OT: Theory of Reciprocity

[chasbo@xxxxxxxxx]

In the previous thread I wrote about "our Theory of Reciprocity."

Thinking that I had coined an original phrase I Googled "Theory of
Reciprocity" just to see how quickly search engine robots would pick
up on this phrase, and got several hits.  The hits were not from this
forum however; they were from serious writings on the subject by
academia, Congress, and the Courts.

This reminded me of a Google exercise I ran several years ago. I had
volunteered to chair the Bylaws Committee of our local Chamber of
Commerce. We tossed out a three page 30-year old set of Bylaws, and
wrote from scratch a 20-page document that is still in place today.

The point of interest here is that a year after we adopted the new
Bylaws, and posted it on our Chamber web site, I Googled some phrases
from the document, and lo and behold I received several hits from
Chambers of Commerce in other parts of the country. Some Chambers had
actually copied entire paragraphs.

I chuckled at this, reminding myself that "imitation is the sincerest
form of flattery."

I find Google a great tool, and use it several times a week, looking
for descriptions/prices of alarm equipment, manuals, etc.