Something happened this week that really took me by surprise but made me stop and think. An online networking acquaintance of mine “borrowed” an article I had written and posted it on her blog as her own. Needless to say, I was shocked to see my article on her site with no credit given to me, and I felt violated, not unlike how I felt when my home was robbed many years ago. To top it off, her business is directly competitive with mine, so I felt a double “slap in the face”. I’m certain that I was not meant to see that blog, but alas, the online community is really not as vast as it appears to be!

I feel compelled to write about this because I have a feeling my situation is all too common. Articles are a dime-a-dozen on the net, and what’s stopping anyone from taking something they did not write and posting it on their site or blog as their own? Nothing! Nothing but integrity.

Those of us who own our own businesses work hard to promote them and the competition is fierce. Writing does not come easily to everyone, and those of us who do write do so with effort and time invested. So please, if you see something that you love and you want to use it, please, please ask for permission. Almost always, writers are willing to allow their work to be used if proper credit is given. Just ask. Or better yet, write your own article and allow others to read and re-print (with permission, of course!).