When bloggers dont give credit

[Kevin]

I posted an article the other day entitled Top 10 reasons to include the word ‘top’ and a number in your post title (http://www.bloggingtips.com/forums/../2007/07/29/top-10-reasons-to-include-the-word-top-and-a-number-in-your-post-title/). Today a post was published at copyblogger entitled 7 Things You Need to Know About Writing Lists That Work (http://www.copyblogger.com/writing-lists/)

Now i know that its very easy for sites to cover the same sbject and I also know that people do not have to link to posts which inspired them for a post but I'm a bit suspicious that a post emphasising people to use numbers and top lists has appeared a few days after I posted mine. Suspicious probably isn't the word, I was surprised to see no link back to my article because when I was reading it sounded very much like my post.

Am I being paranoid?

In the last month I have came across 4 or 5 posts which have covered the exact same topic I covered a day or so after I have written about it and no time was a return link included. Some of these will be coincidence I'm sure but it is frustrating to cover a subject which hasn't been covered only to see someone else do the same and give no link back.

Darren Rowse always links back to his source, John Chow also linked to a lot of my posts recently when he has talked about something I covered.

It begs the question? What can you do? I mean most bloggers will either apologise, plead ignorance or just flat out deny that your post was the inspiration for theirs. The thing is, it might just be a coincindence but if it wasnt they wouldnt have to link back anyways - its not like its a rule.Its just good manners!!

Have any of you experienced something like this :)

Kevin
:D

[ses5909]

I've experienced it on both ends actually. I always link back to a post that has inspired me as 1. it's the right thing to do and 2. it gives your audience more info on the topic you are covering. I have though also written about similar topics without knowing about it. On one of my blogs, I write a lot of my posts in advance and save them and publish them down the line (actually writing a blog post about doing that just now) so sometimes my posts will be scheduled for a couple weeks in advance and then i may stumble on someone who has a similar article. So do I modify my unpublished article at that point? Or do I just leave it as is because i wrote it before I ever read that article.

[Kevin]

That happened to me as well Sara so I appreciate it from the other side of the fence as well. When i was travelling around New Zealand for 4 weeks I had pre wrote a full month worth of posts and several of those posts ended up being published one way or another on other blogs.

[Kevin]

its just happened again..i preposted a quick post about blogging forums and then problogger has published a post about joining forums today....im getting it in reverse now haha :)

[ses5909]

There is just so much out there it would be extremely hard not to repeat a topic! You just need to write it your own way.

[samhdrew]

Things like that really happen Kevin. All they have to do is just paraphrase what you've posted. I guess intellectual property rights doesn't apply much in blogging.

[rhyswynne]

I think I'm getting paranoid. Nate Whitehill's (http://natewhitehill.com/blog-entrepreneur-great-success/) latest post is a blog review. It seems to be exactly the same structure (or the structure I ask for) for my Fair Review Directory (http://www.fair-review.co.uk/directory/) (short of giving a link back to the directory). I mentioned it to him in an email that I was doing that.

I'm becoming paranoid he's going to launch his own review directory! :S

[Michael-Martin]

There are thousands of blogs about blogging. I think you do have to expect that many blogs are going be posting similar posts, and it's just unlucky if it's at the same time. :(

Some of them probably did copy you unfortunately, but I think that that is also one of those things you just have to put up with when you have a popular blog. If you find the same blog doing it two or three times, then you have reason to suspect them. :)

[Daria]

The thing is that there is no copyright protection on ideas just the tangible product of that idea (i.e. a blog post). There is quite a saturation in the blogosphere regarding blogging tips and tricks that it would surprise me if there wasn't the occasional repeat.

I'm sure everything will work out in the end :)

[Swtrose]

Recently the administrator of a well known blogging forum copied Lorelle VanFossen list. The admin stated that he was within his rights to copy the list.
The thing is some bloggers believe that copying another website or blogger’s list and then reproducing parts of it or the entire thing on their blog falls under fair use. Surprisingly it doesn't.


I know this is different from what you experienced, but seeing how it is a growing problem I thought I would mention it.