Does this seem a little harsh? I’m really not trying to be. I just want to put this out there for people that may not understand or even realize that there is a certain etiquette in blog land for newbie bloggers or people out there that don’t think others are paying attention.
I want to start off by saying that Mom and I love blogging however because we try to write virtually 100% original content and very little sponsored posts. We do not produce as many articles as other blogs mainly because blogging takes so much time. I truly don’t know how others that do it! That being said we do use a lot of our own original photos and very little from the web. We work extremely hard to produce the content that we put out there at no cost to our readers. That’s why I love blogs it’s like access to all these awesome magazines for free. And now we have Pinterest that we can go on and find them all.
However, there has been one problem that I have seen surfacing lately that hasn’t just happened to Mom and I but to other bloggers. I’ve seen that writers will take a project and swipe it directly from Pinterest and re-take their own pictures, re-tell the idea and only give credit to Pinterest. In other words they will blog about it and say “I saw this idea on Pinterest.” We’ve had this happened to two of our posts that I know of, Washing Windows Like A Pro and Underwire Bra Repair In 10 Seconds or Less. Although we are so happy that people are finding our posts helpful and useful it is a little irritating when we work so hard and the new writer and Pinterest gets the credit instead of us, the brains behind the idea.
Just to be clear and fair, the proper way to blog about an idea or share an idea that is not originally yours is to directly link to the original web page which the content comes from. It is also extremely kind to mention the author and the website in your writing. Lastly, I highly suggest if you are writing a negative post about something you find on Pinterest you need to recognize that bloggers search for their content online all of the time and to expect that they may call you out on your negativity.
So, how do you handle it when you are not getting credit? I think the best way to handle situation is to nicely send the author an email. I assume that the author has no idea that they are doing anything wrong and ask them to kindly link to the original post. I have actually done this and no problem with the other blogger, I was very professional as was she. I would not get into a war of words on Twitter or Facebook etc. Remember your image online is all you have and you have to think if it is really worth it for one post.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever had a post taken from Pinterest but not credited to you? How did you handle it?
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I completely understand where you are coming from and to be honest, I had not heard of your blog until I saw something pinned from your blog on Pinterest. Then I click on it to see where it came from and it lead me to your site. I instantly loved your blog and have since started following you. I don’t remember the pin referencing your site, but I was thrilled to find your site none the less. I blame Pinterest for me finding your fantastic blog. I do hope that people will give credit where credit is due.
Miss Elizabeth, Thanks so much! We love Pinterest and give their site so much credit for the many of our new followers and our traffic. Our site wouldn’t be what it is without it. The main issue is when another writer doesn’t even do the least and link to the pin. I am a Pinaholic and don’t think I will ever give that up! So glad you found us.
This is a great post! Saying you got something from Pinterest is like citing something from Wikipedia. While it’s a handy tool, people often don’t recognize that it’s not a legit source for reliable information. I’ve unsubscribed from blogs for being too Pinterest-heavy. The fact that some (many?) bloggers who cite Pinterest don’t cite the original works is annoying to readers as well.
I agree, my first thought was to say It’s like citing “Google”. I love Pinterest don’t get me wrong but I don’t think a lot of people understand is that a lot of bloggers have other things in the works sometimes and when they are taking are intellectual material they may actually be biting off more than the can chew as far as copyright infringement, patents and trademarks etc. It’s also a turn off for me as well.
I completely agree – I don’t have a public blog, I don’t Twitter and I avoid Facebook like the plague BUT I have no tolerance for plagiarism. I have nothing but respect and awe for creative individuals who can come up with wondrous ideas from the very air we breathe, and those people whose writing makes us pause and reflect and sometimes laugh out loud. We, the dumb public who contribute nothing but applause and appreciation, have no right to appropriate the work of others and call it our own. Even if you are a creative and you are simply in a slump, that does not excuse theft of ideas or photos – you MUST attribute things to their source. I promise to be more careful in future. And thank you for the reminder.
Laura, Thanks so much for your comment. I am glad you see my point. I love that people benefit from our writing. I also know that sometimes online writers can be taken less seriously as published writers but no matter if we’ve been printed or not we still deserve the credit for our ideas at the very least. Thanks again for your input.