If you are a part of any Journalism and Communications school, chances are you have either already started blogging or you are currently in the process of starting a blog. Since I fall into the “currently in the process of starting a blog” category, I thought it would be beneficial to join this week’s #BlogChat on Twitter, hosted by @MackCollier and @Beth_Collier.

So, what is #BlogChat? Every Sunday at 8 p.m. Central Time, people from all over the globe gather on Twitter to discuss either the latest news on blogging, or simply ask questions and give each other tips on blogging. This week’s topic in a nutshell was about making sure everything about your blog was legal and protected.

For this week’s chat, #BlogChat’s hosts welcomed Kerry O’Shea Gorgone to our #BlogChat. Kerry Gorgone is the host of the Marketing Smarts business podcast, and she is also an attorney. Kerry Gorgone also writes for Social Media Explorer and the Huffington Post. As the special guest of this week’s chat, I think Kerry Gorgone did a great job! Her responses were easy to understand, and she was very friendly.

If you would like to find out more about Kerry Gorgone, follow her at @KerryGorgon and check out her site www.KerryGorgone.com !

Since I only just started my blog, I had trouble thinking of actual legal questions. I wasn’t too concerned because soon enough I found myself commenting and adding to other Twitterer’s questions. Needless to say, I learned quite a bit! The chat was great, had a lot of engagement, and the hosts did a phenomenal job responding quickly and effectively.

The 3 Main Topics:

1. The Legalities of Blogging: Protecting Yourself and Your Content
2. Protecting Your Content
3. Protecting Yourself

The topic that I enjoyed reading about the most was how to ensure that your work is your own property. I used to think the answer to this was very difficult, but I was wrong! According to Kerry Gorgone: “You own copyright in your creative work as soon as it’s fixed in a tangible medium.” Simple! I also learned other things such as how to properly use stock photos, and how to disclose products you receive to write about.

Overall, this chat was an amazing experience. Would I join another live Twitter chat? Yes. Would I join another #BlogChat? Of course! I made several new connections with this one chat, and I look forward to making more.

If you’d like to see an overview and a transcript of this #BlogChat, click the link below!

https://www.hashtracking.com/reports/blogchat/blogchat/May21KerryGorgoneLegal