i've been listening to loads of TED talks (they have a way of restoring my faith in humanity, as well as making me think). somehow, i always end up on the tech ones or the ones that are talking about the future of the internet or educating through gaming (those gaming guys have no respect for apple, and they just totally did not see angry birds coming). one thing that i think is in the future of it (but which hasn't been mentioned) is that we'll stop capitalizing it. that's totally unnecessary (of course, i largely dispense with capitals in a general sorta way, so i would think that).
but it has me thinking about the whole social networking thing that is going on in the world today - gmail, facebook, twitter, flickr, instagram - just to name the ones i check in on every morning when i wake up. and that in turn makes me think about content and the emphemeral nature of it. once you put it up for all to see, is it still yours? you have no idea what people are doing with it unless they tell you - desktops, screensavers, tumblr blogs, links on their blogs, advertising for their stallion, advertising for a castle in lithuania - you just never know. and it's the risk you take when you put it out there. that people will see it. and that they'll like it or relate to it. invite it in.
so all of this rabidity among some flickr folks just puzzles me (no new incidents have happened, i've just seen some dire warnings on photos and profiles of late). if you don't want anyone to see your pictures or react to them or relate to them, don't put them online on a site that is designed for exactly that. and just relax a little bit. you have to give something of yourself to get something in return - it's part of the social contract.
just think about music and news and magazines...so much free content is available today (i spent half my evening on the new york times website). and images are a big part of it. if we're going to share our images, someone's going to appropriate them. what you have to do is something to add value to the sharing...make cards or other photo-related art available on etsy. someone who tumbles your photo on their tumblr blog isn't going to bother to do that with your images. and if they saw it on flickr and liked it, chances are, they might be interested in buying your cards featuring it. good things can come of sharing.
i think new models of defining intellectual and creative property are on the horizon. i'm not sure exactly what they are, but the outlines are beginning to be there (the apple app store is a hint of what's to come). but the world is overloaded with input, so i think people should just be glad their work is seen (especially on flickr) and if they want to profit from every instance where it's used or linked, find other ways or don't put it there. the ship has sailed, my friends and we have to decide if we're onboard or not.
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hey, just thought i'd leave a little message that said hello quickly!
i am totally addicted to tumblr. i really think people who have tumblr and think their stuff is not gonna get reblogged should probably be shot. because that is the whole point of tumblr. my addiction to tumblr may have led to my neglect of blogger... oops. I am hoping February will bring me some ideas of my own rather than a repetitive 30 day challenge... hmm....!!
anyway, take care x
I tend to follow the philosophy that if someone wants to use an image of mine it's fine if it's for a blog or some sort of non-profit use.
I have had a couple of images appropriated by commercial concerns recently and that irks me. I don't wander round to their place and borrow their stuff without asking :-)
well, i use my tumblr exclusively to post shots of other people that i admire. i don't pass them off as mine...and i agree, if they don't want them passed along - don't put it out there.
i have no delusions of grandeur - i doubt seriously that i will ever become "famous" or whatever for my photography. i don't chase publication and all of that. i'm pleased if someone comes along and says that's nice or the whatnot but if they don't i'm cool with that too. my photography is for me first.
Social networking is definitely a double-edged sword. Personally, I love the way that the things I read and see and hear via any internet-based medium lets me think about things that would never have otherwise crossed my mind. Lots to think about here ... love it ;)
... and all the huffing and puffing about socialism when the Internet is chock full of socialistic (and popular) stuff.
Seems common sense would indicate - anything posted on any network - can or will be copied.
Facebook is the one with troublesome corporate values. What they do with your personal info and how FB gets abused has become obvious. Yet it's popularity remains strong. The logic of that baffles me.
yes, all the rules are changing, a whole new fleet of ships is sailing, we'll figure it all out eventually.
i agree, if you don't want it to be out there, don't put it out there. people shouldn't steal, either, but this is a lot of gray area in between.
i think anger of theft (unless just plain ol' outright they steal your picture and make money off of it)
and even anger about others content and artistic doings
is really a sign of a blocked person.....
if i'm in my zone i'm already onto the next thing. it's out there, it's done, when my creative mojo is going i could care less with what so and so is doing, if it's like mine etc.
who cares....i've got
this idea and this idea and this idea and what matters is it's
mine.
made by me
it is mine 100% because i've shown a piece of who i am .
i just think that there are a lot of sad, trapped, blocked human beings who need to realize
there is room enough for everyone to be creative in their own way
and to constantly be guarding it, lording over it, or even creating some sort of grand attitude about what should or shouldn't be done * ins and outs etc*
is just further extinguishing their creative light.
i think it's less about technology and more about attitude and personal focus, excitement and vision.
I listen to/watch TED talks for the same reasons. Somehow being reminded of the existence of big thinkers is really reassuring, especially as popular media increasingly gets so shallow!
I once saw one with the guy who invented SIMS (can't remember his name), talking about how he was greatly influenced by Maria Montessori's philosophy on education. Wild!
I find the angry Flickr folks fascinating myself. If someone were to find my photo beautiful enough to use in their blog, etc, I'd be thrilled (that is as long as they credited me). I would be a bit put off if they tried to claim it as their own, but I wouldn't be surprised or even react to it if it did happen. That's the nature of cyberspace.
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