Hello Occulties,
How sad it is that I need to post this once more, so I'll make it a page. ;) Some people are so willfully lackadaisical about finding this information that it's ridiculous (from my perspective anyhow,) but despite this being the rules for years now...
While I do understand legal fair-use of my links or of my writing, I also ultimately DO have control over who uses my material. So the fair-use laws come after the "accepted use by author" problem. ;) You might be using legal fair use, but that doesn't mean I'll let you use it...or at least that I will make it so difficult for you to use it, you may as well not try. ;) So to help with the confusion:
1. Plagiarism is never OK. Ever. If you're posting anything that is word-for-word mine or so similar to my writing it's obvious you changed a few words but it's mine, that's illegal, and you can go to court. I think most of you get that. And yeah, my blog is popular enough (as is my business site) that you won't be able to rip me off very long without someone ratting you out to me, as has happened more than once. Plagiarism is illegal and I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.
2. Linking to an article: If you want to link to an article, and you know you have my blanket permission to do so (so we're friends and peers,) link all you want. I do not care at all. You always have my permission. You folks KNOW who you are. You're not clients, you're not people I never met. We speak or are on friendly terms and are "experts" in the field.
If you want to link to an article and you also write a blog on the occult or spellcasting, you probably won't run afoul of me. ;) If I find the link attached to an article where you're just shitting all over me and my personality or something only for the sake of being an ass, I might have a problem, but NORMALLY, I won't. In these cases if I DO have a problem, chances are, if I think you're sane, I'll contact you personally, but if you're clearly not sane, I'll change the link's URL.
If you post my link to a forum or a business site, and you are not of the above group of people who have blanket permission to use my links, I may change the link unless you've gotten my express permission to use the content. Proper attribution will not change this. You may need my personal express permission to use my links on your site in these cases, and I'd appreciate being asked first. Normally I do say yes, but if you find I keep changing URLs on you, you might already have your answer. ;)
3. Linking to a category: THE ONLY PEOPLE who have my permission to do this without first getting my express WRITTEN PERMISSION to do so also have blanket permission to use my content as they like. If you run a forum, a website, or a blog, and you don't personally know me and have this type of permission, you need to get my WRITTEN PERMISSION to link to a full category. If you do not, I will change the category link. If you continue to run afoul of my rule here, I have methods to deal with you that you won't care for, and yeah, they are all legal, and guess what, some might even land you in court. :) So, I want you to consider that. MOST OF THE TIME IT REALLY IS A MISTAKE MADE WITHOUT ANY ILL-INTENT WHATSOEVER which I entirely understand, and I will happily work with the person who wants to use the content, so long as they respect my rules. If it means removing a category link on your site, that's nice of you and I appreciate it. If it means you come to me and get the needed permission, that's nice of you and I appreciate it. Really, I prefer to work things out in a civil fashion. :)
4. Linking the whole blog: While I can only think of perhaps 2 situations in which I'd not ever approve of this, I do prefer if you ask to link to me first. Many people have linked my whole blog to theirs with absolutely no hard feelings from me - whether they had my permission or not. ;)
That said, if you run an unrelated and unsavory site OR a site which brings in a lot of traffic from an unsavory sort of people, there is a chance I will not appreciate the linking to me. In such cases, I usually contact someone personally and ask to be removed from their site. If worse comes to worst, (and I had to do this once before,) I will password protect the blog until you remove the link. If you want a few hundred people sobbing that you better remove your link to me (because I'll let them know you're the cause, and how to reach you,) please, by all means, act like a dick and force me to do that. ;) I am not a fun enemy to have, but it's really your choice if you want to make me one. ;)
*****
So...whether or not you follow US legal fair-use rules, you might not be following my rules. This is my work, and I will be a control freak about it if I need to be one. In many cases where I have had to be it is merely because someone has been frequently disrespectful of the above rules. Most people will never ever even tangle with me, much less ever hear a peep from me. Those who do tend to hear from me (or find themselves a blip upon my radar) are the ones who think that ritual oil is perfume, that if I wave a wand around in the air it grants wishes (and try to "educate" others that this is how these ritual tools work,) or who are really really just...er, disrespectful of me obviously to so disrespect my wishes on where my work is posted (and if you're disrespectful of me repeatedly, I'm going to be a jerk, because you obviously wanted me to be.) I do not think it's too much to ask adults to have some courtesy, and if you know I can be sensitive about where my links are placed from time to time, it is merely a courtesy to ask if you can use it on your site if you're at all questionable on that.
I have a VERY VERY SHORT (4 sites at this writing) perma-ban list for sites never welcome to use any link of mine. If you're on it, you probably know, and wouldn't want to link to me anyhow (feeling is mutual, heh.) However, if you're unsure, feel free to contact me and ask. I'm not in the mood (usually ever) to get in a fight with anyone, and will be happy to let you know this in the most businesslike manner, so please do not think I'm going to bite your head off just for asking. :)
Hope this has been educational.
I don't care if you think I'm being an uptight bitch after reading this (I can be one, definitely,) but if you understand how this blog is my baby, and how much I love it, you won't think I'm being one. :)
~Cat
