Date:         Sun, 7 Jan 1996 09:04:19 -0800 (PST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Tobin T. Copley" <tobin@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca>
Subject:      Reprinting list postings in newsletters


Arright, aright, aright...  Here's my CDN$0.02 worth on the issue of 
reprinting posts from the vanagon list in newsletters or other "non-net" 
media:

1) I think it's just common courtesy for an editor to ask permission to 
   re-print something someone posted here.  I mean, how hard can it be?  
   The original poster's e-mail address is on the article, so it's not 
   like they'd be hard to get a hold of or anything.  The poster should be 
   asked for permission, not Gerry, 'cause Gerry didn't write it.  

2) We're all pretty free with our ideas here, so I can't see a big 
   problem with people not wishing to grant permission just because they 
   don't want to let go of "their" intellectual property.  And I'm not a 
   copyright lawyer (never even played one on T.V.!), but couldn't posting 
   here be considered a form of publishing, so looked at that way each of 
   the original posters hold copyright to their articles (we never signed 
   over copyright to Gerry or "the list")?  Please don't follow up on this 
   speculation here--agree or disagree with me, but copyright law is just 
   too far off VW topic for the list to be burdened with IMHO.  If this 
   is really an issue maybe Ric will have something to say about it when he 
   gets back (but who will he bill?).

3) I think that writing for the 'net is different than writing for print 
   media, and I use different writing styles accordingly.  I want an 
   opportunity to re-work anything I post here before it goes out to the 
   rest of the world in print form with my name on it.  The sloppy English I 
   use here would make me look (more?) stupid if re-printed in a mag or 
   newsletter, so I want an opportunity to make changes (or leave it be, or 
   whatever, but it should be my call).  It's a different culture here, with 
   its own lexicon: when was the last time you saw emoticons, "IMHO", 
   "FWIW", and references to vanagon@lenti inside jokes in print media?

4) It should not be incumbent on the original poster to say "Not for 
   Newsletter X" and the bottom of each post.  A newsletter editor wants to 
   use something I wrote?  Talk to me.  Don't just lift it because it's so 
   easy.  I won't hold back, and I really can't see other people here doing 
   so either.  Just tell us what is going to happen with the material, ask 
   permission to use it, and we'll either grant permission, or do some 
   editing before sending it along.  Whetever, but it should be the 
   poster's perogative.  I really am hard pressed to see that this poses 
   a problem for newsletter/magazine editors.

There.  I've said enough.

Tobin


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobin T. Copley                  Only Somewhat          =============  
(604) 689-2660                    Occupationally       /_| |__||__| :| putta
tobin@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca      Challenged!        O|             | putta
                                                       '-()-------()-' 
Circum-continental USA, Mexico, Canada 15,000 miles... '76 VW Camper! (Mango)