Content is king and any real estate agent or marketer will agree with that.
In today’s information age, the ability to weave information and facts into content pieces is a very remarkable and lucrative skill.
Imagine a real estate agent who can expertly make good use of information to create compelling articles and blogs that are highly relevant to the market are those who are deemed reliable and considered an authority in the industry.
Is something wrong?
If you have been “borrowing” content materials for your newsletter, blogs, articles, etc. has it ever crossed your mind if you are doing it legally or ethically?
One of the most common are quotes from other people such as industry experts, gurus, or someone in authority who may have spoken or written something inspiring.
There’s no doubt using quotes can help improve your blogs or content material, but using other people’s content can affect or even damage your reputation, especially if you fail to attribute the material to its author or origin.
So, should I not use quotes anymore?
Don’t worry, because there are ways to avoid getting into trouble for using another person’s content.
There are profound benefits when you use quotes accordingly and appropriately such as adding credibility to your material, making it more informative and interesting, helping you to learn more from experts in the field, and potentially building connections with the very same people you quote.
Generally, when quoting another person, the best ethical move is to give credit to the source.
Never fall into the temptation of using someone’s words and passing them off as yours, which is plagiarism and could get you in serious legal trouble.
There are those who use it deliberately, perhaps to generate noise, but there are those who do it without being aware of the consequences of their actions.
How to properly quote an author or source
It’s important to understand the different requirements of using other people’s words or ideas, so that you are aware of things to do, what to avoid, and get you out of legal trouble.
Always use quotation marks
No matter how many times you have to do it inside an article or manuscript, always remember to place quotation marks to indicate the words that borrowed from someone else.
This makes it clear that those words belong to someone else and not yours.
Attribute the author
Always identify the person you are quoting, regardless if they are still alive or have already passed on to the Great Beyond.
When available and possible, provide a link back
Incorporating a link that directs back to the source of the content is ideal. If it’s a quote from the source author’s article, a YouTube video or a podcast, make sure to include the link to attribute it to the original author.
If there’s no available post or video with the exact content, you can use include the author’s name and link to the website, social media or professional profile.
The benefit to this is that it serves your readers as they can go and examine the context of the quote or help them dive deeper into what the author may want to convey.
It also serves to benefit the person quoted as it will help drive traffic and spur interest from your audience, which can also help build their credibility and authority on the subject or industry.
Observe the fair use principle
While it is acceptable to use content from another source, there’s the fair use rule which provides general limits to the number of words used for an article or content.
While fair use may vary depending on the nature of the work, there are criteria that define fair use, such as the purpose and character of how it will be used, nature of copyrighted material, amount and substantiality of the material used in relation to the quoted work and effect of the use on the market or value of the quoted work.
As a rule of thumb, the maximum quote that is applicable for such is 200-300 words from a book-length manuscript or around 20 to 30 words for a 1,000-word blog or article.
It’s important to take note, though, that there’s nothing to stop a person from taking legal action when using copyrighted material in your published content.
The only way to test copyright infringement is through a lawsuit, which can be a costly and daunting process, even if the outcome of the legal proceedings would eventually turn out in your favour.
When in doubt, ask permission from the author to use their quotes and ensure that basic ethical practices are followed to avoid getting in trouble.