When I talk about podcasting, people often ask me, “Is the audience for podcasting ever going to be substantial?”
Often I answer, “Do most people you know have cell phones?” Usually they nod enthusiastically. Then I explain how the coming generation of cell phones will include not only wireless internet connections, but MP3 players and tools for subscribing to, downloading, and storing podcasts.
Well, it’s happening…
The guiding rule I recommend for anyone who ever posts any content online – from a discussion forum message to an article or even an entire book – is this: Assume that the worst person who might find that content will find it. Can you handle the consequences for that? Are you getting enough value from posting that content to make it worth your while to do it anyway?
This applies doubly to misappropriating content – that is, republishing it without permission. Posting copyrighted content online without permission is doubly stupid: It’s not merely illegal, it is also incredibly easy to get caught. Moreover, you’ll probably get caught quickly. Even worse, it’s likely that the person whose content you grabbed will be so annoyed that he or she may expose your misdeed in a very public and embarrassing way. That’s a sure way to sink your reputation.
Jill Porter, owner of Aquaduckie apparently thought it was a good idea to post my article, Page Titles that Attract Readers, on her business blog without asking my permission or offering compensation – despite my clear and unambiguous copyright notice which appears on every page of this blog.
Well, Porter thought wrong. Very wrong. Or maybe she wasn’t even thinking at all – but then that’s her problem, not mine.
Here’s a classic example of how NOT to grab other people’s content…
On Aug. 26, Dave Taylor posted an article concerning legal liability and weblog comments. Basically, Aaron Wall, who writes the SEO Book weblog, was recently threatened with a lawsuit because of something that someone posted in comments to his blog.
In a nutshell, SEO company Traffic-Power.com has filed suit against Wall, claiming that comments posted on Wall’s blog revealed some of their “trade secrets.” However, Traffic-Power.com waited a long time after the comments were posted to take legal action – so I’ve got to wonder whether they’re really concerned at protecting proprietary information. Perhaps they’re simply trying to silence their critics through intimidation.
Sigh… it had to happen sometime… I suggest that you first read Dave’s article – and don’t miss the comments, especially the one from attorney and former judge Daniel Perry.
Here’s what I think bloggers should know about the issue of legal liability…
(UPDATE OCT. 12: I noticed in my site statistics that suddenly I’m getting a ton of traffic to this page. Unfortunately, I can’t tell where it’s coming from. I’d really appreciate it if someone could drop me a note and let me know who’s discussing or linking to this article. Thanks!)
Later today I’ll be speaking at another Da Vinci Institute event, Blogger Bootcamp. It’ll be fun, I’m really looking forward to it. Especially since my friend and colleague Dave Taylor is speaking all morning. He’s excellent, I always learn a lot from him.
Here’s a preview of my talk and my handout…
On yesterday’s edition of the radio/podcast show Future Tense, E-Media Tidbits editor Steve Outing offered his ideas on voluntary registration for news sites – in the form of registration requests (not demands) placed at the top of every article. Yes, this would still be an annoyance to online readers, but a much less significant one than forced registration. Also, publishers could “sweeten the pot” by offering benefits in exchange for voluntary registration.
Outing (and others) have been saying this for a long time. I’m wondering why their simple message hasn’t sunk in yet. Why – oh why – do so many news organizations continue to cling to the forced-registration and paid-archives model? Who exactly is it within news organizations that has the final say on this particular decision?…
Here are the links for my workshop on Very Basic Blogging, which I’m giving in Boulder CO on Wed., Aug 24…
I was just chatting with fellow blogger Nancy White, who mentioned in passing, “Hey, did you know that the Podcast Hotel conference is back on, and Corante is no longer involved?”
Huh?
I checked, and it’s true. Also, apparently the focus is now mainly on the independent music scene.
I was surprised by this, since not too long ago Corante invited me to speak about women in podcasting at this event, which was originally scheduled for early Sept. in Portland and then got mysteriously postponed. I hadn’t heard a word about it since…
Just a quick note: Today is the last day to register for my “Very Basic Blogging” workshop, which I’m giving tomorrow morning in Boulder, CO.
If you’re in the Boulder-Denver area and wish to attend, register online now. but first, e-mail me to get the secret code for a 25% discount.
NOTE: You must pre-register for this event. I won’t be able to process credit cards on site.
This Saturday, Aug. 27, I’ll be participating in another Da Vinci Institute event: Blogging Bootcamp. I’m really looking forward to this. In the afternoon I’ll be speaking for about 45 minutes on content strategy – which means I probably should revisit and continue the content strategy series I began in May. (Sorry, I got sidetracked.)
More about this event…
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I’m finalizing handouts for the workshop I’m giving in Boulder, CO on Wed., “Very Basic Blogging.” This is intended for newcomers to the weblog world – including some folks who aren’t yet familiar with finding and reading weblogs.
Therefore, I thought it would help to create a handout showing the anatomy of a typical blog posting. For this, I’ve chosen to show a recent excellent posting by one of my coaching clients, Heidi Miller: “Public Speaking Tip #1: No one expects you to know everything”
Wanna see the handout?…