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Copyrights and Blogging

By
Real Estate Agent with Bandazian & Holden

Be careful when you copy/quote content for your blogs!  It is a common concern and as well it should be.

Many blogs (including this one) quote content and use stories posted elsewhere as a source for their own content.  The main point to keep in mind is to only quote as much as is necessary, and paraphrase when possible.  Good blog etiquette tells us to linkback to the source whenever possible.

I definitely run into this issue (being more of a news blog), and have gotten better about it over the course of my blog.  If I don't have any commentary to add to an article, then I try not to post it.  I do hope, however...

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Comments (4)

Mary McKnight
Sacrilicious Marketing - Orlando, FL
The rule is: if you wrote the post you can copy it, if someone else wrote a post you are referencing- you can excerpt portions of it, give them credit and link back to them.  Now, should you fail to do that, beyond infringing on a bloggers copyright- you may just piss off a blogger enough to comment spam and blast you on your own blog or worse- theirs.  Believe me, not all bloggers are on their meds, so try to avoid awakening the demon within a copyright infringed upon blogger.
Nov 29, 2006 03:12 AM
Maureen Maureen
Orangeburg, NY

What about quoting some information that you found on another site? Can you use info directly from their site link it back and put the info in  "Quotes".  I did this recently.  I quoted something directly from the vFlyer site.  Could someone take a look at it and tell me if it is OK?  If it is not I'll remove the post.  Any advice would be helpful.  Thanks

vFlyer for Home Stagers - An easy way to advertise!

Also is it OK to link your blog to someone elses blog post to ask for advice?  If it is not I'll take this comment off too!!!

As long as I'm asking a million questions here - If someone posts a blog that has related material to one of your blogs can you comment then say something like - I blogged about this also and link your blog post. 

I really don't want to be known from my blogging foibles. 

Dec 03, 2006 10:40 AM
Nathan Hughes
Bandazian & Holden - Richmond, VA

Maureen:  Mine isn't a legal opinion, but I see the issue mostly as a question of etiquette.  I think the way that you posed your question here lent itself to your link back to your site.

What the author of the article said was to use as little direct quotes as possible.  When I am posting, I prefer to use some quotes directly from the source if I am just relaying straight facts.

You always want to add value to your posts.  Never just copy and paste an article into your blog (esp if you're not going to give credit and a link back), give the readers what you thought was important from the article and then give why you thought it was important, or expand on the original author's thoughts.  Give it your own spin. 

Dec 04, 2006 04:45 AM
Leon Austin
Mobile Notary Services - Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs Mobile Notary

Good advice. You answered a lot of questions I had.

 

Apr 08, 2007 10:59 PM