What is not fine though is when I post something unusual or quirky and within the hour they’re on the phone trying to get hold of it, then flagging it up as a special find or exclusive with no credit. I put hours and hours of time into research – anyone who’s tried to wade their way through the Google Translate version of an obscure Korean site will know that it’s a labour of love that takes nearly forever!
While it’s really not my style to list the offenders, I just think it is SO mean – why not just ask me to do a quick article on it with credits or a link to my blog? I will say that it is one magazine in particular that barely lets the ink dry before they’re on it – and also complaining if I get an exclusive. The thing they don’t realise is that often I’ve found products though hours of internet searching of foreign sites, and have, in some circumstances, ended up showing the PR their new spring/summer/whatever collection before the client actually has! We’ll often come to some kind of compromise about when I post it because I understand about other brands trying to copy etc, but you know, if the client has let it be leaked on line and I find it, it’s already in the public domain and therefore free to be posted about.
There’s nothing much I can do about it…the very things I’ve said above about being in the public domain means that it works the other way as well…all I’m saying is that I don’t like it when the boot is on the other foot ;-). However, there could be some more friendly ethics in the mix I think. I tend to credit where I can if a source is from another site or even a magazine or another writer…I don’t ever pretend I *just found it*…because I think its the right thing to do. It’s good blogger practice in general and just good manners as well.
Funnily enough, other bloggers taking pictures from my blog doesn’t happen nearly as much as it used to, but I have had to have the discussion about a generous link and an ungenerous link. An ungenerous link is where you literally lift all the pictures and detail, list them on your site and then do a tiny link at the very end. You’ve already covered everything (with no permission) so there is no reason for your readers to go to the initial site. A generous link is where you pick up a couple of the pictures and only some of the detail and actively send readers to the host site to read and see the rest. That’s got to be a win-win all round really. Give generous links this Christmas!
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All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
8 comments
Well said that girl!!
I don’t get why people don’t give more credit. Do they ‘forget’ to do it because it will take the shine of their supposedly original ideas? Crediting someone is benefiting you in the long run. Readers like that and find you more human and a nicer person to credit where you got your inspiration from. Or maybe the printed media can’t ‘stoop so low’ and credit a blog? If this is the case, well it’s sad :'(
Well said! There are a few blogs I’ve stopped visiting because of this. Not giving credits where it’s due is not very smart and shows a lack of respect for what others do. I’m always very careful about this. Naming your sources and providing links does not undermine what you do in any way. In my view it only enhances it and shows what kind of person you are.
HI BBB, I am Jiya from India. Guess what? I have been doing the same thing and I have definitely learned that plagiarism is not right. However, I thought that putting the credit link in small text is the indurstry standard. Sorry, I am not that dumb but I fell for it. It’s never too late to learn. and I will credit the person as you said… if I want to put the entire information on my blog… I will only put some pcitures a paragraph there and then let everyone head to the original article. I may not be grammatically correct but I hope I was able to communicate what I wanted. I want to say thanks for psoting this article and I would NOT do what I have been thinking an Industry norm. Lots of Love from India.
Jiya
I think it’s extremely disrespectful and goes against the grain. Sources are always meant to be credited right? Also bit silly as very trackable – looking at the time/date of your posts and theirs. I suppose they rely on their readers taking their word as gospel.
One thing I do think is worth bearing in mind about info being leaked online is that’s it not always the case of a brand allowing it to be leaked. It’s a bit like stolen goods on ebay. The brand hasn’t allowed their goods to be stolen. Or it could be a staff member breaking confidentiality or industrial espionage etc. If the company has released the details in another market first, then that’s tough luck to the UK team but if it’s been gained through some other means that’s another matter.
Credit should be given where credit is due. If it I read something that made me want to write about it makes sense to include what inspired me to do it in the first place.
Isn’t the whole point of being a blogger is to be an original voice out there?
I often spend hours researching and putting together pics and info from Japanese and Chinese sources, and post these on my blog with proper credits. When I came across a blogger who kept copying my posts and asked her nicely to credit my blog as well if she was finding those sources through me, she responded that Google rules says that she only needs to credit the original sources and it did not matter who did the research. And this was despite admitting that she does find some of these sources through my blog. I wasn’t asking that she not credit the original sources, only that she credit my blog as well if she was using my research. Many of these are obscure Japanese personal blogs and not the more established magazine websites. It was difficult to believe that she could find the same exact combination of sources from Twitter and blogs every time. The whole experience just left a very bad taste about how some bloggers have no qualms about just taking anything they like from other blogs. My pet peeve is when bloggers link back to the source with only the word “Source” in tiny font at the bottom. Unless you hover your cursor over it or click on the link, you would never even see the name of the original blog that was the source. It’s so petty and ungenerous of spirit.
How do I do links?
Bla bla bla, that’s the facts, for more information and pics got to BBB (e.g.).
If there is an official visual, I may put it as a easer (but never all the pics).
That’s how it works – share and collaborate.
Happens to me all the time that PR knows after me what the new items wil be?! That’s why they also read blogs, I guess 😀