Please be careful when you post photos or other things from other web sites. In this, I am not telling you not to do it, but to be sure that your use of them is acceptable use. Memes that have been posted and reposted on Facebook might be an exception since the person you got it from was probably not the source of the meme. Even then, some memes are attributed to the author, so they should be attributed if they are used here, as well. In particular, when you come across a site that you especially like, it's okay to post a link to it here, along with a representative photo or snippet of text in order to let people know what it is that attracted your attention. But keep in mind that someone has put in the time and the money to develop a web site, and they have a right to expect that people will come to their site to view their photos or whatever. In the same light, I would rather have people find things of interest here, so that they will come here to read and participate in discussions. While it is okay to post links to other sites from time to time, this isn't the Drudge Report. I would much rather have your own words and your own stories. I know that it's quicker and easier to link to something that someone else has said or created, but your own words or your own creations are far more valuable to me, and I think to everyone else who is a part of this forum. Although we all can appreciate great writing, everyone here has something to say, and great writers don't wait around until they become great writers before daring to express themselves.
Oh, there's so much in my head to share, and be lazy to leave all the writing to others from the links. I'm tempted to do just that-- the easier way. But... I won't, rest assured :-D Sometimes when I'm so excited and passionate about some news item that I think affects me because it's so important : the idea of writing--with my own words--suddenly kills the flow. But because SO forum is a place I enjoy so much of hearing other people's views, it's no fun to just leave mine empty or unexpressed. Thanks for the editing tool.
Oh no, did I do something wrong already? i'm not sure I understand exactly what you are saying, Ken....can you give me an example? So, if you post a story about something, you dont want us to link to it?
I didn't address that to anyone in particular. Just the opposite, whenever you take something from another site, please do link to it. My point was that I'd rather not refer to something on another site that no one here is going to talk about, so I'd like it if the person posting the story take the time to start it off by saying something about it. So, if you think that a news story is something that people here might want to talk about, feel free to post a link to the story and either a brief quote from the story or a synopsis of the story, so that people have an idea what it's about. Never post the whole story. It is considered acceptable use to post a small portion of a story, with a link, but never to post the whole story, or article, or whatever. When it comes to photos, strictly speaking, it is not allowable to take a photo from one site and to post it on another without permission. Most people don't mind if someone posts a photo from their site if they include a link, since then they get something from it as well. Never take multiple photos from the same site, however. People who create photo sites want others to view them on their site, not on someone else's. On another site that I have, I have received a couple of notices of intent to sue because of photos that someone has lifted from another site. Usually then, I can simply remove the photo and the threatened lawsuit never goes anywhere. I mentioned memes because they are most always created for the purpose of being shared on Facebook or elsewhere, so as long as the meme isn't edited to remove any watermarks or creator attributes that might have been added with the file, I'm not too concerned about someone sharing a meme. Your own words, and those of every member of this forum, are more valuable than anything that can be found elsewhere.
It is not a crime to post an item from another site as long as you give credit to the author or you indicate the link, that is one way of saying the item is not your original. At least you are free from any infringement of rights. However, speaking of Facebook, one actress is in hot water right now simply because she had shared a post of a friend in Facebook that says something bad about a website that failed to deliver the ordered goods. It is actually a camera. And it turned out that the actress' friend had erred in that post and now the company had filed a libel suit against the friend and also the actress (for sharing that derogatory post). Now we know that cyber crime is sensitive on that issue of sharing posts.
In the Forum Administration & Notices area, please don't carry on off-topic conversations not related to the subject of the thread. The purpose of this area is to help people who may have trouble figuring things out.
Acceptable use... yes. That's been a big issue for a while now. What I've started doing is searching for graphics with the word "free" in my search string... like "free welcome graphics"... doesn't guarantee they're actually free, but it's an extra layer. Now what I don't really get, though... you mentioned, @Ken Anderson , to be sure to link if they're not free... when we use the image link function here, is that the kind of link you mean (i.e. not just copy/paste a pic without using that) or should it be a link that's *visible* in the thread and not hidden like that one?
I got away from using pictures that were not mine a while ago. I got tired of the hassle and the thought that I may lose everything because I shared something.
No, when you do an image link, that steals their bandwidth, and also subjects the link to being broken if they should move or remove it. Other than memes and things that are intended to be shared, don't take images from other web sites. If you want to share an image here, upload it here or refer to it from one of several image share sites.
Bump. These topics need to be (re)visited. As I have said above, it shouldn't be a problem with memes or even photos you find on Facebook because they've been shared repeatedly, but on sites where people take pride in the photos that they post, they don't want them stolen and posted to another site, particularly without a linkback.
Yes, it is a matter that can get very messy. Many of my old families photos have been used on sites that put their trademark on them. Years ago when I used some of the photos on my site, I got an email informing me of using their photos without permission. I asked them for proof that they had permission from any family member to use them, let alone put their "watermark" on them. I never heard anymore. So many sites threatening lawsuit for using "their" photos, do not have any rights to them. Taking photos from someones personal album or website is certainly something to avoid. I agree the best post are ones where the photos are taken by the poster or someone they know or from a family collection and writing is from personal experience or study and not just a parrot of what can be found on the internet. Sadly such posts never get the likes or response that a short clever writing or shared meme post will receive.
If you're going to copy and paste something from Wikipedia or any other website, please enclose it in Code: [QUOTE]text[/QUOTE] QUOTE code, so that it's clear that these are not your words, and attribute it. For short texts, you can use quotation marks, but the QUOTE code sets the copied and pasted text apart from your own words. We'd rather have your own words anyhow, but there are times when it's reasonable to quote something that you are going to discuss.
If you want to get fancy, you can do this: Code: [QUOTE="The Washington Post"]Text[/QUOTE] They you'll get this quote box with the attribution in the header: I had been quoting articles by changing the font type to set it apart, but I like this better.