A principled view of content spinning 0
Jon Leger recently posted a discussion starter about content spinning. I have to say that my opinion is more of a philosophical one, and I’d like to think it’s a principled one as well. As the creative type, I believe I have the right to not only create and publish my own words, but I believe I also have the right to publish my own derivative works as well.
This is well-accepted in big business…why does it not apply to small businesses who are wanting to use derivative works of their own content to get the word out about their website, expertise, or services offered? Disney “spins” its characters, screenplays, books, and kids’ stories into millions of derivative works, don’t they? Those derivative works are reused and republished in numerous different formats for different audiences and venues.
To me, the debate starts with the Constitutional right to free speech, and ends with a recognition of our intellectual property rights. Of course, lazy content producers may abuse their right to produce garbage, whether it’s the original article or a derivative (spun) article. Nevertheless, they have the right to produce garbage, and the almighty search engines have the right to design algorithms that try to filter that garbage. Touché.
For me, the answer is simple. Don’t produce garbage. That has little to do with whether you spin your content or not.
Raphael Guerin