Where to put Waldo (Re: RE: manifest assent)

[Rick Anderson <Rick_Anderson@uncg.edu>]

Richard said:

> I think the difficulty here is knowing where to place the 
> license on the website so that's it's easy to find. 

I don't want to sound disrespectful, but this is nonsense.

<<...> I suppose my question is: where
> should we put the licenses to make them easier to reach if 
> what we have currently is perceived to be difficult to find?

When I have something at home that I absolutely must 
remember to bring with me to work, I know that the best way 
to ensure I'll remember it is to put it in a place where 
I'll have to stumble over it when I'm getting ready for 
work in the morning.  On top of my briefcase (not inside, 
where I'll probably forget that it's there) or on top of my 
wallet (not simply on my dresser, where I'll probably 
overlook it) are places that always work for me.  Online 
publishers would do well to follow the same very simple, 
very intuitive strategy: if you're going to impose license 
terms, make sure that your customers have to stumble over 
those terms before gaining access.  If you have pages on 
your site describing your products, put a link to the 
license agreement at the top of each description page.  
There's absolutely no reason why a license agreement should 
be hard for your customers to find.
 
--------
Rick Anderson
Head Acquisitions Librarian
Jackson Library
UNC Greensboro
(336) 334-5281
rick_anderson@uncg.edu

"If you enjoy, you understand;
if you understand, you enjoy... 
To like a football game is to 
understand it in the football way."
       -- Gertrude Stein