I definitely agree with 2 thoughts put forward:
- If you want to sell an article, drawing, or photo, it can't be sitting on the web. I would expect any paying publications to do a quick Internet search to ensure they are getting what they are paying for - 1st and exclusive publication rights. As others have pointed out, this means pulling your photos and drawings from the Gauge - and even that may not be good enough because it will show up in search engines for a while.
- If you get to that stage, read the agreement very carefully. Once you sign, or cash the check, it's a legal contract.
The reality is that you can attempt to get paid for publishing your work. If you do so, you can't share it with others in any other way before or during (and in some cases after). Their profit (from which they pay you) depends on having an "exclusive". OTOH, if you decide to share in forums like the Gauge, you are basically passing up any opportunity to get paid for your work. It's like any creative work - you can share it for free, or you can keep it private and attempt to get paid for having it published. The "sort of" exception is the publications that don't pay - but even then content that is easily available elsewhere doesn't help them cover their costs or secure advertising. It is a tough decision - I learned this when I attempted to write software to be published in computer magazines in the '80s. (And yes, I gave up on commercial publication, and just accepted my work would be given away.)
The reality is that even the Gauge would rather you only posted with them - so they could boast of exclusive, better content, thereby drawing readers and advertising to help with their costs.
my thoughts, your choices