Why Imitation Is Not The Highest Form of Flattery

I know we have all heard the popular saying “Imitation is the highest form of flattery”. But I really don’t think it is. It can be really disheartening and awful to see someone go through it and have it happen to you. Having anybody copy your hard work is heartbreaking. People spend hours and hours perfecting their work and for people to just steal it and take it away and claim it as their own is awful.

Anytime this happens is bad, but especially when it comes to blogging. I don’t think alot of people know the rules and regulations that are behind blogging. I certainly didn’t, and I have spoken about how I tried to be just like other bloggers and the mistakes I made when I first started blogging, . It took me a while to realise that I needed to find my own flow, and not just try to be someone I wasn’t. I see imitation happening alot in the fashion world, especially when it comes to smaller brands vs larger ones. There are so many small, independent clothing companies that have their designs stolen by large fashion brands. It makes you wonder how often they do it.

INSPIRATION NOT IMITATION

It took me a while to realise that there is a fine line between inspiration and imitation. It’s perfectly okay to be inspired by seeing someone else’s work. But it’s another thing to rip it off and claim it as your own. When it comes to the blogging world, it can be hard to come up with new ideas that nobody else has done. Actually, it’s impossible. Blogging is very over saturated, so new and unique blog post ideas are far and few between. You should never use someone else ideas but then change a few things to make it look original. DO NOT DO IT.

You are responsible for your own ideas, and you’re also responsible for the consequences if you choose to do it anyway.

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YOUR CREDIBILITY MAY BE AT RISK

If your customers or readers find out that all of the stuff you sell or the content you create is copied, they may think differently about you. Sometimes people copy because they don’t know better, and it is an honest mistake. But do it multiple times, over and over again it could really have a detrimental impact on you and your business.

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THE LEGAL SIDE OF COPYRIGHT

If you do copy someone work, blatantly you can get into big trouble. I always recommend that new bloggers and new people in new business look at the rules and laws surrounding what they do. I had no idea that there were copyright laws for blogging, and I was naive to think there wasn’t. Laws have come a long way since the age of the internet. They have had to adapt to suit the times. It’s sad really that new internet laws have been put into place for copyright reasons. But it goes to show its needed and alot of people do it.

There are so many resources out there to help you come up with new content ideas, don’t feel like you have to pretend to be someone you’re not in order to grow your site or business.

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Have you had any issues with people copying your work? Why do you think people choose to do it?

If you are ever stuck for ideas on content, or want to try something new then do it. Work hard yourself and get it done. Don’t take the easy way out and copy others. Being on the receiving end of it, is really horrible. Remember that and remember to be kind.

Olivia x
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