Doll Tumblr for pretty BJDs (updated to be less offensive X__x)

Don't see the big deal here as they DO link to the original, so its not like the artist is going completely uncredited.... the blog owner isn't claiming that this is THEIR work.

If you don't want your stuff re-posted on other blogs then err... don't post it on the internet? Surely this type of blog gets your work more hits?

 

As far as I'm aware, its considered acceptable internet etiquette to show and link other peoples work as long as its credited and the blogger isn't trying to claim they own or created any of the pictures. Ideally, this website would put the owners name or whatever under the picture, and I understand why people may be unhappy and ask for their photo to be taken down. But I wouldn't say theyve done anything "wrong", it is very, very common.

 

I'm insulted I'm not on there *cough*

But yeah, they can't re-post an image without the photographer's consent. They have the rights to the pictures.

Edit: Petite, just because it is common, doesn't make it right. Because this person doesn't have the right to the images, he/she has to ask permission to post them.

 

I remember seeing this a while ago. I think this would be terrible if they were not linking to the source, or claiming the photos as their own, but whats the problem with it now?
All it really does in increase the hits for people who have their pictures posted. Its also stated that if you have a problem with your picture being there they will remove it.
It seems perfectly reasonable to me

 

I don't see a problem with it at all. To me it's no more different than sharing a youtube link on your facebook or blog. They aren't trying to take credit for someone else's work, and I read the FAQ and the site is more than willing to take down pictures if the owner doesn't feel comfortable. I agree with petitefilou, it's very, very common.

 

THIS. Of course people are happy that others appreciate what they do - and yes it's good that she's doing credit. I do however think there needs to be VISIBLE credit, even just the text link below too, and that people should be asking for persmission. If she's going straight to the source then she clearly knows how to contact the photographers to ask for permission.

If someone wanted to use my photos I'd be pleased, but I'd definitely expect someone to ask first and SHOW proper credit as well.

Also I'm so tired of the "Be grateful they like it" and "well you may as well expect it". Sure if you leave something out there (virtual or real life) it may get stolen - but that doesn't make it right.

 

Haha yeah, my only problem with the blog is that my photos aren't on it

But re: re-posting without consent... thats not really true when you have put your photo on an IMAGE SHARING website like Flickr? Its like posting a video on YouTube, the POINT is that people can link to it, the site makes it easy and provides the links to anyone, which then sends traffic back to your portfolio and you get more recognition and exposure in the community. THIS IS NOT STEALING GUYS. If you don't understand how the internet works, don't use it.

 

It's not stealing, but just because images are out there doesn't mean they're up for grabs. Of course flickr is a more open website, but I'm sure the person has taken some from DOA (correct me if I'm wrong) and DOA to me is not a sharing site.
I saw some comments about people wanting to keep their own images on their own website and I am sure there are many more. And you can't possibly know your image has been posted unless someone links you the blog or if the person actually asked it. To me, most BJD photographs are different than for instance viral video's, which the maker wants to be seen everywhere.
In this case it is good the person gives credit, but I would also prefer if it was more clear. It's not super obvious you have to click the picture and I know people don't like clicking pictures.

 

See, I understand that common doesn't equal right, obviously. Thats silly logic. But I also feel that in this case the bloggers action doesn't do any harm. Anybody who wants to know who took the pictures can easily find out. If you're upset, you have the right to ask for it to be taken down. A notification and obvious creditation under the pictures, like I noted above, would be polite and solve any issues, however, and I would do so if I was the blogger.

You can't put pictures on the internet, and ask that nobody post a link involving any of them (like putting the link on facebook, which would also show the picture). Well, you can. But that's not a realistic expectation. It's not the way the internet works. Saying that "you can't repost a picture without permission," whilst that might be the ideal, is a tad naive to believe.

Edit: I think what I really want to get across is that I understand people why might not like it, and I sympathise with them. But this kind of re-blogging is accepted internet practice. Its a battle that can't really be won, and I feel its a waste of energy when so many people are genuinely stealing art and claiming they own it, even profiting off it. No point worrying about a mark on the carpet when the house is on fire.

 

Err how is DoA NOT a sharing site? Why post it here if you don't want people to see it lol that is just illogical. It is more locked down as its a 'members only' community, true, so in that light I see why people might get upset that she is posting pics from DoA and not just Flickr.

But personally, I DO post pics on DoA and Flickr because hell yeah I want people to see them... if someone re-posts them and doesn't remove my watermark and they are linked back to the source, hurrah, moar hits for me, THE POINT OF POSTING ON TEH INTERWEBS.

 

I want to share within the community, where I know where my pictures are. DOA is not an open site to anyone, so to me it's not a sharing website like tumblr or whatever. When I post here I post for the people here, not randomly all over the internet. If I wanted the pics randomly all over the internet I would do that myself.
I'm not saying I would rage at the person for posting pics of my dolls if it happened, but more about the fact they didn't ask permission on a non-sharing site.
Like I said, there's much worse bloggers out there that just take pictures and even claim them as their own, but I am still not really a fan of this, because most people have no clue their images are on there and for every person that doesn't mind their picture being used, there's a person that does.

 

I have to agree there's that nothing wrong for those thinking there may be. Tumblr is a site for reblogging stuff you find online, basically. Honestly, my tumblr has tons of things I find on DoA and post because I love the dolls and my tumblr is filled with things I love. Most of the tumblr do NOT claim these as their own photos. I don't really see the harm. A lot of tumblrs do try to credit the photographers.

Another note.. Once something is on the internet, unless you claim it as your own with a water mark or someone steals it from your site, you really cannot get too angry. Think of Google images, for example. A lot of those searches are images that have just been passed around so much and the original source may be lost. While you may think they're stealing your photo, there could be many honest people who found it just from an internet search. I think for things like tumblr, these the photos are shown to express how much they love the dolls or photography. It's just complimenting, as few (though I am sure there are some people who try to pretend it's theirs) will claim it as their own. I know I have some photos on my tumblr where I've lost the source.. I really hope people don't get so offended by these blogs, as I do it too..

Edit :
Snow, you do have a point I had never thought of before. I forget DoA is not an open community anymore. I really forget it's by invite only. My only fear is that by asking someone may misunderstand you. I know a lot of the dolls I really admire are from countries where their owners don't always speak the best of English. I would worry that they may think you're trying to steal their photos by reposting on Tumblr (which I guess some consider a blog? I mainly use it to keep my own personal collection of cute so I don't overload my computer with photos). Like you said, it's a hazy line.

I do think, however, if anyone is offended, simply message the person. If anyone were upset by the fact their photo was on my tumblr, I'd take it down in a heartbeat.

 

(OT) Woah, DoA is invite only now? This is what happens when I get distracted for a couple of years, I miss out on important stuff! I'm glad I joined when I did, otherwise I'd have been left in the wastelands forever with nobody to invite me

I'm sorry OP, I didn't mean to contribute to a war you didn't intend. I'm willing to sign a treaty

 

I happen to follow this blog, as well as other BJD-themed photo blogs on Tumblr (there are others, with the same regulations). Some even allow for you to submit your own pictures.

I get the signals that might pop up when someone hears that a picture they posted is on another site, too. But at the same time, I'd be more scared if it was on a site meant to mock the dolls, or their owners. This site is just showcasing the awesomeness that can come from the BJD hobby.

I'm currently loving a BJD modification Tumblr that showcases excellent gore mods, general/common mods, completely out-of-this-world mods, as well as really great BJD tattoo work. So far this site, as well as every other exclusive BJD photo tumblr is completely open to taking their posts down if the original owner doesn't want it there - even with credit and a disclaimer.

Plus, there is a general rule on Tumblr where people sometimes get upset when you don't credit a pic if you can - even if it's not their own. Most Tumblr folk are good about giving credit if they can. Otherwise, you get the disclaimer that they don't own any of the pictures, or some blurb along those lines. People do try to make sure no one thinks they're stealing someone else's work if they can.

 

I don't see a problem with this because they are credited and not used to sell something.

I have had photos I posted on other boards, of doll that are off topic here, posted on ebay to sell someone elses doll. In one case they were too lazy to even remove my watermark.

 

That's great, but I get where Snow is coming from to. How is the original owner suppose to object if they don't even know the pictures have been posted somewhere else.

 

I deal with a lot of this sort of thing for a living (with museum and archival collections), and rather than getting into the debate as to whether it's right or not*, here are some things you can do to either protect your images or at least see what's happening with your images:

1) Tineye - this is a reverse image search. It crawls the internet for images and matches them up against other, like images. If your picture is out there and you have the Tineye plugin on your browser, right click and select "Search Image on Tineye." You can also put the URL of the image into the Tineye site and see where else the image has appeared.

2) Digimarc - Good for professional photographers who keep a tight grip on their images. It's $99/year for 2000 images, and the Digimarc website tracks the images that have been embedded with the unique identifier that Digimarc provides.

3) Lower-sized images - only share images up to 500 or 600 pixels on the largest side (or smaller)

4) embed a visible watermark on the image

5) Through Bridge, Photoshop, or Lightroom (the open source version would be XNView), embed your name, email address, any rights statement, and web address

6) Make it easier to share - posting images on sharing sites directly, or with sharing widgets, means you'll be better able to know what's happening with the images, especially if you have trackback features on your blog, or you use Flickr and can see that you're getting traffic from another website.

7) Use Google Analytics to track traffic to your site, often an indication of something being crossposted to another site.

The truth is, whether or not it's legal or not (the reality and the law is actually quite grey), if it's on the internet, you really have no expectation that it will stay where you put it. All you can really do is figure out where it's going.

*My own personal position is that culture is enhanced when access to information is smooth, so I embed my images with some personal metadata, keep an eye on my linkbacks, and apply a pretty loose Creative Commons license to nearly everything I post online (Attribution, Share Alike, Non-commercial). It's hard, sometimes, to apply such a loose license to my really good stuff, but I know that I'm making a better culture, and helping others make a better culture, by doing so.