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How NOT to steal pictures...

Reblogger Mike Jaquish
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Realty Arts NC Broker License #235526

I wasn't too crazy about Reblogging when it was announced, but I guess I have a real thing about the concept that "If it is on the Internet, it is free."

Good job, Mike Mueller!

Not just the easy laugh, but emphatically spreading the word in an unforgettable way.

Original content by Mike Mueller

File this under Public Service Announcement.

Since nearly every cell phone has a camera, and since advanced editing tools are available for free, it makes no sense to steal a picture from the internet.

I know it’s easy to do.  Just do a Google image search and you’ll find exactly what you need, right?

Once you find the image you can just insert the image via the URL that way you don’t have to worry about uploading it to a server.

That is unless the image was originally put up by someone who had a Google alert for anything linking back to their site.  That would be a bad thing.

Why you ask?

We’ll let’s just say you have a sweet little blog called Faye’s Blog.

You did just that and found the perfect picture and stuck it in your post like this:

It looks nice.  Good job!  

There's one problem though.

The owner of the image (the same one who carefully hand crafted the image Credit Crunch) happens to have a Google Alert set to look for anything that links back to his site.

Within minutes of your post, Google sent that same owner an alert pointing him to your post.

The owner could then substitute yet another image into his server files replacing the original image with something less appealing than what you might have first found.

You can guess this might not be such a good thing.  You see by the owner replacing that image with anything he wants, the new image now instantly shows up in your post!

Oh - Oh!  This isn’t going to look good to Faye’s readers…

Faye’s Bio says…

I’m currently at the University of Aberden doing an MLitt in English Literary Studies.

Good for you Faye. 

Next post I'll show you how to find and properly use pictures you find on the internet.

Active Mike

Are you following me on Twitter?

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Scan the QR Code with your Smartphone to Email MeQR CodeMike Jaquish, REALTOR®

919-880-2769 www.RealtyArts.com

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Independent Broker/Owner, Realty Arts

130 Towerview Court,

Cary, NC

Comments(13)

Mott Marvin Kornicki
Waterway Realtors® • Notary Public & Apostille - Sunny Isles, FL
Miami Notary & Apostille 786-229-7999

Mike-

That very unwanted image swapping has happened to me too. I "clipped a few floor plans from what I thought was "Free for the clipping" and whoooaaa---- within a few days the images of the floor plans were swapped with a VERY unpleasant image that was borderline pornographic and very distasteful. I'm afraid that the unwanted images(s) are still floating around somewhere!

YIKES!

Click Here To Send Me A Message

 

Oct 13, 2008 12:02 PM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

It is amazing to me the number of people who still take images from public websites, flickr or other sources and put them in their posts.  No matter how many warnings are put out on AR or other sites they just keeping on downloading.  I guess it will take a lawsuit aka Lenn Harley to make them stop.

Oct 13, 2008 12:03 PM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Hi Mike

Not every think on the internet is free. There is an issues of ownership and copyrights to consider.

Good luck and success

Lou Ludwig

Oct 13, 2008 12:03 PM
Linda Jandura
Raleigh Cary Realty - Apex, NC
Realtor, North Carolina Buyer & Seller Specialist

Mike,

I think the images on Microsoft that you can download from Publisher are free, since theres' a little button to downloat it and no request for money.   Just have to be sure which site you're on before you download anything.

Oct 13, 2008 12:23 PM
Paul Murskov - NJ Probate Real Estate {Probate, Foreclosure, Bank/Short Sales}
Century 21 Charles Smith Agency, Inc. - Edison, NJ

Dont link to any pictures on any server, because there is always a risk of the server going down or even the unfortunate pciture swap.  Dont dish out on photoshop, but don't cheap out your views with a mediocre image from MS Paint. 

I am not sure if I am allowed to give people information about great photo editing and creating programs, but if you are interested, shoot me a message or associate with me and I will give you a link to a very powerful editing tool that stacks up to photoshop but is absolutely free.

I am in no way affiliated with the program developers or that company, I just use it all the time so please dont think of this as self promotion.

Good post! Good topic!

Oct 13, 2008 12:23 PM
Garren Grup
John R. Wood REALTORS - Naples, FL
REALTOR, ABR, CNE,CDPE, GRI, Naples & Bonita Springs, FL

I agree, it usually has to be first-class before I will reblog!

Oct 13, 2008 12:40 PM
Michael A. Caruso
Surterre Properties - Laguna Niguel, CA

I always check the box that allows my post to be re-posted. But I don't know how to or would I care to re-post someone else's post.

I'm I naive here?

Please remember me if you learn of anyone moving to The OC".

Best regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

Oct 13, 2008 01:05 PM
Rosland Norris
Norris & Norris Properties, LLC. - Augusta, GA
Norris & Norris Properties, LLC.

Great blog, didn't really understand what reblogging was until now. Thanks for the info.

Oct 13, 2008 01:12 PM
Kris Wales
Keller Williams Realty - Lakeside Market Center - Macomb, MI
Real Estate Blog & Homes for Sale search site, Macomb County MI

Yeeears ago I had an agent copy some photos from my website and use them on his.  One day I get a phone call from him (he was irate!) and screaming at me that he was going to turn me in for having my name and contact information on his web page.

When I finally figured out what he was talking about I realized he had copied my logo image and pasted, and when he did that the alt tag that said "Contact Kris Wales @...." carried over with it.  A mouse-over scroll brought it all out onto his screen :-)

Let me tell you, I had to laugh when I told him it was his stealing that caused it and by all means, turn me in to whatever authorities you can think of!!

It was removed that day from his site.

Oct 13, 2008 10:30 PM
Eleanor Thorne
Equity Resources - Cary, NC
Advantage Lending 919-649-5058

Great lesson!  I love Mike too, and I think he will do well with his new position!  Re-Blogging is fun!

Oct 14, 2008 01:21 AM
Mike Mueller
Tech and Social Media Consultant - Walnut Creek, CA

Mike -  Thanks for the Re-blog.  I found this because my Google Alert just popped up!  LOL  I just uploaded the second half of this article, "How to STEAL Images" detailing one of my favorite ways to do it the right way.

Active Mike

Oct 14, 2008 02:52 AM
Mike Jaquish
Realty Arts - Cary, NC
919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Mike M.,

Your stuff is always educational, and I have been reading it for awhile.

This one just hit a nerve, and also made me laugh hard.

I am sending it throughout our office, to help folks who may think the internet is a source of always-free stuff.

Mike J

Oct 14, 2008 03:20 AM
Stanton Homes
Stanton Homes - New Home Builder - Raleigh, NC
Design/Build Custom Home Builder in North Carolina

Missed this one the first time around... another illustration of why doing the wrong thing can come back to haunt you!

Oct 14, 2008 03:27 AM