In my younger days, my thoughts about copyright issues on the web were nonexistent. I viewed the web as a mecca – a place to get whatever I needed whenever I needed it…in the easiest and least expensive way. In college, I was among the plethora of music “stealers” using tools like Napster to download and make CD mixes. While I never sold the music I downloaded, I often shared my personal cd’s with friends. I have experienced friends using various sites to look for softare “cracks”. I think being broke college students had a lot to do with our attitudes about using the web to freeload.
I can honestly say that i’m definitely more aware of intellectual property / copyrighting. My attitude has shifted and I am concerned with being as ethical as possible when it comes to using the web. I believe that this new attitude has stemmed from me just growing up in general and having more solid ideals and beliefs, but also because i’m now a creater of online content – personal and professional. This has definitely made me want to “Do unto others…”
