Double Standards: An Open Letter to the Original Content Only Police
Content of any post can consist of both written and/or images. Yet, when critics cry for original content, they almost always mean the text. There is a HUGE double standard here.
Let me illustrate. How many posts have you read that teach you how to get copyright free images? Lot's right? Here are a few if you haven't.
How I Get Free Public Domain Images For Steemit Articles
There were 53 posts that matched the search results "find copyright free images". Which are the search terms that returned the articles listed above.
(In the interest of full disclosure, I am guilty of swiping google images for my posts too. I've tried to correct that by deleting the imgur reference.)
How many post have you run across that teach you how to acquire copyright free text? I haven't seen any. Conversely there are all kinds of cries for original content, and by "original content" they mean text.
Authors... Steemit NEEDS your original content. Ironically, it looks like the author uses some stock image, that I found in half a dozen places around the internet. Original content?
What is "Original Content" to Steemians? This post made over $300 and appears to use a stock image. Though, to be fair, it's probably a derivative piece, without so much as a nod to the original creators. I found the same image here This popular author contributes excellent content, but one could only imagine the cries if this article had originally been written for Facebook by another author, and they had only changed enough of the wording to make it about Steemit.
Look, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. I am just asking for consistency in the demand for original content, or at least honesty about what is being demanded.
Solution
Create your own image content. Most of you have a camera, and at least rudimentary editing software.
Use Steemit artists and photographers as a source of images with permission of course. Some image content creators may require compensation. I have already seen authors paying for original illustrations in Steem. While other image content creators may only require credit or perhaps a link back. Perhaps artist could post some blogs that consisted of nothing but stock images that writers could use in their blogs with attribution and link back.
Fair or unfair. Let me know in the comments below.
Written by Robert B Kirkpatrick for Steemit.
Please read more of my work at Neopatriarch's Steem Page
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Yup. That is why I use my own photos, or screenshots only. I write my own texts, and I illustrate them on my own. I mean sure, it is easy to get some royalty free stock images. But I'd rather be original. As for text, I'd also like someone to write a guide on fair use. You know, it is legal to quote, even if your work is commercial. People who do not excercisie their rights are gonna lose them. :->
Great reply. As for fair use, I suppose if you were doing a review of a movie, or even a humorous outtake, using a still would not be unwarranted. I cannot think of many other reasons...if perhaps you were writing about a politician, you couldn't be expected to hunt him/ her down to take a pic. So there are some legit reasons to use stock images.
Here is a question:
Would you ever downvote/flag an blog on Steemit for including unoriginal image content?
I am yet to flag anything yet, I think. If I see stuff that I feel is inappropriate, I don't upvote it.
And yeah, I know the value of stock photos, during my time in the TV broadcasting team, finding some stock royalty free photos was part of my job. A very minor part, but nevertheless. :-)
So far I had no reason to add stock photos to my writing, and I am going to keep it that way. I've used a book cover, when I was writing about a book, and a logo of Slashdot and Bitshares, when talking about them. But that is it. :-)
Me too! I have never flagged someone and I have never been flagged. Hopefully that stays the same!
On that note, another steemian once even took an original picture that @condra posted on steemit and re-posted it on steemit as if it were there own! (That one got flagged by someone (I think.))
You are original @xanoxt!
Keep it up!
This point of view seems rare, but it would make the posts a lot more "original."
Excellent post @neopatriarch! I take all my own photos for every post, have someone photograph me, or have another steemian take one for me. That is a lot of photos!
I think that it is certainly a fun adventure, and it definitely adds to the content. I wish more people would do that. (Oh yeah, if I need a digital image, I just draw it.)
Check out this fun shot from yesterday.
Until I got a photo of an Armadillo, I wasn't ready to do my post about how they could give you leprosy. Since I got the photos yesterday, I could post it today.
(Plus, I usually add one of me at the end just for proof!)
Oh, cool. I've had a tiny toy armadillo that I had in my hat. Funny story, a girl once told me that I was a bad man, because I had a hat made of armadillo. And I was like o.0, it isn't made of armadillo!
Anyhow cool, photo! :-)