I’ve recently added something new to my blog. A box at the right-hand column declaring basically, that any content here is free for all! As long as you mention you saw it first here. It’s not very difficult, given the ease at which one can hyperlink things.
I chose to use the freest form of Creative Commons License: Attributions, which lets anyone who’s interested in my blog’s content to “distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon [my] work, even commercially, as long as they credit [me] for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials” (Creative Commons, 2011).
The main rationale behind using this license is due to one of the aims for this blog project: Connectivity.
Connectivity is defined as access to the World Wide Web (WWW) whereby one can interact with others using the Internet (LeBlanc & Blum, 2007). To enable my blog to be accessed and used by as many netizens as possible, following the principles of network neutrality, I’ve decided on using this particular license, Attribution (Save the Internet Coalition, 2011).
Network neutrality is summed up neatly with this sentence: “This principle implies that an information network such as the internet is most efficient and useful to the public when it is less focused on a particular audience and instead attentive to multiple users” (Lin, 2010). Lin has also stated that under this theory, no information should be prioritised over another, hence another reason for my choice of this Creative Commons License.
While it’s true that network neutrality will most likely have the greatest effect when adopted by major online content providers, as a citizen of the WWW who believes that every little bit of effort will move us towards this desired state of free (online) press, I chipped in.
On the other hand, it can be argued that if I’m standing on the side which advocates free use of information on the Internet, there’ll be no need to add a license to my work. However, I also understand the value of original work, which is precisely what the Creative Commons License allows for (Garcelon, 2009). While I have opinions of my own, basis for a certain thought might come from some more enlightened person. Grateful for them allowing others to get insight, I’ll make sure to give them credit. Along the same line of thought, while I’m happy if others find my blog useful, crediting me would boost my happiness (and ego)!
While access to more information is important and necessary in advancing society, I’m also of the opinion that this license I chose will kill two birds with one stone. Creating a community that will not take information for granted, and hopefully grow to treat the importance of acknowledging freely available work as commonplace will be an ideal net order. In this sense, it can be said that by including this license, I’m helping in public education!
Hence, by joining a wider community of netizens who are willing to share information and also aid in creating a better and friendlier WWW, I believe that the addition of a Creative Commons License which allows free usage of my blog while at the same time helping to normalise credit-giving is the best possible compromise.
References
Creative Commons, 2011. ‘About The Licenses: The Licenses’, viewed 27 May 2011.
Garcelon, M. 2009, ‘An information commons? Creative Commons and public access to cultural creations’, New Media Society, Vol. 11, No. 8, pp. 1307 – 1326, Sage Publications.
LeBlanc, DA. & Blum, R. 2007, Linux For Dummies: 8th Edition, Wiley Publishing Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.
Lin, R. 2010, ‘Network Neutrality: Definition of Network Neutrality’, viewed 27 May 2011.
Save the Internet Coalition. 2011, ‘Network Neutrality 101′, viewed 27 May 2011.
