Pondering things…
I have just finished whipping up two editorials, two images and one ginormous ad for an upcoming cattle sale. I forgot about it til the poor ad rep rang tonight to see if I had emailed it through to the wrong address.
‘Um. No.’ was the bashful reply…
My poor guests, freshly arrived in from Brisbane, were abandoned as I flung myself at the computer to make deadlines. Not an ideal hostess situation. It’s now three hours later and our guests have hit the hay (actually, the whole household is currently snoring)… ‘cept me. How unusual!
Found this gorgeous moment in amongst some images shot recently of kids and friends riding horses (will share some more soon, whenever I get time to scratch myself!)
Dash and Violet ponding… something. Cute, eh?
Brings me in a roundabout fashion to my concerns raised yesterday, as I ponder your responses to my dilemma. To bring those who are unaware up to date, I discovered that one of my Twitter followers was apparently ‘legally’ using my tweets and related links and images (amongst other people’s) to fill their own webpage. A webpage which hosted ads and raised (I assume) revenue for themselves or their business. A lot of very valid points were raised in the comments section, some of which I intend to pursue.
Now I don’t think this person had deliberately set out to thieve my work. He maintains he was simply used a tool offered by Twitter (something known as ‘paper.li’), which allows the user to build a webpage which looks like a newspaper page, constructed completely of information offered by those in their twitterstream. It’s kinda scary – the possibilities of being taken completely out of context or having something very personal published alongside bizarrely unrelated ‘articles’ is appalling. And you WOULDN’T EVEN KNOW it was happening. I found out I was being quoted, because the person/business concerned actually used an automated function which publicises the ‘featured writers in the current issue’ – I saw an alert in my Tweetdeck which advised that bushbabeofoz had an article featured today’s ‘edition’! I wonder how many other people who shared my (now ex) Twitter follower are unaware/ignorant of their links and opinions being used like this?
I tried to find a way to give some feedback to Twitter, but could find no email address or open forum on which to make my complaint. (If anyone has an address, I would love to get my hands on it!)
I know some of you believe that once you blog or tweet a thought or opinion or work of art, that it somehow ‘belongs’ to anyone who cares to listen, retweet or republish… I don’t happen to subscribe to this line of thought. Please note: This concern is completely unrelated to someone placing a legitimate link to another blog in their own, or a kind re-tweet or promo of a blog post you liked – I for one always GREATLY appreciate these gestures.
This is to do with manners and respect for other people’s work and opinions. I just really, really would have liked to have been consulted before the republish of my tweets and blog previews by this particular person/business…
I don’t have time today to dig deeper tonight (can I hear a collective sigh of relief out there?).
But I will share a couple of relevent links (thanks to Jayne) which help those wondering what to do in a situation like the one I found myself in this week. ‘The Six Steps to Stop Content Theft’ at The Blog Herald is excellent and reasonably simple to follow.
I leave you with a quote from Lorelle on WordPress who has written an outstanding article on What to Do When Someone Steals Your Content, which included the salient points:
“Just because information is on the Internet does not mean it’s “free” to take and steal. Information, images, graphics, designs, and photographs, all are protected under copyright laws and are known as intellectual property. While it is nice to think that everything on the Internet is or should be free, for the most part it is. It is free to read, look at, wonder about, and even write about. It is not free to steal, make money from it, or use it as your own.”
So, according to this article at least, just because you or I publish a blog post, or tweet a thought, it DOES NOT give anyone else the right to use it for their own ends or profit. Interesting, eh?
As my Dad would say:
You learn a new thing every day!
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So….
Did you learn anything interesting today?
Have you a thought or advice or opinion on the limits of internet ‘requoting’?
10 Comments
CeeCee
Ah, what did I learn today??
I learned that the strongest spider web silk is from the Gold Silk spider. Stronger than steel and stronger and more flexible than Kevlar. (source: riverdeep.net/spiders)
Requoting, without notice that you used someone else’s material is plagiarism. I was taught that in 1st grade English class and every year after that. In high school we had to sign a contract regarding plagiarism.
I’m sorry you can’t find the way to Twitter’s human beings to get it sorted out.
CeeCee´s last blog post ..Guerillas in the Mist
CeeCee
Ah, forgot to comment on your photograph!
Yesterday, I was sitting in a parking lot, trying to come up with a decent grocery list. I looked in my rear view mirror for a moment—just in time to see 3 children (ages 3-6??) jump out of a van. Immediately, they were all in the same squat position as Dash and Violet; inspecting some treasure on the ground. 🙂
Oh, how I love the curiosity of children. They find beauty and wonder all around them!
CeeCee´s last blog post ..Guerillas in the Mist
Jenni in KS
What a great photo! I’m glad you’re finding some solutions, but how frustrating that Twitter has no easy way to contact them for feedback and support.
Jenni in KS´s last blog post ..My Marine and His Magnificent Mustache
Nancy in Iowa
The photo is marvelous – the essence of childhood’s curiosity and fascination.
As for learning something – I learned that I’m very happy I never figured out Tweeting!!!
A hilarious cat photo my daughter took of a friend’s cat ended up circulating – even showed up on Icanhascheezburger – I spotted it and told her right away. She was able to contact the site and they did give her credit. The same photo has shown up in other places, though.
As CeeCee said, most of us were taught very early that plagiarism was a sin. Unfortunately, in today’s world of mass media that concept is fading away like good grammar in the States.
Kelly
Interesting! I’m glad you gave us the “rest of the story” on your dilemma.
That photo of the kiddos pondering something is wonderful!!
Kelly´s last blog post ..Fair Tax
jeanie
I learned that the difference between bugs and beetles is that bugs suck – apparently it is a genus of insect with skin-piercing mandibles.
Thanks to QI last night for an hour of side-splitting hilarity and gems like that.
So all those random little wierd followers you don’t know about on Twitter should be pruned? Shall be done.
jeanie´s last blog post ..V Dreams
Jayne
Also, just to make it really clear all bloggers should go to Copyscape, check if they’ve been copied anywhere and then download a free plagerism banner to post on their blogs.
In each article anyone posts end it with the copyright symbol (you can copy and paste the symbol from elsewhere or go into HTML and type ©).
Then it is abundantly clear that bloggers consider their work their own and is not up for open slather copying.
Jayne´s last blog post ..Spoiling chookens
mary
That just stinks. I don’t know if your blogging software has this feature or not, but some software offers a “disable right click” feature that prevents this kind of theft.
I learned that Russia has an unknown number of secret cities left over from Stalin’s era still being discovered. (Geography class)
I learned that in the US teachers have little or no say over what they teach (Intro to Teaching class).
I learned that lime water is in fact calcium hydroxide (Youngest son’s science experiment).
mary´s last blog post ..Get up Get Going Get happy
Pencil Writer
Lovely picture of your kiddos. Gorgeous field of flowers and interesting things for children to ponder! Reminded me of my grandchildren! I, too, love watching kids wonder about all things around them.
I learned today: when my youngest grandson came home nearly in tears because he didn’t earn a smiley face at school–(due to forgetting some essential rules even 3year-olds are supposed to follow)needed to learn that because one makes mistakes, you can try again. His little bottom lip was trembling as he stepped off the bus and tears were on the ready!
I did explain that even Jesus and Heavenly Father believe in that rule: Try again. Who could ever make it if THEY didn’t have that policy?!! Little Britches felt better when he looked at his shame with new eyes. I love the perpetual joy that little children seek and find–sometimes with a little help!
I wish you lots of good luck with finding the solution to the tweeting/twittering dilemma. People these days just ain’t got no couth! (And this dictionary must be 21st century–it doesn’t know the word “couth”.) Boy! Am I old! Something else I learned today!! Love ya’ BB!
Lorrae
I saw your tweet about the link. I’d set up one as well – it takes any links that are posted to Twitter and puts them in an easily readable format. Hadn’t thought of it as stealing but thought I should pass on the details of the people who run it in case you want to get in contact http://twitter.com/smallrivers
I think there’s also more information on the website: http://paper.li/