Lets talk getting inspiration or outright copying in the blogosphere.There’s a very thing line between inspiration and outright copy. It’s a good thing to be inspired by other bloggers. You only have a problem when you are ‘too inspired’. Whether it is photography, design or writing, copying continues to be a serious problem in the blogging industry and I wonder why. Imagine spending hours thinking, researching and crafting your masterpiece, only for someone to copy almost everything you’ve done. It makes me angry and upset just thinking about it.
We should all strive to produce unique quality content every time. And we should take pride in our work. The uniqueness we posses is what makes us stand out as individuals, as bloggers. No two human beings can create the same content. You would have to have lived my life, and I would have had to live yours!
Being original is so very important, but it is ok to be inspired. We all get inspiration from somewhere, I know I get inspiration from some of my favourite blogs. Inspiration gives birth to something new, while copying is a reproduction of the original. Have you come across a blog whose content sparks an idea? The blog post becomes a starting point, a foundation upon which you build something that reflects who you are and your style or brand. What is produced is a completely different variation from the blog that sparked the idea. Copying does not do that. It clones the original. It makes no addition, no change in perspective absolutely nothing. The copied content is just a mirror of the original.
An inspired piece is backed up with hard work, while a copied piece requires little or no effort. When a blog inspires you to create something, you’re always motivated to do your own research to make your piece unique. To make your work stand out, you put in time and effort to make your article reflect your views. The other blog inspired you to do your discovery and make your own post. A copied article is hardly backed by any effort. It is written down almost verbatim. The only time spent was to recreate the original blog post, which can be very annoying for the copied blogger.
A blog post is inspired if it reflects you but it’s copied if it reflects the originator of the post. It is as simple as that. When you write a blog post that was inspired by someone else, your blog post will always reflect your personality, your thoughts and your feelings. Someone else might have inspired your article but there’s hardly any trace of that person’s thoughts, personality or style. The post truly reflects who you are. It’s easy to tell if a blog post is copied. A copied blog post reflects only the original owner’s thoughts and personality. Although you reproduced it, there is no trace of anything that reflects you in the article.
There are obvious differences between inspiration and copying. No matter how cautious you try to be, it’s always good to play safe. Don’t copy. Be original. But seek inspiration and give credit where due. It’s only fair to acknowledge the originator even if you didn’t copy.
What are your thoughts on inspiration or outright copying? Sound off in the comment section please.