People Are Really Starting To Frustrate Me
I have people tell me that they want my help. I provide the help and these same people that asked for help, don’t act on the help I give them. Then I have people who tell me that they are my friend. These same people who tell me that they are my friend end up taking the ideas I share with them and then they turn against me. These supposed friends then take the things I give to them and re-write it on their own blog and never give me credit for teaching them. I’ll be honest, I am sick it.
The element that hurts my feelings the most is when you don’t even have the common decency to share any feedback with me on my articles. I am not stupid, I see the amount of incoming traffic, I can see your avatar show up on MyBlogLog and BlogCatalog. I know when you are here and I know exactly where you go and which articles you read on my blog. When you read and visit my blog, I know as much about your visit as if you walked right through the front door of my house and traveled around in it.
The great thing about this vacation I am on right now is the realization of how much work I do on my blog and for this supposed community of friends and subscribers compared to the what I get back in return. I am not looking for money (well, not a lot) and many times I had said, I just want a simple thank you or feedback about what I write.
With that said, I am not getting back the bare minimium of what I want returned to me and instead I discover that people lie to me, cheat and steal from me, or simply just choose to not to thank me. When I get home in a few days, I have some hard decisions to make about what I am going to do about this blog.
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41 comments
People have been stealing from me for years… it’s just the nature of blogging. There are actually a few bloggers I have come across that do such a great job of stealing that their posts and their blogs actually do WAY better than the people they steal from. Some people I know, don’t give away their best tips anymore because they are afraid someone will take credit for their work (I have been that way some this year). The problem is that if you fear people are going to steal your work and you don’t put out great content then your blog will suffer. I have seen it happen.
I am sorry to hear you are frustrated… hopefully a new day will help out… if there’s anything I can do to hep, let me know.
Giving people advice that they don’t act on is frustrating. Don’t let it get to you, because their lack of action isn’t your responsibility. You might want to start charging for the advice though… it’s easier to deal with the time you spent on helping them when you get paid for it.
Blessings,
George
Thanks George,
You have been a good friend in this business. Over the last two years we have always been very professional together in speaking and we are both WELL aware of each other’s blog, yet we have both always steered very clear of creating a conflict of interest. I really do thank you for that.
With that you really do offer some great suggestions. I am sure that there are people who would pay money to pick my brain and I very well might do that. Rather than close up shop and deny helping people, perhaps as you suggested my help can be provided to people for a fee. That in itself totally weeds out the tire kickers.
Hey Garry;
You’ve done more than one favor for me and I always try to give at least a thank-you or better-yet a payback of some sort..
Like George posted above, people have stolen (or tried) from me so many times that i have grown a thick-skin and gotten used to it..
Every once in a while though i get a very thoughtful thank you or show of appreciation from someone, and it almost makes it all worth it..
BTW – Thanks again for the guest-post yesterday !
Check out Randy Brown’s last blog post..Guest Post By Garry Conn
Hi Randy!
You are totally welcome for the guest post. It was a blast writing it. Also, thanks for showing me that post you wrote back in March. Things like that I am sure totally make your day, week, month, year.
Indeed, sometimes a thank you is payment enough.
I can’t speak for everyone, but as for myself, if I don’t feel I’ve got anything interesting to say, or that will add to the discussion, I don’t say anything. Not because I’m not grateful for the information, but because I don’t want everyone to find out what a dumb ass I really am.
But I do know how you feel. It sucks when you send someone an email, and never get anything back in return.
Check out Christine Senter’s last blog post..A Newbie’s Guide to Blogging
Hi Christine,
Both George and Randy have given me some advice on how to combat the theft and trust issues. In your comment you make a very good point… minus the dumb ass part. You are not a dumb ass and a very valued friend. Your comment actually gives me a solution to the commenting issue I have.
For me, receiving comments on a post gives me a confirmation that it was read and appreciated. I can see though that there are going to be a number of people who don’t feel comfortable with leaving a comment.
So with that, I need a system that relays data and shows me people are enjoying what I have written. What are your thoughts on me creating a very simple voting / rating system. This would have nothing to do with submitting the post into Digg or StumbleUpon, etc.. it is just a very simple system where readers can vote on the quality of my post with a rating of 1 (being poor) to 5 (being excellent).
For me, I need a metric to show me how I am doing as the author of this blog. I a metric that allows me to adapt and adjust to the demands of the readership. Without it, I fly blind.
As far as the email analogy goes, I see right through that and know that you are somewhat upset that I haven’t replied to your emails. You’re not the only one. I have over 2000 unread emails in my inbox.
That too is another issue I am going to need to deal with when I get home. It is to the point where I spend easily two hours each day doing nothing but responding to email. Having our new baby now, giving us a grand total of four kids, I do not have a lot of time and investing two hours per day responding to email isn’t something I can continue to do.
Garry,
Don’t get discouraged by people’s inaction. I am convinced that 95% of the people trying to make money online never actually DO ANYTHING to actually make the money. They just read and read thinking that all of a sudden they will find a magic bullet that will allow them to make money without having to work for it. Oh well, their loss.
-Fred
Check out Fred’s last blog post..FDIC Insurance Limits
Hi Fred,
Thanks for the encouraging words. It does make me feel better. Fact or not, this is my perception of a large number of people who read my blog.
I believe that a lot of people who read my blog want to make money online by doing absolutely nothing. I also too believe that because of this, these same people are eager to copy, claim and steal the very ideas, thoughts and suggestions that I give to them.
When I give people advice on something, instead of them taking that advice and acting on it, they in return claim the advice I gave to them as theirs and re-write the post on their blog, acting as if they were the hero.
The funny part about this situation is the fact that this is NOT the first time I have had this discussion in public on my blog. About a month ago, and I am sure many will remember, I totally freaked out and said that I was quitting, bla bla bla.
I had decided to quit and never blog about making money online again. The ironic thing was the fact that the same people who stole from me also acted as if they were on my side and expressed sympathy for my emotions. Yet, they were the people who copy, claim and steal my ideas, thoughts and suggestions that I give to them.
I don’t know man… I have got a lot of thinking to do. This isn’t the first time my bubble busted due to frustrations within my own readership. But one thing is for sure, I do appreciate you taking the time to write the encouraging words.
Hey Garry, well you know my whole situation.
You have helped me tremendously and I am grateful for all the tips that you have given me. I am one of the few that actually does listen
But you knew that already, I am sitting at $1.97 for AdSense today from 2 sites.
Now people will come by here and say oh wow…..a whole $1.97 in a day! Garry has taught you well, but I can very well say that most of those people haven’t made ANY money at all with AdSense. After a new theme for one of the sites that I am going to switch out tonight, hopefully I can increase the clicks a little bit along with using better placement of the ads.
I can only assume how pissed off you are considering you have 2000+ subscribers and I would be pissed as well if none of them commented on your posts. Obviously there are those of us who show our appreciation by leaving comments but I think you get what I mean.
I am not sure how well charging money would work out though. Yeah it would get rid of all the tire kickers but that is almost your whole reader base ;P
Check out Jarret’s last blog post..Changing Colors In Your Blog’s Theme Using CSS
I’m terrible about keeping up on my posts, let alone responding to email, and like Christine, I feel weird just giving a “thumbs up” comment. Honestly, I wish more blogs would employ a rating system so that I could do just that (I won’t put one on my blogs because I don’t want to find out what people think!).
But I have been enjoying your posts and tweets, and I apologize for not saying so sooner. Try to enjoy the rest of your vacation- twerps will always be there waiting to suck the joy out of you, so save that for work time.
Check out WordVixen’s last blog post..Blog Action Day
Hey Garry, don’t be so hard on yourself. You have a genuine spirit of giving and I for one have learned a lot from you. You’ve achieved more than a lot of people could ever hope to do in the time you’ve done it. I say this to bring out your successes and focus on those.
There could be a million different reasons why someone hasn’t acted on your advice, and that’s okay. Maybe they’ll get around to doing it some time. For those who don’t, well, let them steer themselves where they may. Giving credit these days is, unfortunately, something that appears to be a lost skill, whether it happens intentionally or not.
You do a lot of good for your family and the folks here.
Check out Mark Sierra at MeAndMyDrum.com’s last blog post..7 Ways To Scratch Your Niche Itch
Thanks so much. Twitter has been a lot of fun. I am meeting some really cool people such as yourself. I really don’t mind discovering what people think. The more accurate information I have about people’s reaction after reading my posts the more I can continue to provide information that people want.
I realized a few moments ago that I already had a rating system plugin already installed on my blog and I was even able to activate it. Unfortunately though, it requires some additional configurations that can only be done with a computer, so it’ll be a few days until I have my rating system to appear on the blog. But, indeed is coming very soon.
I hope we can shift that decimal over two or three spots to the right.
With the sites you have been showing me that you are building, you very well may grow your portfolio of niche blogs quicker and far more effective than I did when I was at that stage of the game. For me, it was trial and error. For you, you are already starting off on more of the right foot than I did close to two years ago. You have got a lot of talent and you are a sponge for information and you are also an excellent listener and observer.
I have same problems with my own friends too.
Its sad stuff but I think its about time to forget friendship for once and for all.
Check out Keral Patel’s last blog post..Customize Gmail Look
Well I may be doing better then when you did but that is because YOU have told me what to do. I would be lost if it wasn’t for your help lol
I agree that it would be nice to move that decimal place over a few numbers but that will come soon enough. I got some ideas floating around in my head
Check out Jarret’s last blog post..Changing Colors In Your Blog’s Theme Using CSS
What is funny is that I am learning too as many of my readers are learning. Some things I do very well at while other things I do not. Earlier this year I went through a stage where I wanted to advance in more of the Internet Marketing aspect of making money online. That did not do well for me. I think that is a very difficult area to find success in.
Since that time, I have gone back to my roots and focus very much on doing what I originally set out to do. And that is to build blogs, bunches of them. Blogs that can literally sit there for months on end, untouched and unmoderated. The Google AdSense program is a very wonderful program. I see more and more how it does better as I write better too.
When I first started, my first handful of blogs were crap. It started with airplanes and other things that were expensive items. Today though, as I write about this stuff, I have a next generation of sites I have created. These sites no one knows the URLS to them. Well, David does, but we do quite a bit of work together.
Anyway, the point to this is that I am indeed going back to what I know best. Doing this, I think maybe that my writing isn’t catering to some number of people who have more an interest in Internet marketing.
I am not an Internet marketer. An Internet marketer is coined as people who push products on the Internet, more so as digital and downloadable products. That just isn’t me.
Who I am and will always be is an individual who carries quite a bit of skill in search engine ranking, keyword targeting, and effective monetized content publication by use of a blog. So with that, perhaps my content hasn’t been interesting to people who read my blog?
Jarret is a great example here. He admits that he has two sites that made a total of $1.97 for the day. The stats on his two sites I would bet are almost identical to the stats of my own fleet of sites.
The only difference is that I have many more blogs than he does and it is only a matter of time until he builds multiple blogs like I have done for myself. Thus this goes back to my original objective last year when I announced my goal of making 100 blogs that each earn around $1 per day.
In due time… I believe that David has a part in this too Jarret. It is not just me.
Hi Keral,
I really wish it was that simple. I have tried to be a jerk. I have even tried to be a complete asshole. The problem I have is that my job on the Internet lacks in human interaction. Yes, I can literally sit at my computer 6 to 8 hours per day and do my job and do it quite well. Doing that though is a very lonely job.
The truth of the matter is this: I could shut my personal blog down today and it would not affect me financially one bit. In fact, shutting down my personal blog would actually make me money. Running this blog costs me money. But I pay that price because I need the interaction with people. There is no way I can sit here on my computer all day like some invisible troll doing what I do.
The balance to my job is sharing and without the friendship I create with others, I totally lose the reward in doing what I do. But, I guess too, this whole thing is a double edged sword. So really, no matter what I do, I get cut. I guess this is what people call a “Catch 22″ because I can’t function with my blog nor can I function without it. I think talking about it does help. And I know for a fact that you as well as the others who can come talk to me about this makes things better.
Oh man, I know we’ve talked about this, but I’m still surprised at the extent of it all. I completely agree with Christine however- I read a good 3 dozen blog posts a day and if I don’t have something genuinely helpful or relative to offer, I may not leave a comment.
Also, particularly now that I am coming off my 4 month vacation, shooooooot… I’m working hard to actually implement the mass number of tips you’ve given me. The sooner I’m done, the sooner I can spend more time sharing the comment luv.
Another thought- like myself, I’m certain people are reading your posts via feed or email subscription so it’s possible people are reading your posts and not being tracked exactly.
You know we love you Garry!
Check out BrilliantJENI’s last blog post..Underdogblog Charity Challenge
Well here goes my thank you Garry.
I’ve not been a reader very long but it seems you are incredibly respected in this community. Brilliant Jeni especially seems to be a very big fan. As such I have subscribed to your blog and will be taking on all the advice you give out, and taking action. Hopefully this means one day we can work together and then both get a good return from this blog
Thanks again boss
Check out Clog Money’s last blog post..Five reasons I both love and hate making money online.
Lets see since I have started reading GCDC , ok let me start from the beginning, before I was reading GCDC, I was making like 40 cents a year in AdSense, seriously it was that horrible. Since I have been reading GCDC I am making 40 bux a month per blog. Going for a buck a day per blog. SO reading GCDC and doing what he says Works !! people. Get his themes and read then do.
.
Though really many people will read with suspicion and get bombarded with load of overwhelm, get distracted then forget what they started out doing ( I fall into that category a bit).
I read here and then study what you do on you other blogs, Im sure you seen my IP pop up all over you blogs
I dont compete with you in your chosen niche frankly because they dont interest me.
But competition is not a bad thing when done right, and it more important to make friends and share information than it is to just rob and body check your way to the top.
Dont know what much to say on the stealing thingy, other than almost all of it has been already said every where and stealing it is just easier? Sad comentary really. Though honestly When I am reading and researching I borrow from stuff I have read. Though I do link back in most cases or I hope I am
Enjoy your vacation dude !!
Shane
Check out shane at make money blogging’s last blog post..Are you selling the click ?
You know where I stand on almost every issue so there is not a lot I can add.
It’s suppose to be vacation, chill !
Sorry I did not answer you yesterday, we just kept missing each other. You on vacation, me slaving away, that’s just not right, lol.
So as Bobby McFerrin would say — “Don’t worry, be happy”
Hey Garry,
I read daily but I don’t comment very often for the same reason as Christine. I don’t have too much to say.
Your info is very very valuable and I am slowly putting in into practice. (You know the deal, kids, 2 jobs and trying to make money online) Please don’t stop. I am starting to build some micro niche blogs on topics that interest me and that I’m somewhat knowledgeable in.
A voting system would be a good idea for quick feedback, I’d use it.
Thanks again.
Garry – thanks for your help AND honesty. Here’s my take…
We lost power for several days due to Hurricane Ike, and others – like Mark Mason’s parents – lost power for much longer and had damages. I went to several HUGE blogs – many of a spiritual nature – that I frequent, and asked for help, prayers, moral support, etc. for my friends in the Houston/Galveston area. One of the blogs has about 2 mill. visits a year – had absolutely zero replies – zilch. I don’t think people are bad, I just think they’re busy and self-absorbed. I try to stay postive, but it is hard at times. Thanks again!
Kent
Hey Garry,
As always I’m appreciative of all the information you provide and all of the hard work you put into helping others. Within the last couple of months I’ve been uber busy with work, business, family, trying to buy a house, repairing my car and life in general. I read your feed in my RSS but have not had much to contribute to lately.
As for people stealing content and generally being a menace to the internet, its a shame. If you don’t like people copying what you do perhaps you should just stop telling people publicly what you are doing and how they can improve. – Just a thought.
On a side note, what happened to the bloggers message board?
Check out Owen’s last blog post..Microsoft Advertising Strategy
I know how it feels. I recently found your blog via one guy and I’m glad I did.
You’re one of the rare bloggers who post articles that can people can actually IMPLEMENT (like the Google base thing, some people could just come and write and test that).
It’s pretty strange that little people take action upon your advice.
Anyway, I’m glad I found you
Well Garry I hate to say it and I know you already know it but… That’s just the nature of blogging in this niche. You give give give and rarely get as much back in return. What keeps us going is the money we make or the hopes of making money, and the friends/readers we gain from our blogs.
I will admit that I come to your blog almost every day but only comment a fraction of the time. It’s not because I don’t appreciate what you do but usually just one of four things: 1) Whatever I was going to say has already been said in another comment, 2) I simply don’t have anything to say, 3) My comment wouldn’t be very useful so I don’t want to just leave a one-liner, which is just as bad as not commenting at all imo, 4) I don’t have time to comment on every blog post I read throughout the day.
As for stealing content… it’s something we all have to deal with. I can’t even tell you how many times I have had articles, blog posts, website pages, ebooks, and everything else you can think of blatantly stolen and used elsewhere as if it was their own work. It sucks!!!
All you can do is brush it off and keep going!
Check out Trent Brownrigg’s last blog post..Ok I’m Back!
Hey Gary,
I’m new around here but we have bantered once or twice on other blogs and it would totally SUCK if you shut down…now that I subscribe and visit regularly.
Personally I love commenting, but I do think the rating system is a prime idea for those that don’t…..I’m of 2 heads about putting it on my own blog though for fear that regular commenters will then take the easy way out lol.
Like I said I am new here (to this blog) but look forward to each and every “golden nugget”
Just to clear it up ahead of time, if I were to implement it, I always give idea credit where it’s due
Check out Dennis Edell’s last blog post..Guest Post: DaBlogger Tells His Experiences with Social Bookmarking
Hi Garry,
I hope you are enjoying your time off with the family. I do agree with Christine’s comments. Unfortunately my ‘other’ job (which pays the mortgage) is requiring my full attention at the moment and a 4hr commute everyday is killing me. I have not been around much of late but drop by your blog whenever I get a chance. I do however find it difficult to comment often and will only comment when I have something to add. I feel some form of rating system may be something to explore further.
Enjoy the rest of your break mate with your family and we will catch up when you get back.
Check out Murray’s last blog post..Anti Cellulite Creams
Garry, you’re a great person. I know for a fact that you have helped everyone including me. I do admit that I read your blog, but at times I don’t comment. I apologize for that and I do try to comment whenever I can.
-Mike
garry i can feel your pain, the whole thing can be frustrating but if I should chip in on the area of people taking from you and re-writing your stuff on their sites then you should realise that you are not the only dude, they do such from, I know a guy who owns a health blog that complained bitterly about how people were stealing from his site, to cut the story short the dude ended up in hospital and getting hi B.P zapped up, my advice just do your part.
You are doing it for two things for humanity to know that garry did something for the Internet world for the public domain to recognize and secondly for the good of your family (Your wife and children) \
Cheers mate
Howdy Garry, it’s been a long time since I dropped a comment. But like the other ladies here, I don’t have anything techy to add, so I just read. Course I’ve also had a bout with BAD COMPUTER SYNDROME, which you already know since I emailed ya about it. Hope all starts looking up, I mean the holidays are coming and I KNOW that’s your favorite time of year. hehe.
[...] I ran across a blog today where the author was saying how frustrated he was with people stealing his stuff and not giving him credit for it. It seemed to bother him so much that he was questioning what he was going to do with his blog after he returned from vacation. His name is Gary Conn and his post was entitled People are Really Starting to Frustrate Me. [...]
Hi Gary,
This post really inspired me. Even though it doesn’t feel good to be plagiarized, the old saying is that imitation is the finest form of flattery. Your stuff works and thats why people steal it. They have nothing of their own that works. This really shows the value of your site.
Granted, you probably want to change a few things to lessen the ways in which people can steal from you. I don’t have any suggestions in that department, but I know you will find the happy medium.
Cheers,
Jeremy
You are the very 1st Blog that I have ever followed and subscribed to – I can tell you are a
very dedicated and honest person (very rare) – If you publish it there are many “dumd
itiots” (scum-bags) out there who are going to pretend they are your friend and then steal whatever info they can use from you because #1 that is all they know how to do #2 they
are to stupid to do it themselves #3 this is all they can do because they did it all their life
#4 you do not need freinds like that.
— Keep up the great work —
Hi Gary – I followed a link on Jeremy’s blog here, so it’s my first visit. I hear the frustration in your words and empathize with you. As to what we can do to stop people from stealing our (blog) “stuff”, apparently, not much. It appears you have a great blog here with a large readership, so it would be unfortunate if a few bad apples spoil it for the rest of your community. I hope you find an answer that works for everyone.
Check out Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Who Taught You – Open Mic
Hi Jeremy,
Firstly… welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Also, thanks for writing that post on your blog. I look forward to seeing you around. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to help as best as I can.
@ Everyone:
Jeremy wrote a post based off this post. You can read it here:
http://www.insightwriter.com/2008/10/25/giving-thanks-and-crediting-people-for-their-work/
Also, here is a copy of my comment that I posted on his blog:
Hi Pat,
It sure is great to read comments from my “silent readers”. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment with your encouraging words. Also, thanks for placing such value in my blog and the content you read on it. I am very happy learn that my blog is the 1st blog you followed and subscribed to. That means a lot.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment and express your thoughts. It is truly amazing how much power “Word of Mouth” marketing has. If Jeremy never wrote his post, you very well might not have ever found my blog. To me that amazes me how things work.
With that said, even though you found my blog, I am sure that you will always continue to read Jeremy’s. With that said, it entertains me to realize that many bloggers fear losing their readership so much that they are hesitant to provide outbound links in their posts. That is silly, isn’t it?
With that said, I am happy to see new faces here on my blog. Also, I think I too should use my blog to provide more outbound links. There are lots of things I enjoy reading and I think I could do a better job sharing.
Not to worry, I think I have learned how to cope with the few bad apples. Thanks again for stopping by and look forward to seeing more of you.
Breaking that myth regarding outgoing links is a post in itself…a few have already, but still.
Check out Dennis Edell’s last blog post..50 Social Bookmarking Sites. What Are The Top 5-10 Most Popular?
Gary,
I have just started reading your material. It is fabulous. I understand your frustration, however I hope that you don’t stop writing your great and informing material.
I truly understand your feelings, I am a copywriter and specialize in sales letters. You know, the junk mail that you sometimes get… anyway, I decided to track down a “guru” copywriter that lives approximately 50 miles from me. I then sat down and wrote a letter and mailed it to him.
I made a generous offer to drive up and visit and buy lunch or dinner at the restaurant of his choice because I just wanted to say thank you for his motivation and shake his hand.
I never got a response or an acknowlegement saying that he didn’t want to meet with me. Because of that, his “guru” status with me is kind of tarnished now.
I guess what I am trying to say, some folks will take advantage of you and not think twice about it. Please don’t let that sway you in helping others. Not all of us are pigs that just want to take advantage.
That being said, How can I promote or help you in any way?
Many Blessings to You and Your Loved Ones…
Scott
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