As my title indicates, this post is geared toward my fellow beer bloggers.
I love the beer blog world. I really do. There are occasional skirmishes, sibling banter, profuse writing, a myriad of opinions and a whole host of other particulars that I love about you guys and gals. No doubt, it’s a tightly packed and fairly crowded world of activity…that’s just fine with me. Of course, there are those who know a whole lot and those who know only a little. There are those who think they know more than they do and those who think less of themselves than what they deserve. Personally (and minus a couple people out there), I try to take most of it in stride. Fledglings are my favorite, but mature beer writers are also a hoot. However, there is one thing I really don’t like.
I think my least favorite type of beer blogger is one that doesn’t really blog at all. No, I’m not talking about our recent hiatus from consistent writing. I’m talking about the regurgitater, the plagiarizer, the flat out thief and “the let me just post the posts of everyone else and never actually write anything.” Now I’ll be the first to admit that finding something fresh or original is hard. I will also readily admit that writing a surly, bitchy, or otherwise cantankerous post is fun and cathartic. Sometimes it’s fun.
Other times, although I really try to avoid it, I realize I can be a touch mean-spirited. But who can blame me? We all get a bit irritated when someone simply replicates our work only to get the credit (or hits). To me it seems a bit like running a high-pitched drill over a race car. There’s nothing distinctive in it, and it only fills out the noise a bit more. Am I off base or does anyone else get annoyed when your thoughts are simply one of two hundred stolen posts that appear daily on a beer website that does nothing but collect posts like an uninformed Philatelic? I could say it’s flattering, but it’s really not. It appears in my spam filter as a single hit on this site.
Don’t get me wrong, I like extra hits. I feel really warm and fuzzy. But what I really love, what means the most to me, is a genuine reader who loves our site. It’s also very meaningful to me when people link to our site. Just so there is no confusion, I don’t mean anyone on our blog roll.
With all that I’ve said just now, I’m curious to see what you guys and gals think. Do are you as irascible as am I?
I find it strange that someone would blatantly steal and/or plagiarize, especially in this tight knit community like craft beer.
I admit too it can be hard to come up with ideas on actual articles. Sometimes when something huge happens in craft beer I decide not to blog about it because it seems like everyone else touches on it. And really what can I say differently than tons more people? Sure I can probably put my own twist on things but over all it’s been said.
But if someone really did steal your writings and publish it as their own then I think you have every right to be upset.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Sure, things have been repeated several times and similarly all over the place but at least you have something to say about it, too. Having something to write is based on actually dwelling on it for a while.
[Reply]
Yeah, original material is sometimes hard to come by, like the whole End of History episode. Yet, when I saw they were one-upped, I had to jump on that. And I had to jump on the whole Fried Beer thing hitting the news circuits.
The way I look at it, blogging is about ideas… your ideas about a particular topic. If it’s just a series of links, or plagiarized material, then what’s the point really?
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I agree, Tex. I think that’s one of the sticking points…what is the point of collecting data. Well, one point it to get the ideas of other people and capitalize by getting traffic to yourself by posting and cross linking. The eventual goal is to make some money on other people’s hard work.
[Reply]
Aggregators are part of our blogging life, and they’re not going away. I try to think of them as things that might draw more readers, though I know that’s probably not right. If someone ever just took my thoughts and writing and claimed it as their own, I’d be pissed. Just give a credit and a link, you know?
Still, the whole purpose of blogging must be in some sense internal (if you’re not following the massive rambling discussion on this at Damn That’s Good Beer, go over and check it out), so I really just don’t understand a blogger who posts only links and rehashes. I can’t imagine that paying well, and I can’t imagine any personal reward, so my primary emotion there is just confusion.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Greg,
You’re right, they aren’t going away. Neither are the Russian picture sites or a gambit of others who simply link to your site to get some hits. I assume if you do it to enough people, you could get some money out of the deal. I find it problematic that people use other people in such a fashion.
[Reply]
If people comment on the same thing, I have no problem. Whether it is BrewDog or Fried Beer or whatever topic is in its 15 minutes of fame, I like to hear others opinions (although I usually stay away from the major topic). But I believe I know exactly what you are talking about, and I thought it was wrong when I saw it. I love reading your posts, and would be pissed if I had a great post that someone ripped off of me.
[Reply]
JayZeis Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:06 am
And I too love the beer blog world. It may not have introduced me to this hobby, but it definitely took a stronghold and brought me closer.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:06 pm
You may indeed know what I’m talking about. I feel the same way. People writing on the same thing doesn’t necessarily mean repeat information. All of our minds are capable of looking at a matters a bit differently and in differently nuanced ways.
By the way, thanks for saying that you love our posts. I couldn’t agree more on the account of the beer blog world, in general, bringing most of us “closer”.
[Reply]
I know what you mean. I get excited when I get the email saying that someone has linked to me, and then sigh in disappointment when I realize it’s only an aggregator. Like Greg said, they aren’t going to go away.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I know what you mean. I get excited when I get the email saying that someone has linked to me, and then sigh in disappointment when I realize it’s only an aggregator. Like Greg said, they aren’t going to go away.
Sorry, couldn’t help but make that little joke right there. I just thought of it when I was responding to you (otherwise it would have been someone else). It is funny to see it like I do right at this moment. It’s so stupid to just cut and paste.
Seriously, that joke was in no way directed toward you, Billy. I just thought it would be funny.
[Reply]
Billy Broas Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Haha well played.
[Reply]
Aggrigators should be at least link back to you, and then its up to you to go with the flow or not. If it realy bothers you, contact them and request they stop publishing your work. It is, legally, your work.
There is the ‘fair use’ concept where about 200 words can be copied with proper attribution. I had an aggrigator who not only didn’t ask first, but republished entire posts with no attribution. After emailing him and not getting a response, I filed a DCMA report with his ISP. His site was taken offline completely within a couple of hours. Guess what? He got in touch really, really fast, admitted to fault and removed my work.
Its up to you to protect what it yours. The fact that they exist and are not going away is because most people don’t go after them as the law permits. Its not something that has to be tolerated.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Believe me when I tell you Scott, I can be a real jerk if I really want to and I will do what you did if it comes down to it.
I think you did the right thing. Actually, the 200 words thing is a great piece of information to know.
By the way, no one who has commented here should think I’m anything less than flattered when you link to us or even reproduce something we’ve written. You guys have earned the respect of writing your own stuff.
[Reply]
Jim and I just love to be read, so if aggregators post our stuff that is ok. I like to think that maybe it will lead to a new reader or two. That said if someone was just blatantly stealing contend and posting it as their own that would annoy me. Probably not enough to do what Scott did, but that is just how I roll.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:15 pm
I’d like to think what you do as well, but they are using some many people that there is no real unified direction to any one or even ten blogs. After all, people have already seen the article.
I may be wrong, but there is enough legitimate blog inundation out there…I don’t want much more, especially when it’s just replay.
[Reply]
It’s one thing to “pass” on the fried beer story and it’s totally another to take another person’s opinions as your own. It’s laziness at best and theft at worst.
After reading this, I am going to re-check my posts to make sure I am giving everybody the credit they deserve.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Obviously, I didn’t direct that toward you, Sean. I’m sure you’ve given the proper credit and you are a stand up guy who interacts with the beer world.
[Reply]
I have an opinion, and I’m not afraid to publish it.
[Reply]
As Mr’ Krab’s says it’s only stealing if you don’t return it! (if you have kids who watch spongebob, you’ll get it
Scott, has good advice, if you care go after them. You have to in order to protect your copyright.
I’ve not seen any blatant rip off of my work is is being aggregated all over the place, which I don’t mind. Buy I would be pissed if I found someone who did and would go after them, al la Scott’s method.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Who says I have to have kids to watch Spongebob? I proudly admit watching it.
[Reply]
By the way, I consider aggregating roughly equivalent to stealing…credit or not. Not that it is stealing legally but it is taking a bunch of other people’s thoughts and forming something based on taking their material to the degree of exactitude.
[Reply]