Blogging by the rules

I'd never heard of the blog law site Aviva Directory, but was intrigued by the lengthy post "12 Important U.S. Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know."

It covers paid posts (ads); deep linking; use of inline image linking and thumbnail images; stolen content; collecting reader data; ownership of uploaded content; a blogger's responsibility for blog comments; tax law on blog revenue; the blog as a legal entity; spam laws; and the applicability of journalism shield laws to bloggers.

The issues this post tackles are dauntingly complex, particularly as this area of law is still evolving. Fortunately, each section concludes with some general tips on "how to stay out of trouble." Definitely worth reading and bookmarking. And the comments from bloggers about their own legal experiences are excellent.