Now I have a dilemma and a problem. I was looking at my flickr stats last night, taking particular notice of the ''referrers'' part and I noticed some people had hit my pics from this blog, (I have now removed the link). I like to know when a blog uses my work so I can say thanks in their comment section. Usually when anyone uses someone elses images they credit them to the maker, it's not a problem, not for me anyway. I don't mind anyone using my pics as long as they respect my copyright and credit the work to me. So I clicked the link and popped over there to have a look. Basically there is a beautiful slide show on the left of the page, gorgeous work if I may say so!!!!!, mostly minebut not a hint of credit or acknowledgment that this work is mine. Now there is no claim from the blogger that the work is hers either and if you click an image it takes you to my flickr page so in a round about way it does link to me but... am I being over sensitive that there is no recognition of me on the blog. I wonder how many people would see that slide show, not click an image to take them to my page and just assume the work belongs to this blogger? I have tried to contact this person but as yet no response. It's a Brazilian blog and I can't read most of it so I asked my good friend Meri to translate for me. The fact that it's foreign to me makes it harder on the communication front, perhaps she doesn't realise what she has done? Maybe there is no ulterior motive here but how am I to know? What would you do?
14 comments:
Love the yellow gingham cord! The copying of pictures is a difficult one and it's bad manners not to credit you, if nothing else. However I'm at a loss as to what can be done about it when the photos are out there and available.
it would have been nice if she mentioned whose work was in the slide show but the fact that the pictures take you to the artist would be enough for me. she's not profitting in any way from the slide show but is giving more hits to your blog. that's the way I see it.
I have a feeling that perhaps she did not realize when she put up the slide show that she really should have said whose work it was (mostly yours but there was earrings there too.) It could just be a case of wanting others to appreciate the beautiful work that she admires.
Would it ease your mind if you used a site like Picnik to put a watermark on all of your photos?
http://www.picnik.com
You are sending others to her site now too so she is getting more traffic. ;-)
It's not fair showing work pretending that it is made by the blog owner.The name of the blog is
Handmade Neide - Virtual Shop(Neide is her name). Who enters the blog could think that was her work. I said this in my comment and translated Karen's comment as well.
I hope she'll give all credits to you soon.
Given how much gingham is in her own pages and that the slideshow includes some of your pieces with gingham in, there is certainly scope for confusion, if nothing else.
I'd be interested to know what happens about this...
A difficult one. My blog stats show that a huge number of photos on my blog are downloaded by visitors. I often wonder why, and what all these people are doing with my photos. On the other hand, anything published on the web is public. I hope you get some sort of resolution on this issue. The situation with your photos in someone else's slideshow is going to be confusing at the very least.
I think adding a watermark or signature to your work is a good idea. It seems to me that once pictures are out there on the www it is very difficult to keep track of them and it is only to be hoped that there is as much positive traffic coming your way as negative flowing in the wrong direction.
Gingham was never a favourite of mine, but it's rapidly growing on me after seeing your take on it.
As for the dilemma part of your post, I don't know what to suggest. I would hope that she wasn't aware of the implications and that she just admired your work. Having said that, who knows. I would certainly post a comment on her blog pointing out that she should be giving credit to you....I wouldn't just let it go. I think I'm glad that I'm not computer literate enough to figure out how to know if anybody has done this with *my* work!!
Been going through your lovely posts and just wanted to leave you a note. I'm not frilly girly-girl, but your wonderful embroidered items are just gorgeous!!
It got me thinking that just because I wouldn't necessarily decorate that way doesn't mean I can't play with it...ooo all the new ides!! Thank you for sharing!
I would definitely want easily-found credit to be available. Whenever I have linked to anywhere else or shown anyone else's photos I have made it abundantly clear that the photos are not my own but those of the person whose site I am linking to. That being said, I have a Creative Commons attribution info box pertaining to my photos and posted work on my sidebar in the hopes of possibly preventing something like this and also having some sort of legal basis if I ever find myself in a position to need it at some point in the future.
I didn't even know that people could download other peoples pictures. I would think that she is trying to make her portfolio look bigger than it is, especially as she has put them into a slide show. If she was just admiring your work, she would have posted a link to your blog.
It is a difficult one especially seeing as when you click on the images it takes you to your Flickr page. For this reason I don't think that she is trying to pass off your work as her own. Saying that a mention of your blog wouldn't go amiss.
I have been thinking about your previous blog post about getting more traffic and came across this...http://draft.blogger.com.
It shows where your traffic is coming from and through which websites. I thought you might find it useful.
Karen Turner mentioned that she can see how many of her pics have been downloaded. I can't work out how she has done that but that might be worth looking into as well.
x
It's the stat counter I use, sylviesgarden - statcounter.com. It has a 'download activity' section and tells you who has copied what. However, it doesn't tell you what people do with the pictures they copy.
Hi, Karen -
Sorry to hear this happened. Normally, when bloggers highlight another's work, it is to point it out to readers and say, "Hey, go look at this!" It sounds more like this person was using your work as false advertising for her own.
Blogger is really of no help when it comes to those things. The best thing is to contact the person (as you've done...) repeatedly, and to not (in any way) link to them - it gives them the traffic they want. Then, when they don't respond, this is what I finally do - I go in and switch the URLs of my photos on my site, and I substitute in the place of the old photo URL a Really Ugly Picture of something so totally off the wall that has nothing to do with needlework.
I'm getting ready to do the exact same thing with an Italian needlework blog that uses my work for stitch examples, without giving any credit at all. The blog is written in English, so I know she understands English, and I have contacted her numerous times. So - now for some fun. I'm going to substitute Ugly Pictures!
The problem arises, of course, when they take the picture and download it to their own computer. The only way to protect your photos in those circumstances is to do what you are doing - put your name or watermark on your photo.
I hope the situation is resolved, but in the meantime, don't let the mean people in the world get you down! Forge ahead doing what YOU do, confident that it is YOURS and you are appreciated for it!
~MC
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