The Reblog Button.

I believe that we can use every experience to help others. I recently had such an experience and decided I needed to share it so that other bloggers can decide for themselves if it’s something they want. This experience happened because of the Reblog button. I hope this post helps bloggers everywhere, especially those who are learning how to navigate their way in the world of social media.

What Happened?

A couple of weekends ago, I received a notification that one of my posts was on another site. As I looked at the post, I freaked out. Completely freaked out. To me, it appeared as if my work had been taken. So I messaged the site and asked for it to be taken down. In the meantime, I contacted another blogger who has experienced plagiarism of her work and asked her for advice. I also scoured my emails, comments, and messages on WordPress to make sure I hadn’t missed any communication from the other blog.

By that following Monday, my blog post still had not been taken down, so I sent another message. The blogger I asked for advice took a look at the posts then explained to me what was actually going on. It wasn’t that the other site was trying to steal my work as I thought. They had, instead, clicked the Reblog button.

Once I fully understood what had happened, I felt like an idiot. A complete and total, overreacting idiot. So, to the other blogger who appreciated my blog post so much that they hit that reblog button, I sincerely apologize for my overreaction.

How It Happened.

When setting up all the share buttons for my blog, I had also selected the reblog button. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, but it can be nerve-racking if you don’t know how it works. In my search for answers, I came across one story of a blogger whose work had been reblogged, but it included personal pictures. Since I run a family blog and do post pictures of my family, I identified with the concern that other blogger had.

If you’re like me and you decide that maybe the reblog button isn’t for you, it’s a simple fix to remove. All you need to do is:

On a Computer:

• Click on Tools
• Go to the Sharing Buttons Section
• Uncheck the Show Reblog Button

On WordPress App:

• Click on Sharing
• Manage Share Buttons
• Unselect Show Reblog Button (toward the bottom)

It’s pretty simple actually. The Like and Sharing Buttons can also be removed (or added) for specific posts by clicking the Jetpack Icon and selecting the sharing option.

So there you have it. My drama with the Reblog button. I have removed it for now, though I have kept the other sharing buttons on my site. I think the Reblog button is a personal choice, whatever the owner is comfortable with. I would say, however, that permission should be asked of the publisher before clicking that reblog button. That’s my personal opinion, though, so take it with a grain of salt.

How do you feel about the Reblog Button? Is it something you’re comfortable with or not?