How to get free images for your blog (and not get sued for copyright)

When I need an image it is so tempting to take a look at Google images and quietly include this in your posting.

  by  Tony Crider 

This is seen by the photographer and agents as simple theft. 


Do you want the huge risk of legal action? (It was rumoured that companies like Getty Images protect themselves by employing students to look for images that break the copyright law and sue you heavily) 


Unless someone specifically grants you rights to use a given image, every picture taken in the United Kingdom (and in most other countries) is considered to be under copyright protection, and the property of the person who took that picture. 
Even if you paid for a photo-studio shoot it probably is not your image and you might have to pay again to use it online.

Let me stress something here – this is serious, you really can get sued, and if the person has taken the right steps in copyrighting their picture, you could have to not only pay them a huge amount for stealing their image, you could also be charged damages, which could be serious amounts of money!

Shall we look at a safe way to avoid this issue? And we can

1. Laboriously negotiate payment for rights with the photographer or broker
2. Go to sites that sell rights for pictures and pay them for the images that you use 
3. Try using creative commons-licensed content and follow the restrictions specifically placed on each particular image.

The most affordable way is  using 'Creative-Commons' licensed images. Creative Commons is a non-profit system that offers an alternative to full copyright. Basically, it’s a special licensing system that allows people to use content without the hassles of negotiation, licensing and fees. It’s worth spending a few minutes studying the different options available through Creative Commons at http://www.creativecommons.org

If you want a simple way to have these imgaes you can always go to:

 Creative Commons 

http://search.creativecommons.org/

 or Flickr 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/creative_commons-_free_pictures/discuss/72157623985875133/

Flickr have over 13,000 images in the pool and it very important that you understand creative commons licenses when using. Just because they are creative commons licenses, doesn't mean they are available to do anything with.

A good easy page to look at is this one that lists all creative commons licenseswww.flickr.com/creativecommons/

All of these are creative commons licenses (you will see the symbols that can be found on every image on Flickr . The symbols can be seen on the right hand side of the image page under the tags). There are 2 licenses you cannot change in any way. These are the ones with the " = " symbol. The others you can use in your artworks.

If you use the Attribution license (the top one) you can set any license you want to your works including copyright.
(**Note this is the easiest & safest one to use**)

If you use non- commercial (this is the "$" sign with a line through it) -you are not allowed to use in commercial works.

If you use the share alike (this is the backward " c" symbol) - you must assign a share alike license to your works.

Even print out the page & keep alongside you when searching for images. Just always remember never use anything with a "=" sign in your works & please let Flickr know if you find any in the pool.

OK so how do we find the right images, FREE and avoid legal action?

1) Go to http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/

2) Enter the object you are are searching for and a selection of available images will appear

3) Do not use any of them as the image merely being on Flickr does not allow you to use it

4) Top right is advanced search, select this and you should click your mouse at the bottom of the advanced page on Creative Commons 

Creative Commons-licensed content for commercial use are the boxes 
you need to check and then hit search

Now you can start to select that favourite picture and you will have to search through to get a great image (cost you nothing)

5) Click on the image you like and have a preview 

6) Bottom right you will most likely see that some right are reserved and now we will check these terms out by clicking on the link 'Some rights reserved' .

You must have some understanding of the licenses or could find yourself getting complaints.

7) You are now off to the Creative Commons (CC) site as a double check that you are allowed to use this image.

8) The CC site will probable call the image a Generic 2.0 image and that is precisley what we wanted.

This should have a web-page heading  'Attribution-Share A like 2.0 Generic' which simply

  is all jargon that means you can share it, remix, alter the image, copy, distribute and transmit the image.

9) Look out for the details that say must be attributed and in particular how it should be attributed.

10) You might see some precise instructions and on others it says attribute and that is all.

If the image is vague then we can utilise this find in different ways as the owner has not been bright enough to leave instructions for an attribution statement (I will do another posting on how you should present your attribution statement)

It is courtesy to include CC for Creative Commons, Flickr, the photographer with links to their personal profile and this can be near the image or at the bottom of the page.

11) My advice is that you:  

• Make sure you understood the license correctly
• Get the correct HTML code for the IMG tag
• Link the image back to the Flickr photo page
• Give the author of the image proper credits (Attribution)
• Link to the Flickr profile of the author
• Link to the license the image is licensed under

The solution http://www.imagecodr.org/get.php (note no e in coder)

With ImageCodr.org, there is no need to do all this manually, you simply enter in the URL of the picture page (as seen in your browser) you are interested in and ImageCodr.org will generate the ready to use HTML code. It will also display a brief and easy license summary, so you don't get in legal trouble because you missed something. Now your whole attribution statement is done with code to put straight into your blog.


Proper attribution is the only price you need pay and the rest is all trust.
Trust is key and you must attribute at every use of a CC image. I would suggest that you tag each CC image, keep an attribution statement and store them in Picasa or Lightroom. picasaweb.google.com I like Picasa for one BIG reason and that is the simple fact it is FREE!


Now tag with great detail and include that all important attribution code for simple later use.
Have a good look as you might go through 10 or 20 pages to get a great image and if this helps you get 90% of your images it will save you a fortune.

How to win Internet friends and make business happen

Why are we busy getting involved in blogging or social networking in general?


At Netbods we think about social media as a strategy to enhance your existing marketing and business goals, not as a solution all on its own.


I expect we might dress it up as branding, relationship building and really we want more business.
Whatever the real reason you are involved in your daily pursuits all I say is if you really want more business stop talking about products and services, people don’t care about them. People only care about themselves and they care deeply about their problems. Talk about solving their problems, instead of talking about (unless you are just having fun) yourself.




FIRST STEPS
You can’t do it all by yourself. Demonstrate mutually beneficial relationships and give first, then evaluate what you get back.


Do not Tweet or post about everything (unless having fun) as just one niche mastered online with a webinar teaching others about that niche works very well as long as the content you promote is good content within your niche and it serves others well.


WRITE A GOOD PROFILE/BIO
 Being clear on your online persona is key so invest and get yourself properly interviewed either by a professional interviewer or writer, or if you don’t have the budget for that, by a friend a coffee (or something stronger) and ask them to interview you. If you have a bottle of wind please ensure they ask you questions that relate to your personality and expertise (easy to lose the plot).


In creating your persona for the Internet the questions are simply looking at your unique and existing benefits. 
What do you already have that others don’t?
What you have that you may take for granted?
What gives you an advantage over others?


DO NOT RUSH
We are looking for different things online, the starting point for all is the same as we must establish trust and make friends.


 Online trust is a slow burn, it grows organically by having quality 1 on 1 conversations with people over time. Consistent, steady and takes time to get right. Find and identify gifted up and comers, help them launch and you gain a lifelong advocate. It’s not about who has the most connections, it’s about who has the most rabid advocates.


BE A TRUSTED RESOURCE
Create a blog, make an Internet TV show, an online magazine, etc… that entertains people. Become a regular trusted resource. When getting material seek out those with an existing profile Become a systematic person in your online approach in getting to know the individuals that are already on the path you are about to take. Focus on those that are already successful  and get to know them, ask for an interview and include this as we all like to find out how they did it.


By remarking and making comment on other peoples postings you will soon build a community of readers. Find new topics that are thought provoking and conversational. Self expression is the new form of entertainment. Use conversational topics.


MONITOR WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
The best use of your time is to connect with your customers first. Be there for them the moment they need you. Set up an alerts system to monitor what people are saying about your company.
Share ideas liberally and respond to all feedback as accountability gets you to complete and improve your ideas. Let everyone know what you are up to.


UNDERSTAND THE READER
 We are all media producers, learn mass media styles and apply it in the context of social media. Learn to be a story teller and imagine you are writing a personal letter to a friend. Understand the psychology of the people you are talking to. Use it to create quality content. Step out of hum-drum as you need to shake things up, change the world, at least your world. The rest will wake up and pay attention. At Netbods we like to get people out of ritual and routine by waking the reader up with a spot of trauma


BECOME A STORY TELLER
Its all about your passion, who you are and what you bring to the table. Think about the authenticity and consistency of your voice off and online. The story you tell should have a deep connection. This will make people listen to what you post and create conversations around you and build you on other networks. Engage with new networks, build trust, make friends and create an online community.


WHO DO YOU HANG OUT WITH
Network to other influencers. Make sure everyone is aware of the value you provide. Also help others overcome their challenges. Get active on other peoples communities. Get off of your space and get on their space, spread your influence by being where your voice can be heard and is relevant.


CONVENTIONAL THINKING IS A THING OF THE PAST
 Get rid of conventional views of influence. Influence by dialog, don’t try and compete, admire. Change your mind instead of trying to change the minds of others. Engage people instead of trying to win the debate. Don’t think about your influence, think about their influence. Talk about the things you are knowledgeable about as content is king, influence will come when you provide content in which you know what you are talking about.




START WITH THE END IN MIND
Think about your gifts, your passions, and your expertise in your field that you can share to help others. By understanding what your audience needs you can build things that will help them.


MOVE OFFLINE
At a later stage seek a market is not offline and surround your online marketing with speaking events or if the budget allows you to venture into local radio talks, advertising and even TV news will tackle your audience offline.


SPACED REPARTITION 
We broadcast to time poor people with a mass of knowledge to absorb so never be afraid to swap you postings from one blog that you run to another and repeat your tweets. I repeat mine 5 times every 10 hours, and still get the same amount of click throughs on all of them.
Rather than churning out garbage you would be best to repeat pearls of wisdom and build influence by building something worth talking about. Unique, and awe inspiring. Be on track with what others might envy.


HAVE FUN
Make people around you more successful than you. Be able to laugh at yourself, do not be afraid to be vulnerable.


SET UP A FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK
Facebook is great for business, not just for personal use and please set up a fan page.


As Yaro Starak – Blogger, Entrepreneurs Journey says
"Increase your digital influence by talking about other people. Them most important person to someone is themselves. So talk about those who you want to influence and build a relationships with, get their attention. People love hearing about themselves."


Also Robbin Phillips - Brand on Fire says
" It is not about digital, it is about people. Use passion conversation instead of product conversation. Talk about the stuff you are passionate about, not the products. Let your passions shine, who you are and what you stand for online. This enables you to create meaningful relationships"


Jason Falls – Social Media Explorer says
" Simple strategy using Twitter and Facebook: Share good content consistently from all over the web. People are interested in good content, so share good stuff, whether it’s yours or not"


Read the online versions of Reuters, Daily Telegraph, The Times, WSJ and look for breaking news in your sector and be the very first to report a unique version to your followers

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YOUR BUSINESS YOUR LIFE YOUR WAY

Develop a successful, long-term business as a website

 consultant for yourself with Netbods’, some of the world’s leading companies have used  the services of our team.  Franchises are available throughout the UK, Ireland, UAE, and North America

Netbods.net the franchise  

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the fastest growing Internet franchise companies on the PLANET.  

Every great business has to start with a great website and Internet marketing advice or it could face extinction 

With an unrivalled product and enormous market potential, netbods.net offers a high-income potential business - all you need is the desire to succeed.

Who are we looking for?

Confident, determined self-starters who enjoy marketing, making presentations and developing an expanding customer base. 

The netbods system delivers the very best training in the Internet sector today and full training is provided, you do not need any technical skills or specific sales experience – just a passion for meeting people and helping them to understand how a well marketed website can improve their business.

Our Proven Business Model

Often referred to as a “White Collar Franchise,” Netbods Internet Business Consultants deliver Internet Marketing Solutions to large organisations, medium and small sized businesses worldwide by leveraging our exclusive, patent-pending Life@ctivator system – our blueprint for developing effective solutions.

Become a Netbods Internet Business Consultant

Whether your background is in general business or sales and marketing, if you follow Netbods proven system you will build and expand your client base and achieve recurring revenue streams. 

Netbods successful business, marketing and Internet solutions are driven by a team who have worked with clients such as Heinz, Mars, BBC, BT, Youngs Seafood and many many more.

You will work at board level using the very best tools, best practice, products and comprehensive operational and superb marketing support.

Netbods Unlimited Opportunity

As a Netbods Internet Marketing Consultant you will be at the vanguard of a global network, you will have the personal and professional independence, freedom and lifestyle that you deserve. 
Your business is scalable, operates with flexibility and in return for effort will be a profitable business.
The list of household names that our team work with are not just a coincidence and you can deliver the same strategy and a definitive formula for your clients success. You will in turn secure long-term business growth and profitable client relationships by identifying and delivering the right Internet solutions, driving qualified traffic to your clients’ websites and converting visitors into paying customers. The resulting predictable, income will enable you to accomplish the chance to build a wall of financial security, for yourself and your family.

No specific business experience is required for the Netbods Internet Business Consultant franchise business. Netbods offers its franchisees the most complete and comprehensive training  available in the world today. 

Netbods mentors/coaches according to the unique and individual needs of each new franchisee.

Netbods Benefits 

For your franchise fee starting around £5995, you will receive world-class coaching ongoing HQ and marketing support; your own web presence on our company’s domain; and a lucrative position within a local area.

Become a part of the team of Netbods Internet Business Consultants, we are from all backgrounds and share an  entrepreneurial spirit.

We need to share your managerial skills and business development capabilities to create a brand leader.

We welcome you to a place of amazing profit, professional freedom and personal success.

What does the business package include?

Everything you will need for a successful launch and a fast start in your business!

1. Comprehensive 4 day induction training course
2. Extensive protected franchise territory
3. Business laptop with all proprietary software installed
4. Presentation website, Sales Portfolio and full range of marketing materials, inc. business cards, letterheads, brochures and leaflets
5. Businesses database and access to an e-CRM system
6. Not to mention the back up from a fantastic team of experts
7. Business stationery, Customer order, in-house payment and invoicing system - and much more!

 Call +44 (0) 845 056 9325 

 email netbods@gmail.com for more details

http://www.netbods.co.uk/ 

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