This post is inspired by The Book Musings– because without her- I might never would have taken the time to think about the implications of reblogging.

A few weeks ago I found a post from The Book Musings about reblogging and her asking people to not reblog her posts (Note: This was back during her time as a blogger with a partner- since she has become TBM- she’s not had to worry about this problem.) At first, I read through the post- and while I respected her stance- I did wonder “Is this a big deal or not?” Based on my experience with reblogging- it was just one of those quirky WordPress features. But, I dug deeper. I thought harder. And- it clicked. While I’ve not had really any negative experiences with the reblogging- I’m sure some have. And that’s got to be disheartening.

So What Is Reblogging?

Simply- it’s adding a post that someone else wrote to your blog. No, it does not say you wrote it and if you click on the link- it takes you to the original posting. There’s probably a better way of explaining it- I’m just shooting for simple and easy!

Why Would You Reblog?

For me- the times I’ve reblogged a post is either when I was interviewed by a fellow WordPress blogger or when I was jointly hosting Book Lovers Unite and we were posting discussion questions. Both examples worked out great- and was just a quick way to make sure the others knew about new stuff.

That is why I reblogged.

Why You Should Not Reblog

An occasional reblog is fine, in my opinion. However, if a great percentage of “your” blog posts are actually reblogs- well….. Maybe you should cut back. Blogging is about a personal connection to people- and if these are not your words, even if you aren’t taking credit- you’re missing out on the personal connection.

You started this blog for a reason. Maybe it was to be a writer. Maybe it was because all the cool kids were doing it. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Maybe- you just needed a hobby- a safe place to talk about things you like and if you found some other like-minded folks, well- even better.

Let people get to know YOU. Not the reblog.

Should You Take The Reblogged Post Down?

There are going to be people, like me, that are not caring so much about my content being reblogged (at least this is my view point currently). The few times it has happened- it’s been to a place that I did not mind- and it was fine. HOWEVER- there are people who want no part of reblogging- and if someone asks you to take a post down- do the decent thing and take it down. Doesn’t matter if you agree. Doesn’t matter if you think it’s a nutty request. Respect the bloggers wishes- and build a good karmic reputation amongst other bloggers. While I’m not a lawyer- I’m going to say that as long as the post has this reblog feature- you are probably in your rights to click it. However, it’s just better to err on the side of caution when someone asks you politely to take something down. Again- one day your future blogger self will thank you for taking this advice.

What to Do When You See a Post You Would Like to Reblog?

You see a post- and think, I would love to reblog this. So what should you do? You have a couple of options: 1. You can reblog. 2. You can ask for permission from the writer to reblog. 3. You can give a linky shoutout.

What should you do? Depending on the relationship with the person- I STRONGLY advise #3. Option #2 is fine, though. Proceed with caution about #1- I’d only do that if I KNEW the blogger would not mind.

Reblog or Link Shoutout? What do You Prefer?

I mean, aren’t they kind of the same thing? Yes and no. While technically both could be considered a shoutout- the link shoutout is preferable to all the bloggers I talked to. Link Shoutouts make bloggers feel good- and everyone likes to see a pingback 🙂

What are your thoughts on reblogging? For it? Against it? Not really thought about it?

Comment and let me know- I’m so VERY curious!

*Traveling With T’s note: While I’ve had my posts reblogged in the past, please know that I value my content and would prefer a link shoutout as opposed to a reblog.