Pinterest is everyone's newest favorite social network, I think we'd all agree. However, this morning, after much debate, my mom and I decided to delete all of our lovely pinboards...just like that and they're gone. Why, you may ask? Take a moment to hop over to this article and you'll see that Pinterest can be a risky place where copyright is concerned {here is a bit more reading if you're interested}.
However, we still love Pinterest, and also love to see our projects pinned and inspiration shared with those who might not come across our blog directly {so, feel free to pin from our blog following our guidelines}. So we've added a little Pinterest info to our FAQ, and you can link over to it with our new Pinterst Friendly Blog button:
Pin It
Yes, we will be creating new pinboards, however, in the future we will only be pinning things we have permission to pin, either by asking the owner of the content, or from blogs and websites that have given permission for their work to be pinned. For some more Pinterest etiquette, read this post too!
If you're a blogger or a pinner, we encourage you to think before you pin, and spread the word, it would be a shame for someone to discover that they've pinned content they shouldn't have because there could be serious repercussions. Consider adding some Pinterest FAQ to your blog, and feel free to add our Pinterest Friendly Blog button to your site, if you'd like others know you like having your work pinned too!
Please Note: I am not trying to discourage anyone from using Pinterest, just encouraging everyone to make sure they are pinning images they have a right to pin {when in doubt, just ask permission from the image owner!}! We will continue pinning, but will be making sure we have permission before doing so, it was just easier to start new boards than go through the old ones. And feel free to pin from Clover & Violet, just follow our guidelines!
I recently wrote a similar blog post and cited this article: http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-copyright-issues-lawyer-2012-2?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sai
ReplyDeleteSo far I have removed a ton of stuff. Most of what I have left up are tutorials. I figure those just get the blogger more traffic but I'm still thinking about commenting on each of their blogs and asking permission to make sure.
I hate when people pin things and don't give credit or a proper link so that the blogger gets traffic. It feels like they are stealing an idea. I do find a lot of inspiration there and have found a lot of really neat blogs to visit and I always tell them how I found them. Your right though it is a little tricky when it comes to copyright and some people pin so many things every day with no credit given you have to wonder what else they do with their time. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI know, it's scary, isn't it? I've been thinking of doing the same thing. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! I haven't joined pinterest (only because I KNOW it will suck me in! lol! I have too many already that do that!), but I shared this with a friend who just joined and has a website-I hope this will help her and others from getting in trouble!
ReplyDeleteAs I have a photog business I appreciate it when things are copyrighted and not stolen!
Great job ladies for all your work!
Thank you Jennie, I left a comment on FB. I completely missed the point of Pinterest, but I have really enjoyed and it never occured to me not to pin up my own things....It is good that these discussions have come up and correctiva action is employed before many folks find themselves in legal trouble. I appreciate your time and care with sharing the articles. Hugs to you and Clara!
ReplyDeleteOkay I have a question. I am not signed up with Pinterest, but people have been taking pictures from my two blogs and have assigned them to two pinboards under my blog names. I have never given permission even though it says right on my blog to ask permission. Can they do that?? It is interesting that I have had a lot of visits because of the repinning, but I'm not exactly sure that I want everything passed around ??!!?
ReplyDeleteNo, they really shouldn't be pinning without permission.
DeleteYou can disable all pinning from your site, find the details here, just scroll to the bottom.
Personally, I like people pinning from our blog as it brings new traffic, and it should link back to our blog. However, I think people should be aware that they are potentially infringing on copyright by pinning content they do not have permission to pin.
I understand, I refuse to repin anything that has been pinned from Etsy or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I don't belong to Pinterest. I spend too much time on the computer as it is! I do, however, get a good bit of traffic from Pinterest because people have posted some of my projects. I assumed that Pinterest required a url linking back to the photo's source. If they don't, they should.
ReplyDeleteI've seen numbers of professional photos with the owners' information printed on it to prevent people from using it without giving credit. That seems like a pretty good solution if one wants to ensure a link back.
Lately most of the Pinterest comments I see are along the lines of, "it's sucking up too much of my time," and "I spend too much time looking and pinning when I should be doing." Not the kind of comments that make me want to get started anyway.
Oh boy. This is really something to think about and sadly, I have sort of gone with the flow. I actually just posted today a recipe that was on pinterest, that I am making for dinner tonight. Gosh, now what to do. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week. Sincerely, Trish
Thank Jennie...You know, I've just decided to make my life simpler...one less thing to look at. =) have a great day!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the heads up! I have put your Pinterest Friendly Blog button on my blog. Thank you so much for giving us permission to do that! (I'm not smart enough to come up with one myself.)I always feel so complimented when someone pins something I've posted. Now they can feel comfortable doing that. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI really not sure I understand the controversy. Even if I am a librarian and understand copyright. I see pinterest as a visual bookmarking sight. All of my pins link back to their original link. To me it is a visual link to a website. I've discovered new blogs this way. Maybe there is a way people are using other's content inappropriately through pinterest. However I don't see how it differs from doing a visual search through Google. Plus there is the ability to opt out from being available to pin. That is fine with me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Colleen. I don't see it as very different than a Google image search. It is just like your "bookmarks" or "favorites", it's just adds an image to the link. Is the issue just that it's public?
DeleteColleen & Rebecca, the issue is that by pinning, you agree to Pinterest's terms that you have the right to distribute the image. It isn't about linking back to them correctly or anything like that, it really comes down to the fact that if they don't want you to pin their images, you cannot. It is a similar issue to blogging someone else's photos, you can read more about that here.
DeleteAgain, I'm not trying to tell anyone Pinterest is wrong, just cautioning everyone that they should only pin things they have permission to pin.
Jennie, you finally convinced me! I also removed my pins today after reading your post since I have been on the fence for a while. I enjoy Pinterest so much and it was a tough choice, but I fear that the situation may devolve into a Napster-like fiasco with pinner's being sued much like the music downloaders were. Let's hope that won't be the case, though! I also posted about this on my blog here:
ReplyDeletehttp://echinopsaster.blogspot.com/2012/03/auf-wiedersehen-to-pinterest-for-now.html
Is it ok if I pin your button and link to this post on Pinterest?
Pin away! As I said in the post above, I don't mind people pinning from this blog, just cautioning everyone about pinning without permission! :)
DeleteI deleted all of my pinboards too. I would rather be legal. I do still go and look around Pinterest but I doubt I'll be pinning anymore.
ReplyDeleteSamantha, you don't have to quit pinning...just make sure you have permission to pin before you do! :)
DeleteI read that same article even though I don't have a Pinterest. It's pretty scary to think that any legal recourse could be on a single person instead of their site. I hope that this talk that's been generated about it helps make the site a better place and the slew of lawsuits that Napster users saw will not happen.
ReplyDeletePintrest is a great place for sharing of ideas (which is what our blogs are) when I pin I do as you suggest let the site owner know via comment that its wonderful and I pinned it. 2nd make sure that when you pin you go directly to the url specific post of the item you want to pin not from the main page of the blog where the article just happens to be up (clicking on the title of the post will accomplish this) The reason for this is when I come back to the post or some one loves the picture I pinned they can come back to the exact post I found that picture on.
ReplyDeletehttp//richardquilts.blogspot.com
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