Discussions

Does Anyone Write Original Content Anymore?

Posted by fjangleone • 3/15/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blogs, content, opinions, originality, social media, Topics, writing

So many blogs talking about similar topics and yet not many of them stand out. Even though many people are passionate about the same topics, what would you think of new fresh ideas?

This article asks that question:
writinghood.com/writing/does-anyone-write-original-content-anymore/

User Comments

3/15/09

fruitcake

My blog definitely has original content (sprinkled with my personality) and really stands out. Fresh as a daisy!

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  manilaROSE
  
  I do! My problem spometimes is I get a mental block. I always try to come up with something of my own personal experience but I'm having a hard time putting them down into words. Oh well..
3/15/09

Seabuckthorn

People write about what interests them, which is why there are so many articles about porn stars, Sailor Moon and technology on Wikipedia. If we want a more diverse internet, we need to get more soccer moms with Liberal Arts degrees posting, and fewer SEO specialists with Star Wars fetishes.

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  ClayrnDarrow
  
  What a riot--you have just eliminated a good percentage of internet users.
2. 3/15/09
  
  dosox
  
  LOL lovely
3. 5/07/09
  
  MidwestMom
  
  did someone just call me?? LOL!
3/15/09

dosox

@fjangleone

What do you write about

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  fjangleone
  
  I write about social networks and technology! I wrote that article to see what kind of a buzz it would generate and I got the feedback I was looking for. I honestly don't mind what people write about, although I really like when people come up with something different!
3/15/09

Floormodel

how about a wrestling mom with a Star Trek fetish?

I find plenty of original blogs, sometimes you just have to plug in a tag word and see where it takes you

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  ClayrnDarrow
  
  LOL--My type of woman. She has to make the perfect taco, and then she's a goddess.
2. 3/17/09
  
  Floormodel
  
  not to brag but I do make a mean taco....
3/15/09

cooper

There are a lot of blogs out there with new fresh ideas, you just have to look for them. I don't think you are necessarily going to find them in places where people congregate online.Although you'll find a few. Seriously most of the great blogs and bloggers I read have probably never ventured into a social network. I think these networks carry this insidious disease with them leading blogger to believe they need to ask people how to blog or what to blog about. I don't see that as a good thing.

[reply]
3/15/09

ThriftShopRomantic

There are plenty of blogs with fresh, unique content out there-- it just depends on what you're looking for. Certain niches tend to be more trend-driven than others.

[reply]
3/15/09

Jules66

I would think most personal blogs, or even photography blogs(that the photos belongs to the actual photographer) have a fair bit of original content in their blogs, from what I have observed

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  kriztinac
  
  The very "personal" blogs I've visited by far are all unique. But there are blogs with rewritten articles that I like.
  
  Some topics and websites in my blog are not fresh, but I personalize them by sharing my own experiences and proofs.
3/15/09

shadowmoon87

Well, I write original content on my blog since I'm creating my own projects.

@cooper
I don't know, for me this kind of networks are here simply for exchanging experience/information and finding other people to chat. I never had the intention of asking how to blog or what to blog about, unless trying to learn how to get attention is the same as how to blog.
Though some people may come here seeking for answers for those questions which I too think is a bad thing.

[reply]
3/15/09

roentarre

My contents are always original even though my photography essays are rarely written.

[reply]
3/15/09

MarzRingo

Uniqueness and creativity and passion seem to be lacking overall. I mean I know creative and unique blogs exist, but I think they're the minority.

I think one problem is that people are conditioned to play it safe. They don't want to turn people off because they want good reviews and a lot of traffic.

This type of thinking leads to very bland content. I've gotten good reviews. But I've been happiest when I saw some people called me an idiot who didn't know what I was talking about.

That was great. Making people angry and talking about controversial issues is the point of blogging for me personally. My goal is to eventually garner some death threats.

[reply]
3/15/09

ttiger

my music blog is all original content

[reply]
3/15/09

legbamel

There is a lot of unique content out there, if you stray from money-making and trendy topics. Narrow-niche blogs are a great place to look, because there often isn't much for those folks to copy. Then again, some people, like me, enjoy writing their own content far more than copying and pretending to have written something.

[reply]
3/15/09

Epicharis

I had someone comment on a post of mine and then write an almost identical post himself...really frustrating!

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  gentledove
  
  You should shame him by commenting on his blog, but then I suppose he would delete the comment, I suppose there is a compliment there.
2. 3/15/09
  
  Epicharis
  
  I don't think I want to get involved in a dispute with him...his blog was very aggressive!
3/15/09

rocketrobin

My content is always original as are my photographs, my main subject is not all that common either!

[reply]
3/15/09

gentledove

I think my poetry is fairly original, and the Yack yarns are stories relating to me so must be unique.

[reply]
3/15/09

Hislittleone

Mine and my Master's writing's are certainly original, since they're about our particular relationship.

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  MadMadMargo
  
  Well written and VERY interesting.
2. 3/15/09
  
  Hislittleone
  
  Thanks.
3/15/09

Agit8r

Wikipedia says i do original research... does that count

[reply]
3/15/09

freeatlast

I do as much original content as possible... any links I have to other material is a reference point for the original content... yet I hope to get to a higher percentage independent/original... by using original photos, etc.

[reply]
3/15/09

Sebastyne

I think I know what you mean. We've all read the same blogging tips over and over again, and the originality comes in the form of how many "steps" the blogger suggests you should take to be a successful blogger. Of course, it's hard not to write that list if you are a blogging tip writer. It is very hard though to come up with fresh ideas in the genre, so... I personally wouldn't want to write anything I have to do a lot of research for, because that means that I'm just redelivering the same information someone else has already put out there. That is to say that while some of my posts are probably not completely unlike any other, there are some quite original ones.

[reply]
3/15/09

kriztinac

It's ok to write copied contents as long as there's permission and citation.

[reply]
3/15/09

lulubelleb

Some of my best friends
write original content
Makes their blogs unique

I write my haikus
Love 'em or hate 'em, they're mine
Who else would claim them?

;^D

[reply]
1. 3/15/09
  
  Seabuckthorn
  
  Haikus mention nature. Poems with the same format but with no mention of nature are called Senryus.
3/15/09

maxisangry

I'd love to answer your question but I've seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked...

[reply]
3/15/09

andrasnm

Kipling said;
"There is nothing new under the sun." This means there is everything you ever wanted to say or think, has been said and thought before.
Ideas are never new, only styles, delivery are. Art is the original expression of ideas that can be done and redone originally. I suspects blogs seldom can.
Andras
Ancient Wisdom Blog
www.andras-nagy.com/wordpress/

[reply]
3/15/09

MarzRingo

I believe "There is nothing new under the sun" appears in the Bible. But i could be wrong.

[reply]
3/16/09

Arcticulates

It sounds to me as if you haven't read enough blogs so I am not sure how you can make that assumption. I have read a lot of really fantastic well written original content blogs.

Yes there are some posts out there that seem to be duplicated over and over, but there are many many blogs that are not.

So my suggestion to you is read some more blogs!

[reply]
3/17/09

BernieSandwich

Mines original all but one post and I've have apologised for that. I haven't seen another blog covering my topic. If there is one i'll be glad of a link.

[reply]
3/17/09

Floormodel

I'm making it a point to look at each answerer's blog (for this question). So far, all original and some pretty interesting.

[reply]
3/17/09

kat822

yes , no one would wanna claim my stuff, yes it's original because this crap never happens to anyone else

[reply]
3/17/09

sandilynn1975

I really don't know many blogs that discuss the same topic as my main blog.....

[reply]
3/17/09

wehireu

My blog has lots of original content.

[reply]
3/17/09

Anok

Well there's a difference between original content (content of the writer's design, not copied or plagiarized from other writers) and original content that is exceptional in quality and creativity.

Hopefully everyone here writes original content - otherwise there could be some serious copyright issues. But not everyone can write in a way that makes the reader stop and say "holy crap that was great!" Some people just aren't that great, or their niche just isn't that interesting.

If they were - then "exceptional" wouldn't be all that exceptional, now would it?

[reply]
3/17/09

JoelKlebanoff

My blog definitely has fresh content. It is sometimes a little off-the-wall and the writing is always as original as I can make it (although occasionally, but only occasionally, I comment on a real news story). It is written entirely by me, unless, of course an alien being has taken control of my mind and is driving my thoughts, which would explain a lot of things.

[reply]
3/17/09

agapelife

Mine is too original for some!

[reply]
3/17/09

dc202

In my research, I haven't found any that are exactly compatable with my content? www.dc202.wordpress.com I've looked but no luck.

[reply]
3/18/09

mitayashi

i write my blog by myself and always refer the source by putting there the URL for my review section.

but for musical sheets,... i cannot copy or grab other people's work. it must be my own work =D

[reply]
3/18/09

MarzRingo

"Hopefully everyone here writes original content - otherwise there could be some serious copyright issues"

I can't speak for anyone else, but when i say there isn't alot of original content, i mean the subject matter itself and the perspectives. You can have a million political blogs, but on any given day they're talking about the same things and they're usually on one of just two sides. When it comes to personal "journal" blogs, there isn't as much diversity as there should be.

I'd love to find more blogs written by those who feel disenfranchised, or who are struggling with serious issues and questions about their lives. I'd like to see more curiousity. More anger. I'd love to read a blog written by a guy living the "succesful" middle class life who's at a crisis in his life wondering if it's all meaningless and if he chose his path correctly. I'd like to read a blog by the weird high school kid who deals with being ostracized and picked on and releases and expresses his anger and loneliness onto his site. I'd like to read a blog by the college girl who's having a hard time adapting to the college lifestyle and wonders if she's compromising her ethics or just growing up.

But, for the most part, the blogosphere mirrors real life conversations. At any given get together or party, i'll hear about work, making money, innocent hobbies, politics, etc. And those just happen to be the most popular subjects for blogs. At least in my experience anyway.

I was hoping to find more blogs where people really express themselves, where the blog is their outlet, where they can express feelings and say things they're usually not able to say.

I made a post about school shootings a while back where i said things i know alot of people wouldn't like. Anyway, what if a kid on the verge of committing such an act found the blog of a kid who's been through similar things. And maybe he realizes he's not alone anymore. Maybe it's cathartic to read how other kids like him feel. And maybe a disaster gets averted.

Blogging can be very important. More people should take advantage of that.

[reply]
3/18/09

michaelwillow

Yes I think I do... The most of my posts are original. Essays and researches that I have made via the college and other musical festivals that no one writes abt them... I also try to discover cultural events in different cities etc....

miketheblacksheep.wordpress.com/

[reply]
3/18/09

theliterate

Of course. I'm the only one in the world who bothers to write about Mischka lol.

[reply]
3/18/09

jameswarren11

I try and make mine original but it's tricky! Also, it's a graffiti art blog, so I'm using other people's art anyway...

You're right though, a lot is similar, I've had some of my posts copied and reposted by others as their own! Cheeky rascals.

www.world-graffiti.com

[reply]
3/18/09

michaelwillow

Yes definitely my blog could be considered original. I post researches that I do via the college and apart some music news, it is very original because (and this is the meaning of blogging) there is a personal view and opinion about almost everything... I don't spend a lot of time for posts that have nothing to say or biographies that can be found almost everywhere,,, this would be waste of space

Check it out
miketheblacksheep.wordpress.com/

[reply]
3/18/09

ScreamBucket

If you stop and think about it, the internet is really only minutes old, still in its infancy. At the moment, it is populated mostly by the geeks and semi geeks who are still building it - which is why tech stuff is so popular.

Blogging is kind of like the early days of the gold rush, still a stampede for money by scraping at the earth. Eventually it will broaden and become deeper, and real content will rise to the top. It's a laung haul concept.

[reply]
3/18/09

aningeniousname

Original content is so yesterday. What I do is I use Blogcatalog to find blogs with original content then I just cut and paste their content into mine, easy!
My paypal gets no rest!

[reply]
4/04/09

Alta5656

I read what interest me.. may it be original or not.. fresh ideas or not.

[reply]
4/04/09

RenalFailure

My blog has a ninja and a half-cyborg cat. It's hard to get more original than that.

[reply]
4/04/09

melindaville

My blog is most definitely all original.

[reply]
4/04/09

RecycleCindy

I believe there are many blogs that write original content and are unique. Yes, of course there are similar topics that are covered at several different blogs but if one is interested in the topic, you can usually find new and fresh ideas and prospectives within the post.

For example, I love reading crafting blogs and even though there are many that may write about the same technique or display a similar project, each one is unique in its own way. That makes it interesting and keeps people (at least crafty interested people) coming back.

[reply]
4/05/09

slowtumblinglife

i write original short stories.. her's my latest..

slowtumblinglife.blogspot.com/2009/04/countdown.html

[reply]
4/07/09

radioflyer1980

I have all original content on my blog. The subjects vary, but they all have one thing in common: me. It's my perspective on the world from the viewpoint of dad, husband, resident of northern Illinois, consultant, UU, armchair scientist, long suffering Bears fan, etc.

[reply]
4/07/09

shadowmoon87

Well, mine is original content without a doubt since I'm the one doing the all the work which I'm talking about in my posts.
Yah, all the models available are my own designs and my history is, well, mine so I guess it's original unless someone lived the same life as mine.
And the tutorial I wrote by myself based on my own experience.

[reply]
4/07/09

libdrone

I post three completely original and well-written book reviews on my site every week. For some of us, writing good original content is what blogging is All About.

[reply]
4/07/09

jafabrit

I would say mine is original and brutally honest since it expresses a passionate need to create and the issues that inspire it, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. Is there really a subject that hasn't been discussed though?

I think there are plenty of original blogs, just have to sift through, and even then isn't it a matter of personal tastes and interests.

[reply]
4/07/09

cuteptaguy

Check out my blog and let me know what you guys think warfare-delightful-dreary-life.blogspot.com/

[reply]
4/07/09

musTraysManagement

Sure.
This is my last real original post. But, I'm not so sure about my grammar, since English is not my daily language. I'll be very happy if you would like giving me suggestions on this post titled:

"What are Clothing Styles that Suit to Mrs. Obama?"

Below is the link:
stanleysutrisno.blogspot.com

Regards.

[reply]
4/07/09

cazywaz

i write my own poetry, so i suppose yes.

[reply]
4/07/09

sjay

It all depends on the topic you are blogging about. For example my blog blog about computer and internet related hacks and tricks so it is been around the web but always it will become unique and add difference instance after you experience it.

But sometimes I raise the question is it unique or original? At the movement it does not hurt my blog much.

[reply]
4/07/09

idealpinkrose

Mine is a personal blog so I always write original content.

[reply]
4/07/09

avecchioni

I take my time and write original content. I also spend more time on blogs with original material.

[reply]
4/07/09

ckent27

I only write original content. I want my blog to be stuff that I've written.

[reply]
4/07/09

tinatina

My blog is completely original. Please tell me if someone else is writing about hanging out with fringe groups in Lubbock, TX.

[reply]
1. 5/07/09
  
  cuteptaguy
  
  Will check it out Tina
5/07/09

cuteptaguy

comment removed by the community.

[reply]
5/07/09

jtsantos

Does blogs about chronic kidney failure are that many?
If not, well I guess my contents are original...

[reply]
5/07/09

crpitt

Does Anyone Write Original Content Anymore?

[reply]
1. 5/07/09
  
  MissSuzie
  
  How original of you.
2. 5/07/09
  
  crpitt
  
  How original of you.
5/07/09

nothingprofound

Originality? It's been done before.

[reply]
5/08/09

Norski

There's a point here: There have been times when I felt as if I were trapped in a Captain Planet looping episode. Topics can be over-covered.

On the other hand, to the best of my knowledge, my audience is limited to human beings and a few bots. Call me biased: but I write exclusively for the human portion of my audience.

That limits me to topics which humans are likely to find interesting. Honestly, what I find interesting. My Apathetic Lemming of the North blog ( apatheticlemming.blogspot.com/ ) is a pretty good sampler.

As for relatively novel topics. Think about it: how many people would be genuinely interested in a well-written discussion of Yaroslav the Wise, or the chemical makeup of carbonaceous asteroids, or Jomon figurines? I would: but I'm not all that close to the 50th percentile of blog readers.

I don't try to write 'popular' blog posts. I don't understand contemporary culture well enough to keep up with whoever the reigning pop stars are, what's in fashion and what's not - and if I tried to write about it, that ignorance would show.

But, I recognize that there are people who are interested in pop stars, pro basketball games, and NASCAR, just as there are people who are interested in modern art, San Francisco city politics, and interior decorating.

I don't think the issue is so much finding new topics, as finding new angles on existing topics: some of which were old when Shakespeare was cranking out plays for a commercial interest near London.

[reply]
5/08/09

rcal4848

HO HO HO, I am the herald of original content. Uno the last pope. Well he died after taking a time machine to the future and reading the abysmal chaotic mind chatter of my blog. His priestly mind could not contain itself while viewing such deep themes and strong sentiments of counter culture. His mind exploded, and after he attempted to masturbate at the grand alter in St. Peters Church was put down quietly by the order of the phoenix(church death squad).

[reply]
6/19/09

nburmandesign

You tell me - www.lifeimitatingdesign.com

[reply]
6/19/09

bettieblogger

I sure hope my blog has original content as it's pretty much an online journal (if you will) about the goings on in my life .. If they were someone else's stories, I'd have a real problem on my hands ..

[reply]
1. 6/19/09
  
  Friday13
  
  Same here. Unless I'm subconsciously blogging about someone else's life ... who would live the exact same life I do?