Protocol

I need a bit of help here. I’ve been blogging around seven months now. I admit I didn’t read all the WordPress advice, just some pieces that seemed pertinent at the time. I’ll have to go back and check on a few matters. There might be small print in it that I never worry about. And it could come back to bite me on the bum.

But I figure getting my answers from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, might be more helpful to me. And maybe not just to me.

The thing is, I write all sorts of things that come into my head. Sometimes the inspiration comes from other bloggers. When this happens I try to give credit where I think it’s due and therefore link to whatever prompted the thoughts in me.

It would seem that may not be the best way to go. Inadvertently, I may have done the wrong thing by linking to a challenge that I was not invited to take part in. My own fault for not reading the nature of the post properly. It did actually say that it was a guest post. I checked….afterwards……so it was completely my own fault. I was just so intent on responding to the post. As many of you will know my comments can be a bit long-winded. A bit like my posts. Who said that?

Anyway, I started making a comment to a post I read and realised I was in the process of writing a rather long poetic response. So I cut the comment, created a post and linked back to the originator to give credit where it was due I thought. But, in linking to the post it looked as if I was pushing in on the guest challenge without being invited. I was mortified. I wouldn’t presume.

But what to do? I feel not to give credit is somehow crass, pretending that nothing prompted nor inspired. And if I wrote without giving credit and the other blogger is a follower of mine and saw it they may think, ‘Oh thanks very much. Use my idea and don’t even mention me’. I just kind of think that it’s good manners to do so.

Instead, it may be that it’s rather cheeky. To link yourself to another’s blog without asking permission. I don’t have a problem with it. In fact, I’m always really flattered that something I may have said inspired another.

The thing is, I don’t know what to do for the best. My dearly departed mother would have a hairy canary if she thought my manners were lacking. Actually, that’s only partly true. Sometimes, she’d say, ‘Ach fuck it. You can’t please everybody’. She would you know. She was quite a woman. But I’m having a fit thinking I’m ignoring some blogging protocol I’m not aware of. I know I could go search the forums. But have you any idea how frustrating it is to find what you’re looking for in those places? Of course you do. So that’s why I’m asking you.

Now there must be loads of you out there who have encountered this before. Or have maybe read a WordPress document I have not. I’d really like your advice.

So poll time again.

Please help me out before I make an arse of myself again.

I must say here that the blogger concerned was in no way rude to me. In fact, he was a total gent the whole time. Simply pointed out something I was unaware of. He even invited me, very graciously, to take part in the challenge. I declined because it was never my intention to do so. I was just commenting in a post inspired by another’s post. I really am at a loss. The thing is, I’ve done this on a number of other occasions and now I’m wondering if I’ve been getting up people’s noses by doing so.

I know I might be behaving like a total woman in this – over complicating what others don’t see as a problem. But, bugger it, I am a woman. I do over complicate. Maybe that’s why I’m so fascinated with the idea of simplicity. OK, whole other post. But I sincerely want to do the right thing and some of you must know the answer. So spill. Please. 🙂

What is the correct protocol for inspiration born from another’s blog? Please feel free to add any other optional answer. I need to know this stuff. Maybe we all do.