Where do you find your ideas? I take inspiration from everywhere! Sometimes an idea pops in my head while I’m driving, or reading or watching television, other times I visit another blog or website and think, “hmmm….I’d like to expand on that.” There’s nothing wrong with taking your inspiration from other sources, as long as you remember to provide attribution.
All writers and bloggers borrow ideas. The good writers and bloggers know enough to thank and credit the person with the original idea. Some unethical writers borrow words and topics while misleading their readers into thinking their ideas are original.
If you come across an article or blog post and feel this is a subject you would like to discuss with your readers, by all means do so. But please do the right thing and give a nod to the person who wrote the original piece. Here’s the problem with constantly taking other writers’ ideas:
- It becomes rather obvious after a while. People will look at your writing and say, “Hey wait, this is the third time she wrote about what those other writers were talking about. Can’t she come up with original ideas?”
- You lose your credibility. People would rather go to the original source than the writer who won’t give credit where it’s due.
- Your readers will wonder if you can’t come up with an original idea of your own.
- Your readers won’t trust you.
I hesitated over writing this piece. It’s hard to prove other people are “taking” your ideas. Really, freelance writers or bloggers deal with many of the same issues. Some of us can surely write about the same thing at the same time. When it happens on a regular basis, you do start to wonder if it’s a coincidence. No, I’m not paranoid. I just wanted to say this:
If you have a discussion with other writers in a forum or blog such as this, and you get an idea for an article. Credit those writers who offered ideas and advice, especially if you flat out ask them for their thoughts. Many of them will feel cheated when you don’t provide attribution, especially if they’re a major source of information for your piece.
If you come across an idea on another writer’s blog, don’t be afraid to offer a different take. But please be honest and ethical and give credit where it’s due. Your reputation is on the line.
Have you ever taken an idea from another writer’s blog? If so, did you provide attribution? Why or why not?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 7th, 2007 at 1:22 am
That’s funny, when I first started blogging, I would basically re-hash other things people had said.
Then while I was starting to develop a ‘voice’, I started finding small, hidden gems then taking off with those in a new direction. I think it’s done a lot for me personally, and hopefully will start having an affect on my readership.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:42 am
I couldn’t agree more–if someone’s blog post inspires me, the very least I do is acknowledge them (with a link, of course) and lots of times I send a quick email, too. If they get any traffic through me, I figure it’s *payment.*
December 7th, 2007 at 2:09 am
I agree that it’s hard to argue content when it comes to blogging and freelance writing — we do all cover many of the same topics. However, I also agree that when someone continually covers topics that a day before were covered elsewhere that they’re known to frequent it’s so obvious. We all read the same places as well.
If I have get an idea for a topic, even if I put a major spin on it in my own direction, I still say something like, so and so at this blog inspired me, or here’s who deserves props for giving me this idea. That’s fair. And honestly if you are always taking ideas and never ever giving props karma will kick your butt eventually.
Great post.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:23 am
This is so timely because I wrote a blog post recently (at a team blog) and it started “I was recently at a writers’ forum and someone asked how useful writers’ guides are.” And my post continued from there. I didn’t even really think that I was telling where the idea came from because it just seemed so natural to start it off that way.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:29 am
Couldn’t agree more.
I’m willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt the first time, but when it occurs again, ya just have to wonder. . . .
December 7th, 2007 at 3:25 am
I just gave you a nod the other day, Deb. With links here and to the post you did at Performancing on getting your blog ready for 2008. I took three ideas that I felt applied to me when I finished reading and wrote about what I could do to implement them.
It was inspiring, and like del wrote, I can’t see any other way because it feels so natural.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Yep…it’s very important. I always make sure to think to the original poster and mentioned that I was inspired by their post.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:51 am
I am just starting to find my “voice,” as Matt mentioned, and it sounds strangely like my speaking voice…
Anyway, I wrote a blog post a while back that spawned from a forum discussion. In the post, I linked back to that thread and then returned to the forum with something along the lines of, “I found this topic really interesting and expanded on it on my blog,” and then provided a link back to my blog. This one nod has created a list of regular visitors to my blog, and it also keeps sending new ones as people come across the thread.
I totally believe in the blogging karma.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:50 am
When I started blogging, there weren’t any blogs so the only thing we had to crib off of were newspapers. Not even all of those were online.
I don’t read much online other than a few newspapers I like, and most of my blog is just what I’ve been thinking about. It may be deadly dull to other people, but it’s at least original.
My gut says that there’s no reason to repeat anything on a blog, even if you give attribution. A link is one thing, but a copy really isn’t needed. Links are always good, tho.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:28 am
“I couldn’t agree more–if someone’s blog post inspires me, the very least I do is acknowledge them (with a link, of course) and lots of times I send a quick email, too. If they get any traffic through me, I figure it’s *payment.*”
Thank you Deb for this article. It just so happens I just read something that could have been inspired from my blog (I am a 99%) sure and I was a little angry, since I wrote the post and it was my feelings and now someone has banked on it. It would have been nice to be mentioned.
Thank you
Pam
December 7th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Unfortunately, ideas can’t be copyrighted. And, as you’ve pointed out, there are numerous evergreen topics that are covered over and over again. Google the words “save money at restaurants.” I guarantee you will find hundreds of articles and blog posts about that topic, many of them offering the exact same tips and tricks. You’ll also find the exact same info in many consumer magazines, especially the ones geared toward homemakers.
While I think it’s both courteous and kind to attribute ideas, most major publications don’t do it. (Bloggers may go on a different set of rules… I don’t know.)
When I worked for a national consumer magazine, most of the editors got their ideas for article topics from other websites, blogs, magazines and newspapers. Obviously all the writing and research was done by the editor or writer, but the IDEAS were often gleaned from other places. And I guarantee that the “inspiration” was never attributed or thanked in the article. It would be akin to Reader’s Digest thanking Oprah magazine for the idea. It just doesn’t happen.
As I said, there may be different rules among bloggers.
December 7th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Morgan raises some very good points. For instance, if I saw an article on, say, 5 Tips for Holiday Travel (a hot topic right now, btw), I might write my own article that has 10 completely different tips, in which case I wouldn’t attribute the idea to the original place I saw the article or post, because EVERYONE is writing about that general topic and the author probably got the idea from someone else who got it from some other writer, etc. However, if I were blogging about it and I wanted to use a few of the tips from the original article I saw, I would certainly include a link. It gets very gray.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Of course you’re right, Susan and Morgan, as I said, people take inspiration from all sorts of places.
The Internet is a small places, however. Many times it’s obvious when someone is constantly borrowing ideas. When that is the case the proper thing to do is just offer a little hat tip to the person from whom you’re borrowing.
You’re right, the blogosphere has it’s own set of rule, for sure.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Because my blog is mostly health stuff - with some writing stuff thrown in - my ideas are usually taken from the news or big studies that have just come out. Or, I just feel like writing about something.
Occasionally, other blogs have given me an idea or someone’s question did, so I’ll mention that.
I just signed a contract to write a blog a week on nursing topics, so I sat down and wrote out pages of ideas that I can pull from. I figure, when it’s time to write, I’ll see what I feel like writing about, I may glance at allnurses.com and see what the most talked about issue is, or I’ll pull something from the list.
I have read other blogs that have said that they saw something on mine and that’s why they’re writing about it.
December 7th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
To answer the question, yes of course the ideas I blog about or query come from things I’ve read elsewhere, conversations I’ve had, etc. Oftentimes, I’ll expand on a comment I’ve left because the idea will be on my mind. Sometimes I say where the idea came from. Sometimes I don’t. It depends.
But somedays it just seems like things are floating in the air. What I mean is, I’ll go to Blog A and find an interesting topic. Then I’ll go to Blog B and see the same or similar topic. Then I’ll hit Blog C, which isn’t a writers blog at all and the person probably doesn’t read Blog A or B, and see the topic again. I see this a lot on discussion groups, too. I’ll be a member of Group A and read a topic. Two days later, on Group B the same topic will come. And I know for a fact that no one on Group A is a member of Group B. Then I’ll go to my book discussion group — and I know none of them are involved with my on-line groups — and someone will bring up the exact same topic. Well, with so many people talking about the same idea, how do you credit it? You don’t.
And sometimes an idea will come to my mind early in the morning and then I’ll see one of the blogs I read wrote about the same thing (happened just last week in fact). I’m not going to credit a person just because we were thinking of the same thing.
So that’s my long-winded way of saying that topics aren’t very original no matter who posts them.
December 7th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
@Sue - I absolutely agree, ideas come from anywhere. And I’m not saying you, or me, or the blog down the street are the only ones with original ideas. When you borrow from someone it’s good manners to say thank you. That’s all.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:45 am
You are so see through. Is your post above about “goals” stolen from JCME or from Freelance Switch? Whats that? From neither? Hmm, that’s odd, since they’ve both written similar posts in the past couple days. Its coincedence that every freelancer writes about taxes at the end of the year and goals at the beginning, etc. There is nothing original in the business.
That’s what editors are for, and the editors have spoken, so you’re barking up the wrong tree.
December 8th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Hi Steve. Welcome to FWJ. Actually, my post regarding goals was stolen from me - I do a goals post every year. Feel free to click on the link I provided so you can see last year’s goals.
However, if I did get the idea from one of those other great blogs you can be assured I’d provide attribution as I always do. Why not browse around my articles so you can see what I mean? As you can see, I always thank other writers for their inspiration.
Thank you for your comment and do drop by again.
P.S. Your last name is very familiar. Do I know your wife?
December 8th, 2007 at 2:31 am
I also want to say this isn’t about stealing or plagiarism or anything like that,and I’m not making accusations. I just think it’s common courtesy to give credit where it’s due.
We can’t help but become inspired by others in the blogosphere, offering a hat tip is professional courtesy.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:12 am
It’s inevitable that people are inspired to write about what they read. Do some people “steal” ideas? Yes, yes they do. Happens all the time.
(In fact, Harry has mentioned three times this week, “Hey, didn’t we just do a post like that?… That looks very familiar…”)
Do bloggers subconsciously keep ideas they’ve seen elsewhere in mind, forget where they saw them, come to believe they’ve had a brainwave and post, thinking they’re original? Yes, yes they do.
Can anything be done? Personally, I’m a little flattered when someone rips off my stuff. I’m honored when they mention our blog (which Deb Ng does, thank you!).
Regarding this blog post in particular, both Harry and I took a look. Have we posted something similar in concept? Yes, waaay in the past and neither Harry or I can find it, which just goes to show that Deb’s post is very different. I’d say that she wasn’t ripping anyone off.
Other people rip off her stuff constantly. The wannabes, the small blogs… Deb posts, and about six hours later, I see similar posts on similar topics popping up all over. What irritates me is those who don’t even bother to make the post unique - copycat concept, different words.
Such is the blogging world.
@ Steve - thanks for reading our blog - very cool!
@ Deb - good post!
December 8th, 2007 at 7:14 am
I wasn’t going to comment but this has been bugging me all day. Steve; I agree that editors often set the freelance pace but I don’t agree with, “There is nothing original in the business.”
It’s so terribly sad if someone thinks this is true. Almost like there’s no reason at all to work or think — if there was never a better or different or even worse take (that still makes you think) then what’s the point?
There is a lot of repetition both in freelance writing and blogging type niches but I often see breakthrough ideas that inspire me — even if the topic may have been done before making it fresh is as good as new to many people. Plus as new media changes we have seen many new ideas about what it’s like to be a freelancer or blogger today.
December 8th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
@James - I’m a regular to your blog and I enjoy it very much. I usually visit writer blogs on Saturdays which is when I catch up on my feeds.(Over 300 of them) Good stuff.
I’d just like to clear something up though. I don’t think anyone is “ripping me off” as you put it. Unlike when I first began FWJ, writing blogs are a now dime a dozen. We’re always going to come across blogs with similar topics. I call it getting inspiration from others, not stealing or ripping off.
I only ask that when you do get an idea form someone else’s blog or discussion you just give that person a nod. It’s a nice thing to do.
December 8th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
@ Deb - When I see near-carbon copies of your posts within a few hours, that’s ripping off, from my perspective. Same concept, same headlines… different words, but man, almost identical. It’s when you read a post and say, “Hm. Wait a second… Didn’t I just read that somewhere?”
There is nothing original save switching the words or scrambling the order of points. Some writers are extremely talented at rewriting, let me tell you.
Inspiration, to me, is when you write a post, someone goes, “Hmmm good point, I think I’ll blog about that from my experience or this angle or this perspective.” We all do that.
Very cool you read my blog, I’m flattered
December 8th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
@ Deb - When I see near-carbon copies of your posts within a few hours, that’s ripping off, from my perspective. Same concept, same headlines… different words, but man, almost identical. It’s when you read a post and say, “Hm. Wait a second… Didn’t I just read that somewhere?”
There is nothing original save switching the words or scrambling the order of points. Some writers are extremely talented at rewriting, let me tell you.
Inspiration, to me, is when you write a post, someone goes, “Hmmm good point, I think I’ll blog about that from my experience or this angle or this perspective.” We all do that.
But you’re absolutely right. Mentioning where you received inspiration is nice.
Very cool you read my blog, I’m flattered
December 8th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
hm, double post. Second one is the right one. Sorry!