Thing # 10 Creative Commons

Along with other mind-blowing aspects of technology this online course has opened up to me, the concept of Creative Commons is an idea, as they say, "whose time has come," by virtue of the fact that the world wide web is accessible by anyone, anytime, anywhere. The volume of material on the web is staggering, so it is appropriate to realize that the constraints of the old terminology of full copyright is not flexible enough for the interactive internet arena.

Since ordinary people have the right and ability to access and post freely, it seems ideal, even expedient, to give them the liberty to use others' material in certain ways skipping the intermediaries. It is very freeing to the creative spirit to be able to share, reuse, remix items others authored in ways that fit one's own ideas or products. Without the hassle of seeking permission, or going through a legion of lawyers, people may more easily participate in a richer, more vibrant, creative world.

I have not noticed the CC logo on websites I visit, but I will certainly be on the lookout for it. I do not consider myself a frequent enough user of posting on the internet--other than for this class--to be particular about my work being used by others. But I am well aware of fair use and copyrights in photocopying, etc. from classroom protocols. So if I do use other people's internet material in the future, I am confident that I will do so with an awareness of the license stipulations, especially if it is marked with the CC logo.