# Blogging and Copyrights



## equinecpa (Mar 21, 2011)

I have a blog and use just my own content. 

Sometimes I write on a subject and would love to use pictures/content from someone else's blog/website. For example I posted about ducks the other day and how I had narrowed the choices down to two breeds. I don't have those breeds so I didn't have any pictures. I started a thread over at backyardchickens and someone offered to let me use their call duck pictures but I still didn't have magpie duck pics.

There are lots of blogs with nice pics. Is it OK to insert photos WITH CREDIT and link back if they don't show any copyright on them? Or should you always ask before using? How about sites other than blogs?

Me personally, I'd appreciate the extra traffic as isn't that what blogging is about? I look at Pinterest and pictures are being shared all over... 

So what's your opinion on this?


----------



## Halfway (Nov 22, 2010)

That is a great question. I recently used a photo from a forum that is full open source, but I added the link while giving them full credit. Not sure if that is legal or not, but I saw nothing that would cheat them. Of course common sense and legality do not always mix. :yuck:


----------



## rhaige9 (Oct 31, 2010)

I know when I posted about ebing stuck up for wanting pretty goats, I link the images to the web sites I found the goats on, and copied out links to each site.


----------



## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

Asking as you did, is a good thing to do. I recently could not find a particular photo for a blog post and did take one from Google images. I didn't think it would matter much and I could not get to the site that it came from. I saved it and then uploaded it. The only trouble was, it became my top blog post! I am getting so much traffic to this post that I took the photo off. It wasn't the main photo so it didn't affect it so much. It had even been pinned on pinterest. So I will not do that ever again.

I normally use a couple of public domain sites for images. I put a link back to the site under the photo. One is Public Domain Image and another is Public Domain Pictures. I have some others I use also and a couple for clip art too. 

For my own photos I don't mind if someone uses them if they link back to me. It drives more traffic to my blogs and I can use all I can get. Some people do not like it all, and if they feel that way they should watermark the photos themselves.

I am now planning on going picture taking in the spring. Trying to get pictures of anything I might want to write about. Maybe go to other people's homesteads and farms and take pictures of their critters for future posts would be a good idea.


----------



## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

equinecpa said:


> I have a blog and use just my own content.
> 
> Sometimes I write on a subject and would love to use pictures/content from someone else's blog/website. For example I posted about ducks the other day and how I had narrowed the choices down to two breeds. I don't have those breeds so I didn't have any pictures. I started a thread over at backyardchickens and someone offered to let me use their call duck pictures but I still didn't have magpie duck pics.
> 
> ...


Duck photos

More Ducks

Even More Ducks!

I can't seem to find magpie ducks though.


----------



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

A photo is copyrighted to the person who took it the second it's captured. It does not need to have a watermark or in anyway say that it is explicitly copyrighted. It just is. This is not my opinion, this is fact. 

If you want pictures there are many creative commons sources that you can search where people have chosen to allow their pictures to be used. Flickr has a fabulous one. 

Frankly, as a hobby photographer nothing is more frustrating than the people who think they can take them and just link back to me. Don't steal. It's a very simple concept and yet...


----------



## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

I agree with olivehill on this one. Ask the person who the picture belongs to. You can never go wrong asking permission first.

If someone wants to use photos from my website, they need my permission first plus they need to link the photo back to my site.


----------



## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

I was not saying it HAD to be watermarked or protected to have a copywrite. It is true about anything, writing or music also. That is why the sites that offer Free images are a good option. The links I put up on the other post, are FREE because the photographer has offered them on public domain sites. Also on Flickr in the Creative Commons, there are photos that are also able to be used. Just provide a link back to the site. I put photo source under the photo that is a clickable link. It is perfectly legal and the photographer wants you to do it, because it brings them more traffic to the site. And maybe someone may pay for one of the images they are selling. Goodness, I have enough people using my photos on their blogs and groups, but as long as they upload it on their own site to use it, I don't get all upset about it. Most of my photos are my own on my blogs.


----------

