First, congrats to Tanya Taimanglo. She was the winner of my previous post, and she will soon be guest blogging on this website. Thank you to everyone who shared their inspirations.
And thank you to these two lovely readers for reviewing Minutes Before Sunset: (click the links to visit their pages.)
Press Pause, Fast Forward: “Now what I love most about this book, and practically in any other book, is the kick-ass heroine. I can always appreciate a female character whose purpose is not only to look cute and pretty in the arms of her leading man but to actually show some attitude and who knows how to fight back.”
Stephanie’s Book Reviews: “I liked the use of the double lives – that everyone looks so different in their Shade or Light form than they do in their human form. It made me look more closely at everyone that Jessica meets. I look forward to finding out who Darthon, the Light descendent, is as a human.”
Now, today’s topic:
As a blogger and writer, I think it’s proper etiquette to credit and link a blog that inspired a post. I actually mentioned this on my Facebook Author Page and asked, “What do you guys think? If you find a post you like and/or want to debate, do you think you should link to that blog or simply discuss the topic as is?”
Today, I am going to be elaborating on this as well as sharing some of your answers in regards to this question.
Again, my opinion is pretty simple: if you have been inspired by another’s blog post to write on the topic, I think you should credit the blog, especially if you refer to their post and/or use their examples.
I think it’s a win-win situation.
Your website will be seen as a blog that is continuing an important conversation as well as a writer who respects other writers enough to read and quote them. It will establish more followers from both ends. After all, bloggers will be more likely to link to your blog, too, and that will add to the connections of the community. What is there to lose if you quote them?
At this point, you might think this is an obvious and even strange topic to talk about, but the truth is sort of ugly.
I read a lot of blogs, many of which are on WordPress. In fact, it’s one of my favorite pastimes. But I have seen blogs that have obviously copied from another’s—even going as far as using the exact same articles or even copying and pasting information. I think the worst offense is when a blogger refers to another blogger’s opinion out of context and does not offer a link for readers to visit in order to verify the information. No one wants to be misquoted, used, or put in a poor light. This is the main reason I think this: it’s the right of the second blogger to mention and argue another blog, but I also think the first blogger has the right to know so they can debate in a healthy and positive manner. By not linking to their blog, the first blogger may never know they are even being quoted. They may never get a chance to debate or even thank the second blogger. That’s where I have an issue.
I have to admit that I have had this happened to me. I do not feel like anyone has misquoted me (that I know of) but I have seen my exact examples and articles used over the same topic I posted about only a few days before. Although I am flattered, it also saddens me, because I work very hard at posting every other day. It sometimes takes me hours to find the perfect articles to link to. So, yes, it feels like I’ve been cheated when someone else has simply copied and pasted the information I provided. That being said, I am glad the conversations are continuing, whether or not someone feels like quoting me. Sharing the topic is my ultimate goal, after all. Most of the time, I simply want to thank you, even if you do not agree with me, which, for the record, I read every blog post that links to my blog and I always thank them for providing my information–again–even if they disagreed.
…
Here are opinions from my Author Facebook Page:
Joe H Hinojosa: I totally agree that you should give credit to the original blog, and post a link, even if you opinion differs from the original.
Quinten Rhea: as Artists & Writers we should always, always credit/link the source. It is just respect for others that took time to create something. I get annoyed when people post photos of Artwork with no title, no Artist name or source. I ask for the info & they mostly say :’ I dunno, I just like to picture’ If you like it, Like it enough find out the info & share it as well. {that’s my original 2 cents}
Jeanette Bailey: discuss as is….mind credit where credit is due works too…:o)
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My call-to-action is as simple as my opinion: Let’s continue to enhance the WordPress family by helping one another. Please link to a blog if it has inspired you to write over a topic and/or if you are simply mentioning a blog to discuss or debate a topic.
Thank you.
~SAT
Shannon A. Thompson 
Thank you Shannon for the opportunity to share your spotlight. I totally agree with giving credit where credit is due. I’ve had a blogpost cut and pasted on Facebook as a status update. I was given credit, but I was still shocked. I made sure to comment under with the actual link to my blog. I always pay homage to the source of my writing, musings or anecdotes if there is one. It’s sad that we have to police this, but bloggers have to support each other.
I am looking forward to seeing your post up! It’s a great post. And, yes, I think sharing links should always be there, and your case is a great example as to why. What if someone read the status and didn’t know where it came from or who it was by, but they wanted to? It’s good that you were able to provide the link 😀 Thank you for sharing your experiences with this.
~SAT
I agree….I like to link to things that touch me, that inspire….or that we can all build on….totally agree!
That’s the other win part! We can further the inspiration with the links 😀 Thank you for reading, commenting, and adding that point.
~SAT
really very interesting post .thank for sharing ….
I’m glad you found it interesting :]
~SAT
Blogs should definitely be cited as sources, the same as any source. Unfortunately, the Internet makes it all too easy to copy and paste. People growing up with this technology seem to have no awareness of plagiarism and the importance of original creation.
I agree. I think, because it’s so easy to copy and paste, that a lot of people do not take a moment to realize that what they are doing is plagiarism.
~SAT
Thank you for this. It’s a big problem when bloggers (or anyone else) believes that they can take another person’s intellectual property without stating the source. This would get you kicked out of college or sued in the real world.
Thank you for reading and commenting :] And, yes, this problem goes beyond just not linking to a blog. As you and debyfredericks stated, it’s intellectual property (or plagiarism) and it’s problematic beyond offending someone. It’s also a bad habit to begin. Thank you for pointing this out.
~SAT
Interesting, clarifies a few points I was worried about, ultimately a blog post is a piece of work and you have to be careful that everything you say can be backed up!