Manifesto for Others On-Line Work

Dear Readers,

Copyright issues have been an issue in this country (and I'm sure others) since the invention of the printing press and continue on into the twenty-first century with the Internet. As for myself, I will show respect for the work of others online. I follow certain guidelines. The guide lines that I follow are simple, if I use a source (in an essay or presentation) whether it is print, images, music or video, I give credit to the sources that I have borrowed from.

In the article “Technorealism” (http://english.boisestate.edu/tpeele/nfwfourohone/Digital%20Rhetoric%20Readings/technorealism.pdf ) the authors in their “Principles of Techorealism” discuss the importance of “protecting intellectual property.” I am a believer in citing sources, if I find someone’s written work on line, and I want to incorporate it into an essay, I will cite them as the author of the idea. I recently found information on someone’s blog-site that was perfect for an essay that I was working on, and used and cited it (my instructor was even impressed with the quote that I used). Another example of me citing someone else’s work is from my recent work of putting up my blog-site. On my blog-site, I have two pictures up and I have cited where these pictures came from. Copyright issues have been an issue in this country (and I’m sure others) since the invention of the printing press and continue on into the twenty-first century.
I like the idea that “Creative Commons”(http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7023.pdf) article proposes, that we need a “middle-ground” for copyright laws. The philosophy that the “Creative Commons” article proposes that “free exchange of knowledge is fundamental to the common good…” I am going to use a “creative commons” license for my creative writing that I’ve posted online. I like the idea of sharing my work with others and if someone wants to spin an idea out of something that I’ve written, that would make me happy. Which brings me in agreement with the “Changing Copyright” essay by Negativland (http://www.negativland.com/riaa/tenets.html). In “Negativland’s Tenets of Free Appropriation” it states that “The urge to make one thing out of other things is an entirely traditional, socially healthy, and artistically valid impulse…” Like I said earlier it would make me happy if after reading one of my poems, someone was inspired to spin off of one of my ideas or words and created their own writing.