Tags
Copyright Infringement, Facebook Image Licenses, It Started with one Light Pole, Pinterest Copyright Issues, Spam Pingbacks, WordPress Pingbacks
Speaking Up For Copyrights!
My post about the pingbacks received interesting feedback and presented new subjects to ponder about responsible blogging. We appreciate when someone mentions one of our posts and guides the reader to us via pingback. Everyone agrees that those are great pingbacks! The image below shows five pending notifications of pingbacks. The question for me is, “Are these from people who have visited my site, or will I find another person in pursuit of more hits?”
Which is real and which is borderline spam?
Those of us who enter the photo challenges sometimes receive a different kind of pingback, With a right click, a small number of bloggers copy from the challenge site and paste to theirs; this past week one of these bloggers presented one photo, no text, linked to the WordPress challenge then listed 125 sites and received 66 likes!!!!! He also received several thanks for the pingbacks, so go figure, not everyone is bothered by these posts.
Those border on spam and join another type of borderline of spam. Some people visit sites and leave a string of suspicious ‘likes.’ How can one hit the ‘like, like, like, like, like’ button in a few seconds and say that they read the posts?!
A lovely REAL comment (right) awaited my approval!!!
Linda of Shoreacres contributed sound feedback and addressed her concern about copyright infringement from re blogging I’ve had my own brushes with copyright infringement, so I had no problem agreeing with her concerns.
Who Wants To Challenge A Sneaky Snake? –
Years ago I was shocked to find one of my photos featured in an international magazine. Challenging a copyright dispute is an arduous task, and several attorneys I consulted seemed to pull away as if it was taboo to challenge a well-known periodical. I regret not pursuing that infringement violation. (Living off the grid does have its disadvantages!)
I have frowned on Facebook because one signs over licensing rights for the photos. People have uploaded my photos without asking, and I wonder how they clear that ethical question about having permission to use the images before uploading. Angela West of PCWorld states in a February 2012 article, “Facebook asks each time you upload a photo if you have the permission to use it. The legal burden lies with the original person who posted the photo rather than those who share links to it.
Pinterest does not ask users to consider permissions before each “pin,” aiming to make the user experience seamless. While having your content shared arguably helps popularize it, many artists and photographers may want to be asked or paid first.”
I suspect that people do this with images found on Google searches and rarely remember to give credit (or ask permission!) before using the images. I’ve watched someone pull up images for iguanas, find my paintings then quickly right-click without any qualms! Others have said, “I saw the photos on facebook!” (Facebook?) and they told how a friend right clicked from my post and uploaded to share with others. This disturbs me a lot, though most do this with a novice’s innocence.
It all started when Luchy asked for suggestions for improvements to his cyber cafe.
IT STARTED WITH ONE LIGHT POLE
The above post, It Started With One Light Pole, received a lot of attention and praise, and I am now slightly amused at the the irony of the title. My most recent frustration goes back to this post, and yes, it started with one light pole!
While researching licensing and copyright infringement stories about Facebook and Pinterest, I wondered if anyone had right-clicked any of my images and posted them without my permission. I went to the Pinterest site and typed in my name, and viola! there were some of my photos! Most linked back to a feature article from Virtual News. that referred back to the light pole story. Paul’s article was a nice one, though he right clicked and wrote the article without asking permission to use the images. He DID write me and shared the link when he published it.
Someone else right clicked and wrote another article, this time with little reference back to my blog. They did give me photo credits, but never bothered to tell me they’d used them in the post. I found it by finding the image on google images, which took me back to that post.
Finding the images on Pinterest worried me, especially since one of the photos doesn’t have my copyright notice. (My mistake) So next I searched “Zeebra Designs” and found a photograph of a howler monkey. Again, full credit and a link back to the post was included, but I wonder who might right click it next into a periodical or greeting card or…?
Next I found one of my Playa San Miguel images from a search in that name, and it had two ‘repins.’ As with one of the street art, this image did not bear my copyright notice. (My mistake again!)
I have also found images of mine that friends uploaded to Google Earth to pinpoint a location. They surely claimed that they owned the image during the upload prompts! (They probably thought they were doing me a favor!) Discovering all of this sort of makes me want to butt heads with a few people!!!
Head Buttin’ Time
Before you right click an image, please consider the person who most likely devoted many years to hone and develop that talent. It’s unfair to insert it into your site without giving credit and a link back to the photographer, who might or might not stumble upon it one day. If someone else right clicks it and shares, eventually someone will assume it’s in the public domain. That might be a grand honor for someone whose profession is outside of the arts, but it’s a huge disappointment to the artist who has worked hard to gain respect and earn an honest living!
If the issue of copyrights interests you, here are a few details:
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-28/tech/31106641_1_repinning-copyright-entire-image
http://thephotoletariat.com/does-facebooks-copyright-policy-worry-you/
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Copyright-Infringement
http://copyright.laws.com/copyright-infringement/infringement-remedies
https://shimworld.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/facebook-copyright-and-user-discontent-know-your-risks/
Thank you for sticking with me if you reached the end of this post!!!
Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
I made it to the end! On the whole I think my photos are about the quality that you would find in a family photo album so I haven’t been too worried about copyright. But I have seen so many bloggers with copyright signs on their photos that I am wondering if I should do so too. You have given me something to ponder. I think if I were an artist like you I would be annoyed to find people using my work without proper credit or permission.
Thanks for sticking with me til the end! I’m honored!
You sell yourself too short about your photos. there are several sweet images of roses on your site that still burn in my mind’s eye.
thanks so much for your feedback; i’m about to mention the post with the pretty nosegay and see if a pingback lands in your inbox!
z
Um, I see something on the stats page concerning referrers. You are there. Is that the pingback?
hmmm. i think you should have received an email that tells you of a pingback. i think it’s waiting for you to find somewhere in ‘moderation’… i’ll look at my site and will write back.
I followed the link from my comment box to yours, and it took me there (as planned!)… have you checked your spam folder? it might be waiting there.
so i went to my dashboard and down the row til i reached the comment option.. at the top of that page are the choices: ‘all’ ‘pending’ ‘approved’ ‘spam’ and ‘trash.’
there were 17 in my spam folder, and two of those were real comments! i marked them as ‘not spam’ and they hopped over to the ‘pending’ folder!
z
I haven’t found anything yet but I suspect you are right about it finding its way to spam. I empty spam rapidly with only a cursory glance at the contents so you may have escaped my notice. However you are showing up as a referrer and I have seen a pingback from a follower, so hopefully I am at least aware of what to look for now. Good to know you are there to help out 🙂
I have seen one pingback in my inbox but it is not yours.
A excellent post! I agree with Gallivanta – you have given me something to think about. Thank you so much for the information and links.
Thank you as well! Long long ago I was taught/cautioned about copyright infringement when using photos for reference material for fine art paintings. I began building my own image file so that I could tap into my own and not be tempted to copy other’s work.
I don’t think the teachers are covering ethical references to sources or the sensitivity about using other’s work. there’s a big vast gray area that’s often overlooked.
thanks again!
lisa/z
I agree – I don’t think that people even realize how serious it is to take photos directly off web pages. I have often wondered whether I am giving proper credit when I pin to my Pinterest account. I think that this dialogue will continue to gain momentum…
Thank you; it will be great to see what others think. Gracias! z
Thanks for taking the time gathering info and posting …seen a lot of questionable comments in spam that makes you wonder whats going on..seems safer to just delete than taking a chance on hitting the ” approve” button
yes, they do a great job of getting most of the true spam into the spam folder! I often find ‘real’ comments there as well, so it does pay to check that folder every so often. it gives me great pleasure to dump the spam box – sort of like flushing them down the toilet!!!
as always, thanks for your comment!
lisa/z
Well said Z. I’m not a professional photographer, but had found some of my photographs on the Internet a few times and while it may seems flattering, when they don’t give credit to the author is plain stealing…
thanks for your comment; as i reflect on your posts and the lovely images of food, i am sure others are inspired and affected and want to share those with others. you are right, knowledge of that right-click-copy function comes with responsibility, and saving it/claiming to have the rights is stealing.
thanks so much for sharing your experience.
You raise some interesting points here. I don’t think putting a widget on a blog saying the work is copyrighted is all that effective – it’s a deterrent but that’s all. As far as I know you can’t really copyright images (or maybe you can if you pay a lot).
The best way is to watermark your images – that is – write a signature and scan it. You can then paste it as a new layer on top of photos. You can make it 50% opaque ( or even less) so that it looks similar to a watermark on paper. You can either just put it on the image in the corner or paste it right over the middle. That way anyone copying your image will be unable to copy it without your signature on the work. I used to do it but stopped because it’s a fiddle. Perhaps I should start doing it again with images I am particularly proud of. Like the first commenter said – a lot of my stuff is snap shot quality.
Everything you post to the web that’s your original work – text, photos, graphics, etc – is automatically copyrighted. It isn’t necessary to go through a special procedure, or add the copyright logo. Such things as copyright notices aren’t required. They’re more a reminder, a way of saying, “Yes, this is mine. Hands off.”
i totally agree. i found out when researching the infringement that one has three months after publication to file a complaint. if the image had a copyright notice, that helps. if filed formally before the infringement, one has longer and the penalty to the person who stole the image is much more severe. if they used the image to make money, the penalty is bumped up to a more-serious level.
that’s when it’s nice just to hand it over to those who can take care if the problem while i return to taking photos, painting and writing stories!
thanks so much for your comments regarding these issues.
z
thank you so much for your comment! with my art, i always place the copyright sign beside my signature, and i insert the notice on almost all of my photos, though sometimes one slips through without the sign. all visual images are copyrighted from the moment they’re created and go until 70 years after the death of the artist/photographer.
http://www.emptyeasel.com reduces the legal term to easy-to-understand terms; the first part states:
“First off, the moment you create ANYTHING visual—paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, etc—the only person who is allowed to copy that art is you. If you decide to sell prints of one of your paintings, you can. If anyone else does, without your written permission, you have the right to take them to court and sue f
or damages.”
http://emptyeasel.com/2008/03/18/copyright-information-for-artists-how-copyright-laws-protect-your-art/
they have another article about using pinterest, and although i don’t use it, this article scared the bejesus out of me! everyone should think ten times before using other’s images!
http://emptyeasel.com/2012/09/27/4-ways-to-protect-yourself-and-respect-copyright-laws-when-using-pinterest/
again, thank you so much for your comment. it helps all of us to interact and compare notes.
z
When you said you found one of your images in a magazine it surprised me. I never thought of that happening. I don’t believe anything I produce would be worthy of stealing, yet if it did happen I would feel so betrayed… as I am sure you felt.
It is a problem that doesn’t have an easy answer. Although, I did like Suzanne’s watermark suggestion. It can’t be stripped away once it is applied. Can it?
~Lynda
Can watermarks be removed? You betcha!
Do you hear me gritting my teeth? This makes me sad, but mostly it makes me angry. 😐
of course they can be removed, and they can crop them away unless one cheapens the image with a huge watermark.
‘do you hear me gritting my teeth?’ – that made me laugh! thanks so much for your comment!
lisa/z
a talented and experienced photoshop person can easily reinsert the colors and fill in that area. or the area can be cropped unless it’s blazed across the entire image.
yes, when i saw the photo – and it was a good one – my jaw dropped. i started shaking as i tried to control the warring emotions. tis a long story,and one of these days i’ll get around to sharing it!
revenge is sweet and can incubate a bit longer!!!!
z
‘-)
It isn’t just photos. I’ve had entire entries stolen and posted to websites in Italy and India. It’s called “scraping”, and it’s done to provide content for sites that are designed only for money-making through clicks.
It drives me crazy. I posted about it here, under the title “Content Theft: It Matters to Me”.
If I ever did begin a book or short story, I never, EVER would post chapters to the web, for an assortment of reasons. One of those reasons is theft. As a matter of fact, I have a small clutch of titles I’ve never shared with anyone online, because the risk of theft is so high.
Two rules everyone should remember:
1. If it’s on the internet and it’s free, you’re the product, not the customer. (Why doesn’t wordpress give us announcement of significant changes? Because we’re their beta testers. They throw changes out to the .com bloggers, and then fix what people scream about before releasing the upgrade or change to the .org folks.)
2. If it’s on the internet, it can be stolen. My current header photo of Dixie wearing antlers already has hit Pinterest. I hate Pinterest and Tumbler.
3. Many people who talk about “curating content on the web” believe the old saw about “if it’s on the web, it’s there for the taking”. There are makers and takers, in every walk of life.
#2 made me sad. what a wonderful image, and how insensitive of others to grab it and run. i’m impressed that you discovered that so fast.
yes, there is so much ‘vanishing class’ in today’s world. that’s why reading your posts is such a pleasure! you have a high code of honor, and it shows in all of your writing. it is also in what you don’t write – you show by example a code of honor that is often missing in the younger generations.
thanks so much for your wordpress presence!
z
you raise some very serious concerns and issues and you’ve given me much to think about. I would never use an image without permission but you’re right, there are many that do. A very well thought out and written post with great information!!
thankfully most of us have a high code of honor and would never cut corners and use an image without first asking. there have been a few times when i use a friend’s image, and i am positive that they don’t mind.. i always write them and confess my sin and hope that they approve. i sometimes share an image of a friend and i also try to ask first to be sure they’ are ok about being a poster person in one of my stories!
thank you so much for your feedback.
z
I had no problem making it to the end of your interesting post. I have also thought about watermarking my photos, and maybe I should start. I imagine most people take images innocently but that doesn’t make it right.
As for pingbacks, what happens if you do not approve one? Does the link on the other page then become a dead link, or it is taken out entirely? “Help” was not helpful in answering that question so maybe I’ll have to do a bit of experimenting.
no, i think the pingback link will always work. it just won’t show up on your page. to trash it or report as spam or keepit in limbo is totally up to you, though i think reporting as spam sort of gets them in trouble? or not? maybe if enough people report it as spam then the spam police will pay them a visit? ja! i wish!
thanks so much for your feedback.
z
Whether we’re professional or just amateurs, having fun with our cameras, paint brushes or pencils and pens, what we create belongs to us – for good or ill – and for people to use our images or ideas without proper attribution is plagiarism = a form of theft.
thank you so much for adding your weight and feedback to this subject.
i think a lot of people were snoozing when they were taught formal writing in school. or maybe that’s not taught anymore?
i raise my brows and hope that students still have to write formal papers with credits to the sources!
z
It’s interesting Lisa. I noticed a huge difference in the emphasis and punishments around plagiarism between the time I first went back to university in 2000 and in later years, when presumably the kids of the internet age began to ‘cheat’ by copying work from the web.
Thank you for all of the useful information. I have also thought about watermarking my photography but haven’t been sure what would be the easiest method to do it. I’ll have to look into it.
your images are so lovely, you should do all that you can to be sure you have obvious rights to them. you have those rights, but having your copyright on there helps if you have to fight for that right to get it back.
z
I made it to the end as well as the comments. My photos come from Ron and I hope he can take the time to read this. He had another blogger use one of his photos and he demanded they remove it. They did. There were bloggers who reblogged my freshly pressed post and some of them I didn’t give permission. They were “bogus” blogs advertising something. It’s not right.
you are so right. read linda’s comment that links to her post about copyright and intellectual rights. she tells how she found the thieves and how she handled it. we should all do some of those same searches.
thanks!
zz
Excellent post Z. I have not put a copyright onto any of my photos because I don’t find myself to be a photographer, along I am learning along the way. Perhaps I should do so.
I just read linda’s (shoreacres) post about copyright – wow. i think all of us should do some searches to see if others are using our content and calling it their own.
thanks so much for your feedback!
lisa/z
Great post Z, well stated.
Thank you for bringing up the awareness. I need to do it…
you’re welcome. go to pinterest and type the name of your blog into the search box and see if anything comes back.
These are very difficult issues – one thought I have is a question a therapist might ask – “What’s the worst that could happen?”, and follow that through as far as you can. Exactly what is the loss? I’m NOT saying there isn’t one, and I agree with those who decry the easy pickin’s theory of web content (“Grab ‘n’ Go, like food?”). It’s a free-for-all out there and I don’t see it getting better soon. That’s why I think it may be useful for each of us to ask ourselves – for ourselves personally, not for anyone else – what exactly are we worried about? E.g., is there a potential of substantial loss of income? Is it about hurt pride/ego? Is there an underlying fear? Then the question is, how much energy do we want to spend trying to prevent that worst case scenario from occurring? Please understand that I applaud your efforts to lay out the issues (I read through). I understand that creating a painting, posting an image of it after doing all that careful work, and then having that stolen and misused is unfair and hurtful; if its your livelihood, that adds another layer of concern. But I think it’s useful to dig deep and clarify what the worst thing that could happen is. And thank you again, for doing a lot of hard work here putting this together, because there are those who don’t even know the first thing about copyrights. So this is helpful on many levels.
your question is a valid one, and i often ask myself when there is a personal conflict, ‘is this about ego?’
linda of shoreacres pointed me to a post of hers that addressed content theft. she found one of her poems with her name removed and another person’s inserted for the credit. not by one person but a second one as well! imagine if someone took paulo coehlo’s writings and claimed to have written them. credit should go to the person who created the work.
for me the problem is losing rights to an image and someone using it for profit, and again, not giving credit back to me. most of it goes back to acknowledging the person who created the art or photo or prose/poetry/data. right clicking and lying when uploading (do you own rights to this image) is flat wrong.
i grew up with a strong code of honor – right is right and wrong is wrong. period. if you allow someone to go back and forth in the gray area, it usually goes a bit more to the wrong more than it goes back to being right. people take,, then take some more.
well enough there! i truly appreciate your feedback, and we’ll see if some others will contribute as well!
z
here is linda’s post.
z
Linda’s post is really good, and certainly food for thought. I don’t for a minute condone or mean to tolerate theft of any artistic work – writing, painting, photography, whatever. And of course lying is wrong – I grew up with a strict code of ethics too, and continue to follow that. So far it hasn’t really happened to me, not that I know of, so my comments were perhaps less well informed. It’s tough out there and I guess we just have to remain vigilant and try to keep up with the next possible method people might use to steal our work.
There’s a delicate balance there. Another friend’s blog had many photos from her recipe posts, and most likely anyone who saw the images would go immediately to her blog. In that way, the photo sharing is a good marketing tool I suppose it depends on each person if it’s a good or bad option for others to share. Of course the ‘always ask firsit’ consideration is the best!
z
Great thought provoking post as always. I don’t do much to protect my work. Since I consider myself more a writer than photographer I would be more offended if someone used my written word without asking. Yes the Internet is truly a tricky complicated world when it comes to copyright infringement. It is so easy for people to steal your work. Very interesting Lisa.
I really don’t like the look of watermarks, Lisa. My eye goes straight to them at the expense of the photo. However, if you earn your living as a photographer, I imagine it’s a necessary evil. Sad, but true.
I have a Pinterest account but have never pinned. I visit to admire sometimes, and some of my photos are on Pinterest courtesy of Flickr. I appreciate the exposure, but have to admit that I find the concept of repinning someone else’s work at will a strange one. Lots to think about.
thank you for your comment. it’s truly hard to try to figure out how one feels about others sharing an image around without letting the owner know that they even liked it, much less they’re sharing it!
i think the biggest problem is when someone uploads it without permission, that’s not very ethical!
thanks again!
z
Stuck with you and get it! I must say I’ve thought long and hard about coping and printing your tree because it is so amazing and I love it! ( and know I could never afford it). But I just couldn’t do it. Some day, I swear, I will visit your beautiful, colorful, country and buy one of your paintings. Til then … 😦
when you get here, we will paint a fabulous ‘i can do this’ painting together!
z
looking forward to it! 🙂
I read your post with interest Lisa andI can see it is a very complex and difficult area to police. I am with the others that say their photos are just for their own use, but if you are making a living with your art, photos, writing it becomes a different set of circumstances. I started blogging just to post stories and photos of my travels and only use photos I have taken myself and with no thought of copyright being needed. I am a bit innocent in the ways of the internet, I don’t even know what pinterest is!!!! I hope you can find some answers to a very thorny question
PS I often wonder how many people that put likes on a post actually read it. I remember a while back the WP daily post saying a way to increase traffic was to visit other sites, they didn’t actually say “READ” other peoples posts….
I don’t have your problem because I don’t post the beautiful photographs you post! But I would be equally upset by the fact that people feel free to steal the photos and use them as their own. As an author I hate the fact that used bookstores buy back books and re-sell them, thereby cutting the author and publisher out of their due rewards. I guess there’s a lot of that sort of thing going on out there. I do have a reader who “camps out” on my blog from time to time and “likes” as many as eight or ten blogs. But I suspect he actually reads them (he occasionally comments) and he apparently does this to a large number of blogs he visits on a rotating basis! It takes all kinds.
gasp! i’ve never considered the used-book angle! here in ecuador i am so happy to see used-book stores with english titles, otherwise i’d have few new books to read. with real art, it’s different; if someone buys a painting and later resells it, especially for a higher price, then i’m glad the person was rewarded for investing in my art. if they sell it for a whole lot more, then i should get them to be my agent!
you are right about the people who come and camp out then move on. i sort of like that, especially if they leave behind a calling card and every so often they return. catch-up reading – seems to be what i’ve been doing lately.
this week i am home and should stay planted here til the end of the year.
Thank you for your very informative article. I have been considering signing up for SmugMug and noticed they have right click protection. That might be worth the $20 monthly fee plus ability to sell your images.
right-click protection! that sounds like a great deal!
thanks so much.
somewhere in the bowels of my photo files, is an old image of kittens climbing a tree at night in costa rica. i am almost certain that it’s full of orbs, what i assumed were dust particles or a dingy lens. when i have time i’ll try to retrieve it and look again through your eyes.
thanks, i enjoy your blog!
z
Great post. I read the post, but not all the comments. It was enough to see the guilty and the victims. Honestly, I could probably fit in either category, at times, and will seek permissions before re-pressing anything in the future. Even these accolades could be beyond the scope or audience of the artists’ wishes. We never know unless we ask.
However, I would never re-create content, or otherwise reproduce any work without permission, under any circumstances. I find those actions to be a clear infringement, if not covered by international law, than by moral responsibility. There are enough free share sites where content is available to post to the public, and the commercial endeavors of fellow artists should always be respected.
“I find those actions to be a clear infringement, if not covered by international law, than by moral responsibility”Thank you for your comment; you are so right about moral responsibility, and I think that our younger generation has often lost a strong code of honor. Hugh/Daily Gadfly has addressed that a lot lately, and I think he’s right.
http://hughcurtler.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/the-poets-place/
Thanks so much for taking time to comment!
lisa/z
Excellent post. You have brought up so many things that I hadn’t thought about. I probably should watermark all my photography. I have been a little naive and I work within Technology in higher education. I don’t have a Pinterest and have thought about creating one. Lack of time has prevented me. I don’t pingback but I have a recommended page and reblog page for others to find blogs if they happen to find my site and find the page. I do it as a thank you to everyone that have been so kind to me by visiting my blog. Thank you for taking the time to put this all together. Makes one think.
i had pinterest open in another window so i typed in ‘petit4chocolate’ and there are seven of your amazing tempting images on there. i must admit, for you, i think that’s a good thing, as everyone is going to want to go to your site and get the recipe!
z
This is really interesting, and important. And something many don’t care about, or don’t know about. Keep up the discussion, Z.
Excellent post that I read in its entirety, including the comments. I’ve been on a week+ hiatus from my blog and reading others because I got one heck of a spam attack. I was hit with 100+ w/n a two-day period, finally today I’ve been able to go back on line.
My ordeal started when I re-blogged the most beautiful writing I ever encountered – blogger was notified, given full credit and encouraged other bloggers visiting my post to go to this bloggers post – link was provided. That was the first, and now last time I’ll ever re-blog a post. It wasn’t meant to generate traffic, nor any other meaning except to encourage others to see this person’s beautiful work.
The episode made me question why I’m doing a blog, I searched for the purpose and consider whether the time spent not just on my blog but others I follow, is worth the sacrifice of my time away from productive painting. I’m not on facebook, or other social media (except my artist communities). The experience upset me to no end and I just couldn’t get the right mindset for painting, so I became unproductive where painting is concerned.
I noticed one evening (a month ago) that one visitor, from Japan, clicked through my blog 92 times – I’ve only posted 37 times. I saw a pattern in what they were looking at.
I’m not totally sold on maintaining a blog, but for now I will continue. Today I take time to look at my spam and delete them permanently. I’m down to one or two/day. I’ve seen #’s next facebook, twitter and pinterest and because of your post I understand what these are.
I have a copy-write notice on my blog and it will take me but a nano-second to go after someone if I find they have copied my work. I am a new artist and work hard trying to develop my skills and a decent portfolio.
Again, thank you – this was most informative and came at the right time.
Everyone of us producing some kind of artwork run the same risk of being copied. They get away until they get caught, but it sure takes a lot of time to pursuit those who break the rules.
Blogging can be tense provoking sometimes. I am also not so familiar with the internet and the it’s constantly evolving world. As for ping backs, I put several particularly if they are recommended in my post by WordPress. They are not a guarantee though that they will respond although several did and I try to visit and read, share when I’m the one they ping back. It’s all about giving , sharing and making connection for me.
I prefer to use photos form Wikipedia and give attributions at the end… It’s too stressful to do the other for fear of copyright issues. I haven’t looked at the ping back article yet but I wish I got more from my fellow bloggers because I do appreciate getting and giving them. I see it as a hello and don’t question the veracity of the sender. However, I feel that if you send one, at least visit the blog and like the post and/or leave a comment… I do that when I send them out. A ping back is a way of connecting with others and sharing related posts. It saddens me when I read that it’s perceived as something bad or abusive…
I read hundreds of blogs and I don’t always have a comment for every post, So when I do visit and read quickly through one, a like is my way of saying good job I was here. Again, I don’t object to the practice. I appreciate the effort. Just my two cents.
A well done, well thought out post, my friend! And on a topic that has proven a hot one since I began blogging myself. I try so hard to correctly attribute work and art…it drives me crazy when people just “grab” others’ stuff willy nilly, be it out of laziness, naivete or plain ol’ intentional plagiarism. Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective(s)….I agree with each of your points, wholeheartedly. Have a very merry holiday season and a happy new year!
Thanks! I think with each generation, we’re losing a lot of the ‘old school’ of thinking and respect for others. You bring integrity to the blogging world, and hopefully others will learn from your example!!
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What a lovely thing to say! Thank you 🙂
Excellent article Z! I recently had someone re-blog a post with his comment being “little thought.” It pissed me off, and I went to look at his page and everything therein was re-blogged. I commented to this person on his site that he needed original content, and before commenting as he did on one of my posts, told him that what he was doing took little thought.
Hope today is a good one for you! Hugs – B
i know what you mean; sorry it’s taken me so long to answering; i’ve been putting in long hours on a painting, and when i’m online, i’m behind before i get started! we;re also (finally) getting rain, which means we are losing power. sometimes when we have power, we don’t have internet! ah, at least i have a roof over my head, lots of paints, brushes, supplies, things to paint, books to read, birds to watch, etc etc!
so tonight i opened a post by someone i follow, and there was one of my images without a mention of where it came from. what are we going to do about this,amiga? yes, it’s flattering that people like our images, but it’s not professional to take other’s work and not givve credit.. it’s not professional to take it and not ask first!
it’s raining hard so i’d best get this sent and the computer shut down!
thanks for listening.
z
Contact the happiness engineers and let them know that someone bootlegged your photo. And comment of the blogger’s site notifying them that they did not ask for permission to use the photo. Let them know that you have the digitally encoded information, including date, time and the camera used, to prove that this belongs to you, and ask them to remove it
hey
i commented immediately, and she removed the photo within the next half hour and the entire post within the next hour. it’s odd that she didn’t reply to say, ‘i’m sorry.’
i took a screen shot of the post. she had not cropped my name off, i think it’s a growing problem of right-clickers thinking its fine to take anything they find and using it.
we’re on day three of gentle rain; it’s funny how mother earth/father sky can turn off the taps for half a year, and then finally, the life-giving water is again released. we’re in deep trouble if one day those rains don’t return!
z
Can you do that when someone re-blogs a post? Like that fellow who did that with my post and made the commented little thought…although one does get credit…
Chilly morning here..in the 30’s. Snow is predicted for Wed. and Thursday. Have to get ready for work.
News flash! I purchased my domain name two days ago! I will be starting a photography website. I know that this is not going to be easy to sell photos, but what is it they say? Do what you love and the money will follow. I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Hugs and have a great day!
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Fascinating post! Thank you for getting this conversation started. I’ve never understood the concept of pingbacks, therefore I thought anything linking back to my site was good. Not so! A site has started picking up my content, changing it just a tad and then reposting on their site. I have asked them to stop, my IT person wrote a cease and desist letter. They took down the 1st post, yet they continue to swipe content almost daily. Anyone know what specific steps I can take to stop this? Thanks!
hi janet! thanks so much for your comment, and i hope that you’ll be able to make this person stop plagiarizing your work and most likely others..
i am pressed for time this morning but will get back with you later and send a link to a great wp site about plagiarism.. perhaps he can help you…
internet is very slow right now, so i’d have trouble finding the link!
have a good day, and i hope that you’re soon able to retain your rights!
lisa/z
here’s a start… hope it leads you to a solution!
z
Thank you so much for the link! I will give this a listen, for sure
😉 I appreciate your help.