Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: A 3rd voice alternative

Author:Jeremy Bowers
Posted:9/30/1999; 1:48:02 PM
Topic:A 3rd voice alternative
Msg #:11660 (In response to 11657)
Prev/Next:11659 / 11661

Maybe because my "milieu" is education, and we keep trying to connect contexts -- these tools (done *right*) really open possibilities.

The way to maximize "possibilities" is to revoke all copyright law. Third Voice may open new frontiers of discussion & debate, but a lot of things do that. Why not allow copies of The New York Times annotated by some ultra-conservatives to be distributed, right next to the originals on every newsstand? Surely the second viewpoint adds value to everybody. Why go to the effort of creating a good website when I can just lift somebody elses? Then everybody can have cool websites. Aren't more viewpoints and free good websites good things? Just because Third Voice has some good effects does not mean the good effects automatically outweigh the negative ones, and I'd say the effects of opening the door of allowing direct, unfettered manipulation of somebody else's content, without permission, simply because somebody "asked" for you to do that manipulation, is a huge negative effect that almost certainly can't be outweighed by some rather nebulous positive effect on "free speech" when thousands of outlets already exist for said "free speech". (It's not like web annotation accomplishes any good that can't be accomplished any other way, but boy, does it have some negative impacts!) (What's next? It's a violation when someone uses JavaScript to display something other than the URL when they link to you? I mean, you can easily be messing with a brand there...) Well, if you create a link like to a site, and you tarnish a trademark by putting something on the status line that is insulting, you can already get in trouble; that's nothing new. Doing much more then mentioning it can get you in trouble. Demanding that your page not be manipulated has little to do with who links to you.





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