The Apple Pie War

We’re all getting a demonstration of “the power of the internet” today. It will pass fast, as such things usually do, leaving behind a vindicated writer; a chastened, if not unemployed, editor; and a very pleased mob, who’ll move on to something else. I’m not going to join in. I’m just going to point out a few lessons.

You’ll find the story at here. Monica Gaudio, a writer whose work I’ve always enjoyed at Gode Cookery found one of her articles published without her permission. The response she got from the editor who published it, at Cook’s Source magazine, was a textbook example of what not to say. The resulting hullabaloo was quick, violent, and effective.

The first lesson should have been obvious long ago. Copyright laws apply to the internet, as much as to any other medium. The Wild West days of grab what you like and use it as you will are over. Case closed. Unless website content is clearly marked as being in the public domain or offered with a Creative Commons license, don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s up for grabs. That’s just common sense and common courtesy. If you find something you’d like to use elsewhere, and it’s not marked “public domain”, in big, red letters, you need to ask if you can use it. If it’s under a Creative Commons license, follow the rules. If it’s copyrighted, you need to ask the author and follow any conditions the author places on its use. It’s theirs, not yours. Ignore that fact at your peril, otherwise you might end up facing an internet firestorm, or a costly lawsuit.

The second lesson is summed up by an old internet adage. The most dangerous word in the world is “send.” Whether dealing with a writer whose material you’ve stolen or with a disgruntled customer, you need to weigh your words carefully. Your response reflects on you, it reflects on your business, and you’re making a big mistake if you think it can’t be made public. Don’t fire off a snotty e-mail and expect it to be the last word. It won’t be. By the way, if it’s a matter of copyright infringement you’re dealing with, don’t fire off ANY response until you’ve talked to an attorney who has experience in copyright law.

The third lesson is that the internet gives people, individually and collectively, a power they’ve never had to quite such a degree before. It’s the greatest and most frightening tool for influencing public opinion ever devised. Everyone needs to be aware of that power and be careful not to risk being its target. In today’s case, there’s a clear matter of right and wrong, but what will happen if, sometime, the internet mob’s howling for blood when there are a lot of gray areas? Can the same force that, today, defended the rights of an author be used to ruin the reputation of someone who’s innocent of wrongdoing? Given the speed with which online fury can be unleashed, cooler heads may not always prevail. Let’s hope they will, but, even so, we need to make sure we have all the facts, and both sides of the story.

The last lesson shows the other side of the coin and is something no one should ever forget. The power of the internet, as we’re seeing it today, can work for the GOOD, as well as the bad. A writer’s rights can be defended. Good news can spread as quickly as bad. Praise can be expressed as easily as condemnation. When the other side of the story is valid, it usually comes out, or, at least, it has so far. Make sure your business offers quality and good service. If plenty of people know you’re doing a good job, anyone who disagrees may just be shouted down by the online community. It might be easier, in the long run, to do everything possible to satisfy your customers and clients than to practice damage control if you make a mess of things. As Socrates said: “be as you wish to seem.”

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