Scraping??
Over the weekend I saw some internet board chatter about, “Scraping.” Needless to say, since I live under a mushroom, this was the first I’d heard of it. Here’s the Wikipedia definition…
Blog scraping is the process of scanning through a large number of blogs, usually daily, searching for and copying content. This process is conducted through automated software. The software and the individuals who run the software are sometimes referred to as blog scrapers.
Scraping is copying a blog that is not owned by the individual initiating the scraping process. If the material is copyrighted it is considered copyright infringement, unless there is a license relaxing the copyright. The scraped content is often used on spam blogs or splogs.
The internet board posters were pretty irate that anyone would dare think about, or actually use, content from their blog. Imagine!
I was surprised to read all sorts of threatened and promised retribution sufficient to call down the Four Horsemen, if, by golly, anyone ever dared copy or use their content without specific blog-owner permission! Valuable stuff, blog writing. It is, after all, given away free. All you gotta do is dial up the correct URL. Something about public domain?? Anyone actually consider their blog ramblings as, “intellectual property???” Yes, apparently some do and are pretty protective of it. Okay, that wouldn’t be me, but, everyone’s entitled to feel how they feel.
Nonetheless, it got me to thinking. As recently as Wednesday, I quoted Grammar Girl extensively about the use of split infinitives. I did this because she’s an expert … goes without saying I’m not. Yet, I wanted to share the information with my readers– and do so with credibility. So, I cut, pasted, and attributed.
I did this with a clear conscience. Why? I made no money from the use of her material. I clearly marked her content as quoted material—offset and highlighted. I stated in the text I wrote…more than once…that she was the source author. Lastly, I provided a link to the source material. What I did not do was contact her and specifically ask permission to use the material.
So, am I a scraper? Have I violated copyright laws? Should I expect a law suit? Am I Satan? I’m I a plagiarist?
I don’t think so, but, apparently some in the internet posters I read this weekend wouldn’t agree. To some, I’d be all those things–and more. That’s okay, works for me.
For the record, here’s my Use-of-Stuff-I-Find-on-the-Internet policy.
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I have no intent of defrauding, abusing, or plagiarizing anyone or their blog content.
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I never—make that never, ever–try to pass off another writer’s work as mine.
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I will visit other blogs to look for interesting content that I can share with all ten of my readers—especially if I’m not a subject matter expert on that particular post. When I find it, I’ll do as I did with Grammar Girl:
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Make the quotation obvious,
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State the source author, and,
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Provide a link to the source.
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To me, that’s sufficient. It’s what I’d do if writing a term paper. It’s a technique that’s been universally accepted in the academic world since the dinosaurs.
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If I want to use all the article, (or more than some reasonable percentage…50, 60 Percent?) then I will contact the author and ask specific permission. My Wildfire Marketing article, and How to Prepare for and Attend Writing Convention posts are two examples of contacting the original author. In both cases, permission was granted.
So, there you have it. My take on using content from other blogs. I think it’s a reasonable, common sense approach…BUT! Don’t even THINK about using my precious, priceless, one-of-a-kind stuff! Just kidding, just kidding. I’ve no worries. I’m protected by the Lame and Worthless Blog Content Act of 2007, Code of Federal Regulations 91.62, sub-paragraph 12, which reads in part…
If your content is lame and worthless, you are protected under the provisions of this Act, not to mention common sense. Think about, who would want to steal your drivel?
Uh….good point.
Thanks for stopping by. See you on Wednesday. Galen.
Themocracy
Couldn’t have written a more fair and responsible policy myself. Passing along other’s stuff WITH credits is a compliment. I always appreciate it when I see things I’ve posted/written on other blogs when they give me credit and offer a link back to my blog. Fine with me.
The Old Silly
Ditto on your policy for me!
I’ve gotten my stuff ripped off a million times to sell all kinds of supplements and things. Just shake my head. It’s frustrating, though.
I think 50% copying would require permission, but I don’t see asking permission for small amounts. Let’s hope!
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
I WANT my stuff to be stolen. Then I can blame the nonsense on someone else.
Things I’m learning about myself – since most of my blogs are based on articles I read, I guess that makes me a scraper. Like you, I thought it was enough to make it clear that what I’m talking about is something I didn’t write and provide as many links as possible to the actual source. So far no one’s ‘yelled’ at me, but if it happens in the future, thanks to your post, I’ll at least know what they’re talking about when they call me a scraper!
Very interesting post. Why are these people on the internet to begin with if they don’t want to share their information with others? Sounds like they think they are way more important than they really are. I could see someone getting upset if you took their post and called it your own, but just to take portions of it?
As long as credit is given and a link provided I don’t see a problem. If someone were passing my posts along as their own work, it would be different, I think.
I just heard about this last week. I like your policy.
Whenever I use someone’s “stuff” I def. source them.
I would never use something I found on another blog without at least a credit, if not a back link. And I expect others to do the same. I find it flattering that anyone would find what I write worthy of “stealing.”
It’s all up there in the public domain. That being said, I don’t post stuff I don’t want spread all over the ether. I’ve willingly shared my writing tips on my blog, and provide chapter reads on my website.
And I’m darn sure that anyone who lifts my chapter and uses it to write their own book would write a completely different book anyway. One thing nobody can “steal” is your voice.
There’s always someone who wants something he didn’t work for and is willing to grab it from someone else. Scraping is stealing, and it’s a lousy way to do business.
On the other hand, most bloggers (me, me!) are happy to see short quotes (with proper attribution) and links on Twitter, Facebook, and other blogs. I’ve never had anyone complain about the links I post.
I think the difference is that blog scraping recycles other people’s stuff as their own. However, most of us always link to someone who has inspired us and thus spreading the word about them and helping them to get more visitors – and that’s very very welcome!
Good post! The whole point of re-tweeting is just to tell others to check out stuff that we like but may not have written ourselves.