http://www.chillingeffects.org
The Chilling Effects Clearinghouse is a website writers should take the time to explore. Because I spoof on all sorts of subjects, I like the idea of having a resource around that "aims to help you understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws give to your online activities."
They state, "We are excited about the new opportunities the Internet offers individuals to express their views, parody politicians, celebrate their favorite movie stars, or criticize businesses. But we've noticed that not everyone feels the same way. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some individuals and corporations are using intellectual property and other laws to silence other online users. Chilling Effects encourages respect for intellectual property law, while frowning on its misuse to "chill" legitimate activity."
I was trying to give a heads up to some of my Facebook peeps and third party friends of friends when I wrote this post pointing out how people sometimes put other people down because of their writing habits. Maybe the light-bulb will brighten up a wee bit for a few folks when you/he/she/they get a peak of the bigger picture from the real life examples writers have suffered through posted at the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse...
I love blogging for business and for fun. I realize that sometimes how you mix the two can have unintended consequences when people take your words out of context and try to use them for agendas that don't quite work out like they planned. I think that's why I stick to chatting about my life and the things that interest me. Translated: I am not going to sue myself for confessing shorty tried to toast our cell phones (LOL). ;-)
Sometimes a stray comment left un-moderated on a blog post can open up a can of worms that leads to litigation. I know some of you don't believe me, but it's a sad fact of life which happens to be true...
You have to start to consider the fact that some people are going to treat your comments like micro-blogging on Twitter. If you are not clear, what you intended to say and what people believe you said can turn out to be two very different conversations...
Adding insult to injury is being caught between a rock and a hard place not for anything you did, but for something someone else said on your blog or social media wall...
Question: Do you know what Fan Fiction is?
Question: Do you think John Doe is really anonymous with IP mapping available?
Question: Did you know the wrong hyperlink on your blog could possibly drag you into a copyright squabble?
Still wanna send me silly e-mails about my long blog disclaimer or telling peeps not to put certain things on my Facebook walls? There is always a reason why I write some of the things that I do...
I also mean it when I state at the end of each post that, "Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the re-blog authors (when appropriate)and Carolyn Tann-Starr is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Carolyn Tann-Starr, (the re-blog authors when appropriate) and Wordy C's Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content."
Your intellectual property is valuable people. Even your silly posts. ;-)
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