grandpa - 4:35 am on Jan 12, 2004 (gmt 0)

As a programmer I learned that there was only one program, and all the others were variations. Content can fall into this same logic, particularly when the subject matter is broadly disseminated.

If your content were about "Structural Integrity of London Bridge" then I would think the amount of public information is limited, and plagiarism is something to be very concerned with. On the other hand, St. Bernards are so popular that nearly anything you write will have already been written.

I "research" my product nearly every day. I've seen a few things I wish I had done first. Some day I may incorporate those ideas into my own version of re-telling the story. At that time I will be sitting down with a blank piece of paper, and not with someone else's copy in my buffer.