I have decided to relax the copyright restrictions on everything I’ve written for this site. Everything I’ve written is now available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Which states you are free:
- To Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
- To Remix - to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
- Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
In other words…
You must declare that the article was written by Warren Davies and provide a link back to the original article; but not in a way that suggests I endorse your site or product. Don’t link to http://www.generallythinking.com/blog, link to the specific article you’re using. Something like this:
- By Warren Davies, originally posted at [link to original piece].
If you want to change, modify, adapt, improve on or add to my work, then provided you credit me, that’s fine too. Something like:
- Based on [link], by Warren Davies
Important: For some articles, the reference list is so long that I put it in the first comment instead of in the main content area. If you’re copying the full article, please make sure the references are included!
Feel free to use my stuff!
If you like an article here and think the readers of your own site would like it, feel free to post it on your own website or blog.
If you get writer’s block one day and need to buy yourself some time, use one of my articles.
Selling an ebook and think one of my articles would make an ideal chapter? Use it.
Got a print magazine or newsletter and want to use one of my articles in it? Do it.
Just credit me as the author, link back to the original piece, and it’s fine.
Why do this?
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, ever since coming across the uncopyright notice on Zen Habits. What’s the point of fully copyrighting this site? Who does it benefit? I suppose it puts off some people from stealing my stuff, but it also means less people will read it, and the whole point of the site is to get stuff from psychology out to people who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to find it.
Plus, since 90% of the articles here are based on other peoples’ research, I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I copyrighted it all and fenced it off!
Besides, the link-backs might even help me, in a serendipitous sort of way.
So go ahead, use my stuff. I want you to!
