A few weeks ago, I was going through some ragged manila folders titled ‘Ideas on Management’, ‘Inspirational Quotes’, and ‘Quotes on Attitude’. They contain articles I have collected over the course of my career as well as many of my own notes. I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the quotes here at synaptici. As I was getting ready to type them out, I noticed that some of the quotes gave no credit to the authors.
I always strive to give credit for anything I quote or display at my websites. For example, at synapticsky.com, I give the source credit for every picture used at the site. Have a peek ..
I even provide a link to the original in my credits section. These links have been there for over 8 years now. Most of them go to NASA or JPL. Over time, they change their websites so I have to take the time every now and again to find the new links. I went so far as to e-mail them for permission to use the images, which they kindly granted me.
I decided to look up the unaccredited quotes to see who wrote them so that I could properly give credit to the authors. What I discovered astounded me and prompted me to write this short article.
Many websites and blogs have posted lists of quotes without giving any credit at all. Moreover, some of them have even signed their own names at the bottom of these lists. Many post these types of lists in order to drive traffic to a website or blog. That’s ok, but we should all drive traffic back to the source. If the authors have no website of their own, point to an article about them. Wikipedia is a great resource for this type of information.
I believe that most of these people are simply trying to help by sharing good, sound wisdom. However, if you are the owner of one of these sites and happen to be reading this, I encourage you to go and edit these lists giving credit where credit is due. If you can’t find the original author, then credit “unknown”. You will have to do a bit of research and it will take you time to do it. I assure you, its time well spent.
Over the years, I have seen presentations made using materials without permission or credit. I have seen websites use graphics from other sources, without giving credit to the artists. I have heard songs used for a variety of purposes without acknowledging the composers. This type of behavior demonstrates a lack of integrity and does not engender the confidence of the intended audience.
If you doubt me, consider the following:
“One of the most important ways to manifest integrity is to be loyal to those who are not present. In doing so, we build the trust of those who are present.”
Stephen R. Covey
Make it a habit to give credit where credit is due. Doing so will demonstrate your honesty and earn you the respect of your readers.
© Gil Namur, 2009
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