1. Judgement this week comes down on the “con” side.
Jeff’s summary, while it could have been more polished, picked up several important points from essays by Garlyn and Megan.
While copyright laws are currently under great pressure, Jeff argues that there is still strong and widespread support for giving artists incentives and rewards for producing works of social value. And, even if copyright laws should eventually be modified to allow information to be exchanged and manipulated more easily in new media environments, it is unclear whether Google should be the largest (or sole) beneficiary of this change.
While John’s and Lauren’s (original) essays presented evidence that the Google Book Search Project is a worthy and valuable endeavor, the “pro” side might have subsequently benefited from a more thorough explanation of those social values associated with modifying (or eliminating) existing copyright laws. And, of course, a greater level of participation and timeliness from all members assigned the “pro” position would have helped as well.
+1 extra credit to Jeff, Garlyn, and Megan.
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2. Since Lauren and Keenan voted to retain posting the weekly essays on individual blogs rather than consolidating them here on my own blog (and since no one else voted at all), we will return to our original (Week 2) posting format hereafter. Post your essays to your individual blogs; post links to those essays through twitter.
Note that I will continue each week to occasionally introduce new media tools I would like you to try out. Next week, for instance, though we will be returning to our previous posting format, I ask that you make use of sharedcopy in the comments section of the individual blogs.
Hopefully, everyone is familiar with our weekly routine now, and we will face fewer difficulties moving forward.
I remain available for questions and aid during my scheduled office hours, though I am unlikely to continue to provide extended online chat time unless that time is scheduled in advance. If you would like to schedule a chat session during the week, let me know through twitter.
I also emphasize again here that it is becoming increasingly important to meet all posted deadlines for submitting essays.
