Summary

The Medium Writers' Talent (MWT) Challenge has been updated to focus on writers showcasing their stories in a 1-minute video, addressing concerns about copyright infringement with music and YouTube videos.

Abstract

The article provides an update on the Medium Writers' Talent (MWT) Challenge, initially announced by the author. Due to concerns over potential copyright infringement issues with the use of music and YouTube videos, the author has revised the challenge's rules. Instead of incorporating music or dance, participants are now encouraged to create a 1-minute video where they read a passage from one of their stories or explain the story's content to entice viewers to read the full piece. This change aims to maintain the fun and casual nature of the challenge while ensuring compliance with copyright laws. The author emphasizes the importance of being cautious and not risking legal troubles for participants, and hopes that this new approach will increase participation by allowing writers to focus on their strength in storytelling rather than performance talent.

Opinions

The author expresses initial excitement but also concern about the potential for copyright infringement with the original MWT Challenge format.
There is a recognition of the importance of proper image attribution and a realization that similar copyright considerations apply to music and video content.
The author is keen on avoiding any legal repercussions for fellow Medium writers or themselves, highlighting a sense of responsibility.
A pragmatic approach is taken to adapt the challenge, ensuring it remains inclusive and accessible to all writers, regardless of their comfort level with on-camera performance.
The author believes that the revised challenge format could potentially attract more participants by focusing on story promotion rather than musical or dance talents.
There is an acknowledgment of the author's tendency to overthink, but they justify this trait as a safeguard against rash decisions and potential problems.
The author is open to feedback and better solutions from the community, indicating a collaborative mindset.

STOP the Presses! Here’s One More Update About the MWT Challenge!

Should I be worried about encouraging the use of music and Youtube videos?

Hello again everyone. I’m back for the second time today, with yet another update about the Medium Writers’ Talent Challenge.

Earlier today, I published a story, after making the decision to go full speed ahead with the MWT Challenge, and inviting all of you to join me.

[If you’re just now tuning in and you need to play catch up, the above link will provide you access to everything I published on the topic so far]

Being the prolific writer that I am, and having the overactive imagination that I do; I couldn’t help making several mental notes shortly after publishing the update.

My imagination begin to work overtime, but in a good way. I began visualizing the different videos that people might actually start submitting, once they see how much fun other writers are having.

That’s when it hit me. Many of us will either be using music from Youtube, creating our videos on Youtube, or both.

That’s the part that got me wondering and worrying about the issue of COPYRIGHT infringements, and whether problems might result.

We have to consider the following…

Images aren’t the only area where copyrights are a problem

By now, all writers on Medium are aware of how important it is to properly attribute credit for the images we use.

Not only did I write about it recently, but I shared my suspicions about what kind of problems may result from doing things wrong.

I Think I Know Why My Stories Stopped Getting Distributed!

Could using Canva cause your stories to get passed by?

medium.com

Just like in my story, much of our concentration, when it comes to copyrights, has to do with images. But somewhere recently, I saw a title that asked about the possibility of potentially breaking infringement rules — or laws — with regard to music videos.

Although I wasn’t able to find the story to refer to, since I hadn’t read it yet, I’m hoping the writer will see the story you’re currently reading and provide some insight.

As it stands, I HAVE NO IDEA if using Youtube in the manner I’ve suggested is against any rules, or simply unethical.

Either way, I don’t want to be responsible for my fellow members being hit with law suits — and me either.

But as usual, I’ve come up with an easy peasy fix!

Keep reading. Hopefully, you guys are gonna love this.

Writers gonna write!

Okay you guys. My solution is to think about who we’re dealing with here, and tailor this challenge to fit the participants.

Yes, we still want to keep things casual, fun, and easy to be a part of. This should be the case, whether you actually submit an entry, or you merely get involved by writing and using the MWT Challenge (TAG).

But fun or no fun, many writers remain hesitant about entering, when it comes to their hidden talent(s). But what about their known talents? That’s where the solution to the copyright issue comes in.

Solution to copyright concerns:

INSTEAD of musical, dance, and other types on talent on display, the rules have been slightly altered, so ALL participants will:

Showcase ONE of your stories in a 1-minute video, by reading or reciting on camera, a passage from the written text.
If you want, you can choose to simply use the 1-minute to tell viewers what the story is about and why they should go read it.
The story you select, to do your video on can be a newly published OR previously published story — your choice.

Final Thoughts

Damn! Damn! Damn! I feel like a deflated balloon. At first I thought, maybe I shouldn’t worry about this. Like usual, I could be making a mountain out of a mole hill, but if I learned anything from my grandmothers wise old sayings, it’s: “Better safe than sorry.”

I sincerely hope I haven’t given anyone whiplash with all my start, stop and start projects and various decisions and updates.

I can’t help it, but I’m a thinker from way back — often to my detriment. But honestly, more often than not, over thinking things has saved me from making rash decisions.

The last thing any of us need, are problems with our Medium accounts, so unless someone has a much better solution, the show will proceed,exactly as outlined in this story.

This is still a Talent showcase, but the talent you’ll be showcasing is your ability to get the video viewers interested enough to read the story you’re telling them about.

As you can see, this still works out so it can be a win win for everyone concerned, perhaps even more members this way.

After all, some folks might not want to get on camera if they think they lack rhythm or that they have a deaf ear. But give them a chance to promote a story by singing it’s praises for a whole minute; that just might change the game.

I guess we’ll see, because I don’t think it’s a good idea to risk a problem with tons of illegal videos. Do you guys agree?

I hope so, because now I have to get a whole new act together by Friday!

HEY READERS:

Not a Medium Member yet? Join now with my referral link: https://justissgoode.medium.com/membership and I’ll earn a few bucks when you do. COOL HUH?

That’s right, plus I can HELP YOU START EARNING MONEY TOO! Thousands of writers on Medium got started just like you — with nothing more than a DESIRE to write. You could be writing stories and personal experiences just like this, and getting paid! So what are you waiting for? Join us 😄