On my own webpage, I am planning on putting up a well-cited essay on why I am voting for John Kerry. Needless to say, many of the links I will post are a result of having them brought to my attention by the brilliant teeming thousands on this board.
I was going to e-mail them to ask about using their cites, but most of them have hidden e-mails.
Am I OK just including a note in my essay that many of the cites were a result of hanging around this message board?
Well, that depends on what you and/or they are citing and how much you are reproducing.
If we’re simply talking links, no problem; here on the board, that’s Fair Use. So would be short excerpts.
If you’re talking whole message board posts or wholesale lifting of material, that’s beyond Fair Use and you would need permission, I would think.
Remember that I am not a lawyer and the way we do things here is our interpretation.
If you’re attributing by name, some people get really uncomfortable about that, so you might want to check with people as you can before you use their screen name somewhere, as a courtesy.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
Thanks. I’m talking about links, although I’ll often being using the links to make the same point the original citer was (in my own words).
I see no problem with that.
People may object to having their names disseminated on another site, but you’ll have to work that out with them. I mention this only because I also publish names (for Weird Earls and Threadspotting nominations) and sometimes people get very upset when I use their screen names – or any names at all – on the Straight Dope front page. People are funny sometimes, especially where privacy is concerned.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator