Matthew White's Website
All material on this website is copyrighted by Matthew White, unless
otherwise noted.
Obviously, it's perfectly OK for you to print out single copies
of my maps and essays for personal or school use. I'll also let
teachers print
out several copies to pass out in class if they want. I'll leave the
definition
of "several" vague, but please don't go past Fair Use on this.
If you want to repost anything of mine...
- I do not release my work into the public domain. I do
not
allow my work to be distributed under GNU Free Documentation License.
(This
means you, Wikipedia.)
- Access to my maps should be free of charge. (You don't have to
pay me
anything to use them, either.)
- You can only repost up to 3 images. No more. (3 per site,
not 3
per page.)
- I want to avoid imposing any content-based restrictions, so if
you're using
my maps to illustrate a controversial point (like, say, the "The Hitler
Fun-Time Fan Site"), it would be nice if you would point out that I
don't
necessarily approve of anything you say.
- Please don't post my e-mail address as a contact for the map.
People might
assume that I'm the contact for the entire web site, and then they'll
start
asking me questions way outside my field of expertise. Instead, try
hyperlinking to the web page where I originally posted the map, or to
the front
page of my atlas, so that people can see the map in its original
context.
- I won't make changes to my map in order to fit your web site, or
your color
scheme, or your ideas. If you want to make changes, go ahead, but
please point
out on your web page that you've altered the map.
- If you make a lot of changes, then it's not my work anymore, so
you don't
have to give me credit.
- You're only borrowing the maps, so if I want to withdraw
permission to
post, I can.
You may send comments, corrections and complaints to the address
listed
below, but please read all the fine print first.
The Fine Print:
- It's just me here, so sometimes I get overwhelmed.
- To be honest, I tend to avoid my e-mail. It often makes more work
for me,
and I don't check it very often, so please don't attach a deadline to
your
message. Don't tell me things like "I need this for a homework
assignment
Monday morning" or "If you don't respond within five (5) days, I will
be forced to take legal action". By the time I read the e-mail, the
deadline will have passed.
- I really can't answer every email I get.
- Really.
- If I don't answer your email, please don't take it as an insult.
Maybe I'm
in the hospital or in jail. Maybe I'm doing something nice for an
elderly
retive, or feeding the homeless. More likely, I'm hungover. Really,
it's no
reflection on the quality of your email if I don't answer it.
- It takes me a long time to do anything. About half the e-mails I
start to
answer are still in the draft stage.
- If you claim to be a woman who finds my writing totally
fascinating and
could we please meet, I don't believe you. Plus that would just be more
work.
- I don't work or play well with others. I really do appreciate all
the
offers of help, but whatever I do with my website, I want it to be
purely my
own. If I were to collaborate with coauthors, I'd lose that. You're
free to
take anything I've done and reinterpret it on your own. You can take my
ideas
in your own direction if you'd like. Please don't plagiarize, but I
have no
problem with fair use.
- I've started posting some of my messages on a Letters
to the Editor page -- usually the ones that disagree with me on
some point. I don't post names.
- Have you checked the FAQs?