I'm not really new to SEO but still got the SEO Book for Dummies from the Library. First of all, I write all my content, but I would like to use some stuff from the government. The book says it is ok to use info from government sites like: FedWorld.gov lcweb.loc.gov (library of congress) foia.cia.gov (CIA docs) ushda.org (U.S. Historical Docs) foia.fbi.gov (FBI docs) Just wondering if that would be ok for me to copy info from these government sites...
You should never copy info word-for-word. Even if it's public domain, you lose your SEO advantage because it would be duplicate content. However, for research purposes, government materials are excellent. In fact, I've gotten my best article ideas from those types of resources.
Technically yes, anything posted on a .gov website is considered public domain and can be used word for word if you want. Same as anything printed on government distributed things (minus classified documents) However, as was stated, you will loose the SEO because of duplicate content if you do it word for word.
I totally agree and realize that if I copied word for word...then my page would lose value. What if I did a short synopsis and then included the copied govt. info on the same page? Would that lose any SEO value?
It depends. If you were to only use portions of it, your SEO should be fine. A synopsis would be ok. I'm no SEO expert though. I think there is a SEO board on these forums, you could ask there.
Make sure you check the usage rights. While most content is free to use, not all material on government sites is free to use (i.e. some of it is provided by third parties that do not allow you to copy it).