I have been mulling over a question, and can’t quite figure it out. Being feeble minded, it is a condition which I face every day.

Is it ethical to take a posting that YOU 100% wrote on another site, and then sort of repost it with a few updates and modifications on a second site?

I posted a topic on aerodynamics on another site a few years ago back when I was interested in “XYZ Brand Airplane”. I am no longer in the market for that plane, do not participate at all on that site, and rarely visit. The thread got zero replies.

Anyway, I do respect how website owners work hard to develop their content, and I would not exactly 100% word for word be cutting and pasting the original piece I wrote. In fact I want to update it. I’d also be happy to mention that the article, albeit in a somewhat more elementary form, had been posted previously on the “XYZ” website.

Anyway…. Any advice on updating, massaging, and reposting threads here on BCP that one has previously posted on other websites ?

“If your brains were dynamite there wouldn't be enough to blow your hat off.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

I think its nutty to even think about it... None of us get any compensation for our contributions. There is no license, rights, or usage handed over to internet boards. As far as I'm concerned, your content is your content. Post, re-post, change and re-purpose wherever you like! Moreover, I find no issues with sharing other peoples content on the web as long as you cite the original source/author. We do it all the time The point of the internet is to share information.

Post away!

I agree with bigrenna.

Yep, if you wrote it you can repost it wherever you like, especially in forums.

If I've worked together with someone to co-develop an article though, I kind of expect a little exclusivity for BCP. I've been on the receiving end though of republishing work that authors like MTV have written for other publications, so I am grateful for that. It works both ways.

If I pay someone to write a piece I would expect a little more exclusivity, but all those things should be discussed ahead of time. Forums are a different beast, every man for himself.

I would rather you copy/paste an original forum post here than link to another site, but even the discussion at that other site may have great value.

In my opinion, as has already been said, it is useful to repost or modify something from your post on another forum. I don't read some forums any more because of all the garbage on them, so your post may be news to me. Also, as Z said, it can be useful to have a link to the original/other forum because of the potential discussion that may not appear here.

Greg

When you write something original, you own it.....according to copyright law. You don't have to apply for a copyright-it's yours and you can identify it as yours.

Most magazines I've written for pay a fee for a one time use of an article, but the author still owns it. Most magazines have a condition that the author shouldn't resell the article for 30 days or so, but after that the author is free to do whatever he or she wishes with that article. You can sell it to more than one magazine if you want, though most of them request that you note that the article previously appeared in XYZ Magazine. I've never sold an article to more than one magazine, though.

As far as the internet goes, copyright law still applies, I believe. Attribution is an essential in any case, in my opinion.

MTV