There are some questions that always seem to come up in my conversations with my web design clients and blogger friends again and again.
Some of them are complicated. “How exactly do you make a living online?” is a question that needs more than a blog post to answer.
But they're not all that complex, and “I'm not sure how to credit images on a blog” is one that I hear a lot, tucked away at the end of a conversation. It's a throwaway question, asked hesitantly.
And you probably already know why.
Manyof thequestions that nag at us are ones we feel like we should already have answered.
So let's take a stand.Shame has noplace in your blog or your business.(tweet it!)
That means we'regoing back to basics today, with a quick and simple formula on how to credit images on a blog or website. Because we're not going to let a little thing like this hold you back from success!
But let's take a step back and ask: why should youcare?
I'm not talking aboutknow why you think you probablyshould care. I know that you know that people made those beautiful images! And not for bloggers to harvest out of google images.
One of my favourite pieces of dating adviceis the campsite rule: to leave the people you date in better shape than they were when you met them, and frankly the Internet needs morepeople acting this way too. So start being one of them today!
If you're a blogger, you're creating content of your own, and it's just as available to be copied or plagiarized as images are. And the bottom line is thatif you wouldn't want someone republishing your posts under their name, you're doing the same thing when youusean image without crediting it.
There's no grey area on this when it comes to copyright. There is no disclaimer in your sidebar that means you're not liable. And asAuthor Roni Loren revealed on BlogHer in January 2015,even casualbloggers can be sued for thousands.
So, if you've ever used an image from Google Images, start removing them or deleting old posts. Even a few a day makes a difference.
And keep adding new posts using images that arethe right side of the law.
Wondering How You Should Credit Images? SwipeMyFormula!
The best part about this is that it's really simple. Here's exactly how you should credit images.
When You Know Who Made It& Have a Link to the Original:
Image by Artist / PhotogName, linked to where it was originally posted
How This Looks “In The Wild”
If you were going to use thisimage from my Instagram feed in your post, you would credit itdirectly under the image like this:
Image by Kyla Roma
Why This Works:
- The creator's name is clearly shown by the image. Kyla Roma's Instagram Account or a variation would be equallycorrect.
- The link takes you directly to the earliest original source you can find.
- The link goes beyond linking to Instagram.com, KylaRoma.com, or a user'sprofile URL and links directly to theto the original post or page where you found the work.
.
When You Know Who Made It,Have a Link to the Original and Found It Through Another Website:
Image by Artist / PhotogName, linked to originalimage via Where you found it, linked to that
How This Looks “In The Wild”
If you were going to use a differentimageof my dog Mal from my husband's (video game filled!) Instagram feed in your post, and you found it through the postyou're reading now, you would credit itdirectly under the image like this:
Image byBroximar via Kyla Roma
Why This Works:
- The creator's name is clearly shown by the image.
- The link takes you directly to the earliest original source of the image you can find.
- The link goes beyond linking to Instagram.com, KylaRoma.com, or a user'sprofile URL and links directly to theto the original post or page where you found the work.
- The way you found the imageis clear, which is especially helpful when you're sharing work found through a favourite blogger's roundup posts or a news site.
If You Took the Photo:
Go crazy! This is one of the best reasons to work on your photography skills as a blogger. I took the image for this post at a museum, and because the work is over 70years old copyright isn't a factor.
Otherwise…
If there's a grey area, don't post it. Don't waste time, or risk it – find a picture that works, and keep moving on up.
It's next to impossible to find a blogger who has a perfect record, we were all beginners once after all.(Myself included!) But this is an aspect of blogging where you can take a limitation and use it as motivation to be as professional as possible. If you makea strong foundation, who knows where you could end up!
Where do you get confused byimage crediting? Have you had experiences with people swiping your work, or do you have questions?
I'm not a lawyer, but I'vebeen on the Internet long enough to have had my writing, photography, and even a few of mycomplete blog designs plagiarized. I'm happy to share my experiences in the comments if they're helpful.
