Blogging etiquette?

[Mike W]

Blogging etiquette - is there such a thing?

My daughter, Evie, runs a relatively new-ish but potentially successful blog ...or at least the platform for a successful blogging career (she's already got work from it, running blogs etc for others).

She's come to me upset, having just found out that someone has copied a post of hers, word for word, and put it on their own blog.

Looking into it myself, I see that this blogger has copied the post but has made a reference to the origin being Evie's blog (stating 'Originally posted on...').

She hasn't asked, just gone ahead and done it. Is that in order? Seems off to me.

Links, if it helps, are: Copy ... Original

 

[StevensOnln1]

The person who copied it is in breach of copywrite if they did not gain permissions before reposting. Send them an e-mail demanding that they take it down, with a copy to their hosting provider.

 

[paulyh]

As said above contact them saying to take the post down. It is her intellectual property and should not be used without her permission.
Not quite the same but I have had others using my pictures, a polite but stern email usually has the desired effect.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

9 Years old but just are relevant http://www.oldwelshguy.co.uk/web-marketing/beating-the-content-thieves-stolen-website-content

 

[fisicx]

I can understand why she is upset but in the early days of blogging sharing content was common place, in fact it was the lifeblood of the blogsphere. So while most of the smoothie has been copied, she has given credit and a link to read the full article. So it could be argued that copyright hasn't been compromised.

Think on this, the more peopole that share the content the more inbound links Evie will get - which is good SEO.

 

[Vectis]

Would your daughter have said no if the other person had asked first before using the content? Does she want the other blog entry taken down?

Personally, as it's credited and there's a link (2 links actually) to your daughter's site, if it was me I'd be quite pleased that someone wanted to share my content.

Even newspapers do this online, they run a story which has a link to the original story in a different newspaper.

Also, sites like Pinterest exist on the basis of sharing content.

She'd be within her rights to ask for it to be taken down. But, in the long run, isn't that more detrimental to her own site?

 

[Dan Izzard]

It's happened to content I've written before and also content from our sister sites such as BusinessZone and AccountingWeb. I've successfully got content removed with the help from hosting companies but it is a time consuming process.

As long as you haven't got a site aggregating all of the content as soon as it is posted I wouldn't be too fussed. A polite email asking the other site would be the only step I would take, asking that a post was not copied in it's entirety, but your daughter can be flattered more than anything.

 

[fisicx]

...asking that a post was not copied in it's entirety....

It wasn't all copied. It says 35 words are missing and links back to the full article. So it's gold standard linking, the only winner is Evie.

 

[Dan Izzard]

It says 35 words are missing

fair enough, that says to me then that the person who has copied most of it across sees the value in the content and wants to share rather than just ripping everything off. @fisicx - in SEO terms, is the link back always going to be worth more? Should you be worried that a site will rank above yours for your own content at all?

 

[fisicx]

The links are useful and will help ranking. If the other site had just used 50 words and linked back would there still be this discussion? If they had changed the name of the smoothie and not linked back would Evie even know about it?

If you look at the whole foodie world, recipes are copied and shared across a whole network of blogs. Evie could complain and ask for the removal of the page but to what end. I'd just feel chuffed someone thought my smoothie was worth sharing.

 

[Jane101]

There are people out there who rewrite/copy stuff, is that allowed?

In other words they just spin the original post and put it on their sites and blogs

 

[Nuno]

Jesus. What are those ingredients? Spirulina? Pea protein? Someone reposted the recipe to a chemo smoothie?
Again Fisicx nailed on headed it. People copy recipes. That's the food biz. That's it.

 

[Mike W]

Thanks all for your feedback. I understand (and had understood) the benefits of sharing etc but I wanted to check if there was any actual etiquette - eg. asking beforehand.

Had she been asked, her naivety may have made her say no. But had she asked my opinion, which she often does, I'd have thought 'yes' and advised accordingly.

Anyway, I wanted to check here just to make sure as, fitness & health freak that she is, she's doing really well with it (loads of work as result, inc a big name or 2) and I wanted to see if such sharing may compromise anything for her.

I'll let her see the responses here. Thanks again.

 

[fisicx]

Most people don't ask. It goes back to the early days of blogging when everybody quoted everybody else. Even in publishing people don't ask, they just use material and provide a reference.

Where does she get her visitors from? If they aren't the result of Google searches it's not going to matter if other sites outrank her.

 

[MASSEY]

Do people even own the copyright of content they upload to someone elses website (wordpress.com)?

 

[UKSBD]

Do people even own the copyright of content they upload to someone elses website (wordpress.com)?

They still own it, but they give up some rights (sub licence it)
https://en.wordpress.com/tos/

Similar to if you upload to YouTube, you give others rights to use it

 

[miggygreene]

Here's the thing, when you write a blog post, you instantly create a copyrighted work. Your original work receives copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. In other words - you wrote it, you own it. The copyright is yours instantly, no registration necessary.

However, if you want to sue the one who copied a post from your blog, your work must first be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Now if you don't want things to be complicated as that, then you can politely approach that person and send them an email demanding that they should take it down to fix things out on both of you.

 

[fisicx]

However, if you want to sue the one who copied a post from your blog, your work must first be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

US copyright laws don't apply. This applies: https://www.gov.uk/intellectual-property/copyright

And they didn't copy. The used part of the original blog post and provided citations. So suing them is pointless and won't acheive anything.

 

[Nuno]

AFAIK You don't have to register copyrighted work anywhere for it to be defended as intellectual property.
Why people think Yank law applies anywhere and everywhere else is a mystery, (apart from the fact that the septics think they invented law ~ just like they invented Jesus, who lives in Northern California.)

 

[UKSBD]

AFAIK You don't have to register copyrighted work anywhere for it to be defended as intellectual property.
Why people think Yank law applies anywhere and everywhere else is a mystery, (apart from the fact that the septics think they invented law ~ just like they invented Jesus, who lives in Northern California.)

Probably due to the fact that when you use a service you agree to the service providers terms which tend to mention where the service is governed.

 

[Jane101]

So there are no rules when it comes to copying content.text of other sites?

 

[Nuno]

Probably due to the fact that when you use a service you agree to the service providers terms which tend to mention where the service is governed.

No. Because of the 1978 Copyright Act and associated international agreements supporting this.

 

[Nuno]

So there are no rules when it comes to copying content.text of other sites?

Where does it say that (or anything like it)?

 

[Deleted member 59730]

http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/...can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.html

http://blog.webcopyplus.com/2011/02/14/legal-lesson-learned-copywriter-pays-4000-for-10-photo/

Put simply do not copy anything because creators are starting to learn how to chase you.

 

[Nuno]

I'm sure a lot of people here think PRS is a scam for tossers. When will the 'fill yer boots' attitude of copyright lawyers and their clients start to be treated in a similar fashion?
Copyright is a legal invention to protect earnings of valuable inventions and the like, not a pension plan for photographers who made pretty pictures some years ago..

 

[Deleted member 59730]

"The creative industries – ranging from advertising to architecture and fashion to film – constitute one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK
We have the largest creative sector in Europe, one of the world's largest music industries and one of its most advanced digital TV and radio markets. The creative industries contribute 6% of GDP, employ over 2 million people and export over £16bn annually."

 

[Nuno]

"The creative industries – ranging from advertising to architecture and fashion to film – constitute one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK
We have the largest creative sector in Europe, one of the world's largest music industries and one of its most advanced digital TV and radio markets. The creative industries contribute 6% of GDP, employ over 2 million people and export over £16bn annually."

And?