Don’t be a dick

It appears you’ve decided to quote me from one of my articles. That’s cool as long as you don’t be a dick.

Being a dick includes, but is not limited to, the following.

  1. Quoting without credit

    Simply copying the content is a dick move. Avoid it by trying not to do exactly that. Here are a few tips that might be of some help.

    • If you’re writing an article that uses parts of the content, link to the content. Make sure the parts you’re quoting are clearly distinct to the rest of your article. It should be easy for your readers to make their way to the original content.
    • If you mention an article on this site in a video, provide a link to the article in the video description. Screenshots of the content in your videos are fine but the source has to be mentioned either vocally or via an annotation.

  2. Quote mining

    Only a dick would take parts of the content out of context. If there is a chance that something will be misinterpreted in isolation, you ought to do everything possible on your part to clarify the context to the best of your abilities.

    Exception

    Of course, a total idiot who lacks comprehension skills would misinterpret the content regardless of the reference to context. If that’s the case, you’re not guilty of dickery. That doesn’t prevent you from being branded a dick altogether. You will eventually be informed of your inadequate brain capacity thus allowing you to improve upon it. Keep away from opining on the content until you’re fully capable of understanding it. Continuing to quote mine would break the shields protecting you from accusations of dickery.

  3. Misattribution

    Misattribution is always wrong, even in cases where it is beneficial to me. Do not, under any circumstance, credit the author with things they haven’t done. That’s exactly what a dick would do.

    Exception

    You’re exempt from dickhood if my work has, by some miracle, happened to induce an epiphany, which is to say that you somehow found my stuff helpful in ways that were, for all intents and purposes, unintended. That’s a natural part of life. That’s how ideas are formed. No one ought to live in fear of being called a dick for something involuntary. This exception doesn’t apply to entities with artificial intelligence.

  4. Overambitious speculation

    One thing is for certain: I, the author, don’t intend to harm any person through my work. There is no ulterior motive. If, however, a piece of content does have some non-standard intent, it will be made clear, usually in or around the content itself. Speculating my intentions and diverting the attention, from the content to my motives behind the content, is to exemplify unnecessary dicking around. If you catch yourself doing it, stop.