Friend Friday: Copy Cats

Every Friday, Modly Chic poses a thought/topic/group of questions and it's a meme called Friend Friday. It's kinda fun because on Fridays it's really nice to have a structure to what to post about and there's several other bloggers (that I follow) who are doing it, and I like seeing likeminded peeps write about stuff etc.

This week's Friend Friday therefore, as written her by Katy at Modly Chic:

This past week I encountered the topic of blogger copying twice. The first time was as I scrolled through the numerous bloggers doing the 30 for 30 challenge. I realized that after one person poses with an umbrella dozens others will. Or as Kendi poses in a parking garage suddenly 20 other bloggers appear in a parking garage. And then I was talking with Kinsey about some of favorite blogs and she mentioned seeing a blogger post a DIY recipe and two weeks later another blogger posted a very similar DIY recipe complete with the same wrappings. That got me thinking... how much of blogging is coming up with your own content and how much is mirroring what we see others doing?

Ok, so before I go on, I want to say: You may not really get what Katy is talking about above, sorry if it's confusing (Kendi? Kinsey? They are bloggers I'm assuming, and fashion ones perhaps). But I am also a little sickie. So this may come as a shock to you but I almost couldn't be fucked with this topic, and pretty much was just going to post the words:

Zeitgeist and Collective Consciousness

Because I've lived a bit of this kinda 'meme' stuff over the years where you think and do something at exactly the same time as someone else around the world thinks and does that too. We are humans and we do that for loads of reasons. BUT, then I thought I should be not grumpy and sickie and rude, and show you some 'nature' photos and answer the questions so you can see what I'm thinking! Buckle in peeps! These are photos from my parents place in the country too btw:

1. What are the 'unwritten rules' about copying content that we bloggers should all abide by?

I'm only ever going to speak for myself, because we're all individuals, but I don't copy content, and if when referring to blogs and photographs and other content, I linky dink back to it. However, I'm not sure posing in a parking garage or posing with an umbrella (aren't most of you in the Northern Hemisphere, where it's potentially raining?) could be called copying content. Hence my zeitgeist thought. But for me, I'm not really interested in looking at blogs and copying; I look at blogs and think wow, how inspiring!

2. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. But when it a post imitation and when is it copying?

I really love some blogs, and how they inspire me to try new things or do new things. When I first looked at The Freelancer's Fashionblog, I was like 'How does she make her hair go like that?', then read that she does pin curls, then looked at 500 youtubes on how to set your hair in pin curls, and now I do that, and am so happy with my hair. When I first started blogging, I clicked onto Nikkishell's blog somehow, and saw her group the Wardrobe Refashion, and I loved how she was making clothes from op shop things (just like me) and I was like WOW, I'm connected to a whole different community. None of this is copying, it's just being inspired. I guess it's the content and photography stuff these questions are talking about though.

3. Taking another blogger's idea (perhaps for an outfit, or DIY tutorial) is pretty common in the blogging world. Do you think it is necessary to credit the original source?

I rarely look at a bloggers outfit to replicate it. I see fashion on the street all the time and love it, but I don't think "I have to get that whole look". I gather up ideas and styles and things that suit me. As for DIY tutorials and stuff, I always linky dink to things I see and make from online! The other day I was talking about how I love the open source nature of the internetz, so will always credit someone's generousity and show you how I learnt to make it. That's why I show you the patterns I use to make stuff too!

4. How have you improved your blog by comparing it to other bloggers? Have you made changes due to something you have seen others doing?

I know I take better photos and care more about my photos because of other bloggers. I think over the past 4 years the online world has really sparked up their photos and amateur photographers are really GREAT photographers these days. So I'm totally into that. Also occasionally I get annoyed with the look of my blog, and I think I've evolved it at least once a year! Franca at Oranges and Apples is one of my bloggie friends that I admire, and we LOL-ed (over email!) the other day how we both update at the same time. She's a darling, and I love how realistic she is about blogging and can be quite revealing, which I guess I try to be too. Oh, and recently I saw Vanessa at The Velvet Bird updated her blog/look, with a cute banner, and I drew up (by hand) something kinda like hers, but totally created by me, and when I put it up there (on the blog), I mailed Vanessa and told her she was an inspiration for me. She wrote something cute back in return, because she's a darling.

 5. Have you ever had one of your posts copied by another blogger or publication? How did you handle the situation?

Nup. Not sure what I'd do. Perhaps get grumpy? Probably not. It makes me think about copyrighting somewhere on my blog about my photos. I'd hate to see a photo of mine pop up somewhere as someone else's photo.

These questions make me think that originality is key.

Now, this photo is original. Do I hear anyone wanting to replicate or copy this look? No one? WHY NOT IT'S HAWT!

P.s. when you're in the country you can wear whatever you like and nature finds you attractive.

xoxo