Hi Joan,
As a mailing list and message board administrator, my first thought would be
that something happened and the message did not post like it should have,
and by default, the message went back to the list or message board
administrator. I don't think there is anyway to block a message going thru
unless you would have some sort of block on the posters email. <puzzled>
Is it possible that she/he just sent the message on to the list? I have
done that on many occasions, but, do add a note that whatever the query was,
listers should respond back to the researcher. Lately, I have taken to
writing the poster, as when I do that people seem to respond to me instead
of the researcher. Argh!
Guess, I'm thinking that it could be very innocent, but, I would have
thought this person would have written you back. Then again maybe they
aren't online.
If, in fact, this person some how did this on purpose, I would consider it
very tacky and wouldn't post to the message boards any more. I'd just send
the info on to the Clark County Coordinator, which is Tina right now, as the
site is up for adoption.
Just my thoughts on the subject,
Jan
----- Original Message -----
From: "joan benner" <jmbenner(a)tznet.com>
Dear Fellow CC's,
I need some advice, and maybe some encouragement.
Last night I typed an obit for a Clark Co Civil War veteran from a 1911
newspaper onto the Clark Co messageboard. Nothing unusual there, I like to
help surrounding counties' boards and cc's as you all know. This morning I
was alerted that the Clark Co mailing list administrator had seen fit to
block my post from the automatic relay to the mailing list but had instead
copied and pasted my contribution into a mailing list message as though
she
herself had typed it. (Complete with my typos, and if you would like
a
copy
of the mailing list message just contact me)
I've been taught it is dishonest to claim someone else's work as your own
and it is right to give credit where it is due. So I wrote to the mailing
list admin and rootsweb help desk about the apparent 'oversight'. The
Clark
Co mailing list moderator has not responded to my message sent last
night.
I asked to have this 'oversight' corrected with another message to the
mailing list listing myself as the original contributor or that the item
be
deleted from the mailing list archives.
I also wrote to rootsweb's help desk with my concerns and asked how to
avoid this problem in the future. The response from rootsweb has me
wondering if I, and all of us, are maybe being taken advantage of and
played as fools. Here is the response:
"The obit was published in 1911, so is now public domain. It can be
appropriated by anyone and attribution is not required. Discovery does not
entitle you
or anyone to ownership (copyright)."
Rootsweb thus far refuses to become involved in correcting this "mistake"
of the mailing list moderator not naming the original contributor. The
tone
of the messages from helpdesk have not been friendly or helpful. So
far I
have been told about copyright law and they suggest I ask to have the
Moody
obit deleted form the Clark Co messageboard...which would
conveniently
remove evidence that I had been the original contributor.
I asked if this copyright/public domain opinion meant
rootsweb/ancestry/myfamily.com (whomever!) could come along and take what
is on our websites and messageboards. Note that I have no objection if
Sally Smith finds Grandpa's obit but I do have a problem with others
harvesting our work for their own financial gain now or down the road. No
one at the helpdesk has addressed my questions about the
ownership/copyright of what we have worked and paid to compile on our
GenWeb sites. Now I understand that USGenWeb is supposedly independent,
yet
somewhat dependent of rootsweb. But if rootsweb says if the item is
in
public domain, "it can be appropriated by anyone" just where does that
leave all of us volunteer coordinators who have done the work and paid for
computers, books, cd's, photocopies, etc.?
To me the silence on this question says more than words can, and it sounds
as though the only copyright we have is the arrangement of the information
on our websites, graphics, etc; the information itself is "free for the
taking." Suggestions and comments are welcome whether sent privately or to
the list.
Thanks all,
Joan
Adams and Marquette CC's
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