Publishing content on a personal blog is a rewarding and enjoyable experience for many. The Internet is a public forum where people can share their experiences, feelings and ideas, without feeling exposed. Unfortunately, some people have been known to steal or duplicate blog content without consent. To protect your blog, you will need to take extra precautions. There are a variety of ways to copyright your blog to protect your personal content.

Content Protection

A variety of copyright notices can be added to your blog to inform visitors that your content belongs to you. Consider adding a copyright notice into the footer of your blog. In many cases, you will be able to download a plug-in or tool that will automatically insert the copyright notice for you. For example, "Blog Copyright" is a plug-in offered by Blog Traffic Exchange. When installed on your WordPress website, it will automatically insert a copyright statement onto the bottom of your blog page. If you do not use a plug-in, simply add a statement such as "© 2008-2010 ABC Blog All Rights Reserved" onto the bottom of each page on your blog. You should also write a new page for your blog that details your copyright notice. Thoroughly explain what visitors are and not allowed to do with the content on your blog. For example, you may allow people to distribute, display and share the content on your blog, as long as they reference your blog with a link. Similarly, you might allow visitors to use the content on your blog, unless it is for commercial purposes. It is also important to mention what people can expect if they disobey your rules. You might also want to create a Creative Commons license through the website CreativeCommons.org. This nonprofit organization allows you to create a content distribution license for your blog. Choose from one of six licenses, which detail how people are able to use your work. The service is free and the license can be applied to your blog quickly and easily.

Enforcement

Enforce your copyright when someone handles your content in an inappropriate way. Begin by simply contacting the person and asking to correct the situation. Refer them to your Creative Commons license and/or copyright notice for information on how to correctly use the content, if applicable. If the person refuses to correct the situation, send a DMCA notice to the company that hosts the website. This notice will inform the hosting company that the website is in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). You can also notify various search engines, such as Google and Yahoo!, who will often remove the website from their search engines.

Source:

Lost Art Of Blogging: Protect Your Blog And Counter Copyright Thefts

Creative Commons: What Is CC?

Blog Traffic Exchange: Blog Copyright

More Information:

United States Copyright Office

Google: Digital Millennium Copyright Act