What Would You Do?
So, I have a quick-ass question for all of you, my sweet internet friends. I ask you because most of you have blogs of your own and I genuinely want to know what you’d do.
Let’s say you came across a blog that is fairly new, but is almost the same name as your own. It’s got a couple of letter variations to it, but it’s pretty much almost your blog’s name.
What would you do? Would it annoy you? Or would you just try to remember that imitation is the highest form of flattery?
(I’m not finding it flattering, btw).
Edited to add, I would be shocked beyond get out if this were something that the other writer came up with on her own. For serious. Mommywantswhiskey would not be something I would be annoyed by, nor would Mommywantsabeer, or even, Mommywantsvicodin. But this is far too similar to be a coincidence.
There IS one that is the same name as mine. I don’t know how I came across it, but I left a comment and just told her we had the same blog name and she never commented back and she switched it to private after that.
I guess I would lurk and see if that person is taking some of the content or writing similarly and then just leave a little comment and see if they come to your blog.
It would annoy me too but that’s the nature of the internet. One really popular site johnchow.com was immitated by johncow.com. Ironically both sites now are very popular and John Chow pretty much got over it I guess.
I did find my content on other site but credit was not given to me. I e-mailed the site owner but never got a response.
I’d be annoyed… but I’d probably write it off as someone who had never heard of my blog and it was just a coincidence. If I knew the person knew of my blog, then I’d be really annoyed… but I probably still wouldn’t do anything about it.
How annoying. Did you purchase rights to your URL? If you did, you may have some recourse. And, there is always the good old fashion way of doing things. Contact the said author of said blog and tell them how annoyed you are.
It would totally annoy me, but in the end I don’t think there’s a lot to be done about it… I actually did find a blog with the exact same name as mine too, but… whatever, you know? You are the only Mommy Wants Vodka for us!
Yikes, I’d be super annoyed. But I don’t know what I would do. What can you do really? I’d probably lurk too just to see that they are not pilfering everything. Now I am curious and going to google variations of yours to see if said person is stealing. Just another way for me to procrastinate in real life.
Maybe this is *your* chance to be a troll, eh? That would be fun! 🙂
By the way, I commented on your ipod post yesterday, but it’s not there anymore. I assume you were gravely offended by even the thought of jamming to Stevie Wonder so you deleted me (actually I was just too lazy to see where it went, or if I just dreamed that I posted it — you know how whacked my sleep is).
I found out after I named mine that there was another blog with a similar name. I was so new to the whole thing tho, I think I’d read 5 blogs, I really only felt bad that I hadn’t been as original as I thought, not that I had stolen the other name. I have never looked at it or had any contact with the blogger tho so I don’t know if s/he knows or even considers our names ‘similar’. I think it would bother me if I really felt that the other blogger was copying me, that’s always been a HUGE pet peeve of mine, flattery be damned, people need to do their own thing. Can you tell all of us the blog and then we can sabotoge it???? No, we’re too mature for that right, wait did I just say we’re mature??? Oh yea, right, NOT. C’mon, let me at her!!!
Heather, I totally didn’t get your comment. I wonder if wordpress ate it. Stupid wordpress eating my good comments. I’m gonna punch it in the nuts.
Can you tell if she is familiar with your blog? If it is a true copy cat then yes, I think I’d be concerned. I’d certainly make sure she wasn’t stealing my content. My first thought though was that it was probably just a coincidence. The concept of mommies wanting alcohol resonates with lots of mommies. At least it does with me!! My first choice would be “Mommy wants margarita’s” though!
It would annoy me. Lots. Especially if I had a name as clever as yours. Flattery or not, imitation is annoying.
Hmm .. .
Probably slightly annoyed. I’m not sure if you can do anything about it, though??
But then, my blog name is not necessarily very original . . .
So it wouldn’t shock me if there was another “Rambling Housewife” out there.
I would be totally pissed. I say we take her out.
My original blog’s name was very close to another and it was purely unintentional. Two women – both with the same good idea, but hers was definitely first.
It bugged me for so long, that when I finally decided to get a new name/new website, I googled my options to make sure I wasn’t going to be inadvertantly copying someone else.
Since you and so many of your readers were annoyed, I feel bad because I probably annoyed that blogger as well, but it honestly wasn’t my intent. Now, if she starts copying your posts? THEN you should get really pissed.
It would really piss me off. Imitation being the highest form of flattery? Phooeey! That’s what I say.
I would probably just change the name of my blog. I had a few different ideas, and I almost did change it, because apparently there is a band in the UK with the same name, and I didn’t want people to think I named if after them or something. So far I haven’t decided if I’m going to change it or not.
Bug me? Absolutely!!!
Bug me? Absolutely!!
Can I just say that I am dying (DYING) to know what her blog is called?
It would irk me. I heard about a new blogger that had a similar name as my blog and the only reason it hurt me was that she had actually achieved what my blog was about achieving only I haven’t achieved it yet and fuck knows if I ever will.
so…um…my reaction was all about ME and my feelings.
But I agree with the pp in that you should contact the gal and somehow (how?!) get the point across that you own this url and that you will be keeping an eye on her space. And that you have a posse of people that will take her down if she tries anything wonky.
Actually, if it was me, I would be CRUSHED.
It would probably bug me, but then – it’s not like I spent a ton of time thinking of my blog name. If I’d put more energy into my blog name I’d probably have more issues with it.
Furious. Well, only if they stole my readers, and my ideas. Which sounds like the idea part is stolen. So, start making nasty comments annonymously.
Hey, just a thought.
Well, I’m “lifeisjustsodaily.blogspot.com” & there is a “lifeissodaily.blogspot.com”. I figure: I stole my blog name from a Mary Englebreit picture I was looking at when I set the blog up, so the other gal stole hers too. The way I figure it: she wanted my blog title, but I beat her to it! So…it doesn’t bother me.
I say let it go.
I’d be super annoyed but ultimately I don’t know if I would do anything – I would definitely buy my url right away though…
Were I in my usual foul mood (complete with the manners of a troll), I might post a link to said website and let my bloggy minions pepper the offending blogger with snarky comments until s/he submitted to their ire and removed the offensive and misguided bid to capture some of my popularity (not that I’M popular, but YOU are).
Were I in a more rare, sweetness and light sort of mood (Once a millennium, when the galaxies align just right, I am a nice person. And I have a bridge to sell you.), I might see it as someone’s desperate, lonely attempt to garner a little attention, smile, and let it go with the knowledge that their inability to write with my brilliance, panache, and amusing turns of phrase will eventually catch up to them and the poor dupes reading them will wander back over to me with a sigh of relief and a sense of having found a kindred spirit once more. “Me” being, of course, “You” in this case.
I have now made myself dizzy with my own nonsense and have to got lie down until a nice cabana boy brings me a frothy girly drink complete with umbrella and coconut oil (the umbrella’s for the drink, the oil’s for the cabana boy).
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
I think it would only bug me if someone were taking content or ideas…I mean, I’m not the only one with a blog by my name…there is at least one more. It’s an AA slogan, so it’s not like I was original about it like you were. I would lurk and see if any content is being taken, you know, copyright infringement and all.
I think I would be annoyed with it, but I wouldn’t be really pissed off unless they started stealing my ideas…
I would at least email the link to my good friend Angela, so she could at least visit. Because this has me intrigued beyond words. C’mon…please? I promise I won’t leave a comment.
But you should.
If they didnt have the creativity to come up with their own name, what are the chances that they will have the creativity to keep up with the blog or even make it mildly interesting? Not good, I’d say…
I’d let it drop. It will probably fall off the face of the net inside 3 months.
It would bother me, but I’m not sure what I’d actually do about it. I’d say watch it for a while, and if things start looking like she’s a wannabe Aunt Becky, then we can get creative. Does it look like she’s a reader of your blog or was it pure coincodence?
LETS send out the lynch mob! GRAB YOUR ROPES AND PITCH FORKS… hehe How RUDE! Come on email me the link… I will google myself silly! HAHA… When I was thinking of my name for a blog I made sure nobody else had it…
I am sure HERS is not as FABU as yours! You have every right to be annoyed!