I put a posting up earlier today to a couple Oconto County related
lists. It has generated a lot of comment so I am sharing it with all
of you in case you get asked about it. Following the initial posting
is an explanation of what was behind it. Just wanted to share and
reassure that it did not pertain to any single person or event. Just
an attempt at clarification and learning.
Rita - Oconto County WIGenWeb
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wioconto/
Initial posting:
For those who do not know the courtesy and practices of reposting
information gained from
other sites and material, I sincerely and seriously offer this.
The information that you have used is the hard research work of
others. Their kindness and
generosity has made it available to you......free. It is appropriate
and necessary to give them
credit when you include their information in your own postings.
Whether you have copied it
from a personal hard copy material, site or a volunteer effort such
as the GenWeb or Rootsweb
(these are separate and independent organizations), put the name of
the source and the
email/street address if there is one. Others who read your posting
should know who did the
original work, where to go for added information and how to contact
the researcher.
I can think of no quicker way to stop people from sharing and
helping one another than to
misuse their research work, and make it appear to be your own. Fair
is fair !
Rita - Oconto County WIGenWeb Coordinator
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wioconto/
Permission granted to repost this on appropriate lists.
Follow up information:
Hello,
I have received several letters from kind folks who have contributed
to the Oconto County, and
other GenWeb Sites. They have gone to search postings on Rootsweb
and found their own work
in other's postings, without credit or link to themselves. It is
copied and pasted directly, word
for word. Those who have used the research give the impression
that it is their own. This is very
disheartening to those who share their family work. Also, several
people have reported that
newspaper items and other data that resulted from the hard work of
GenWeb Site volunteers,
were included without giving the site location so others can find
out more. The whole reason
for these GenWeb sites is to be there for people; to help them. If
they are not credited with the
information that is posted on them, it cuts researchers off from
the intended source of help.
I know that many of the people who have used other's research
without giving proper credit are
not on the list, so I can not reach them. Some have done so
unknowingly. I just thought it was
time to bring the general point up so that at least some of the
active researchers know what is
expected and appropriate. It really is not directed at any
particular person or situation. If they
use material from commercial sites in the same way, they face
legal action, as those companies
are clamping down.
Now I am going to try to gracefully decend from my soap box and
get more postings up to the
site. I've given a lot of time today to this and need to move on.
Rita