Frustration?!…. Please let me know.
Please do me a favor, read this post and give me your opinion:
I need to do a little venting… Please bear in mind that I am due to have a baby within the week and so hormones may not be at completely stable levels and please be understanding- but I really need to make some things clear.
Let me give you the background to this little vent.
I was contacted yesterday, by what seems to me to be a gossip blog aimed at mom blogs. The person contacting me stated that she had received the assignment to write a post about my blogs because that they had received a single anonymous tip (with no proof) that I was copying other bloggers without permission and that they are upset about my featuring other blogger’s posts in full. (she- the lady who contacted me, is btw the author of a crafting blog that features other people’s posts too) Just so you know (including the anonymous tip) is only the third complaint I have ever received in the last 2 years out of 1,300 published posts. BUT I have received a LOT of thank you email for features.
So, I would like to address that accusation of blog copying openly- right now, right here, for all to discuss.
I have never featured a story without express or implied permission! EVER!
First:
Let me explain how I feature other bloggers so we can be perfectly clear:
- Email Submissions projects
- Party Highlights
- Requested permission to share great stories that I find.
If I feature an entire blog post in full on my blog it is with the author blogger’s consent either implied or express as stated about everywhere I can put it on my blog, from the be featured post, the contact post, every party link… and it should be sorta obvious from the posts we feature. But here is what I mean by implied or express:
- Express consent from emails asking me to feature their projects.
- Implied consent from bloggers linking to parties with rules clearly stating that by linking to the party they give me FULL permission to post the feature in full. (which I have not been doing lately BTW, since no one reads rules before participating, and somehow that is my fault?????)
Second:
The rules to be featured are listed in my “Be Featured” post, linked in my contact post and on every party I have. I have also started re-emphasizing the full feature policy in my reply emails to be sure people understand that is what they are agreeing to. Is it wrong that I expect people to:
- Please read the rules before participating in my blog, by party or email submissions.
- Contact me directly, if they have a problem with a feature of their work.
Third:
If you are frustrated by the “full” features, I would really appreciate you contacting me directly. Ask yourself these questions first:
- Did I read the rules completely, before submitting a project or joining the party?
- Is it my story that they featured? (if not- you can bet that I did not feature it without permission granted in which case you have no right to say anything- the blog author has granted their consent- it has nothing to do with you!)
Fourth:
You may be surprised to find out that I have had my share of frustration over other blogger’s featuring my projects without my consent, as it was not listed in any rules for participating in their linkys, etc . Or readers being inspired to try one of my projects (yea- isn’t that the point?), directly coping my projects, taking their own pictures along the way of the steps I showed them and then passing it off as their own idea- ugh, very frustrating!
BUT and this is a big BUT (no I’m not talking about the one I am sitting on!) I cannot take back the traffic they gave me from features or links. I cannot take credit for my blogs growing on my own. It is all about the blogging community. Once a new reader finds a blog from a link or whatnot and they join my blog, I cannot take that traffic back, I owe it to the blog who featured a project and gave a link and I am thankful they are helping me to build my blog. I may wish they didn’t feature it in 3 months, but guess what they did, I gained new readers from it and that is that.
I should mention that I am not talking about it being okay to copy a full post without permission and posting it on a blog, that is wrong, Let me make it clear that I have never done that. I won’t ever do that, and I would be thankful if people didn’t wrongfully accuse me of doing that. Thanks!
Venting session over.
Am I being melodramatic?
Am I being unreasonable?
Please let me know what you think.
AND if you have been featured and it was a positive experience, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU- I could use some support! Please leave a comment!
Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.
>You featured my master bath and I was flattered! Don't let it get you down and enjoy your new babe! Lezlee
>I think what you said was very well written and you definitely have your rules shown very clearly.
However, the bigger problem I have w/the complaint is uh… the internet is the internet, and once it's up there it's sort of a free for all. I love that you get permission and have your rules and such posted but cmon!!!! (to the complainer NOT to you). People post blog highlights, news stories, etc on facebook and twitter all the time. If you post something on the internet for OTHERS to see and read, what's the big deal if another blogger says "hey blogger X did this"…
you totally have nothing to worry about
>You featured one of my posts. I submitted it to you via email. You contacted me to tell me you were going to feature it. You linked to my blog. I got a lot of great feedback and increased traffic. I think your readers liked the project.
I think we were all happy. Tell the person to fall of the nearest cliff.
>I have never commented on your blog before, but thought I should stop by and give you some support and blog love. I have never been featured on your blog (I don't really DIY, I just love seeing other people's work). Every single post I have ever seen you do has given a link to the original writer's blog and often times I have followed that link to see what else those creative people are up to. I have never ever seen you take credit for someone elses work. I think you are doing a great service to people by posting their work on your blog. If you didn't post it, I wouldn't go to their blog. You generate traffic for other blogs (which often leads to money from advertisers). I really wouldn't worry about what one stupid person says who has no proof and obviously has never visited your site before (if she had, she would have seen all your links and references). Some people are stupid, I just wish the rest of us didn't have to deal with them. Don't let her get to you, you are awesome and I love all that you do on your blog.
>i found this blog only a few weeks ago and i skimmed through the post about the fireplace makeover and because it was copied word for word i assumed this project was yours. (i then noticed the big bold letters at the top stating who contributed the project to your blog) this was all before i realized this is a blog that features other people's projects (which i think is awesome!) the only thing i could say is maybe summarize the person's step by step project instead of using their actual words. (because i am a LOT less likely to visit their blog if the whole post is already copied and pasted to your blog—does that make sense?) maybe just show a few photos and give us a "preview" of their project and give us the link to their blog to view more. a great example is the blog "better after" i really don't want to come across mean! i thought i would just give you my honest opinion! if you don't want to change the way you feature other bloggers projects I'll still come back and read every post! you have lots of followers and supporters—i just wanted to give my opinion.