Now I know how Colin feels…

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness” – Oscar Wilde

This phrase is often a point of reference when people have been copied by someone else and was referred to in the famous case of Colin Vs Cuthbert. In my case, it’s my word for word content.  

I have often had people copy my work, to be honest, it is expected within the profession we work in because there are similar and reoccurring themes. I haven’t really spoken about it either before, and maybe I haven’t because I feel embarrassed, or don’t want to come across as unkind. But I also realised that not many people do talk about it, especially when it’s on LinkedIn!

This particular individual is so persistent, and despite me taking steps to block them completely on all of my platforms, many people continue to bring their posts to my attention. It’s not just my LinkedIn profile and posts being lifted, it is my blog posts, my Instagram, even my company wording on my website! So, I felt that it would be appropriate to talk about it, after all it is a part of my business journey.

I know I’m not alone in this situation, but there seems to be an acute shortage of originality that is seen across all industries, profiles and businesses, especially when it comes to social media.

When someone notices content they like and claim it as their own, it never produces the response or engagement that they are hoping for.

Why? 

Because it isn’t authentic. It is stealing someone else’s views, their tone of voice and phrasing. My followers know my style and have pointed the many posts out to me; what this person probably doesn’t realise is the amount of people who have noticed and recognised my work through their profile (yes, it is that obvious!).

Since I started my blog 7 years ago, I have been fortunate to use my creative side (I got it from my Mum!) to write about the HR profession that I’m proud to be a part of. In return, the blog and my professional profile have provided me with opportunities that I never thought were possible and I wouldn’t swap it for the world.

Creating content is not easy, I lucky that I am always coming up with new ideas, some concepts work, others don’t, but it takes up a lot of my very limited spare time, so for someone to rip it off isn’t flattering.

On behalf of content creators everywhere, don’t be a Cuthbert.