Blogging is a powerful tool, and with that power comes responsibility. One of the most important considerations with respect to responsible blogging is the issue of copyright law. All bloggers should have a basic understanding of copyright law as it applies to publishing on the web, and how that law both guides the style and content which you can publish on a weblog but also protects your content from unauthorized use.

This page will provide some references on the topic of copyright law as it relates to blogging; we hope all BlogHarbor bloggers will take the time to review these articles to gain a deeper understanding of copyright law.

Copyright basics
A great place to start learning about copyright is at A brief intro to copyright by Brad Templeton. In this article, Brad defines copyright law and notes some introductory concepts as to what copyright law allows, what it prohibits, and what it protects.

Another article we recommend is from About Weblogs and it's the 4 Basic Questions About Copyright and Weblogs, which answers these questions:

1. What Is Copyright?
2. Does copyright laws hold on the web and are they applicable to bloggers?
3. What is copyright infringement?
4. What types of copyright infringements do you often see bloggers commit?

Learning more about copyright
Another article from About Weblogs called 14 Copyright Tips For Bloggers provides tips for bloggers who wish to avoid copyright infringement problems, as well as tips for those whose copyrights are being infringed upon. A few of the tips they provide to bloggers looking to avoid copyright problems are:

1. Never copy the whole of anyone else's material
2. Don't just copy someone else's stuff
3. Try to be proportionate
4. Acknowledge your sources if you do copy, and link to them

One of the most famous articles about copyright myths is 10 Big Myths about copyright explained, again by Brad Templeton. This article was originally penned in 1994 and was most recently revised in October 2004. Brad notes the 10 big myths are:

1. If it doesn't have a copyright notice, it's not copyrighted.
2. If I don't charge for it, it's not a violation.
3. If it's posted to Usenet it's in the public domain.
4. My posting was just fair use!
5. If you don't defend your copyright you lose it.
6. If I make up my own stories, but base them on another work, my new work belongs to me.
7. They can't get me, defendants in court have powerful rights!
8. Oh, so copyright violation isn't a crime or anything?
9. It doesn't hurt anybody -- in fact it's free advertising.
10. They e-mailed me a copy, so I can post it.

There's even an 11th myth, but we won't spoil that for you. Be sure to read Brad's 10 Big Myths about copyright article reviewing these myths and provides insight into what's really true about copyright law.

Summary
Understanding copyright law is a necessity for all bloggers and the articles we link to in this document will provide you with the detailed information you need to know about copyright. Respecting copyright guarantees that your blog does not infringe on the rights of others, and knowing the law can help ensure that your rights are protected.

Sheila Coggins of the About Weblogs site posted a great article today, her Top 10 Weblog Ethics and Etiquette Tips. She gives these top 10 tips:

1. Follow Hotlinking Guidelines
2. Credit Your Sources
3. Check The Validity of Your Information
4. Correct Your Mistakes and Post Updates
5. Never Leave Spam Comments
6. Post Disclosures, When Necessary
7. Write in Proper Format
8. Respect Copyright at All Times
9. Identify Yourself Properly
10. Leave a Way For Your Readers To Contact You

Please visit her site to read more about blogging responsibly, courteously, and ethically.

Walter S. Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has published an excellent guide to using RSS for anyone who hasn't adopted this useful technology. Here's an excerpt:

...power users have been employing a system called RSS that allows them to quickly scan large numbers of newsy, frequently updated Web sites. RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is a kind of computer code that Web site owners can add to their sites to make them easier to scan quickly. When interpreted by special RSS-savvy software programs called "news readers" or "news aggregators," the RSS code allows these programs to display only the headlines and short summaries of these news sites' latest articles. This is called an "RSS feed." Users can "subscribe" to various feeds and quickly scan the headlines and summaries. Then, if they so choose, they can click on a link to read the entire article..

Interested in learning more about what RSS can do for you? Read the full article here

An article at the Microsoft Small Business Center discusses How to make money from your blog:

• Sell advertising
• Help sell others' products
• Solicit contributions
• Market your services in your blog
• Use a blog to deepen your existing customer relationships

While making money with your blog not be the proper focus for all bloggers, if that's your aim then read the full article here.

CNET has published an excellent FAQ called Blogging on the Job: In an effort to separate fact from fiction, CNET News.com offers this list of frequently asked questions about blogging at work and at home.

The document covers the following topics which should be of interest to many bloggers:

• Can blogging hurt my career?
• How risky is blogging really?
• Blogging is a pretty new activity. Is my company likely to have guidelines and policies about it yet?
• Can my employer fire me if I blog from home on my own time?
• Wait--does that mean that where I live matters?
• That sounds pretty broad. Are there any limitations on an employer's ability to fire me?
• What about the First Amendment? Doesn't that protect me?
• Are there any court decisions involving bloggers being fired?
• What if I'm a union employee? Do I have more protection?
• How about if I'm a government employee, for example, in the federal civil service?
• Can high school students be disciplined for the contents of their blogs published from a home computer?
• Can I blog anonymously?
• Do all companies consider blogging an activity unrelated to work?
• Does that mean blogging could boost my career?
• Has blogging helped anyone land a job?
• Are there some examples of high-profile workplace bloggers?
• Are there any blogs about workplace blogging?

Read the full article here.

A quick introduction to weblogs, their history, and what they can be used for; A description of the BlogHarbor service, and what it can do for you; A set of links to online articles, books, and even clothing about weblogs...   more »

Learn more about weblogs from books, web resources, and even clothing...   more »

The simplest definition of "weblog" is "a regularly-updated web site featuring articles arranged in reverse chronological order -- that is to say, the most recently-added article appearing first, followed by the second-most-recent one, and so on."   more »

Via Micro Persuasion: Brian Bailey notes 10 Steps to Building a Better Blog:

1. Use Categories
2. Use Titles
3. Publish During High Traffic Times
4. Syndicate Your Entire Post
5. Click Your Own Links
6. Develop an Authentic Voice
7. Tell Us Who You Are and How to Contact You
8. Don't Be Afraid to Promote
9. Comment on Other Sites and Your Own
10. The More You Write, the More You'll Have to Write Write About

Your BlogHarbor weblog will help you with numbers 1, 2, and 4; Brian's got great suggestions for improving your blog so be sure to read the article.

Pew Internet & American Life Project released a report called The state of blogging, where they note the following:

By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November established new contours for the blogosphere: 8 million American adults say they have created blogs; blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and now stands at 27% of internet users; 5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online; and 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs. Still, 62% of internet users do not know what a blog is.

Click here for their report, downloadable in PDF form.

Kathy Biehl is an attorney and co-author of The Lawyer's Guide to Internet Research. She's written a must read piece on copyright myths called Bloggers Beware: Debunking Eight Copyright Myths of the Online World. If you're blogging, you should read this article so that you can have a better idea of what's acceptable and what's not:

A handful of myths have spawned practices, particularly among bloggers and Website owners, that turn copyright law on its head. These myths are rooted in the assumption that everything is up for use online unless and until proven otherwise. It doesn’t help that technology has made it so easy to take and share images, text and files. Those myths and that ease have fostered a presumption of entitlement that causes Netizens to treat the Internet (and non-electronic sources as well) as a buffet spread of photos, articles, sounds and multi-media files free for the plucking and posting.

Biehl notes the following eight myths of copyright:

• It's okay to use anything that doesn't have a copyright notice.
• It's okay to use anything that's online, because if it's online, it's in the public domain and up for grabs.
• It's okay to use anything as long as I'm not making any money off it.
• It's okay to use anything as long as I give credit.
• It's okay to use anything as long as I include the creator's copyright notice.
• It's okay to use anything as long as I take it down when the copyright holder objects.
• It's okay to use something if I can't find the copyright holder.
• It's okay to use something if I asked for permission and didn't get a response.

All bloggers should read this article!

From Fortune magazine: Why There's No Escaping the Blog:

It all used to be so easy; the adage went "never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel." But now everyone can get ink for free, launch a diatribe, and—if what they have to say is interesting to enough people—expect web-enabled word of mouth to carry it around the world. Unlike earlier promises of self-publishing revolutions, the blog movement seems to be the real thing. A big reason for that is a tiny innovation called the permalink: a unique web address for each posting on every blog. Instead of linking to web pages, which can change, bloggers link to one another's posts, which typically remain accessible indefinitely. This style of linking also gives blogs a viral quality, so a pertinent post can gain broad attention amazingly fast—and reputations can get taken down just as quickly.

The subtitle of the article: Freewheeling bloggers can boost your product—or destroy it. Either way, they've become a force business can't afford to ignore.

CorporateBloggingBlog linked to this great article by A Fine Kettle of Fish on the 10 top reasons for advertising, marketing and PR pros to blog.

Most advertising, marketing and public relations professionals know a blog when they see one, but when it comes to actually using this relatively new, self-publishing platform, there are still many skeptics and naysayers among us. This time next year, however, those people will likely have come to their senses. In 2005, I dare say you would have to be either misinformed or just plain obstinate to not at least consider adding a blog to your business plan. Here are ten reasons why:

Part 1

1. Blogs are Interactive
2. Blogs are Humanizing
3. Blogs are Inexpensive

Part 2

4. Blogs are Immediate
5. Blogs are Infectious
6. Blogs are Empowering

Part 3

7. Blogs are Enjoyable
8. Blogs are Authoritative
9. Blogs are Valuable
10. Blogs are Popular

CorporateBlogging.Info calls itself Your Guide to Corporate Blogging. Any companies interested in business blogging need to check out this site; you'll find lots of valuable introductory and explanatory information on corporate communication via blogging.

Particularly valuable is the The Beginners' Guide to Corporate Blogging, a PDF aimed at teaching the basics of blogging to your CEO or marketing managers and help to create an understanding of the value of blogging within your organization.

ComputerWeekly has an interesting article today on Google's use of blogs internally. The article notes that Google started blogs for staffers in early 2003 and has seen these internal blogs put to a variety of uses:

...people keeping track of meeting notes, people sharing diagnostics information, people sharing snippets of code, as well as more personal uses, like letting co-workers know what they are thinking about and what they are up to.

"There is a huge benefit in blogging for companies implementing IT projects. It is going to be a growing trend over the next couple of years,"said Jason Goldman, Blogger product manager at Google. Read the full article.

Newsday has an interesting article on bloggers generating revenue from their blogs. Great opening paragraph:

The odds of making a living by writing a blog are a lot like the odds of a garage band turning out a hit album: It can happen, but you better enjoy the music and hang on to your day job in the meantime.

From WebProNews.com:

With XML and RSS being thoroughly embraced by the web community, capitalizing financially from content syndication is the next logical step. In what would seemingly follow the Moreover.com format, Yahoo has announced that they are planning on offering an advertising service that will allow for sponsored links to be placed within syndication feeds.

Click here for the full article.

The New York Times has an interesting article on blogs and the job market:

Five years ago, few people had heard of blogs — online journals that are commonly used to chronicle the lives and opinions of their authors. Now, more than two million Americans are blogging, according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project — and blogging is spreading in the job market, said hiring managers and experts who study blogging.

The Times notes the connection between Google, job search, and blogging:

A driving factor behind job market blogging is the search engine Google, said Elizabeth Lawley, associate professor of information technology at the Rochester Institute of Technology. "If you are thinking of interviewing someone, it's almost standard now to Google them online and see what you find," Ms. Lawley said. "If that person has a blog, it's usually the first thing that comes up."

In the Classroom, Web Logs Are the New Bulletin Boards according to the New York Times.

One consultant quoted in the article predicts that blogs will eventually become a more successful teaching tool than Web sites. From the article:

One way teachers say they use blogs is to continue spirited discussions that were cut short or to prolong question-and-answer periods with guest speakers.

"With blogs, class doesn't have to end when the bell rings," said Will Richardson, supervisor of instructional technology and communications at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J., who maintained blogs for two journalism classes he taught last year.

Teachers say that the interactivity of blogs allowed them to give students feedback much more quickly than before.

Globetechnology reports on the value of corporate blogging. “Whatever it is you do by marketing, you can do by virtue of a blog,” says one blogging advocate.