Comments on: Simon speaks about Simonseeks – interview with Simon Nixon http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simonseeks-interview-simon-nixon.html Banter between travel writers, travel PRs and travel social media people Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:59:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Melissa Shales http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simonseeks-interview-simon-nixon.html/comment-page-1#comment-345 Melissa Shales Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:55:01 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simon-speaks-about-simonseeks-interview-with-simon-nixon.html#comment-345 The other thing that concerns me about the copyright issue is the ability to remove old and out of date material. In print, I have had a scenario running with a guidebook to Zimbabwe written in 1990 which is, needless to say, now a period piece and a publisher that has been sold on twice since. I quite literally cannot find the publisher and this book is still technically in print. So this book, saying that Mugabe is a good guy, is still out there (albeit in tiny numbers) and there is nothing I can do to recall it. I would want to be able to take down information that was no longer accurate and I would have thought that Simonseeks would as well. The other thing that concerns me about the copyright issue is the ability to remove old and out of date material. In print, I have had a scenario running with a guidebook to Zimbabwe written in 1990 which is, needless to say, now a period piece and a publisher that has been sold on twice since. I quite literally cannot find the publisher and this book is still technically in print. So this book, saying that Mugabe is a good guy, is still out there (albeit in tiny numbers) and there is nothing I can do to recall it. I would want to be able to take down information that was no longer accurate and I would have thought that Simonseeks would as well.

]]> By: Mike Gerrard http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simonseeks-interview-simon-nixon.html/comment-page-1#comment-344 Mike Gerrard Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:55:36 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simon-speaks-about-simonseeks-interview-with-simon-nixon.html#comment-344 I agree with Ferne about the copyright thing. With Suite101 if you want to re-use your piece after 12 months you remove it from Suite101 and are free to use it elsewhere. Having the same piece on different websites is something Google doesn't like - duplicate content. So I'm surprised SimonSeeks want to do this, as well as expecting to keep hold of an article for their own use without paying the writer anything for it. I think it's an unusual use of the word 'copyright'. If I own the copyright in a piece of work, I would have thought it was up to me to decide whether SimonSeeks can continue to use it or not. Of course if you did that they'd just remove all your work from their website. It's not a working relationship I'd be happy with. I agree with Ferne about the copyright thing. With Suite101 if you want to re-use your piece after 12 months you remove it from Suite101 and are free to use it elsewhere. Having the same piece on different websites is something Google doesn't like - duplicate content. So I'm surprised SimonSeeks want to do this, as well as expecting to keep hold of an article for their own use without paying the writer anything for it.

I think it's an unusual use of the word 'copyright'. If I own the copyright in a piece of work, I would have thought it was up to me to decide whether SimonSeeks can continue to use it or not. Of course if you did that they'd just remove all your work from their website. It's not a working relationship I'd be happy with.

]]> By: Ferne Arfin http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simonseeks-interview-simon-nixon.html/comment-page-1#comment-343 Ferne Arfin Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:13:23 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/06/simon-speaks-about-simonseeks-interview-with-simon-nixon.html#comment-343 Well I think the fuzziness about the impartiality of travel agents writing for the site is really telling and immediately condemns it for me as a reliable source. I am also soured by the idea that basically you give your material to them forever. If you ask for the copyright back, okay, they'll return it to you - but all that means is that they will continue to use your material only you won't be paid anything at all for it. Am I missing something here? Isn't that copyright theft? No thank you. Well I think the fuzziness about the impartiality of travel agents writing for the site is really telling and immediately condemns it for me as a reliable source. I am also soured by the idea that basically you give your material to them forever. If you ask for the copyright back, okay, they'll return it to you - but all that means is that they will continue to use your material only you won't be paid anything at all for it. Am I missing something here? Isn't that copyright theft? No thank you.

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