November, 2000      Diablo Blue      Page 9

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So I stored my plan away until the September meeting. Once again I worked late, then drove the few miles to Alan's home. Once again there were no cars out front. And once again, I drove home and sent out an email. The response to this informed me that the September Board meeting had been delayed a day to that Thursday. Regrettably, I did not see the response until late Thursday night.
Which brings me to the October meeting. I missed it. My new employer forced me, my team of programmers, and our chosen companions to go to Hawaii and lie on the beach for six days, and that's where I was when the Board met. From the emails I have seen, I probably would have shown up on the wrong night anyway, since apparently the meeting night has been temporarily changed to Thursday.
So, I have to rely on Ron who passed on the meeting information to me. Here is what happened, and I quote Mr. Ogg directly:
"The meeting ended up being just Alan and Peggy. I had a late appointment and had called Alan during the day to arrange a call-in at around 7:30. When I did call, Alan told me only the two of them were there eating pizza, but that I should call back later and see if anyone else showed up. I called at 8:00 and Alan told me that no one else had joined in and that Peggy had just left."
Maybe next month…

The growing trend of copying content, especially from the Internet, disturbs many of us involved in the creation and use of material for newsletters and websites. In viewing hundreds of newsletters and websites in recent years, I've seen many examples of plagiarism, copyright infringement and downright theft of intellectual property. The same holds true on many of the group and personal websites I visit.
I'm not the only one concerned. Knowledgeable editors and UG officers, including APCUG (Association of PC User Group) representatives, told me they also view it as a problem.
Actually, everyone should be concerned. Unauthorized copying could create legal difficulties for a group; it certainly poses ethical questions. Closer to home, if you have a personal or business website, you should be aware of copying do's and don'ts.
I believe illegal content copying usually results from lack of knowledge, not malicious intent. Material is so readily available on the Web, and we're so accustomed to unrestricted access, that it's easy to assume everything on it is up for grabs.
I'm no expert on copyright laws but over the past 50 years I have learned practical rules of thumb that most editors follow. However, advent of computers and the Net has raised all sorts of new questions, both legal and ethical, about copyrights and "intellectual property."
That said, let me give you my views on the subject.
First, fair game for use in UG media includes articles written specifically for such purpose: my Ken's Korner pieces, Bob Click's Deals column and articles distributed by APCUG. Most UGs allow other groups to reprint material from their newsletters, subject to some restrictions.

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