A mistake often made my many new bloggers is copying content, simply because they’re new at the game and don’t fully understand the harms of it all. But you should know that copying content from other websites is never okay, and is, in fact, one of the most detrimental mistakes you can make for your career. There are more than enough reasons as to why you shouldn’t do this. Some of them are explained below.
Can Get You in Trouble with the DMCA
The DMCA stands for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, an act that protects the digital (online) work of everyone and ensures that isn’t stolen. If any content is stolen, it is taken down, and the DMCA takes appropriate action to rebuke the wrongdoer. For this reason, you surely don’t want to be that wrongdoer. If another website learns that you have been copying their content, which is equivalent to stealing online, they can file a report with the DMCA about you.
It’s Only Short Term Benefit
You’re looking to create a meaningful long-term connection with your readers, not something fleeting that is only short term. But if you’re not producing original content and instead only keep copying off of other websites, all this does is bring you temporary readers who are attracted to a content that you didn’t even create. It isn’t a sustainable strategy on which to run a business or a blog.
Your Blog Might Even Be Deleted
DMCA is owned by Google and Google hates duplicate content and wants to take appropriate steps to ensure it doesn’t exist. Right now, however, Google doesn’t have a penalty for duplicating content. But it can take measures drastic enough such as deleting your blog! If you value your blog, you won’t copy others’ content.
You’ll Lose Respect of Your Readers
What happens when your readers catch on to what you’re doing? They won’t flock to your side or love you so much once they know you’re not original but merely copy someone else’s hard work and frame it as your own. This will ruin your entire reputation, so it’s not worth the risk!
Tread Carefully!
You’ve been warned. People work hard and earnestly on their blogs and content and deserve to be given credit for it instead of merely being copied. If you do this, you will face major consequences. Heed this advice before it’s too late!
