At some point you've probably heard "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." It's supposed to make us feel good when someone copies or emulates us. The oft-quoted Oscar Wilde actually said,
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
Ouch! I guess there's a reason the rest of that sentence isn't part of our collective lexicon because it paints the imitator in a pretty negative light.
When social media was in its infancy, I remember writing a few responses to the "What's on your mind" prompt that used to pop up on my profile. I had a friend who inevitably copied my words and reposted them as her own. Initially, I was flattered she found them amusing enough to share, but it soon grew to annoyance because she claimed my words as her own, and even let commenters believe the crazy story I shared about my day was hers. It may seem petty, but I blocked her from seeing my posts so she couldn't do it again.
Blogs were born from personal web logs or journals and have evolved into different forms for different purposes. What makes them interesting to read is the perspective of the writer, their thoughts, opinions, and ideas in text form. When new to blogging, or when the occasional writer's block hits, it may be tempting to turn to others for inspiration or for research. Here are a few things NOT to do, so you don't become that blogger:
- Inspiration is not plagiarism. Remember back in high school, being taught to annotate sources when writing research papers? Don't be that blogger who does a copy and paste job and claims it as their own. Always give credit where credit is due.
- Research papers are boring. So are textbooks. People enjoy reading blogs because they have the personality of the author interwoven in words. They'll follow you because they want to know what you think. Don't be that blogger who taps out words for the sake of blogging. Say something!
- Just like my "friend" on social media, make your writing authentic and draw upon your knowledge and experience. Don't be that blogger who catfishes their audience to sell a personality you don't have or an experience you can't deliver.
Share yourself with your readers so they get to know the real you. Be that blogger the mediocre seek to imitate!
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