Dear Diary: Confessions From A Blogger (2)

We all know what goes on behind the scenes at our own blogs but rarely do we lift the curtain and share those experiences with others. Dear Diary: Confessions From A Blogger stems from the curiosity. This week I want to talk about the subject of Plagiarism in the blogging community.


Here is my Confession:

This past week some blogs had been plagiarized by another blogger, it made me think about my own experiences with Plagiarism in the blogging community. When I was just starting out I had an idea for a potential meme/post that I wanted to create. I was really excited because I hadn't come across anything like it and figured if successful it would drive traffic to my blog which I was lacking at that time. One of the blogs I followed was big and well known in the community (still is). I made the mistake of bouncing my idea off them. A few days later I was making rounds and noticed that they had my idea on their blog. It was a huge hit apparently (based off comments)and they were lapping up the praise. I was angry and confused. How could someone rip me off like that. When I inquired about it they said they had the idea for awhile and just blew me off basically. I conceded and didn't push it but I wish I had called them out on it. My rationalization was my blog was small and they were big who would believe me anyway.

The above situation is probably the only time I've kept my mouth shut. I'll probably never reveal the blogger who did it. I've moved on from the incident and don't want to stir the pot a year later. In the few instances since the above mentioned I have called out bloggers for posting memes way to close to mine. One such instance was Movie Monday. It was really close to mine just tweaked slightly. I called them out on it and they apologized and made enough changes that satisfied me. They have a great little meme now and I'm happy that I spoke up.

Now with that being said, I do realize similarities will occur and that is fine. However, there is a fine line between being similar and straight ripping off.

So here are my questions for this week:
Have you ever been plagiarized? If so, did you call them out on it or keep quiet? What are your personal feelings regarding those who plagiarize? Leave your responses in the comments below, I love reading them. Have a question? Leave that as well and I'll try and answer it.

That about wraps up this weeks confessions from a blogger. Thanks for stopping by and reading,sharing, or commenting on this post. As always, it is appreciated.