Danger Will Robinson! Think Before You Pin!

Danger Will Robinson! Think Before You Pin!

Pinterest Safe Pinning rules can help you from making BIG mistakes with copyright violations.

So many social media sites and so little time!

Learning yet another social media platform is almost too much for anyone today.  It seems like we just get comfortable with how things run on facebook, twitter or Google+ and they change the format along the rules so it's like a never ending journey of new information. I am sorry to say this is the norm and in the 21st century as the Cosmic Shift Happens™ this is just the way things are going to run, constant change. 

We are living in a beta test world and the destination is yet to be determine so strap in, learn the rules, buckle up and hang on. 

Read this post on how 11 huge brands are using Pinterest.  I have a breaking story about Kate Spade and her team pinning a Martha Stewart  St. Patrick's Day straw and forgetting to give her credit or link back to her blog post.  Now this could be a SERIOUS copyright issue which you should be aware of.  It might be gone on Pinterest by the time I publish this post however, it was there at publishing and you can see the screen shots below. 

This is the first in a series of posts on Pinterest, both the good and the bad. Take the time to read about different venues and decide after doing your own research if a platform works for you or not. 

In the blogosphere there are many types of bloggers with individual styles who have similar messages however, their information is presented in a different way some you will like this and some of you won't.  Pinterest has taken on a love/hate position with many involved in social media so this post is to share the WARNINGS and DANGERS involved at Pinterest taking place right now with HUGE players possibly not understanding the rules.  Therefore .. please take some time to read the links for more powerful information and learn for yourself how you might be able to use this platform to share your message.  Don't let FEAR take away something that could possibly be fun and profitable if you KNOW and USE the rules found in all copyright situations. 

Pinterest appears to be the latest greatest new fad taking off faster than facebook or google+ during the same initial beta releases.  Inman Next has done several webinars showing how real estate agents can use Pinterest in their business to connect with people.  Follow the Inman link to see the webinar and what they are sharing about Pinterest.  If you create your own blog posts, you take your own pictures and know your community and what it has to offer this is the perfect place for you to share that information that YOU create yourself.  You can link to your community websites and pin activities to help the consumer find out more about your neighborhood through Pinterest.

Pinterest is VISUAL, it's fun and you can spend hours clicking on the photos (whien linked to correctly posted) websites where you can learn all about something you are interested in.  The graphics are what stimulate the desire to find out more about the picture and what it represents. Your mission, should you accept it, is to provide beautiful photos of your area and homes so that people will want to click through the picture and see what you are selling, contact you and a relationship has been established.  Important note:  Check with your Broker about your company listing agreements and how they are handling marketing in social media and if photos of their home will be allowed on the Internet.  The TOS or Terms Of Service of different platforms might be shared with the seller but checking with your Broker for you company policy is a MUST before posting or pinning anywhere on the Internet. 

If you are taking your own photos to market a home then use the pictures to SELL the property.  Think about not getting so concerned with FEAR that someone is going to take your picture.  Your job is to SELL the house not worry about the picture.  Thiefs are going to be thiefs, if they want your photo they are just going to find a way to get it. Put your name on the photos or watermark them and it will keep honest people honest just like a lock on a door.  If someone wants to get in they will figure out a way to do it.

The GOOD news is learning is less than an hour investment in time to figure out how Pinterest works and how fun it is. 

The BAD news is you can get in real copyright trouble if you are pinning photos and images that are not yours and have not been approved for pinning... so learning the rules of "proper pinning" is of up most importance.

Advertising Lawyer Brian Heidelberger Shares How Brands Can Use Pinterest Without Breaking the Law.  He says:

"We're not going to kid you, this risk reduction strategy will significantly limit your ability to pin and re-pin content found on Pinterest to your company's brand page. But unfortunately the way consumers are currently using Pinterest just isn't the same way that your brand will likely be able to use it, given that a brand's commercial use will be much more attractive to potential plaintiffs. Pinterest attempts to limit its own legal liability by providing in its terms that users are only supposed to post or pin content that they own or that they have the right to post. From a practical matter, this may give Pinterest some legal protection, but the same legal protections will not likely protect your brand page since you are directly pinning the images"

Another helpful article shared by American Express talks about how a small business can be damaged by Pinterest so reading it is all part of the learning curve which will help you determine whether you want to participate or not based on your own investigations. 

The rest of the Kate Spade pinterest board story..... I read the post  on how 11 big brands were using Pinterest and saw them talk about Kate Spade and her boards.  I went to the boards and found a cute St.Patrick's Day Straw in an orange soda.  I did pin it and saw the message from Martha Stewart's team letting her know that the pin should link back to their website.   The link went to a tumblr site with Martha's Straws. I deleted my re-pin from the Kate Spade board and went to Martha's site to pin where she had the "pin it" link for anyone to pin and link back to her page.  This could possibly be a genuine copyright violation because they took the graphic without the link back to the original post.  If the big guys are doing this and it certainly could have been an unfortunate mistake, it is a red flag that others could be doing it in ignorance.  PLEASE be careful as there is DANGER Will Robinson.  The same photo had been re-blogged on Tumbler 158 times and each person was linking the Martha Stewart graphic to their own websites.  THAT is a NO NO. 

Bottom line is to be careful with what you are re-pinning and making sure it links back to the source and you have the right to re-pin. 

 If you want to share you content install a "Pin it" button and people can pin away.  Martha Stewart had the pin it button right on her site and it would have been so easy for the Kate Spade team to just use that button.  Maybe a team member saw the shamrock straws on Tumbler and had no clue they were Martha's straws...... you see how convoluted this can get.  Just be careful and look for the "pin it" buttons when pinning content that is not yours. 

           

More articles on the "Everything Pinterest" board with both the good and the bad of what is going on today with Pinterest.

 

       

Cosmic Cow Pie

Carra Riley