I don't think it's "censorship." After all, we've been quoting for millennia. Picking and choosing what material to quote doesn't amount to censorship in my book.

On the other hand, it might be "misquoting." After all, you've left out part of the information from the original quote. In this sense, it could be used to quote someone out of out of context--especially if the link in the original was used for ironic effect to contradict what was being said.

But all of this depends on the context of the original--links could be merely informational, or even superfluous (not to mention broken).

So, I'd say it's only a problem if the quoting/omitting links distorts the meaning of the original--which is the same criterion we've been applying to ethical use of quotes for all these millennia.

imho.

--Dave

Yes, "censorhip" was perhaps too loaded. But I was hoping to get an emotional response.

:)

Dennis G. Jerz

Jerz's Literacy Weblog

good point. but then again, if the text were printed out, it wouldn't have a live link, although it might have a textual representation, such as an underline, which would indicate that the link was there.

still, if you are providing a link to the original text, i would tend to think that it's an acceptable practice.

Consider this post. There's no way I'd quote it without putting in the links. I know it's a pain, but I think it's necessary.

CultureCat

And because the links are so important to that post, that's precisely the reason I wouldn't be inclined to blog Metafilter. I'd much rather excerpt one of the sites in a MeFi post, and then post a link crediting MeFi.

Back when I used FrontPage for my blog >>shudder<<, I did appreciate being able to preserve HTML formatting when copying from Internet Explorer and pasting to FP.

Is there utility somewhere that lets you copy and paste from a page's HTML? The only solution is to "View | Source" and then hunt. Has some enterprising coder seen the need to placate citation-mad humnanists by producing a utility that does this?

Dennis G. Jerz

Jerz's Literacy Weblog

In mozilla firebird (at least on a Mac), you can select a block of text, then control-click (this would be right-click for PCers). One of your options is "view selection source." Choose this item, and voila! The HTML for that block is highlighted in the "view source" window. Then just copy and paste into your blog post, like this:

Reading Metafilter
today, I am struck with how lucky I am. In some countries, journalists
who question the party line can expect the government to start whispering campaigns against them. Some countries call themselves democratic, but when minority representatives get out of line, the police can be used as a threat against them. In some countries, you can be stopped from getting on a plane because of a button you are wearing, or may be questioned by plainclothes agents for reading “questionable” materials. In the same countries, you may find yourself in jail

for sharing a single song with someone. In some countries, those brash
enough to speak out against war or policy are targets of police
surveillance, and dossiers are constructed to help track them. Those suspected of anti-government sentiment can be “detained” indefinitely, snatched from the street without any warning or explanation, and agents watch what websites and books people are reading to keep them from “dangerous ideas.”

Of course, the irony is that most people who live in police states or totalitarian regimes are unaware of this. There are always exceptions,
but most of these folks never feel the need to test whether or not the
freedoms they take for granted really exist. I’m glad I live in the home of the free.

The quote is from Alex Halavais' blog.

Doesn't work in Safari or Explorer though.

--Dave

What a brilliant feature...naturally, it's not part of Internet Explorer.

Dennis G. Jerz

Jerz's Literacy Weblog

thanks for the tip, dave!

Download Mozilla now! :) I just tried to see if I have "view selection source," and Charlie's right, it does work on Windows! (I have Windows 98, in case that makes a difference). Mozilla has been my default browser for some time now; it is the BEST.

CultureCat