Lesson Learned (Week 1 Thing 3)

I had an interesting experience last week that firmly brought home the idea of copyright. It opened my eyes in a way that the reading couldn't. Copyright is not only a legal issue (not that that isn't enough) but also of ethical and moral concerns and a decidedly of common courtesy. As I was reading the material for this assignment, I was amazed at how often we strayed into gray areas, except in real life, there are defiantly times of stark black and white.

I do find it amazing that there are many people out in the world willing to eager to share. This is to our great benefit- as long as we are careful not to take advantage.

Ask!! This seemed to be an underlying theme. If you can, then ask. If you can't, find out if is there another way to solve the problem. If not, then be aware and acknowledge the hard work and effort the original creator put into the project. Having a list of guidelines helps, but in the end- YOU are the one who determines what choices will be made and YOU are the one who is accountable.