My rant for the day

Good point Angela.

I agree Angela, people need to credit other peoples pictures, especially if they know where it came from.

"Can we say copyright?"

Good one Angela, I never post others...I am too proud of my own!!

Yup. Even when they pull photos off of a free site, they should suppress ratings. It seems unfair to get ratings for someone else's work, even if they have permission to use it. My images may not all be of stellar quality, but they are all completely mine.

Very good point!

Agreed!

donna every one who posts their own work should be proud of it.

Norvona some dont care, and the sad thing is they will get by with it, heck they are getting paid to do it

I agree Angela. If I see a web photo I leave the comment..........

I saw this not too long ago and thought it was a neat photo also. I wonder who really took it.

Ada and that is all that matters they are yours! And im sure each one is special to you.
To me seeing a photo that means something to someone is what gather is about.

Not how many photos can i post in a day to rack up as many points as i can.

ah nana that is a good one!

Good point

I agree.

You are so right. And might I add that I have published some today that ARE my own.

Nothing makes me more mad then when I see a stolen, no credit net photo on the top whatever list. Very few of us here are pro photographers, so who cares if you may have a blurr kid or cat pictue! I'd rather see something from YOU than something thats been floating around the 'net for years.

I've commented on a stolen net photo before and just wrote "You didn't take this photo, its from " and I got attacked by that person's minions for "being mean"

It really bothers me and I've gotten into the habit of not commenting on many of them even if they are credited properly. I wish people would take their own photos.

I agree. I also hate it when people get their knickers in a twist because the same photos are giving low ratings. There is a reason for that....it isn't their own, they don't bother to even cite the source, etc.

Amen, Sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad you mentioned it. I hadn't thought about it before but you're right.

BTE--thanks for reading and commenting on my Quick Tips 4 U article. I appreciate it.

I agree with you completely! I didn't even know that this was happening!!!

I agree totally and am in awe when people comment on photos that are just repeats of the last two months photos, posted over and over and over again amid thousands posted by a single person in a very little time.

Does it not seem suspicious when someone posts 3/20 pages of really great photos every day? *(20 photos per page)

<<<<20x300=6000>>>> I wonder how many points 6000 photos are worth.

Did it never cross the minds of those who say "good job" that this person doesn't care if you ask a question, or even if you comment - the points are in the posting and the posting is breaking copyright law but who cares - They don't...

The points are going into their "bank" and Gather is a place for them to make money not friends.

And because Gather is not big enough to police the content, nothing is done about it.

Thanks for bringing this up Angela. I've written on the subject myself and I too am ticked off when one of my carefully taken and lovingly edited photos takes second place to a stolen Internet photo.

I agree in regards to photos or at least give credit where due.

THANK YOU!!!

THis is one thing that drives me crazy! I HATE when I am going through photos and I can see that something is obviously copyrighted.
Actually if I know for sure that the photo is stolen, and they do not site where it came from, then I report the photo.
But even when they do say oh I got this from a free site, and I wanted to share it, then they should have to block comments and ratings to be able to have it up, because they should not be able to get credit just for simply finding and sharing it.

I agree! But I must say that I have never copied and pasted any of my comments even though there are some of them that just say 'nice picture' - 'great shot' etc. Sometimes I just can't think of anything else to say and just wanted to let that person know I was there and liked their photo. And I don't think I have left a comment on anything that was obviously not taken or created by whoever posted it. You can't really say 'good job' on something they didn't do, can you?

So, why, when an obvious copyright violation is flagged, does the "I hate trolls" crowd come out of the woodwork? Even downrating gets a person points, so doing that defeats the purpose. I've gotten to the point that I know who they are, and I just skip opening their photos altogether, no matter how spectacular the thumbnail looks.

The real shame is that these page-push the ones people sweated bullets to get right into Gatheroblivion! I don't know how many times I've put up what I thought was a pretty good photograph only to come back an hour or so later to find myself back on page xxx somewhere because somebody got dump-the-copy-stuff happy. Grrrrr......

hi, i came here via Heather W.'s article where she left your link....the following comment is same i left on her page...

first off, everyone needs to learn the difference between "Public Domain" free to use as long as include original photog copyright info (if available) and "Royalty free" stock images: royalty free stock photography gives the image buyer the option to use the image in as many ways as desired while ONLY PAYING ONE FEE...and of course when posting at any site, the member needs to include the copyright name and year clearly stating it is NOT their work....

Please note: copyright violation is a Federal offense in the USA

also, we serious photogs follow a code of ethics about posting our own work...we watch our colleague's back even if we may not know them personally by letting them know when we find their work posted on the web,or off-line....tho' there are millions of photos posted on the web, those of us who have actively participated on dedicated photo sites for years, help in photo forums,judge contests and have browsed thousands of photos online/in mags/at exhibits, visually recognize many many photos...

don't assume that certain so-called self-proclaimed pro photogs posting here are always who they say they are....they create "personas" and sadly post very recognizable work belonging to other photogs....they scan images from books/mags and also snag them from sites like webshots.com....

serious photogs let their work speak for itself and have no need to embellish their so-called lifestyles....they are not jealous of,nor put down other photogs who want to share their level of expertise in a classroom format group...and they certainly NEVER post the work of others claiming,or allowing others to "Think" it is their own....

at this point you may assume i am aware of such a fraud here at Gather...and you would be right!.....and yes, i have proof of the fraudulent postings past and present complete with the original photog's copyright......

i trust others until they prove otherwise,so it is very sad to learn that trust is broken by someone who is arrogant thinking they have fooled the fools....i had no reason to doubt this person until i saw for myself the fraud.....there is no doubt when you see the original copyrighted photo next to the one posted by the fraud who crops,or clones out the original CR name and year.....even heavy PS filters can't completely disguise the original.....and i am not saying that all photos intended as photo-art using soft filters,etc. posted at Gather are stolen work....i am speaking about a specific member who posts work not their own and claims to be something they are not.....

i will never comprehend those who choose to live without integrity and frankly i do not tolerate it,nor try to make excuses on the person's behalf....

cheers,gayle a photog who follows a code of ethics for life....

Here, here! Well said Angela and Gayle too. It's pretty obvious sometimes when I see something that I know wasn't taken by the person posting it.

I do agree that if you are going to repost something, at least give credit ( if the author/photographer is know) or at least say you found something interesting you found; and are reposting it from elsewhere

I don't post photographs, but if a really good one is posted, I've often opened the pic to see it more clearly. It is interesting that on at least 3 occasions, on threads with comments stating 'This is not your own work' (or words to that effect) - those comments have been removed by the OP.

To my mind, this means that the OP KNOWS what she is doing wrong because she bothered to remove the comment.

There are some greedy and deceitful members on Gather!

I agree with you, I don't check out many pictures that are not from connections, so I don't run into this problem.

Bonnie S....you say, "I don't check out many pictures that are not from connections,so I don't run into this problem.".....sorry, that doesn't make any sense because those posting work not their own at Gather are also connected to many members...maybe even to you!

regards,gayle

Credit is due to whomever takes that shot. There are SEVERAL people on gather who really should not be throwing stones at glass windows about copyright infringment on article as well as photos.

Now I'll get the db1's and nasty comments. What do I care its true.

Gayle, has this person been outed in any articles around gather Id love to know who it is.
I just hate finding that I am commenting on someone so called work that is not their work.

Well...I appreciate this article. The only photos I post that are not mine have either been taken by my camera, been at a family event, or there are a few shots that were portrait shots that I could not have gotten on my own. As for any animal, plant, or scenic shots...all mine.

I agree totally. I posted maybe three web photos of some frogs, and I did say they were web photos, I couldn't give credit to anyone in particular because that info wasn't available, but I did state that fact! There have been a ton of web photos being posted lately, with no credit, or mention that they are web photos. I think that they should make it a rule, a "MUST" that you have to state that, and also, I don't think they should award points for things that aren't yours...I wanted to Say one more thing...I was on another website yesterday, and somebody was using one of my photos as their icon! I only osted that photo to Gather, o someone on Gather stole my picture...I am glad they liked it, but they had no right to do that! OMG!

Angela, I'm feeling guilty now, because I posted a photo I received in email, I did say that was where I got the photo, it didn't have a copyright on it or a photographers name. I really wasn't able to give credit to the photographer.

I greatly admire your photography. There are several others on gather who taKe wonderful photos. I have many of my own but no decent digital camera and no scanner so publishing pictures of my own is difficult.

I know there are a few people who post internet jokes and forwards and some don't say where they got the work, but I think for the most part people aren't really trying to pass off work of others as their own.

I agree with you. The only time I use a photo not my own is in an article. I'll be more careful to caption it. You're right!

I totally agree....

Angel

Well said, Angela. I won't even post to a pic from another site--if I want to see random photos, I can look on the internet myself.

Well said! Plagiarism is not acceptable in any form.

Bravo!

Whether they took it or not, are they not sharing it with the rest of us?

Cheryl B. > are you joking???....sharing work belonging to others without permission or fees is stealing...period!...i don't think you would appreciate someone stealing YOUR income,eh?

To others above who still have in their minds that it is OK as long as credit is given >
NO,IT IS NOT OK TO POST COPYRIGHTED WORK BELONGING TO OTHERS and even worse to let people assume it is your own work....

cheers,gayle

I agree. Sometimes I see pictures and I wonder about them...

too true!

You all make very good points. I know who some of the people you're talking about are, and I agree with what you all are saying. I have posted pages and pages of my original photos on Gather and am very proud of them. It hurts when many people praise someone for a photo whey didn't take when some of my photos (excellent ones, I think) are only getting three or four views.

However, recently, I did some photos essays about places I lived or visited in the far past, and because I took slides during that point of my life, I had no way to illustrate them. (Colorado Springs, Wales, Germany.) For those articles, I used photos from Photo Bucket. I spent hours looking for photos that fit the theme of the article. I specifically stated this and my reasons for doing so in the article as well as tagging each photo with a Stock Photo or Photo from PhotoBucket tag. The pictures I chose (ei. the Waldo Canyon photos from CO), I picked because they looked almost identical to views I have on slides. The one of the view from the top of Pikes Peak looks exactly like I remember it the day I spent 8 hours climbing to the top. (One of the proudest acheivements of my life.) I saw nothing on Photo Bucket about copywrited pictures - so is what I did wrong, since I said they weren't my own and said where I got them? I did not think so at the time, but I wonder after reading this.

It killed me not to be able to use my photos of Germany -- I have slides in great quantities that are far more spectacular than anything I found in Photo Bucket. I would love to be able to share my slides with you, but I can't. I did want the article I wrote to be strong and visual. I wanted you to see what I saw. But I certainly don't want people to mistrust me now, or to think that the pages and pages of photos I have posted that are my own, taken with my own digital camera in recent years, are not really mine.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I would never post something that was not my own. I guess though in regards to looking at and rating the photos, yeah they should post credit but if they do state in their profile a valid reason as to why they cannot and they need the money i don't get overly upset. If my photos could bring someone else money they need I am more than happy to share or give them to them. I am not greedy, I like to help people who haven't been as blessed. I do see why you all are upset and you all have valid points but it doesn't bother me too much. As long as they have it posted somewhere on their site, profile,whereever, I don't worry about it!

Kind of like when I go see bands. Local bands have their own music that is awesome but if they choose to sing a cover song, well it is still a great song! I don't feel they are ripping off the original band. I still enjoy it.

I am not expressing myself well. I SEE WHY YOU are all so upset. I am not upset.

Kimber L. > you don't worry about it as you state because it isn't your income being robbed.....to have a passion for a visual art medium such as photography and to eventually get to a point where you can earn a living from that work only to have it stolen from you is not only deplorable,but interferes with the photog's livelihood !.....

it has nothing...nada...zilch to do with whether or not one considers their self to be greedy or not....what is soooooooooo difficult to comprehend about why it is NOT COOL TO STEAL WORK BELONGING TO OTHERS?????????

~exasperated gayle

Im sure people who need money are also the ones that shoplift and go to jail. stealing someones elses photos is the same thing as shoplifting. Kimber do you think its ok for someone because they need the money to shoplift.

Hell I need money, but i also have integrity a cheap little camera is 50.00 gather is not here as a form of welfare to support those who are not working the guy needs to get a job if he needs money. there are a lot of people here on gather that "need the money" but they are doing this honestly not stealing for profit.

"Whether they took it or not, are they not sharing it with the rest of us?"

Oh, wow! Are you 'F'ing KIDDING me?! Excuse me for a second while I collect my freekin' jaw from the ground! It's a shame we even have to HAVE this conversation, isn't it? Since when is me sharing MY photo considered me GIVING it away??

Gayle and I know a LOT of photographers who put a LOT of time into their work . . . and sometimes receive a measure of recompense and pride from sales of that work . . . ourselves included. Equipment costs money . . . and quality costs time, effort and thought. We present a distinct view of the world from our perspective and are fiercely protective of our rights.

"There are SEVERAL people on gather who really should not be throwing stones at glass windows about copyright infringment on article as well as photos. "
Boy, ain't THAT the fricken' TRUTH!

Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~

I honestly believe the internet is killing art . . . not helping it. Things like stealing (Hey, let's call a spade a spade, eh?) are making true artists fear even sharing their work for exposure. Attitudes like, it's not affecting me are misplaced . . . because they chase away even better work that you might be able to enjoy. Why 'SHARE' someone's work YOU like by posting it? Why not write an article and LINK to it . . . lets people see it anyway, does it not?

yo, Doylester bay bay!....this sho' is jaw-dropping material,eh?...so much so that if this is an *example of evolution,then i suspect in a few more years PLANTS will be Gather members........bad da bing bing !

*inspired by my man, Lewis Black

It's not just photographs that are being stolen. I've seen plenty of people post articles based on information from another source without giving any credit. In one instance the person put a copyright symbol on the work, implying that person wrote the whole thing which wasn't the case.

I have a genealogy site on the web and discovered someone else stole some information on my family and posted it at his site without my permission. I wrote to him and his response was basically, "You should just be glad I'm getting the information out there." I wanted to sue him, but didn't have the time or money.

To clarify, that was without my permission and without citing the source.

Marilyn S.
I agree with your comments regarding Gather points.
Personally I think the entire point thing and rating thing should be eliminated.

I hear you Angela. Actually, it's against Gather terms to upload photos that you do not own the rights to. It says it right on the upload page, but people violate that on a daily basis.

"Things like stealing (Hey, let's call a spade a spade, eh?) are making true artists fear even sharing their work for exposure."

Very true, Doyle, very true. Why do you think I never post any of my fiction on Gather? It's for fear of all my months and years of hard work being stolen with a simple copy and paste function.

I have seen several pictures that are obviously copywrited. Gather should have a report button, or a contact email for these kinds of problems!

i always thought maybe the people posting stock images without captions were just clueless? I do think it is a waste of time and bandwidth. To me, Gather is about expression of creativity...or opinion...or wherever you are.

well to me if you paid to use those stock photos then yes, but i still say give credit to the artist or at the least the site where purchased. if you just picked them up then no. If they are on the free domain site then i say at least give a link to that site. that way not one can say you stoled them

Well said, Angela

Wow! good rant! Only publishing my own stuff, and quality-wise you can probably tell.

Very good points.

Yea, I see your point !! but sometimes it is hard to remember sometimes. As long as they don't use your pic to inter a contest or they make money of it they you can't get to upset over them useing it... You did put it on the net... the world wide info gather of all the world...

Hey, but I see your point tooooo...

Great point sugar. Thanks for bringing this forward.

you are right