In today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* Show of hands
* Topic: Warning—Safeguard Your IP
* Today
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
“Jesus, where the hell is everybody when they first deliver the typing paper? Where are all the ‘helpers’ when those boxes full of silence come in? Blank. Both sides. No clue, no instructions enclosed on how to take just twenty-six letters and endlessly rearrange them so that they can turn them into a mirror of a part of our lives. Try it sometime.” Larry Gelbart
First, a ahow of hands—How many of you would be interested in listening to me on a podcast if I were to set one up?
It’s an idea I’ve been toying with, but even as boring and wearing as my voice is, I’d rather not talk to empty air.
Visit the website and leave a comment, or email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com.
On a related note, if you’re interested in setting up your own podcast, see the first item in “Of Interest” today.
On a side note, I will not be participating in NaPodPoMo (National Podcast Post Month).
I also will not be signing up with BlogTalkRadio. For more on that, read on.
Topic: Warning—Safeguard Your IP
If you decide to use WordPress.com (or any other “free” website builder), READ THE TERMS OF SERVICE. Search for terms like “Content” and “Rights” and “Intellectual Property Rights.” Read those passages carefully. Often they will assure you in one section or paragraph that your rights remain your own (or that you retain all rights) and then grab them from you in another section or paragraph.
(Note: WordPress.org is different in that it’s a self-hosted site. You retain ownership to all content that you upload. But be sure to read the terms of service of your webhosting service too.)
The thing is, When you click a box agreeing to the terms of service, you’re effectively signing a contract.
The same goes for anyplace else where you’re uploading your content. Take time to read the terms of service. To safeguard your IP, you need to be absolutely certain you retain ownership of any content you upload to any site.
Nate Hoffelder (see “Of Interest”) mentions that BlogTalkRadio has a “free tier.”
But should you decide to use BlogTalkRadio to set up a podcast, under “Rights over UGC” [User Generated Content] their terms of service read as follows:
“By creating, delivering, submitting, posting or displaying UGC on or through BlogTalkRadio, the User grants a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual and with the right to sublicense license to the Owner without territorial limits, to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display, and distribute such content in any media or via distribution methods currently available or developed later.”
In other words, you’re giving BTR the right to use your material in any way they see fit. For that reason, I won’t be using them.
Be careful out there. Zealously guard your copyright. Just sayin’.
***
Today I get to meet with another writer for coffee. (Call it “Writers in Denny’s Getting Coffee,” with apologies to Jerry Seinfeld.)
And I have a short story to read first. I’m a lucky guy.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
If you’ve ever thought of starting a podcast, see “The Digital Writer” at https://preview.mailerlite.com/m9i3p9/1272595667063149698/b6p5/. (This is a newsletter. Hence the hinky-looking URL.)
See “Finding Story Ideas” at https://prowriterswriting.com/finding-story-ideas/.
See “The Value of Touching Details” at https://www.janefriedman.com/the-value-of-touching-details/.
See “Noir at the Bar” at https://killzoneblog.com/2019/10/noir-at-the-bar.html.
See “Upmarket Fiction” at https://blog.reedsy.com/upmarket-fiction/. Interesting history items and definitions. (Of course, what you believe or don’t believe from the article is up to you. [grin])
See PG’s take on “What the Heck Is Happening to Book Titles?!” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/what-the-heck-is-happening-to-book-titles/.
The Numbers
Fiction words today…………………… 0
Nonfiction words today…………… 630
Total fiction words for the month……… 3237
Total fiction words for the year………… 383468
Total nonfiction words for the month… 12870
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 275560
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 660146
Calendar Year 2019 Novels to Date…………………… 7
Calendar Year 2019 Novellas to Date……………… 1
Calendar Year 2019 Short Stories to Date… 2
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 43
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 195
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31