copyright issues
I’m a bit late with this post, but I wanted to talk about it a little nonetheless.
I made a kinda snarky post about mt styles the other day. TechTV ran Sarah’s Blog Report on the 5/16 episode of The Screen Savers. In it, she suggested that people who didn’t know how to make their own changes to their blog stylesheet to just "steal, steal, steal".
Melissa, Zuly, Robyn and Christine all talked about this - supporting the idea of giving credit and NOT stealing codes. (Melissa and Zuly talk more)
So Sarah changed her report a bit after some of the comments on her blog (and emails I’m sure) pointed out the error of her way. But it still says
I think that everyone should have to have several ideas learned before starting a webpage. The idea of Giving Credit is an important one.
Like I said in an email to Melissa, people who have no respect for designers are so frustrating to me. I *love* helping people - its pretty much a given that I will give tips, stylesheets, designs, etc. to people who ask. But people who can’t even follow instructions and "steal, steal, steal"? As a designer, that is pretty frustrating. And then reading the comments on Sarah’s site make me feel like crap too.
[snip]
Nobody with a life cares of such things
So yeah. Obviously I need a life :sarcasmdripping:
Pretty frustrating. I wish that everyone would be respectful of the people around them, and especially if you are in a public place like on TechTV, the idea of RESPECT should be at the core of all information you give.
---stepping down from my soap box.---
Comments
Zuly and I talk more eh? ;)
Try not to let the knobs and dorks get to you. Some people that are such sheep that they would blindly follow their "friend" into a fire. Eventually they’ll end up on the main page of the Darwin Awards site. ;)
And if THAT is what she constitutes as writting a blogging column... Don’t worry hon, she won’t be around long.
I got your back.
{{{hugs}}}
Posted by: Melissa | May 20, 2003 04:48 PM
She’s wrong, wrong, wrong, and behaving snarkily because she knows she got caught. It’s a simple matter of ethics and manners. The people who don’t understand that simply don’t have any. When Anil came out on the MT site and said, "Don’t steal" that should have been TechTV’s clue to retract the report.
Love you!
Posted by: Zuly | May 20, 2003 04:59 PM
I guess I will never understand people. If you are like something and want to use it then DUH, it’s common sense, you ask, you give credit. I’m not just talking about blogs, that is just common sense in life. OK, it should be anyway.
Posted by: Kim | May 20, 2003 05:09 PM
i
blogstyles and kadyellebee ((hugs))
Posted by: Jenna | May 20, 2003 06:00 PM
I heart you for this post and for all the ways that you give back to the MT community; I’ve learned so much about CSS and about how much fun blogging is from you - I give you credit for that.
That Sarah? Feh. She’s just some girl who stole a stylesheet. Anyone can do that, but it takes real class to be yourself. 
Posted by: Donna | May 20, 2003 06:00 PM
Some people just don’t get it.
Hugs to you, k!
Posted by: bmk | May 20, 2003 06:22 PM
I officially gave up trying to understand their reason when someone said stylesheets were just fonts and colors—nothing else. You are the goddess of <style> and we both know there’s just about nothing you can do with HTML that you can’t do with CSS. I’ve only been trying to design sites with it a year, and I’m a baby still. Fonts and colors my ( | )—must be nice to live such a sheltered life.
This was a great entry, and I’m sorry she ripped you off! Especially when I know how hard you work and how much it takes out of you...
Posted by: robyn | May 20, 2003 07:49 PM
She’s very wrong and so are the commenters who support her. You do fabulous work and deserve every bit of credit you get! And more. *hugs*
Posted by: Lisa, Gal of Unix | May 20, 2003 09:25 PM
Like I said on her site and my own - it annoys me that she is in a position with such power and yet a crap attitude of "oh well, I tried". No, no you didn’t. Telling us to "just chill - it’s research" isn’t trying.
I truly saw red though when I hit her generous "go ahead and take mine" comment - YOU own the copyright to that, YOU can say if it can be distributed or not. No one else has that right!
Like I said on my site (in my comments today), the newbies will look up to her and read that and think that if they can take stylesheets one day, they can take everything the next time. No! And Sarah is in a position where she MUST educate people.
Hugs & smoochie love to you - you rock and I will forever bow to your CSS power!
Posted by: Christine | May 20, 2003 09:35 PM
I have to admit that when I see that someone has done something way-cool...I look at the source to see HOW they did it. I don’t necessarily USE it...but I’m curious enough to see how they got that result.
However, that’s no excuse for ripping off an entire site, not crediting your inspiration, or encouraging others to do the same. I know how it felt when I found that one of my illustrations had been ripped off by someone else...I’m sure it’s very similar to how you feel.
Posted by: Maire | May 21, 2003 12:56 AM
I’m sick after reading that. Some people are just too ignorant to...do anything.
Posted by: Julie | May 21, 2003 08:05 AM
Jeez, if she’s gonna mess with YOUR stylesheet, she could at least have done a better job of customizing it!
I help other people design blogs, for free, and sometimes I use your BlogStyles stuff. But I always insist that the link stay on the page...and I go around to check! So far, no problems!
Finally, I want to thank you for helping me learn about CSS!
Posted by: Christine M. | May 22, 2003 02:06 AM