To Duplicate Or Not To Duplicate

Good question.  Those of us who don't devote our lives to this stuff wanna know!

Using someone elses content with permission to make a point is OK, I think. Duplicate content is even OK if not copied word for word and the writer has a different view point or take on the subject. What I have found in the few days that I have been here that there are many similar or nearly exact subjects, but the different writers provide different information on the same subject. I like seeing the different takes on things and it helps me to better learn about and undertand the subject most of the time. Blatant plagarism is to me, not so great. Don't like it much at all.

If you're referrinng to "duplicate" as a verb meaning cut and paste, that is not appropriate.  However, if you're referring to duplicate as a verb meaning to repeat the same topic, from your own perspective - I think that is appropriate.  The ActiveRain audience is constantly evolving, and today's audience isn't necessarily the same as last month's.  Just because someone wrote about agent safety a month ago, doesn't mean it can/should never be written about again, for example.

John,

If it is a copy paste, the blog should reference it and state that they have permission to use. Otherwise, bad blogging or writing in general...

John:

I can’t believe you wrote a blog about this topic!  This has already been written about, don’t you know?  :)

 

No seriously, John an old timer once told me when I was a young man that there are no new ideas under the sun.  I am beginning to think he was right.  There is nothing wrong with giving your perspective. Everything has been re-wrapped today.  Maybe, your perspective on an old idea might bring better understanding to someone that reads it.

 

BLOG ON My friend, BLOG ON!

Hi John,

Your original post alludes to the fact that there are two different issues.  1) Obviously, it's ethically OK to use your own work as you please.  It only becomes unethical when someone misuses or misrepresents someone else's work.

2)  Your real question is: "How do search engines react to someone who duplicates his/her your own work?"  Search engines aren't people--they're just computer code performing a task.  My guess is that they have a difficult time figuring out that multiple instances of identical text were used by the same person.  My hunch is that search engines will rank multiple copies of the same work lower than one-of-a-kind work, even if all the multiple copies are legitimate.  You are wise to tread carefully even though you obviously have a moral right to reuse your own work.

David Harkness, P.E.

Consulting Engineer / Inspector

http://homeanalytical.com

John...very interesting reading for a new person to Active Rain.  Thanks for commenting on my first post, I appreciate it. 

Being here in Colorado Springs where we have so many wonderful men and women serving in the military I wanted to personally thank you for your service to our country.

Steve