by Katie Johnson

Created on: November 07, 2008   Last Updated: November 23, 2008

The Creative Commons is an amazing resource that benefits everyone. I have to admit I didn't know very much about the creative commons until recently. We had discussed it briefly during a class I took on copyright law but I didn't have a desire to learn more about it until I started creating videos for YouTube, writing in my blog. I wanted to use a clip of a song in one of my videos, but I had trouble finding music that wasn't copyrighted. I wanted to use a picture to make an entry in my blog more visually appealing, but again the copyright problem. That's when I really discovered the creative commons.

We all know how difficult it is to find pictures that you can legally use in a blog article, or music that you can put in a YouTube without violating copyright law. Pictures or audio can certainly make things more interesting for your audience. There are a few ways to get around these copyright problems. You can purchase a license to use individual photos or audio clips, but this is an expensive option. The creative commons is a free alternative. Anyone can license their photos, audio, or video clips with a creative commons license, allowing other people to benefit from their content.

Lots of content sharing websites support the creative commons, to name a few well know ones, Flickr, Revver, and Bliptv. If you upload a video to Revver, it is automatically licensed under the creative commons. That way, people can embed your video into their blog or website without having to worry about you suing them. Of course, this benefits you as well, because your video is exposed to a wider audience. You still have some control over your content because there are different licensing options that you can choose. If you want, you can license your content with the requirement that you be given credit for your work where it is used. Or, you can license it so people can do whatever they want with it, edit it, change it, and post it anywhere they want without crediting you at all. There are a few options in between these two extremes as well.

So next time you take some beautiful pictures of the ocean, or at an event, or anywhere really, consider supporting the creative commons. You could really help someone who's looking for a certain picture or some music, and in the future the creative commons could help you. It's an amazing resource, and it can only get better for everyone as more people contribute.

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