TechTalk, March 1998

Online version of the TechTalk insert in UpDate, the University of Delaware's weekly newspaper, March 1998

Responsible computing practices

Given the number of people now "online," understanding and following responsible computing practices are more important than ever.

ASSESS your knowledge of responsible computing

Do you know what you need to do to protect the information resources at UD?

Guidelines for campus e-mail

Two years ago, a subcommittee of the University's Committee on Information Resource Planning and Management (CIRPM) worked on issues related to electronic record-keeping. A topic that came up repeatedly in their discussions was the official use of e-mail in University business.

Copyright issues in the digital age

New technology makes it easy to copy just about anything. However, copyright laws apply to all forms of information in all forms of media.

What is the purpose of copyright law?

Many people view copyright laws as restrictions on what they can do with someone else's creative work.

Protect your web work

Once a work is "fixed in tangible form"--once you have written it down, drawn it, typed it, recorded it or put it up on a web page--it is covered by copyright law.

Copyright myths

The fair use exceptions to copyright law are complex and need to be examined in every case in which one person's work includes a portion of another's.

Fair use explained

The current copyright law (Title 17, Section 107, U.S. Code) gives the owner of a copyright the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute a work, with very few exceptions. The most important exception to this exclusive right is usually referred to as "the fair use exception."

For more information

Find links to more copyright information pages.

Protect electronic data with four easy steps

Keep your data safe.

Back up your files

It happens to all of us. We get lazy about making backup copies of our work until a disaster strikes. All it takes is one disaster and you, too, will become a convert.

Web Corner
an online feature

Be sure to include a title for your web page. If you're using Netscape Composer to edit your pages, open the "Format" menu and select "Page Colors and Properties." Click the "General" tab and fill in the "Title" section; this title is what will appear in the results list if your page is found through a search.