A while back, I went on a bit of a rant-slash-tongue-lashing about bloggers and people in social media who don’t properly attribute their sources (“Credit Where Credit is Due: aka Stop Screwing People“).
It got a lot of attention, from people who thought I was a heroine and those who thought I was just being mean.
(BTW, I was humbled in a big way after failing to properly source some photos I used in “Keith in Real Life” and still feel terrible about it…it’s now fixed, but boy did that put me in my place!)
But most of you just wanted advice on how to do it properly, including this question that I got from Clarice at A Crumb Falls.
Technically this is a blogging question. I understand the importance of giving other sources credit. However, I hate the way it looks to add “(source)” when using a picture from another site. Is it enough to hyperlink the picture? Should I create source footnotes at the end of a post? I’ve done all of these things, but haven’t settled on what I like best. What are your thoughts?
I have some ideas that I’ll share at the bottom, but I decided to take the question to Twitter:
And here’s what some of you said:
I love getting your feedback because I think so much about blogging is knowing what’s right for your audience (and while I often issue blanket statements and tips, I hope you always take them as jumping off points for your own work!)
Here are some of my thoughts:
- In general, I like to see sources listed as close to the reference as possible. So captions under photos (with links, whenever relevant), asterisks with notes provided after the next line break or further information provided in parentheses.
- When I’m not directly using material from a source, but I have relied on it for a large chunk of information, I like to provide links to “more resources” or “further reading” at the bottom of the post. I often put those links in blockquote so they stand out (like footnotes).
- While I think hyperlinking to the image source is a nice touch, I don’t like it as the only reference to the fact that the images is not your own. I prefer to see the text and link in the body of the post (most people don’t click on images and won’t see that you are not the source).
- One of the things that I think most bloggers are confused about is whether it is better to save and upload other people’s images to their own servers or to actually point the image source to the original host. I know that’s confusing, but it basically comes down to who is hosting the image. The best way to figure out what is right for your source? ASK. But in general, I find that it’s best to save the image and upload to my own website…when you embed photos from another host or point people there, you’re taxing THAT blogger’s server, not your own. But again, ask first. Often, photographers that host on Flickr prefer that you point it to their album, or professional photographers don’t want you to keep a copy of copyrighted material on your own website.
Now it’s your turn…in general, how do you like to see material sourced on other blogs? How do you typically source images and material on your own website?
About Katy
Good question to raise Katy and something I struggled with for some time when I started the blog. I am really careful now and usually source my images from Creative Commons on Flickr or FreeDigitalPhotos, it can take some time to find what I want but there is a wealth of excellent free stuff out there. Always important to check each time to make sure if there are restrictions.
I agree that it’s vital to add the correct attribution and I always do that by way of a section at the foot of each post which links back to the source, it just seems neater that way and I must admit that I’ve never had any feedback from the image owners which would make me question that. To my mind the most important thing is to make sure that it is there and if you are consistent in what you do then people know where to look.
Thanks for the timely reminder Katy
I agree that the source should be as close to the sourced item as possible and called out. I think it looks fine to have a “source” link below the photo. I assume linked photos just take me to a larger version of the photo, not necessarily the original source. But I really appreciate when people take their own photos and it makes the blog look more personal.
I usually use a (source) link if I know where the image is coming from. But usually I either use my own images or images that are all over the Web so I wouldn’t know who the originator was. In that case, I don’t link the source since I don’t know it. If the source is in the picture already, I keep it, but don’t link to it. I’m not sure if any of that is right or not.
Thanks Katy.
Oh look, that’s me up there!
I think it’s very important to link to other sites. Especially in regards to your post itself. I have had a few times where a blogger has clearly lifted an idea from a recent post of mine or even taken a quote from my post with out attributing it back to me. It’s frustrating! I would hope that most bloggers would have the good ethics to give credit. Like you said last time “stop screwing people over!”
Also, like you showed in your post – I always love to explore where people get their pictures or ideas from. There are many blogs I’ve discovered (including yours!) that I wouldn’t have found on my own, because someone linked the work into their blog. It’s a great feeling of a collaborative community!
Oh look, that’s me up there!
I think it’s very important to link to other sites. Especially in regards to your post itself. I have had a few times where a blogger has clearly lifted an idea from a recent post of mine or even taken a quote from my post with out attributing it back to me. It’s frustrating! I would hope that most bloggers would have the good ethics to give credit. Like you said last time “stop screwing people over!”
Also, like you showed in your post – I always love to explore where people get their pictures or ideas from. There are many blogs I’ve discovered (including yours!) that I wouldn’t have found on my own, because someone linked the work into their blog. It’s a great feeling of a collaborative community!
I absolutely agree, you have to give people credit for their work. I am a little confused on the image front, though. I was under the impression that you cannot use someone’s image without permission, even if you do give them credit. Anyone have any ideas about this?
I absolutely agree, you have to give people credit for their work. I am a little confused on the image front, though. I was under the impression that you cannot use someone’s image without permission, even if you do give them credit. Anyone have any ideas about this?
I absolutely agree, you have to give people credit for their work. I am a little confused on the image front, though. I was under the impression that you cannot use someone’s image without permission, even if you do give them credit. Anyone have any ideas about this?