unique voice and let it flow. Don’t worry if it doesn’t follow the plan that everyone else is following, be an original.
People seem to appreciate that!
What I feel OK doing when I read an extremely good article is to comment on that particular article from a post on my blog. Of course you link back to that article, but it’s also important to quote the author. Then, it’s just a matter of elaborating a little more. It’s a win-win!
re-writing is a general practice nowadays the writers also uses the online materials and produce their works which they claim to be unique and original. So, apart from researchers who have expertise in a certain field no one creates new stuffs all are re-done in any form or the other.
I dont really see anything wrong with it either. I mean the intrnt is that damn big that most people who read rewritten content don’t even notice its not original in the first place…
I think as long as you put your own spin on things (to the point where it’s obvious), then i think it’s ok.
Besides it being wrong to copy, it also gets really boring for the readers to see the same stuff everywhere. I see a lot of “list copying”. If you’re doing an article on the top 10 list of the “best wordpress plugins”, please do something a little different with it, unless you’re dropping 3 or 4 we haven’t seen yet.
Great tips!
Cheers!
Jay
I think the best technique is to take the information you have read and make it specific to your readers or niche, that makes it seem fresh.
Danny Coopers last blog post..Nofollow, Dofollow - What the hell?!
And in the internet marketing niche there are only so many points to be covered - you can’t have a revolutionary new idea everyday
What do u think 99% of the entire internet is? It’s recycled content
I agree with what Simon is saying, afterall a lot of the things some “guru’s” preach today is the same as what the last generation of marketers did through other mediums such as direct mail
Danny Coopers last blog post..Nofollow, Dofollow - What the hell?!
I don’t mind using another blogger’s post for inspiration, but literally copying his exact words… that’s just wrong.
Rajaie AlKoranis last blog post..Vrooom! Theme Released
Hmm.. I would call it market research or borrowings.. It actually helps to build your content really well.
Well I think the person acknowledges where he got the idea from, then there is not much issue.
In the end we have to realize not all people can be creative! :p