Blogging consistently can be a challenge, but it’s crucial to your credibility to keep it up.
I often suggest that business bloggers look to other blogs for content ideas that will be valuable to the prospective clients who may be reading.
Recently a client asked:
“What is the etiquette for re-blogging someone else’s blog [post]?”
Great question! You have a few options:
1) Share the content with your network by posting the permanent link to that post in your email newsletter and social network accounts, always introducing it with the author/company name so it’s clear that you’re not taking credit for the content.
2) Interview the author about the topic, by email or phone, so he or she can state the same ideas, but in a written conversation with you where you get to participate with your own thoughts.
3) Write a review and/or expansion of the post, where you briefly quote (no more than 1-2 sentences) the original blog post, and provide the link, author and title of the original post.
If you have EXPLICIT permission from the author, you can also:
4) Reprint the entire article on your own blog, including a bio of the author and an additional statement that reads, “This blog post originally appeared on [blog name] and was reprinted with permission,” followed by the permanent link to the blog post.
5) Revise/adapt the article to suit your own audience, including a bio of the author and an additional statement that reads, “This blog post originally appeared on [blog name] and was reprinted and adapted with permission,” followed by the permanent link to the blog post.
Note that on some blogging platforms you’ll actually see a “Reblog” button. In this case, the system will automatically generate the proper links and credit the author appropriately.
For more information, please see How to Share Great Content Without Plagiarizing.
photo credit: Alan Cleaver via photopin cc
This post was updated on November 17, 2014. See: Business Blogging Etiquette: How to Properly Use and Share Other People’s Ideas.
