The Title of This Story Has a “5” In It
A partial list of all the things on Medium that you aren’t the first to do
I recently read two stories that were similar to one another. They both talked about the writer’s experience in a given time period writing on Medium.
They both also happened to have the same number of items or bullet points of attention. Both used the number in the title.
They were titled something along the lines of “I Did
I know, this kind of story is a pretty common animal in these parts ain’t it? But it made me wonder, how can people write about such a small niche topic (their experience on Medium) without copying someone else’s ideas or even the particular method they share them (like having the same number in the title)?
Plagiarism and you
I don’t feel like plagiarism is actually very common on Medium.
However, sometimes either because of an algorithm, dumb luck, or a bit of both you get exposed to something that is relatively rare several times over in a short time period. Makes it seem like it is far more prevalent than it really is.
That has happened recently in one of the publications where I serve as editor. The relatively rare occurrence of someone wholesale copying and pasting work from others (generally blog sites outside Medium) has had a little uptick.
In all but one of the cases, I have been the one to spot it. I am certain by now that the other editors have made up names behind my back, like “Mr. Plagiarism” or “Mr. WhenAllYouHaveisaHammerEverythingLooksLikeaNail” or something much more original than that.
Or, they think I am more Oprah-esque: You copied and pasted, and You copied and pasted, and You copied and pasted, and…
That is why I feel somewhat qualified to comment on the originality of these two posts. I have seen blatant plagiarism on Medium recently, and I don’t think this happenstance of two similar articles falls anywhere in that arena.
Now, granted, the stories were nearly exactly the same. With such a narrow niche, they are bound to be remarkably similar in many ways. It’s like being asked to write an essay about your first day of school.
You are going to write about meeting your teacher, getting a desk assigned, meeting some new people, having lunch and maybe getting a textbook handed out. If someone is in the same class, sits in your row, and eats lunch with the same group, guess what — their story is going to be pretty much exactly the same!
Such was the case here.
Not only were these two stories the same as each other, they were both the same as about 100 other stories I have read on Medium.
Now, I am not bashing the “I Did This on Medium and Here’s What Happened” story. To the contrary. I just said I read 100 of them. They each hold their own particular meaning and appeal.
Some are really helpful, some are funny. Some are well written; some are a model for how to lay out an eye-catching read. Many are very inspirational, and a few make you scratch your head and wonder. The thing is, they all talk about the exact same thing, and yet they are all unique.
So, that prompted me to brainstorm some of the things, that if you write about them on Medium, I absolutely guarantee someone else will write about as well. And, their article might sound suspiciously like yours — but it won’t be.
These are things you aren’t the first or only person to do:
- Write about being curated — or not curated
- Write about your earnings, or lack thereof
- Say that you are in “Curation Jail”
- Say that you are now out of Curation Jail, and how you did it
- Write a story based on a challenge
- Write a story about how you wrote a story based on a challenge
- Write a story about how you got part way through a challenge, but saw something shiny
- Talk about your experience with a particular publication
- Tell why you are writing on your own without a publication; screw them! Jerks!
- Talk about starting your own publication
- Write a story with a number in the title
- Tell how you always use odd numbers (or prime numbers) in your story titles
- Write a story about story titles
- Write a story about your best stories
- Talk about writer’s block
- Write a story about how writer’s block is a myth
- Talk about how you overcame writer’s block, then relapsed, then miraculously recovered
Okay, you get the point. Oh, and I am not dissing these as story ideas. I am pretty much planning on writing on at least half these topics in the next two weeks. Just you watch!
But the thing is, when someone else writes about the exact same thing a week later. I am not going to pay it any attention.
First off, my story will be better anyway! Okay, well maybe not. However, my story will be just that — my story. It doesn’t matter if someone else uses the same topic. And, if it is specific enough, there will likely be some remarkable similarities. But that is okay.
And, if someone is brazen enough to copy and paste my insightful musings about a personal experience I had on Medium, then that person has some serious problems anyway. I mean significant personal and emotional issues that probably need therapy.
If they somehow manage to divert the $0.32 I might have gotten for my amazing words into their Stripe account, then good for them. They will need it.
Therapy is expensive!
If you liked this article, you may also like:
Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.
