Author: Nancy McCord

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Are You Stealing Images?

We typically do not install images on the blogs that we write for, or for that matter on our own blog. Part of that is due to time constraints and part is due to actively working to prevent a copyright violation. But this does not keep clients from following along behind us and adding photos of their own to our blog posts that we write for them.

Here’s one example, I saw an image on a new blog that we were doing and sent a quick email to our writer reviewing copyright law on images and asked where she had gotten the image. She was surprised one was even added to her post which means she did not add it but rather the client had.

Many clients simply do not understand that you can not just right click on an image your find anywhere, on Flickr, or even Google images for that matter. Someone some where owns the copyright and to just right click and grab the image is akin to stealing. You wouldn’t go to a stop and just pocket something and walkout. Why is it that people feel that you can just take any image they see?

When we use images we only use images from the Microsoft Clip Art Gallery and from iStockPhotos (where we buy images for $1 for a one time use). These are great places for inexpensive images, but never do we visit a site and right click and grab something.

Commercial businesses can end up in a copyright infringement lawsuit by grabbing someone else’s content or images. Why waste the time when the right thing is to create your own images or use legitimate resources.

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Are You Twittered Out?

Do you have Twitter fatigue yet? Personally I use Twitter more to share my quick thoughts about once a day now instead of about every 15 minutes or so. What I do like about Twitter is that I can feed my comments now to LinkedIn, by blog, and Facebook automatically.

That means when I do a Twitter update, it is broadly disseminated across all my platforms. I have found that I have earned Twitter subscribers from regular blog readers. I don’t ever Twitter spam them, I am courteous, but I will share something interesting that has happened or that I find although not with the frequency that I once did when I started with Twitter.

So if you have Twitter fatigue, just remember that it may be a bit of work for you, but it can save you time and allow you to reach broadly across many application. That alone makes the small investment of time hugely meaningful.

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Getting Clients With Facebook

This was an interesting situation, I had a prospect send me a note through Facebook to contact her about doing a custom website. When we were chatting, it turned out that the reason she called me over anyone else was that I had invited her to join Facebook.

We chatted about how much we both liked Facebook and how fun it was. The difference for this potential client was that I reached her through social networking and now she was returning the favor by giving me her business.

For some business sectors such as mine the ability to use and embrace new technologies is what sets you apart from your competition. In your business, you may find that this is key for you too – the ability to connect using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or your own blog. I use all of these mediums but really have the most fun with Facebook.

I thought what the potential client said about using social media was important to share with you today. So, who are you going to invite today to join you on Facebook?  The person you invite may just be your next customer, as in my case.

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Social Networking No-No’s

I was watching the NBC Today show the other morning and Matt and Meredith were interview John Grisham about his new book. They asked about his Facebook page and the author dissed it.

He said that he never looks at it, he never intends to, and that it was set up and managed by his publisher. He also said that he had not even bothered to look at it.

Wow, a huge no-no in today’s world of interconnectiveness. John Grisham just dissed the site so that any readers who thought they might connect with him there clearly know that they will not. His publisher must be cringing and trying to do damage control right now in the aftermath. The author came over in the interview as sanctimonious, arrogant, and out of touch with today’s media. Clearly I will never be looking at his Facebook site as it will all be bogus done in his name for him without his interaction or blessing.

This is a public relations nightmare based on the draw that Facebook has with a wide variety of age groups and the thirst that people have to connect with other using the Web. The author should have been properly prepped and educated about Facebook and its pivotal importance in the lives of young to middle aged readers. Instead of dissing it, he would have been better served by talking up and encouraging readers to check in. He could have said that he was not doing posts, but that he was fully apprised of the activities and looked forward to reader comments.

Wow, from my viewpoint a huge gaffe. Bet the publisher will make sure that future interviews don’t take this direction.