The simulated click of the camera captured my attention. Sitting in a conference room, a middle aged man in front of me was snapping pictures of the lecture slides. My attention on the presentation was snapped and I was slack jawed. My thoughts were racing, “What is this person doing? Last time I checked, that is not allowed without permission.”
As a blogger and a speaker I was annoyed, because the content in your presentations is your livelihood. When I am presenting at a conference, I am presenting work that is delivered in articles, books, videos, and other mediums. The content presented can take years to develop, and I was shocked that this person was sitting there snapping pictures of the slides without a care for asking permission. How rude!
The effect of this person taking pictures was that others started to do the same. It would seem that one person taking pictures of the lecture slides meant others could do the same. I don’t think that is the case. If the presenter wanted the slides to be public domain, then they would say that they are public domain and make them available, if they do not, then you will have to ask permission before recording anything. That is not only good manners, but in some cases might be legally required.
When you are considering using other’s content; whether it is in print, web, or other medium. Be smart about how you use other’s work. If you are scanning flickr for blog photos, make sure you are checking the copyrights. If you have to give credit, then give credit. If you want to take pictures or want copies of the slides, then ask. You might be surprised when they say no, but respect that.
Content is king in today’s information market. Respect the content and don’t be rude if you don’t get permission. Take that as a bump to produce your own content. Then see if you want other people copying your materials.
About the Author: My Toastmasters Blog is written and edited by Chris Elliott, the founder of the young professional coaching site Young Profit Pros. Chris enjoys using his knowledge and experiences during his speaking engagements, workshops, consulting projects, and one-on-one coaching sessions. The result—connecting people and empowering change. If you would like information on how you can bring Chris to speak to your next meeting, please download Chris' one sheet or contact him by clicking here.
Yes, I agree!
No, I disagree!
Such a pickle we are in today with digital recorders, cell phone cameras, PDA’s & Crack-berries.
On the one hand you’ve worked hard on your content, as you point out, and you don’t want anyone to steal it.
On the other hand, you want this information to get out to the wider world, right? And maybe this person has just found a great high tech way to take notes!
It’s a dilemma. We want protection and yet we want connection in this Web 2.0 world.
I eventually come down on the side of…connection. On the side of an abundance viewpoint.
Heck, maybe you should just post your slideshow. The whole enchilada! Right there for the world to see…and steal!
Because you WANT the world to know this information. Yet, information alone is lifeless.
Information is brought to life by YOUR wisdom. YOUR examples. YOUR stories. YOUR unique and uncopyable (hey new word…steal it) point-of-view.