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Gwyneth,
This is an excellent question. I know that lots of web
developers/designers/programmers put their work online. It shows of the
design and content of things that are generally meant to be seen by the
public anyway, so there are no particular issues with having the
information displayed or linked to from the web d/d/p's own site. But
even they have to be careful. I worked with a developer not long ago and
recently ran across her site on the web, where she's posted screen caps
of the interfaces I designed (she built them, and I don't know that
she's claiming on her site that she designed them), all of which are
proprietary. She hasn't obscured any of the information. Not clever, and
likely actionable by our former employer. The only question is whether I
hold a grudge...
Anyway, for me, I couldn't directly post 95-99% of the work that I've
done because it's all proprietary and confidential. Putting it in the
public domain would put me in serious trouble with the same people I'm
relying on to give me good references. Part of what I'm selling to my
next client/employer is that my last one trusts me. For my portfolio, I
do have samples from those clients. I either got permission or I use the
TOC only (for a lengthy doc). I never leave copies. I know I repeat this
every time this topic comes up, but I think it's really important. Sell
your reliability, your professionalism, your respect for your client.
Now, if I had a site showing off my own company, my fiction writing, my
whatever, as many writers do, then that would be something else.
I'd suggest looking at the note the Rays have on their site, http://www.raycomm.com/portfolio.html, which explains very nicely why
many works cannot be shared.
And check the archives for the stories of writers stealing other writers
work and using it in their own portfolios. Lovely folks.
Lisa
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