As a new blogger this year, I admit that I was hesitant to start adding content to the digital world for many reasons. But the most pressing reason was that I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s not like riding a bike or driving a car. There’s no license to obtain or a certificate to earn, but there are rules and guidelines to follow. And I’d like to share some of these guidelines with you that helped me avoid a few hazards along the digital highway.
Honesty
When you’re writing about something, be honest and give credit where credit is due. There are so many great topics out there to discuss and some great images, video and text to accompany them, but be careful when including these elements in your blogs. If you want to use these elements, first get permission and second credit the sources.
When it comes to text, consider linking to the source as well as crediting the source in your post. Since I can’t cite the source as I would in a research paper, I try to do the next best thing and provide my readers access to the source when at all possible. Otherwise, I’ll provide as much information as I can, so the reader can find the source easily.
For images and videos, I try to create my own content wherever possible. If I cannot create my own content, then I obtain permission from the creator to use his/her content or I use copyright-free content. Since I’m a poor college student, I use free sources like Wikimedia Commons to obtain copyright-free images. I also use well-known sites like Google Images to obtain copyright-free images, but I apply one of the usage rights filters provided in the advanced search options on these sites when searching. Depending on your use of the material, there’s a filter for every need.
Google Images, for example, offers five different usage rights filters. The first filter, not filtered by license, will search for all images both restricted and unrestricted. The second filter, labeled for reuse, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy and/or modify the image in ways specified in the license. The third filter, labeled for commercial reuse, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy the image for commercial purposes, in ways specified in the license. The fourth filter, labeled for reuse with modification, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy and modify the image in ways specified in the license. And the fifth filter, labeled for commercial reuse with modification, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy the image for commercial purposes and modify it in ways specified in the license. For more information regarding usage rights for Google Images, visit the related Google Help section.
Do you have a favorite site you like to use for copyright-free content? Let me know. I’m always looking for great sites that will improve my work.
Until next time,
dp
Stayed tuned for more reports on my student adventures in public relations and new media.
Honesty
When you’re writing about something, be honest and give credit where credit is due. There are so many great topics out there to discuss and some great images, video and text to accompany them, but be careful when including these elements in your blogs. If you want to use these elements, first get permission and second credit the sources.
When it comes to text, consider linking to the source as well as crediting the source in your post. Since I can’t cite the source as I would in a research paper, I try to do the next best thing and provide my readers access to the source when at all possible. Otherwise, I’ll provide as much information as I can, so the reader can find the source easily.
For images and videos, I try to create my own content wherever possible. If I cannot create my own content, then I obtain permission from the creator to use his/her content or I use copyright-free content. Since I’m a poor college student, I use free sources like Wikimedia Commons to obtain copyright-free images. I also use well-known sites like Google Images to obtain copyright-free images, but I apply one of the usage rights filters provided in the advanced search options on these sites when searching. Depending on your use of the material, there’s a filter for every need.
Google Images, for example, offers five different usage rights filters. The first filter, not filtered by license, will search for all images both restricted and unrestricted. The second filter, labeled for reuse, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy and/or modify the image in ways specified in the license. The third filter, labeled for commercial reuse, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy the image for commercial purposes, in ways specified in the license. The fourth filter, labeled for reuse with modification, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy and modify the image in ways specified in the license. And the fifth filter, labeled for commercial reuse with modification, will search for images labeled with a license that allows you to copy the image for commercial purposes and modify it in ways specified in the license. For more information regarding usage rights for Google Images, visit the related Google Help section.
Do you have a favorite site you like to use for copyright-free content? Let me know. I’m always looking for great sites that will improve my work.
Until next time,
dp
Stayed tuned for more reports on my student adventures in public relations and new media.
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