# Is it OK to repost my own OP from a different board here? How about vice-versa?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [July 19, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850 "2004-07-19T17:53:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/1 "2004-07-19T17:53:57Z")
Suppose I start a thread on another board, and it occurs to me that it would be a good SDMB thread. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t simply copy it word-for-word (it being my own work, and nobody else’s) into a new thread here? It’s clearly not plagiarism.
And how the other way around? Is there any reason why I shouldn’t copy one of my SDMB OPs into an OP on another board?
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### Author:  [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/2 "2004-07-19T19:59:51Z")
I am not an administrator, of course, but I recall [this thread **(copyright Chicago Reader 2003)**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=158722&highlight=copyright) where a similar subject came up, and the ruling seemed to be that you, yourself, still retain the copyright to whatever you post on the Straight Dope, and so can do whatever else you want with it. I imagine that going the other way (i.e., reposting on the SDMB something that was earlier posted elsewhere) would at least need to take into account the rules of the _other_ message board.
Also note the fine print at the bottom of this very page:
> [@](#):
>
> No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written consent of the Chicago Reader, Inc., except that _message board users retain the right to republish or repost their own work_. [My italics]
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### Author:  [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/3 "2004-07-19T20:05:04Z")
I think it’s covered by the notice at the bottom of the page.
> [@](#):
>
> No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written consent of the Chicago Reader, Inc., _ **except that message board users retain the right to republish or repost their own work.** _
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/4 "2004-07-19T20:38:42Z")
Thanks. It’s clearly legal, but is there any board rule or anything against it? I don’t think so, or at least I couldn’t find it.
Also, is it considered simply wrong to do for any reason, like stylistically? The reason I ask is because of this thread:
> **[I Accuse Muad'Dib of message board plagarism](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267174)**
>
> The following three threads, started by Muad’Dib, are directly copied, word for word, from the SomethingAwful message boards: If the Muad’Dib on this forum happens to be the same person as the SA poster, then my complaint can be disregarded...
where someone was accusing another of plagiarism, but then said even if it were the same person who wrote both articles “personally I would still consider it on-par with newgroup cross posting” as if that were a bad thing.
It was locked before I could ask for clarification. What’s wrong with newsgroup crossposting?
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### Author:  [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/5 "2004-07-19T20:47:44Z")
I don’t know what the legal issues are, but it’s not because of legal issues that it bothers me.
Stylistically, I don’t agree with it. It’s like sending out the same cover page to a bunch of different companies - you really should make the effort to word the OP as necessary for any given board. Also, you have no way of knowing where that message came from - ie, was it the same person or is someone plagarising someone else’s post? (as I wrote in the pit thread). Simply rewording it sovles these problems.
Newsgoups don’t like cross-posting. This is where you post the identical message (word for word) to a bunch of different groups. It’s essentially spamming. While posting the same OP to a few different message boards isn’t quite spamming, I do feel it’s one of those slippery slope type deals.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/6 "2004-07-19T21:38:52Z")
Well, I have to disagree. I take a lot of care in defining an issue I which to discuss, and even if I decide to discuss this issue on a different board, the reasons I which to discuss it are unchanged. Seems silly to have to reword it.
If you think I plagiarized it, email a mod, and I’ll prove it was me in both places (or the other bozo plagiarized me!). I’m not on alot of other boards, but in maybe every case I use the same name, so it should be obvious it’s me anyway.
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### Author:  [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/7 "2004-07-19T22:21:20Z")
…I would normally put a disclaimer on my post saying "cross-posted at xxxxxx board…
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### Author:  [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/8 "2004-07-19T23:55:48Z")
\*\*Banquet Bear \*\* offers the best solution, which is normally what I do.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/9 "2004-07-20T01:10:31Z")
A disclaimer shouldn’t be necessary.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-repost-my-own-op-from-a-different-board-here-how-about-vice-versa/255850/10 "2004-07-20T02:23:01Z")
It would depend upon the subject.
For example, if this was something that started a fistfight on another board and you carried the fight over here, we would tend to look disfavorably on it.
Or if you were using it to promote a commercial product – but you wouldn’t do anything like that, now would you? – In short, all our other rules do most certainly apply – but otherwise, no, I see no problem with it.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator