If someone values my words so much that they want to post the entire contents on their blog, it can be a high compliment, but they should seek my permission so I can be aware of, participate in, and grow from any conversation which surrounds my thoughts.

Also if someone likes my thoughts, they may be interested in other things I have to say. If they are on my blog when they read my post, it is easier for them to connect with other topics I have written about.

When posted to someone else’s blog, my words may take on a different meaning depending on the context in which they post them. Even if the meaning is not impacted, they are driving traffic to another blog, not mine.

If a blogger really values something I have said, they should be able to quote the small bit that really “stood out” to them, share their thoughts on it, then link back to the entire original post on my blog with a recommendation for their readers to follow the link and read my entire post.

To me, it all boils down to professional, intellectual, and scholarly courtesy and ethics.

For example if someone asks to translate my work they get me to quickly check how it has been acknowledged to make sure I am comfortable with it.

So if you would like to translate this post or any of my other posts into your language — please let me know and I would be honored.

Elementary school students seem to understand intellectual property and can clearly explain the kinds of plagiarism that would get them “in trouble.” However, as they get older and consider Fair Use, the line starts to blur. They start to find ways to justify using someone else’s work as “just sharing.”

In adults, I have seen more extreme justifications for using someone’s work without permission. Several adults tried to explain their re-use of news articles by saying that the newspapers already have lots of money, so it is okay for the “little guy” to take posts from a news outlet and put them on their own blogs to generate ad revenue. They don’t see it as stealing, though they are clearly taking another person’s work and trying to use it for personal gain.

Yes, mistakes are often made by those who are new to anything. I think those who make genuine mistakes are eager to correct them. Those who are less eager to correct their mistakes, or who continue their careless thievery, will eventually melt away as others realize they don’t really contribute.

Sean – I have the same problem with document uploads and it is so frustrating. I also raised a few DMCA complaints and it was incredibly time consuming. The more I tried to catch them, the more I’d find brand-new sites popping up–some charging $ like you said. How can they even do this? I feel as though there needs to be a better system in place to catch people. I have Google alerts and often email the violators first, but even that is time-consuming. Ugh!!!

Anyway, I’d like to know if I am allowed to present these considerations in my language / rules of blogging? (I did not claim the certified translator but netiquette rules must apply everywhere, I think)