To all my followers and those of you who have liked and commented on my work, I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a new year full of happiness.
Very best wishes, Kevin
Happy Christmas
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Tag Archives: wordpress
On re-blogs and re-blogging
I have always proceeded on the premise that re-blogs are a great way of demonstrating appreciation for the work of others, for what better means can there be of showing one’s approbation than sharing fellow blogger’s posts with your own followers. By so doing the person doing the re-blogging is enhancing the profile of a given post and the blogger who’s post they are sharing which can lead on to more likes, shares and follows on the originator’s site. I was therefore taken back when, following on from a re-blog by me of another’s post I received the following message both on my own site and via Twitter,
“Please make sure you are making it clear that this was written by another writer (me). Thanks. :)”.
My response was that:
1. I had no intention of passing off anyone else’s work as my own and
2. The re-blog clearly linked back to the originator’s site making it crystal clear that they (not me) wrote the article in question.
As a writer I do, of course understand the desire of others to protect their creations and it goes without saying that I would never in any manner whatsoever attempt to pass off work written by a person other than me as mine. Having said that, when one places sharing buttons such as Twitter and Facebook and, of course the re-blog facility on one’s WordPress site, you should not be surprised when people utilise these buttons to share your work with their fellow bloggers and the wider world. If an individual, for whatever reason doesn’t want their work to be shared via re-blogs, tweets etc they should not place sharing buttons on their site. Of course the removal of the ability to share would not prevent others from copying a link and linking back to a post which they find interesting.
In conclusion, one should (obviously) not pass off another’s work as one’s own. To do so is both ethically wrong and a breech of copyright law. However anyone who allows the placing of sharing options on their blog is inviting others to share content. A tweet or a re-blog of a portion of a post does not a breech of copyright make.
Despite being taken back by the response received to a recent re-blog, I will continue to share, via re-blogs and tweets posts that I find interesting. I am always grateful to my fellow bloggers when they share my work and I have no intention of ceasing to return the kindness.
Kevin
Death of the Blog
Unlike Monty Python’s Parrot, the blog is far from being deceased (a point well made by Janice in this post, http://www.mostlyblogging.com/death-of-the-blog/).
Share a Post
If you would like to share one of your posts, please feel free to do so in the comments section below. Please also feel free to say a few words about you and/or your blog.
Kevin
Happy Easter!
I would like to wish all my readers and followers a very happy Easter. The sun is shining here in Upper Norwood, with something of a nip in the air, which is the kind of weather I love.
Kevin
My Blog’s Tagline Has Changed
I have changed my blog’s tagline from “this WordPress.com site is the bees and ees” to “newauthoronline | K Morris, Poet and Author”. The new tagline clarifies that I am both a poet and author, while the previous generic description conveyed little (if anything) about either the blog or myself. The change in tagline in no way impacts on how you access this site, which remains at the same location (newauthoronline.com).
As always, I am keen to know what you (as readers of newauthoronline.com) think. Please feel free to leave a comment below or, if you prefer contact me at (newauthoronline (at) gmail dot com).
Kevin
Housekeeping
On Sunday afternoon (7 February) I did some housekeeping. Not the kind entailing vacuuming floors and dusting furniture, no I went through the links on my “About” page and deleted those which no longer function. I had meant to perform this task for a while now but had never quite got round to doing so.
One blogger who has hosted guest posts by me had deleted their site, while another webmaster removed all guest posts (including mine). In both instances anyone clicking on “dead” links would have received an error message informing them that the resource in question could not be found. Having removed the non functioning links, visitors to my “About” page should now find that all links work (please do let me know if this is not the case by emailing me at newauthoronline (at) gmail dot com) putting “broken link” in the subject line.
As bloggers we have no control over links to external sites (unless, of course we happen to own the resource in question). It is therefore in my view good practice to periodically check whether external links work. This makes for a better “visitor experience” (how I hate that term but I can not at this early hour think of a better one)!
Happy housekeeping!
Kevin
I May WalkWalk From TalkTalk
As a blogger I rely on the internet. I don’t think about it often. Rather like the driver who knows very little about cars I just get into the driving seat and drive. As with the driver in the above example, I know little about how the engine (internet) works but I trust that the manufacturer (my Internet Service Provider or ISP) will get me safely, from A to B without incident. Unfortunately as with vehicles, so with the internet, things can (and do) go wrong. In this case spectacularly so – my ISP (TalkTalk) has been hacked, (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/talktalk-cyber-attack-company-accused-of-cover-up-following-reports-customers-targeted-a-week-before-a6707091.html). The incident is shocking as the Chief Executive, Dido Harding has been reported as saying that she is uncertain as to whether key customer information (including bank details) where encrypted on the TalkTalk servers. As the head of a company entrusted with the data of around four million customers I, in my naivety would assume that chief executives should be cognisant of such matters. That is why they receive salaries which the vast majority of their customers will never see in a lifetime.
The above incident is the third such in a period of twelve months. Either TalkTalk is incredibly unlucky (but not as unlucky as it’s hapless customers) or a worrying degree of incompetence is at work here. I have my suspicions as to which one it is.
A close friend of mine (a former AOL customer, as AOL was subsumed into TalkTalk) is in the process of moving to another ISP and I am strongly minded to follow his example.
I remain in a state of disbelief that a security breech of this magnitude could take place not once, not twice but three times in a time-frame of some twelve months. Stable doors should be shut prior to (not after) the horse has bolted but TalkTalk appear to be desperately attempting to fasten the door long after the beast has departed.
We Should Stand With Our Fellow Bloggers Who Are Being Threatened With Death
The Guardian reports that a militant group has published a “hitlist” of activists and bloggers. The extremist organisation has said that the named individuals (some of whom are UK citizens) should be killed due to their criticism of Islam. We should all as bloggers and believers in freedom condemn outright this barbarous threat. A number of individuals have already died simply for daring to express views which these fanatics regard as heretical.
It is easy to believe that such threats have little relevance to us as authors of fiction. However practically everything written can, if read (or mis-read) by a deranged person cause offence and lead the reader to engage in violence against the writer. Unless one confines oneself purely to writing technical manuals there exists a possibility that your words will, sooner or later cause offense. We should all be concerned and stand together with our fellow bloggers who are threatened by those who have a warped conception of Islam. (I say warped as most Muslims have no truck with fanatics).
Is Blogging A Waste Of Time?
A post in which L. L. Barkat argues that it is time for writers to stop blogging, (http://janefriedman.com/2013/03/15/its-time-for-many-experienced-writers-to-stop-blogging/). As an author with a blog and someone who blogs often, I don’t agree with Barkat’s perspective. Her views do, however deserve a hearing.
Barkat’s main argument is that most blogs receive comparatively few views so writers would be better spending their time (that not reserved for writing books) composing articles for sites with a big audience. Writing articles for big name sites will, in Barkat’s view gain more exposure for the writer than blogging via a personal blog.
I relish the connection my blog, newauthoronline.com provides between mmy followers and I. Such a connection can not exist where one writes exclusively for big name sites where there exists no direct link between the writer and their audience. There is, however no reason why a writer or any other blogger can not utilise their own personal site while also writing for websites with a following running into the hundreds of thousands (assuming one is lucky enough to be afforded the opportunity to contribute to such sites)! Barkat is correct that the writer needs to keep a watchful eye on their blogging to ensure it doesn’t eat up time which could be devoted to writing books.
I have no intention of ceasing my meanderings on this blog so don’t crack open the champagne just yet …!
K Morris - Poet 