Week 8 Response

I found this week’s reading particularly interesting due to alittle problem I had faced a couple months back. Although my problem did not relate to Chapter 12 of “Dispatches from Blogistan,” I found myself in my very first online blog related problem. A couple months ago, I was told to advertise our new products for a company I work for. I was posting in a discussion forum, where I openly discussed the need for new models on one of our retailer’s websites due to some disagreements with the image they were portraying as opposed to what we were trying to portray with our products. What soon followed was a very nerve wrecking situation for me. I got an email from the owner of the certain retailer threatening to end our contract with our company if I continue to reference their website in a negative manner. The problem was solved in a civil manner, but this was just a reminder for me to always watch my words even online.

Aside from that, it is quite interesting to see how blogging has gradually but surely blurred the lines of “legal responsibilities and liabilities.” I think the problem is that a lot of times, because blogs do not seem as formal as traditional news sources, people freely use and quote media sources on their blogs. Not only that, but they use video clips, sound clips and basically anything that may be of good use to them and their blog. I think what we’re failing to see is that blogging is still a form of communication and anything and everything that is not rightfully not their’s should be credited in the right manner.

It is funny how Suzanne Stefanac uses the term “common sense” a lot in order to describe how a blogger should take precaution before referencing to things. What seems to be common sense in traditional media, almost does not seem so with blogging. Maybe because blogging is such a new way of communications and still not quite formal, people don’t feel the need to use the same precautions as they would with traditional ways of communication.

1) Does it matter if it is a personal small blog or a major mainstream blog when it comes to copyright infringement?

2)  Do you find yourself worrying about online legal problems when you post on  your own personal blogs?

3)  With blogging surely on the rise, do you think this problem is something that can be resolved soon in the future or do you think the problem has only begun?

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