Ranty Friday - Taking credit for other people's ideas

This is one of my pet hates that is right up there alongside stealing peoples pictures from their blogs.  So I thought why get mad.... when I can #RantyFriday about it.

Back in 2009 I was having a look around the internet when a stumbled across a  fantastic idea - putting £1 a day into a jar and then taking out the money when you wanted to to spend on a treat.

You wouldn't miss £1 a day but think how great it would feel to have £50 to spend on that handbag you'd been looking at without feeling guilty, what else would you have spent that £1 on?

At the time I was very active on Money Saving Expert, I looked for a thread the same but there wasn't anything, so I started the £365 in 365 day challenge.  By the end of 2010 there were over 200 people signed up to the challenge.



For 3 years (2010-2012) I ran the thread, I kept people motivated, I welcomed newbies, I loved it.  The thanks I got for starting the thread really made me feel a part of the community.  I didn't succeed every year but just having to 'run' the thread made me feel extremely guilty but the support I got made me want to keep going and persevering.
    Then in 2013, after a demand for it, I started another thread. Unfortunately this was a bad year for me on MSE.  I was flamed by a few people on another thread I 'ran'.  The comments on other posts for snider and ruder.  I had a handful of friends who checked how I was and helped me though rough patches but mainly I left the boards alone.    Motivation to help and support others well and truly gone.

Another long term forumer offered to pick up the thread and run it for me which I was more than happy for her to do.

Oh chickywiggle, I am sorry you haven't had a good year, I must admit 2013 hasn't been great. Don't be a stranger X

I am happy to run the thread if people want to join. I really like this challenge and it is my Christmas spending money- has worked for two years! 

Buffy X

I posted a link that said I would be continuing to take part via my blog (check out the linky below) if anyone wanted to join in that way.

 Then came the bit that wound me up, before she could even have the chance to make the new thread a newbie (who has been on MSE less than a month) decided to make it Her baby.
She set up the thread (with a tongue in cheek apology to Buffy) and virtually quoted my opening post word for word.

Although she has linked to the past 3 years of £365 in 365 she's not mentioned that she has 'stolen' the idea or that she has copied my information.
She's even put a really rude paragraph into it (which I just know is aimed at me after I commented that some recognition would be nice) that states:

Please take a look at this thread, it has all the savings and debt busting challenges open to members. It's not a challenge to see who has the best challenge or thread, but a way of sharing our support for people in financial difficulty!

Now I may sound completely big headed or arrogant but I'm simply asking for the courtesy of someone saying "Chickywiggle came up with the great idea in 2010 but has handed over the reins" ..... or something.... is that asking too much???    You know, the same gratitude you'd ask for if someone stole your pictures and claimed them as their own?!

Anyways this is just 1 thing that has annoyed me today, I daren't go into the others too much just yet.

Please check out the other posts by some fantastic bloggers using the hashtag #RantyFriday in a Twitter search.