Lost in Translation

My post over at DrakNet sparked some thoughts from my friend at Three Moons Media.

She wrote this article in response. She addresses what to do if you do find an image you want to use when using Google image search. She points out that the images are not entirely off limits, but that there is a way to go about using them: ask. Marilyn gives you other options for finding free images too.

Also, Marilyn further discusses copyright and points you to some excellent articles addressing copyright and copyright myths. Check it out!

I’m overdue for another post. Things get hairy when you run a business from home, have infant twins, and the air conditioning goes out. In many parts of the country, that’s not a big deal in May, but in Texas it can be HOT! We have babies and ferrets, so it meant several days of little work, no fun, and no sleep.

Meanwhile, here is a post I originally wrote for DrakNet that was posted April 30, 2010.

I thought I’d share it here for those that may not follow the DrakNet blog and also because this site is basically an extended FAQ covering issues I deal with all the time from clients. Google image search and copyright are recurring themes in my line of work.

I get a lot of images from clients to put on websites. Because I like to educate and protect my clients, I am prone to asking, “Where did you get this from?”

More often than not, the response is: “Google’s free image search”.

Let me clear up a common misconception: the image search on Google is not a repository of free images for everyone. What Google is doing is searching images on other people’s websites and showing those images to you. These are images that are protected by copyright law.

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I was recently admitted to the Guild of Accessible Web Designers. This is a big deal for me, since accessibility has been a focus of mine from my earliest days learning web design. I was accepted after a review of my site, so I’m feeling rather proud of myself! This is just another step to demonstrate my commitment to accessibility.

Accessibility is a term that throws a lot of people at first. Even people who make websites, but may not be professional designers, don’t always realize what it is or the importance of it. Individuals at businesses and non-profits in charge of getting a site built are often surprised by the concept once they discover what it is.

So what is it?

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Since I’ve said it so often before, let me say again in my blog, right here in writing: Flash is not always your friend.

Yes, it is really great.

Sometimes.

As with all technology, just because it is really cool does not mean it is something that everyone should use every time.

Here’s why:

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As a web designer, I need photos and illustrations to put on websites. Frequently, these are provided by the site owners. Every now and then, I get a completely unusable image which results in them either having to track down a new image or me spending time re-creating that image. That’s right: if you fax me a copy of your logo, I can’t use it on your website, business cards, or anything else.

This leads to confusion on the part of the site owner who asks, “isn’t there a program that will fix that?”.

Ah Hollywood, I love you, but some days I want to smack you in the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.

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