As writers and photographers, we bloggers have both concerns about copyrights and use of the material we put on our blogs and a responsibility to honor what others put on their blogs or how we use information and pictures on our blogs.
When I first began editing our church newsletter, I thought that all clip art was free, but I began to realize that wasn’t true. After that, I tried to be very careful to only use art that was free or in the public domain, although it wasn’t always easy to be sure. Once I started blogging, I always tried to get permission to use pictures that aren’t my own on my blog, too. One of the concerns I’ve had is that others might start using my photos as their own or without attribution and permission. I’m not sure if using someone’s photo or writing with attribution but without permission is really right, either. What do you think?
This post covers a number of ideas and the comment section is rich in thought-provoking material as well. Thanks, Z, for letting me reblog this (my first reblog). I hope that all of you who read it will feel free to leave comments on either or both of our blogs and take to heart the ideas found here. So without further ado, I shall hit “Reblog Post” and turn it over to you, my friends in the blogging world. Please do let me know what you think. Have you found your thoughts or photo places where you didn’t know they existed? If so, what did you do? Do you mind? If you use material from others, how do you deal with it?
janet
This past weekend some friends and I were discussing how some people use images from Pinterest, Facebook and Google Images. I shared a copyright infringement story with them, and told how shocked I have been recently to find so many of my images ‘shared’ on Pinterest. But I should be honored, right? Flattered that an award-winning photograph had been ‘pinned’ without my permission and uploaded, and basically been given to the world wide web to be used however they’d like! I think that that person who pinned the above image agreed before adding the image that they owned or had permission to share it.
This past week WordPress put their spotlight on reblogging and also on Using Other People’s Images. Both posts received a lot of interesting feedback, including a link to DON’T STEAL MY STUFF, DUDE – Laura at ‘Lolabees’ states her clear case and…
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This, that and the other thing 
Hey amiga
I hope that you receive some interesting feedback. This is a subject that affects many. Some of the stories have been interesting.
I think that reblogging is usually a sign of respect for the person who wrote the post, or for the content that that person posted. Yes, there are some who do nothing but reblog, but if their reblogs get respect…..
the reblog subject gives us new material to ponder!
I know the times someone’s reblogged a post of mine, I feel flattered and pleased that they liked the post enough to share it and think that others would like it, too. There are people who mostly reblog and take the time to look for posts that are interesting to their readers. It’s a good way to find new blogs and ideas. It wouldn’t work for me because I enjoy sharing my own material but it works for them.
As more and more material is put out into the virtual world, it becomes harder and harder to protect. I think it behooves all of us who are working in that world to be respectful and punctilious about how we handle what other people produce and try to learn how to best protect our own material from those not so honest.
We’ll see what response we got. 🙂
janet
What a great topic! I am always hesitant to use other’s photos because I am never sure what is the right way to credit or where is the best place to find acceptable work to repost. Instead I have decided to build my photo inventory on my own and use only my stuff to eliminate the concern. I know this is overkill in the wrong direction, but every thing I read seems to contradict the previous words. I think all of us enjoy sharing photos, but not at another’s expense.
The few times I’ve used photos that belong to someone else, I’ve emailed them to ask if I could use them. I put “copyright —-(their name)”, that I used the photo with permission and a link to their blog as well. I recently started using “Over” for my iPad photos, allowing me to put my name on the photo but I suppose that could be gotten rid of somehow. At least it’s something. I’ve sold a photo or two in the (distant) past, long before digital photos and might like to try to do so again. But I’d hate to have someone steal my image, especially for profit (if one’s good enough.)
Thanks for weighing-in, Joe, and coming back here to mention it. Re-blogging is good but when all the hits, likes and comments go to the other site, it gets a bit lonely here. 🙂
janet
I haven’t reblogged anyone yet, or used their photos (never even used one of the images of Friday Fictioneers writers’) for the same reason that it belonged to the one sharing and I did not want them on my blog anyway.You have made excellent points on this and the copyright infringements and plagiarism. It is always a scary thought of mine whenever I post and share my ideas, fiction, poems, all of it. I think we as writers often go blindly onward to hopeful publication in whatever form it takes always trusting readers and other writers that our stuff is safe on our blog, traditional markets, or any social media. I’m sure you will get a lot of different perspectives or views on this subject.
I think blogging is kind of like Facebook, which I don’t do. If you put it out on the net – pretty much it is a free for all. Even early stuff – you can go to a site called (something like or exactly like) Thewaybackmachine.com – there you can find any and everything that was put into the ether via a computer. A friend told us and early promo photo of his business was found that he had completely forgotten about. Plug in someones name and you can even find out how much of a donation they made to a charity if you know how to look for it. I remember even before blogging was born so-to-speak looking for something and finding someone’s private letter to a friend. Just because it was written on the computer and matched a key word of what I was looking for. Ever go to some of the last pages of a google search? Try it. There is some very odd stuff ‘out there’. But it is all there if you know what your looking for. And I don’t think there is any true way even, as you say with and ‘over’ signature for photos to protect anything. So if you don’t want it tossed up in the ‘air’ don’t post it. Just like Facebook. If you don’t want you boss to see your vacation photos of you on that ‘special no clothing beach…’ don’t post it. There are some companies that patrol Facebook just looking for ‘trouble.’
Some photos, especially digital ones from your phone can have embedded information that have things like the time and location. So if you took a photo of your grandkids shoes in your back yard, someone could find your address. That happened to one of the hosts of the show Mythbusters. He had put a car up for sale – he took the photo from his phone in front of his house. And all of a sudden people were flocking to his private home! Take a vacation photo – and post it – someone will know you aren’t home… Scary for sure.
I blog and post my writing because I like to write. And the feedback from the writing community is wonderful. But I haven’t gotten any offers from publishers or agents in the last two years. I have gotten some pretty weird stuff though. Why would I get a like from someone trying to sell snake oil?
You’ve got to take the bad with the good.
Thanks for this post. I’m going to check out your link to Z. Though I suspect there isn’t a whole lot besides crawling under a rock that we can do if we want to continue ‘sharing.’
~Jules