Couponing community blogger etiquette

I've read a bit about the "he said she said"s of blogging recently...who took what and who's work is it...some of this gets under my skin even though I'm a pretty easy going person.  There are a TON of blogs, blog offshoots and facebook pages for deals and saving money...some are good, others notsomuch...some are informative and creative, others are simply just a book of shares...some have personality and others are dry.  Some try to corner the market and alienate the other folks in the coupon community, others embrace the opportunity to share with others.  Most everyone is awesome about crediting and/or linking their sources...others, I'm sad to say are not.

/rant on....lets not get into the debate of who has who's stuff...I know for 100% certainty that there are people out there who use other's postings as their own with the originating link removed, it happens to me a lot and typically I know when it happens on Facebook because when you share, there is this little link that says "remove link" which makes it all too easy to claim the work/link/information shared as your own.  That's rude, but there's not much that can be done to prevent it.

The copy and paste technique has been used by many without credit back to the source of the information...I've used a source (while giving them credit) where I've purposely cut and pasted segments from a text ad copy to different areas (for personal preference and convenience of matching up) of the listings only to find that SAME setup on another blog...coincidence?  I don't think so...but I won't cast stones, mention names or pull anyone's pony tail over it...but I've caught it happening and just make note of it.

I've seen folks alter a post then claim it as their own...that is still bad juju.  Bottom line is this...the information is out there for anyone to find/share and match up, specifically once the store ads are leaked...if you choose to use something that someone else finds and/or takes the time to post/matchup or work on...at least give them credit by mentioning them with a link back or in this case link directly to their work...that is only common courtesy and blogger etiquette.  It can't be called plagerism in the broad definition because the ads as well as the current bank of coupons do not belong to sole individuals...and the matchups, well, there are just so many things that can be on sale with a coupon attached.  HOWever, the time it takes to do these matchups is intensive and sometimes frustrating...this type of work warrants a bit of recognition!!

In the situation with the upcoming Harris Teeter ad, I link directly to Moola Saving Mom's website for the early matchups, so credit is found upon the source.  I do understand all the hard work that goes into matching up...I historically do those myself for the simple reason we have regional differences in coupons and pricing specifically in a coastal/resort area (the prices around here are sometimes higher), but when I do that, I give credit to whomever I get my ad copy from but then use my own matchups....however, with the current state of personal affairs I've been going through since January doing said matchups just hasn't been manageable, so sharing reputable sources has kept all my readers well informed.

Ranting?  Yes, I am a little...sorry, but sitting here working to bring readers the best possible money saving information takes up a lot of time and effort...I love to do it, but please be courteous to your sources  ;)   /rant off