Some websites (using tools like tynt) have started to add something a little surprising at first : When the reader copies part of the article or blog post, something, say the url of the piece, is added to the copied text.
Is this ok ? I see what they are trying to do, but I've always removed this additional info when pasting, and I feel that it is a way to force the user, akin to opening links in new windows.
Answer
In a marketing and publisher point of view what Tynt is providing seems very beneficial for their needs. On a UX point of view it's a double edged sword in my meaning.
You could argue that the user experience benefits from the auto generated addition to copied content since it seamlessly enables the receiver or "copier" of the content to keep track of its source. Thereby providing a shortcut that the user doesn't even have to initiate.
However, one could also argue that it is dangerously close to breaking the seventh Schneiderman rule of interface design, Support internal locus of control. I mean this because if there's no way to disable the feature, the system will format copied content in a way that may not meet the requirements of the user.
This is a hard question to get give a definite answer to, at least I find it so. It would be interesting to hear what other users have to say in this matter.
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