Ethics of posting content you paid for

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   BethanyGMposted 15 years ago

   ..but did not write.
   Do you guys think it is ethical to purchase articles and post them as your own, or under a different username on here for profit? I was reading another thread and I started thinking about that. I would never want an article that isn't mine to be associated with me, so I am having issues with it.
   Also, if you buy it from someone and they sell it again later, you could end up with duplicate content, so maybe it isn't a good plan anyway.
   
   I just hate it when I am trying to find information online and I click something that turns out to be inaccurate and/or spammy. I think posting stuff that you aren't sure is true is unethical, because your actions could impact someone else if they happen to trust what you say...
   Hmm.
   
   Thoughts?

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      karpouzianposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      If you own the full rights to something, you can publish it in whatever format you wish.
      
      As far as posting stuff that isn't true, I post opinions quite often.  Are they 'true'?

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         BethanyGMposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I guess I am thinking of some of the medical or health information I have come across in spammy type material. Some of it has been very wrong. It could even be harmful if someone believed it (I am thinking of my grandparents or my parents if they aren't web-savvy.)
         My main concern is providing false information, I guess. I guess as long as I fact-checked the articles I would fee alright posting them somewhere. Then I could still write my own stuff because I love to write. I don't have any money to do this, though lol.

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2. 39

   Tyson Ellisposted 15 years ago

   I like all of your thoughts... although I try not to let ethics get in the way TOO MUCH when it comes to trying to make a dime. (Mostly kidding).

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3. 68

   relacheposted 15 years ago

   If you see something that you really think is questionable, flag the Hub and let admin take a look.

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   girly_girl09posted 15 years ago

   I think publishing any article with false information, especially on medical topics like you discussed is completely unethical. I agree.
   
   But, not all purchased content is incorrect. Purchasing articles from others and publishing them under your own name is completely fine and is commonly done. The content wasn't created by you, but it wasn't stolen; you paid for it and it is rightfully yours. Major publishers like magazines do this all the time, also - think instruction manuals, those are purchased by a company and don't have the original author's name on them.
   
   Yes, the other party could republish the article, but you should create a contract before you get started and make sure you're purchasing exclusive rights to the content.
   
   It is scary to see some medical advice articles out there and it's obvious that some write just to try to earn money. But, hopefully people realize that anything online always needs to be double-checked; there is so much spam and junk, as you said.

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   BethanyGMposted 15 years ago

   Thanks for all the replies! I think this is definitely an interesting topic. There is not much in the way of internet ethics, I don't think.

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   MistHavenposted 15 years ago

   I don't think there is anything wrong in publishing content that you paid for but didn't write. That's how a lot of online freelance websites operate.
   
   When people put up false information, then it definitely isn't ethical. I think the safest way to approach information like that is to double-check it with another reference.
   
   It's kinda like that saying; "If everyone says the same thing, then it must be true." If you find similar information given out by multiple sources, then there must be some truth there.

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   BrianFanslauposted 15 years ago

   I wouldn't post it myself but that is just me.

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8. 77

   sunforgedposted 15 years ago

   It is not ethical to profit from misleading or inaccurate medical information. But I imagine most times people really dont even understand that they are promoting such.
   
   But posting a hub is the slightest most insignificant example of such, its to bad Pfizer, the FDA and the american government dont have such ideals.
   
   As for publishing articles that you have purchased, thats merely a good business model. It is in no way a question of ethics

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9. 67

   Silver Roseposted 15 years ago

   Purchasing content is no different to hiring a ghost writer (or for that matter a magazine owner commissioning journalists to write pieces under "staff journalist" and profiting from it).
   
   With the medical stuff, yes it's very dubious. Hopefully people who are ill know to consult their doctor as well as look online. I do admit that when I've been ill I've put my symptoms into Google to see what came up, but they always returned the Mayo clinic or the NHS website (both highly reputable), so I'm not clear how these scammers are making money from this stuff if the search engine won't even feature it.

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