Journal Deletion and the Concept of Copyright
2005.06.14 23:00

Recently we had a couple of slashdotters who deleted all of his JEs. We do not usually expect them-the hosts of JEs to delete their journals, if I anticipated them to do so, first of all I would decide to refrain from posting my comments, but nobody expects who and when this act will take place in the first place. So I post a comment with hoping their good will- not to delete their journals, but just in case they delete I make it a rule to take a copy in my site, etc. In the case of journal deletion by someone, because we have a copyright of what we wrote in someone's JEs, then so what?
Long ago, I used to send a piece of writings to the publisher, influential people. Of course I took copies of them and kept. When I noticed my writings are thrown away by publishers, I sent the same stuff to another publishers.
In the age of Internet, we tend to believe not only our own JEs but also other people's JEs somehow taken for granted that everything keeps on being as they are. The comments posted in someone's JEs are like pieces of paper I sent to the publisher, as a single body, the possession of our comments belong to the host of JEs that we posted. They can do whatever they want as to their JEs along with other people's comments. This is important. Remember they can delete all their JEs along with other people's comments who contributed to their JEs, but they cannot claim their comments they contributed to other people's JEs should delete to the host they posted. Their comments exist in other people's JEs as a single body just as if those who sent their writings to the publishers cannot claim them to delete their writings. We own a copyright of our writings, not a piece of paper/ comments that we sent/posted. It is worth while to bear it in our mind.
It is still less than ten years since the birth of blogging journal system, we sometimes feel unwell when we read our past writings, the more times go by, the more people who might be caught by such feeling might try to erase all their past through this practice. Unfortunately nothing prevent them from doing this. All depend on their decision.
But I hope...if you don't keep on writing your JEs any more, just leave them for the record. This is not your journal, it is a 'Journal of a person who happened to be nicknamed by you'.