Many people, through personal and professional endeavors, are posting online. Whether it be a creative writing venture, an email to a family or friend, or posting for a blog; you are leaving your digital footprint. So how can you protect your online content?
Content theft is rampant on the Internet, so how do you secure your content? When plagiarized, your reputation becomes questionable, not only with your readers but with Google, Yahoo and Bing as well.
What can you do about all this?
Technical Suggestions
- The copyright symbol should appear on your work, especially if it is an e-book or a PDF download.
- Copyright.gov is a good site for learning about registering your work and completing applications.
- Copsycape is a program to identify who may be stealing your work or determining how your words may be similar to others. Enter the URL of your article and the program does a search providing the percentage of words used similar to existing published content.
- WordPress blogs have plug-ins that can help with protecting your blog posts.
- Photos can be protected by setting up a creative commons license where you can maximize sharing but protect your work at the same time.
Think Before You Click
The web is worldwide and regardless of privacy settings, anything you post is for all eyes to see; anyone can check out your information online. Life stories and too much information, even in social settings that you think are protected, is information owned by the Internet.
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All online profiles need to present a showcase of your accomplishments in all scenarios. If online profiles are drastically different from each other, you may not be trusted. Your timeline is a glimpse into your world and personality; represent it well.
Life insurance protects your family from the unexpected but what about your articles online if you die? Is there blog insurance? If your blog is making significant money and providing for your family, it is important to protect your personal assets in a will. You can secure your blog to a future successor. Do talk to a life insurance specialist about your digital life. Though, in the early stages, states are looking into laws concerning accounts of the deceased.
According to Pew Research Center, efforts are underway concerning legislation. However, until the legal procedures are made clear, experts are advising people to treat their digital assets as they would any other asset. They recommend that users appoint someone to be in control, make a list of accounts and passwords and give clear instructions on how to handle each individual account.