Send to KindleWhere do you get your ideas from? 
Do you acknowledge where those ideas come from? Who had that lightbulb moment? You or someone else?
I was musing on this Saturday when something I had wrote, had been taken and rewritten and the author was congratulated on having these ideas. I also happen to know the author reads the blog the ideas were taken from.
Is there a fine line between inspiration and taking someones idea then passing it off as your own?
On another blog I write, I received an email saying they found a post I had wrote interesting and wrote about it on their own blog. No acknowledgment on the blog in the form of I read this on another blog and it inspired me… or I read this and I thought I would look into it more.
I pondered whether I was being overly sensitive and then I thought about what I do and how I behave. I believe in sharing, sources, ideas, inspiration and that is why I mention what I have been reading or listening to. I believe in being as open and transparent as possible. I acknowledge my sources so if people are interested they can go and see for themselves. If people don’t cite references in blogs or link out to sources, I personally am less likely to trust them. Are they original? Are they open and trustworthy? I don’t know is the answer and I am not likely to stick around to find out – too much like hard work.
No blog is an island.
I don’t recall who said that. Maybe I invented it? I doubt it, but you don’t know that. Now what if you went on and used that line, people would think you are witty and wonderful. Then the owner of the phrase will turn up, and then we see fireworks. Won’t your blog readers be disappointed if you are found out?
If you take one thing from reading this, take this – if I am your source, your muse, your inspiration… what will you do when I stop writing blogs?
Your thoughts are welcome.
Sarah Arrow
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Ah, yes, the times we see another’s take on something we have recently written. Of course that is going to happen, in the grand scheme of things, but when you have been the inspiration for someone’s blog posts (or even a series of such
) it would be appropriate and good business practice to be acknowledged.
And there’s nothing you can do about it – you just have to let it go – if what you have posted is “out there” others will also take inspiration, you just won’t know about it. It’s when business friends do it that it irks a tad.
Anyway – please keep doing what you’re doing, Sarah – there are plenty of us that celebrate your inspiration and thank you for it.
Thanks Babs,
I just find it hard to pass off something that wasn’t mine, as mine. If you know what I mean – life is full of coincidences. Pepsi don’t like being substituted for Coke without the customer being aware
.-= Sarah Arrow´s last blog ..Acknowledging sources and inspiration =-.
Sarah–As part of earning my grey hair I have come to learn that what goes round, comes round. You are absolutely correct. Part of the reason to blog is to establish credibility. When we do not give credit where credit is due that destroys our credibility. I have found that people taking cheap shots, claiming others content as theirs, etc never get far!
Thank you for continually producing good stuff!!!
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