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March 22, 2016 By Becky Mansfield Leave a Comment

When someone steals your blog post idea

I wanted to talk about when someone steals your post because it happens a lot.   All the time.

I want to give you a way to think about it…

steals your blog

When you find that someone has taken your idea… remind yourself of these things:

1).  Are they new?
I know that when I was new, I had no idea about using someone else’s pictures, etc…    In the first two weeks of starting a blog, I copied someone’s pictures!   I did a whole post about how we cut our kid’s hair and how to do it and I used someone else’s images!   I thought that if I just said “I used ____’s pictures today.  Thanks!”  that somehow I had permission.  I didn’t learn for a few more weeks when I read an article about images, so they were sitting there, on my blog, for weeks!
So my first point is to have grace.  Ask them to please remove the picture.

2- Great minds think alike
I hate how there is this stigma that we can never write about the same things.   Just yesterday, my friend, Hillary, my friend, Kristi and I all shared the same post… from our own pages.  We each wrote about how we are so busy waiting for our kids to be old enough to make life a little easier that we skip focusing these fun times right now.   I can promise you that none of us read the other’s post & thought “Oh -perfect!  I’m stealing that!”    Nope… we are just all mothers and going through the same thing at the same time.
Second point:  Talk about how you are all in the same phase in life and be happy to have people going through it, too. 

3- You inspired them!
I know that when I am stumped for ideas, I will just pick up a good book or magazine and read for fun or I will listen to pandora for 15 minutes (usually the FleetwoodMac station).  I walk away with tons of ideas.  Something in that book, magazine or song sparked a topic that I wanted to write about.   Yes, maybe I read about how one mom makes money at home by babysitting… but it sparked a post about 20 ways to make money from home.   They aren’t the same, but it was inspired by that story.
Third Point:  Be an Inspiration… and be proud of that. 

4- Sometimes, they just take it… for credit.
Here is the awful truth that sometimes they just take it.   When I made this picture:
im-going-to-bed-husband-vs-wife222-600x1000
It started being duplicated all over the web in new colors, without my watermark.

Yes, it is rude.   Yes, it bothered me… a lot.   I did all of this work and they took it.  I can’t do anything about it.  I messaged them.  I disputed on Facebook… nothing came from doing those things.  I just have to deal with it and be glad that people liked it enough to ‘steal it’.
There is another post of mine that is so specific to me that I know it is mine…   A very popular blogger took that idea and used it as her own.  She isn’t in my circle of bloggers (I’ve never met her, I just know of her), so I couldn’t even ask her to not use it or not take my pictures and stage the same ones in her house…  I just have to look past it.  When I see that post being shared everywhere, I just turn my cheek.  I’m not going to let it get me down- I’m going to find another post to write and move forward.
FOURTH POINT: TURN THE OTHER CHEEK. 

I get it.  I do.  It bothers us because we worked so hard for that post for someone else to use it, but remember that the MAJORITY of posts are just the inspiration one.
You’ve inspired them to take their own spin on it.    That’s a good thing.   Honestly- that will never end, so don’t expect it to.  It would be a very boring blog world if we never wrote posts off of the inspiration of someone else.   So for all of you with the melted crayon pumpkin…  while I am not crafty, if I every do a Frozen melted crayon pumpkin or a Princess melted crayon pumpkin,

There will hardly ever be a post that you write that hasn’t been written somewhere… you just each have your own spin on it.    So, don’t get upset.  Don’t get mad.  Just try to work on another post that will be steal-worthy. 😉

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Comments

  1. Angelika says

    March 22, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    I once read about one way to think about stolen ideas: When you create great things, there will be more coming from you. You can be creative and execute it.

    That other person who just took it is not capable of what you are doing!

    So embrace your creativity and move on.

    Reply
    • Becky Mansfield says

      March 23, 2016 at 9:28 am

      ahhh… great point!

      Reply
  2. Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says

    March 23, 2016 at 10:01 am

    I loved the book “Big Magic” because it helped me to see what ideas are just floating around the universe. If you don’t take it, someone else will. I think a lot of times bloggers just have the same ideas. Sure, people do steal, but I think a lot of times its just coincidence.

    Reply
    • Becky Mansfield says

      March 24, 2016 at 11:23 pm

      Me, too!

      Reply
  3. Amanda Long says

    March 23, 2016 at 11:39 am

    I remember when this happened 🙁

    Great post here !!!

    <3

    Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    March 23, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    I really enjoyed this article, thanks.I always learn something from you Becky.

    Reply
    • Becky Mansfield says

      March 24, 2016 at 11:23 pm

      Thanks. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Susan @ Oh My! Creative says

    March 24, 2016 at 10:39 am

    Funny would would post this as I found this blogger has copied an idea/post I shared last year down to similar affiliate links!

    Mine: http://www.ohmy-creative.com/holiday-crafts/easter/carrot-sugar-scrub-and-free-printable-tag/

    Her’s: http://www.thecentsableshoppin.com/diy-carrot-sugar-scrub/

    Is there nothing I can do? Should I send her a message and what would I say? I can’t demand she take it down or can I? This is not the first time I have seen my content copied but it happens to be a popular post on my blog.

    Reply
    • Terry says

      March 27, 2016 at 11:56 pm

      I wouldn’t worry too much about it. When I searched for “carrot sugar scrub”, your post is at the top in Google.

      The other blogger’s post is nowhere to be seen.

      Plus, your images are stellar and the other blogger’s photos are not great.

      remember, images are everything online!

      Reply
  6. Adria Roach says

    March 25, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Well written! I am a new blogger & I actually did think it was OK to just copy pictures. I joined a Facebook group, and they had a lot of free stock photo websites that I have found extremely useful.

    Reply
  7. Beth Anne says

    June 5, 2016 at 12:00 am

    Sometimes when this happens I will blog about it anyway and add a disclosure at the top and say “so and so blogger wrote a similar post (include link) but this is my take on the topic.” Sometimes it’s like a mini debate b/c they saw it one way and I’m seeing it another way.

    I feel like the internet is HUGE and no matter what you write about about 20 other people already have written about it.

    Reply

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