My sharing philosophy

Like many have been endlessly fascinated by sharing opportunities of the modern web, and for instance, enjoy sharing something of interest I find across social media. But sometimes wonder how welcome that is from the source!

Since have shared ideas and other things like photographs here will note my sharing philosophy, which is share away at will as long as NOT commercial. To me commercial use is when someone gets return on the favor in the form of remuneration for a product or service received by strangers. If you get such where I made the effort, you are stealing. That is, you can freely share things here as you please, like make a PDF of a post and email, as long as that is for self or friends or even others as long as there's no money making involved as if you actually did any work.

Except for ideas for making money where don't care. Like ideas I think might make a business or product, if here, are freely given and I consider open source.

Seems simple to me.

Maybe not. Like I'm not interested in someone taking a photograph and sticking on a T-shirt, to profit from that work without sharing. But for some idea I have that could be a great company, maybe? Feel free. Can just take. I'm not even worried about attribution as blog post is still mine as source.

But also, just isn't much work involved in just coming up with some ideas and putting them out there versus what it takes to make a working product and have a successful business! So to me, you focus on where there is work involved. I put out ideas for fun.

And sharing on a community basis feels good. Is nice to know you have something that others like, for me at least.

Like if you like one of my photographs and think makes a cool background image? Feel free. I think some of them do too and have used that way, oh but I took the photo, so? It's more interesting to me if others appreciate and I simply reserve commercial use. And who knows, maybe will commercially license someday. So yeah I need to reserve those rights so is meaningful.

Also is only right.

Sharing things for community feel is great. Being exploited is not. People know when they're just part of a friendly sharing community appreciating things liked, or they're trying to use someone else at the disadvantage of that person.

My view is that old outdated notions around copyright need to be fixed for the modern age, and also recognize that most people, like me, so greatly appreciate the benefits of friendly sharing, they don't want it messed up.

And most people just wouldn't anyway as they're just decent people trying to live best they can in our modern world. Post is longer than I thought it would be. Probably lots repetitive in there. Ok.

Maybe isn't so simple as I thought when started typing. Like yeah, I want to give away ideas that could make money for someone, maybe but not photographs in certain contexts? Will ponder more. Oh, and yeah if I have a story idea? Well I don't know. Luckily haven't shared much of those.

Definitely worth figuring out. Glad I started this post so certain was simple, and typed something up, and posted, so now am considering more carefully as that is kind of how I do things.

Hammering out a sharing philosophy written down though. So cool. Surprised haven't done this much work on it before. Looks like am focusing on work as the core where will link back to Lost In Commentary where I define work functionally. Here's the key sentence though:

To me work is when a person provides a service under some kind of contract to some entity.

Here is link to post on Lost In Commentary. And I note there am NOT considering work from a science context, so excluded physics definition. So if I claim to be working on THIS post, who is under contract to whom? I'm working myself. Of course.

For THAT post felt like was just having fun. For this post feel like am working out necessary concepts which finally can clarify my position on intellectual property. Which is not so much fun as necessary.


James Harris