“How dare them?” is what bloggers say when someone steals their content.
Plagiarism is wrong. We all know it.
But, are honest bloggers inadvertently stealing and sharing copyrighted images?
Today’s Lesson
Before joining Pinterest, one of the issues I read about was: are images being uploaded to Pinterest illegally?
Questioning this is photographer and blogger, Elizabeth Halford, who wrote an article titled Will Pinterest Be Sued by Photographers Like Napster was Sued by Musicians? Both her post and the comments raise some interesting points.
ReadWriteWeb published How Pinterest Uses Your Content Without Violating Copyright Laws.
Although it appears Pinterest may be protected, the way I see it is the same may not apply to those who upload images.
Pinterest stresses the importance of linking to the original source of a photo, however when we “repin” a photo or content, unless we follow all of the links, we have no way of knowing if we’re breaking copyright law, nor do we know if the “original” photo is indeed the work of the person whose site it was found on, nor do we always know if the creator of the original image wants their image(s) shared. Add to that how different countries have different laws regarding copyright. Confusing, hey?
But it’s not just Pinterest we need to be concerned with, it’s also the images we upload to our blogs, Facebook, Google +, or any social networking site.
Copyright law may come into play.
As Mike Goad shared, in part, on his well researched site, Copy Right. Copy Sense.,
…As original, creative text flows from the pencil or pen, or as it is pounded into the paper with an old-fashioned typewriter, the copyright protection for those words begins.
For other types of work, the medium in which the work is fixed is different. Movies are fixed in the film, videos in the tape, paintings “in” the canvas and so on.
The key is that to be copyrightable a work must be in a form that can be copied.
Wikimedia includes publications on copyright, as well.
Although some items can not be copyrighted, many are indeed covered by copyright. Wikimedia includes a long list which includes:
- Photos of people – sometimes copyright applies
- Screenshots
- Architecture
- CD and book covers
- [Some] clothing
- Comics
- Logos
- [Some] maps
- Toys
- Videos
Wikimdeia also includes links to bad sources, as well as free sources.
For bloggers, or anyone who uploads photos online, it’s hard to know if we’re doing the right thing.
Some will assume just because a photo is not watermarked, it can be freely used. As Mike shares, that’s not the case.
Absence of copyright notice is no longer a reliable indicator of whether a work is protected.
In life, we often hear, “ignorance is bliss”.
With regard to copyright, it’s not.
There could be repercussions.
Today’s Assignment
Where do you get the images for your blog posts?
Do you worry about the copyright of these images?
Care to share?
Other great links on copyright include:
Legal Pitfalls in Taking or Using Photographs of Copyright Material, Trademarks and People,
by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Legal Guide for Bloggers
at Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
Hi. I'm Barbara Swafford and I'd like to welcome you to Blogging Without A Blog. Grab a seat, share your thoughts and join in the conversation. 
For some blogs, it can take months before someone comments. For others, a matter of days.
It’s when we feel what we’re sharing isn’t being read, we think of giving up.
After all, blogging is supposed to be interactive.
Today’s Lesson
I feel fortunate that I receive the amount of comments I do. Comments inspire me to continue on. Comments inspire new posts. And via comments I get to meet other bloggers.
But it wasn’t always that way. My audience (or lack thereof) remained silent for quite some time.
I’d publish posts, but no one seemed to care.
But I didn’t give up.
What worked for me were five things.
Not every blogger reciprocated with comments on my blog, but some did, as did some of their readers. HINT: Comment on new or smaller blogs. Generally, A-list bloggers do not reciprocate comments.
I set up a series which I named, “New Blog Of The Week” (NBOTW) and hunted for new bloggers (usually under four months old). I used Tuesday as my NBOTW day and would write a post showcasing their blog, including excerpts from three of their posts/pages and included links to them.
This was a slow process, but over time, I began to build my readership, as well as my blog community.
I’ve discontinued this series, however, the list of 90 blogs remains here.
Even if you feel your post is complete, it doesn’t hurt to ask your readers, “Did I forget anything?’, “What are your thoughts on this topic?”, or ____fill in the blank___.
Give readers a reason to comment.
Although I occasionally miss comments which show up on older posts, my goal is answer all comments I receive on this blog.
Unfortunately, due to the amount of spam I receive, I closed the comments on posts older than 90 days.
Liz Strauss, of Successful and Outstanding Bloggers is known for the huge amount of comments she has received over the years so naturally she was the one I approached for advice.
In a two part interview, I asked Liz, How to Maximize Blog Comments and How To Get Readers To Join Your Community.
The information Liz shared is priceless.
For some bloggers, comments aren’t important, but for others, they become the real reason to continue on.
Today’s Assignment
What technique(s) do/did you use to entice your readers to comment?
Care to share?