You probably know by now that I love to write—not just books but articles, comments, blogs and so forth. It stands to reason that the more you write, the more you get read. That’s the point. And if you are any good at all, the more you get quoted. It’s an honor to be in this position and makes me feel like I am doing something of value and service to others.

I have also discovered another “more” that isn’t so cool—the more you write, the more potential for getting ripped off.

Someone turned me on to Copyscape awhile back. I use it every time I write an article to be absolutely sure I am quoting or referencing someone accurately before I send it out into Idea-land. What also pops up is who is reading you and what they are doing with it.

At 15,000 readers and counting, mostly it’s all good. Predictably, I swell fat with pride at all the mentions. Then, one day, there it was . . . my work, grabbed and blabbed, without any mention of me whatsoever. Either that or I just turned into a male fotog from north of the border.

Honestly, at first I smiled. It was that Sally Field moment: “He likes me, he really like me!” Ahhhh, the shego, she is so easily seduced. But then I recovered and said, “Hey, wait! That dude ripped me off!”

I’m the Partnership chick. I’m all about two is better than one. I am all about building a strong, ethical Human Foundation for your business whether you’re  solo or have hundreds counting on you for their paycheck. Mostly I am into accountability. Like my friend, biz coach Jennifer Rosenwald says, “Everything with your name on it is your responsibility.” Your blog has your name on it, but it has my content. That’s not responsible.

(Note my Jennifer Rosenwald quote? That is attribution. She said it, not me.)

I’m not into causing kerfluffles. I like peace, love and smilin’ on your brother. But I don’t like lyin’ and cheatin’, no matter how into country music I am.

So here’s the deal, squeal: Anyone may borrow anything I do, say or think anytime you’d like. That is why I do it—for the benefit of my readers. However (don’cha hate howevers?), stealing is stealing, whether it’s my wallet or my thoughts.

So don’t do it—to me or anyone else. We love that you read us. We cherish you as a supporter. We are grateful you think what we have to say has meaning and we fight for you to do better. That’s what the Expert Industry is all about. That’s what the Information Age is all about. We work hard at what we do and most of us have decades of experience to back us up. None of this came for free. Like the article you stole said, “Freelance does not mean we work for free.”

The irony is not lost on me.

Instead, help us regain my respect for you. More important, you need to gain respect for yourself. Be accountable, be a doll, do the right thing, and all will be well.

And please be sure to spell our names right.

Have a sunny day!  😎