about sharing - sharing is not giving away

(new section 6.4 in the gamma edition of the book)

Maybe the fear of sharing comes from the misconception that you lose what you share. Sharing is not like giving away your cake. That would mean you can’t eat it anymore. Helping a new colleague get up to speed at work, or sharing your experience, insights and inventions with others does not diminish your own competence in any way. You loose nothing, you gain reputation.

You are and will always be the father (or mother) of the articles you publish, the ideas you spread and the advice you give. It is okay to worry about other people taking credit for your work, but not sharing is not the remedy for that worry. The solution is to protect your intellectual capital and then share it. I recommend the popular Creative Commons licenses. Sometimes Creative Commons is referred to as copyleft, as opposed to copyright protection. As a creator, you can choose the legal protection that suits you. Many bloggers for example have chosen to share under the protection of a chosen Creative Commons license.

Key point: You lose nothing when you share because you are not giving anything away. There are legal ways to assure you will get credit for your work, for example with a Creative Commons license.