Coweta Fayette Real Estate & Newnan Homes for sale blog by Richard Weisser of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers

Thank you, Richard * I have not gone there and will not go there.  I'm too old to GIVE MY THOUGHTS/images away for FREE!

Wallace...

But someone else can give away "YOUR" stuff. And a lot of people believe that is OK. WOW! Thanks so much.

Suggested. I deleted my Pinterest account shortly after I opened it. 

I have wondered that many times recently, the average user that you talk to loves Pintrest "did you see the cakepops on there" "how about the cookie monster cupcakes?", but I think us Realtors are more sensitive to the topic of somebody using our photos and ideas for their benefit. Some day down the road we will think "... I thought winter of 2012 already that this was not right ...."! We'll all sit tight and see what the future holds for Pintrest.

Richard, there has been much discussion about copyright on Pinterest. I have a profile but haven't done anything there.

I think that you are correct.  People just don't think about it and they should!  Just wait for the lawyers to line up...

Richard - Thanks for justifying my choice not to even bother with this one.

Joni...

Thanks for the suggestion. Like you, I don't see a lot of value but the SM hotshots seem to think that it is the up and coming thing.

Tanja...

If the business came back to me, it would at least be a mutually beneficial arrangement. But if I'm getting bypassed, that is NOT cool. Thanks.

Connie...

People pin photos with the copyright notice embedded on them. It's crazy. Thanks.

I would love for pinterest to go away,,,, its huge here in Utah, everyones talking about it and a lot of realtors say they get business from it....  I find it incredibly boring to sit there and "pin" items I find interesting.... I think its a huge waste of time and like you said the owners of the pictures and ideas how no acknowledgment and the "pinners" do not have permission... not sure how they get away with it.

At this point I have not moved forward with pinterest. I am too busy. I may have to check it out to see if there is anything of mine out there.

Cal

Kathryn...

The platform is designed "repackage" images. But the bottom line is that the success or failure of the concept relies on the unauthorized use of the work of others. THX.

Pater...

It's so silly, and yet it is touted as a business tool. Thanks.

Kim...

Hopefully, they will NOT get away with it for long! Thanks so much.

Cal...

Have a look. You might be surprise to find out who is benefiting from your work! Thanks.

Pinterest is only interested in how much money they can make ina short amount of time possibly being aquired by another company.

That is my problem with them and many of the sites.  sooner they are gone the better!

As far as I'm concerned at this point Pinterest is not much more than a curiosity.  I'm following a few boards and a few are following me but I still prefer to concentrate on things that are more applicatle like ActiveRain, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Richard, Pinterest owns whatever you post on their site. There are many complaints about their copyright procedures. Pinterest has it's uses, but I only post things that I don't really care about someone copying. You can turn off the" re-pin" feature. Some people have closed down their Pinterest site after reading the terms of use more thoroughly. A photographer sued someone for using her photos without permission, and was awarded $4000.00. Just because it's on Pinterest doesn't mean you can use it as your own. Same applies to other sites as well. Here is a great article written by an attorney on the risks and negatives of using Pinterest. Most Artists and Photographers don't seem to like Pinterest.

http://ddkportraits.com/2012/02/why-i-tearfully-deleted-my-pinterest-inspiration-boards/

I have not even bothered with Pinterest and have no plans to.  I'm with you... I don't have time, energy or want to deal with fighting for something that I created to begin with.  For some reason it didn't appeal to me from the very beginning.  Not for this kid - nope - not going down that path.  Have a good day Richard in all you do.

Richard- I just read something via Linked-In in which a lawyer and photographer decided to thoroughly read the Pinterest guidelines, etc and has also decided to delete her whole Pinterest account.  While I like the looks of it, like so many others, its original purpose may have transformed as its new popularity increased. 

Bill...

Content? We don't need sn stinking content! We'll get others to steal it for us. THX.

J & R...

I don't see it either, but many are swearing by it! Thanks.

Jeff...

Just to be clear I do NOT have a Pinterest account, nor have I EVER given them permission to use my photos. So I have not release any rights to them!

That is why I was surprised to find so many of my photos there. Thanks.

Hi Richard I signed up for it , reluctantly. I need another venue like Custer needed more Indians. Maybe at Retech there will be a seminar about it

Hi Richard.  I don't know anything about pinterest, however that is a beautiful picture you are using in this post!

I hope you don't spend to much time fighting for what is yours, and would encourage you to keep smiling!

Thanks for writing!

Ken

Richard, I have an account, haven't done much with it....but, may rethink this!

Richard,

I have not gone there..... The same issues are on Facebook too.

Ann Hayden in Wildwood, MO

Richard,

I am on the fence on Pinterest.

But, my stuff on Facebook is blocked from sharing.  And my WordPress.org blogs are coded "nopin."
However, GOOG finds my photos in countless venues, and GOOG Image Search gets credit as the source on Pinterest.
And Pinterest does not respond to complaint about infringement.

Thieves will always be able to steal and the ignorant will always take without thinking.
And even on AR, we have had Featured Posts postulating that a backlink to the original source site of pinned photos equals permission.  Wrong.

(I do believe that AR should offer us a "nopin" checkbox.)

Despite all that.......

The member demographic on Pinterest is very appealing to a real estate professional, however, and I want to figure out how to mine it.

I agree with everyone here. Well sort of.

I have actually found some awesome ideas for my own personal use off of Pinterest.

I can see how I could build Interest Boards for my communities (condo buildings) using MY OWN PICTURES.

But, yes then there is that liability issue of someone taking my pictures and using them elsewhere, or the fact that everything on my Boards is now the "property" of Pinterest. There is a problem, and I've since not been back to Pinterest since.

From what I have read it does not seem to interest me.  Perhaps people looking for recipes would like it?  Guess I need to at least check it out.  So here I go!

Richard - Thanks for this! I haven't had time to look into it, time being a limited commodity, but from what I've been reading, the concept made no sense to me. I think Napster is a perfect analogy...should be a heyday for the copyright attorneys. I don't blame you one bit for being irritated at the use of your work with no realistic recourse. Let's hope the big guns get them in their sights sooner rather than later. You have now saved me the time of confirming my misgivings, much appreciated!

BUT, IF I take pictures and post them to a business board with my blog link attached to it... what do I care if someone reposts it?!  Isn't that the idea??  I understand IF you're copyrighting a picture that you don't want them "taken," but what IF I just want a bit of free publicity?!  Won't the reposting help raise my SEO?  That's my thoughts.  IF you have a "sacred" picture, don't post it there... 

I personally don't see anything but a way to increase hits to my blog/website....

Sign me confused, maybe~

Diane

Richard:  Like you... I took one look at Pinterest... and concluded that although it might be "fun" for some... to me it just looked like something that for many... takes time away from other things they could be doing.  Perhaps it is therapy for some.  I don't know.  It just does nothing for me.

Also... I have been thinking about asking you this for years.  Just who in the world is this Coweta Fayette person ?  Some old girlfriend ?  A former wife ?  Just pondering the mysteries of life, here.  :)

You and I are on the same page. I wrote a blog a couple of weeks ago on Pinterest and the comments were overwhelmingly NO to joining in. I havea profile and that's all. I refuse to use someone else's work without being able to properly attribute back to them. A link doesnt cut it at all.

Congrats on the feature!

I have to agree with Diane, "

BUT, IF I take pictures and post them to a business board with my blog link attached to it... what do I care if someone reposts it?!  Isn't that the idea??  I understand IF you're copyrighting a picture that you don't want them "taken," but what IF I just want a bit of free publicity?!  Won't the reposting help raise my SEO?  That's my thoughts.  IF you have a "sacred" picture, don't post it there... 

I personally don't see anything but a way to increase hits to my blog/website....

Sign me confused, maybe~

Diane"

Insert links to your site/blog and link it with you other online profiles etc.  Seems like the more things that you link together, the better.  We all know that agents reuse our pictures from our old listings.  This is the internet age, where nothing that you put online is yours after posting it.  It is the equivalent to posting it in the classified ads in the old newspaper days.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IS THIS:

IF YOU ARE USING A SMART PHONE TO TAKE PHOTOS, SIMPLY INSERT TEXT ON THE PICTURE THAT DISPLAYS YOUR NAME OR WEBSITE OR A TRADEMARK, THAT WAY IF THEY USE IT THEY WILL BE ADVERTISING FOR YOU FOR FREE, OR POSSIBLY THEY WON'T USE THE IMAGE AT ALL.

@Diane #26:

If I pin a photo I own to Pinterest, linked to my site, and someone repins it, the backlink conveys via the act of repinning.
That is good and reasonable, and I believe that my act of pinning clearly opens that image up to allowed repinning.

If they do a GOOG search, and find © photos, and do not get permission to use them but pin them anyway, that is probably infringement. 
It is particularly irritating to have images stolen by other agents, presenting them as their own work, who then use them to compete with me in my local market.

I like Pinterest for personal reasons. I'm not one of those people who's life is all about work, with no time for fun. I do occasionally pin a photo I took.  The thing I don't like about Pinterest, is it's very easy to save a photo to one's own photo album.  So, it's possible that I could post photos of a local community or event, and a competing real estate agent could steal them and use them for their own marketing purposes. Then again, if I watermark them, no one would want to do that, would they??

Just for kicks, after I wrote that comment above, I went back to see how easy it would be to copy the beautiful photo on your post to my computer's photo album.  Guess what?  No problem - I clicked on it, saved it, and could re-use it however I wanted unless I got caught.

So the very complaint you have about Pinterest goes for AR too.

Now, what?

John...

It's just that I think that I have a right ro say how MY property is used! Thanks my friend.

Kathy...

There is no doubt that the end-user is liable ... whether or not Pinterest can be sued is still in debate! Thanks.

Charlie...

As long as you use it to pin YOUR own stuff I think it's super! Thanks.

Ken...

Which goes to my point ... it takes a lot of time and effort and expense to get a photo like that, and it is my choice where it can appear. Thanks.

Rebecca...

As long as you pin your own work, you are fine! Thanks.

Ann...

But it's not the primary focus on FaceBook. It IS on Pinterest. Thanks.

Mike...

If you click the Google image link, you will be directed to the source site, which I like.

My main concern is that my photos legally appear on sites that are not mine, and so I don't get anything form those pins.

I think that if you choose to use it with your own work, you should benefit. But you also give up control over your hard work.

Thom...

And until it is cleared up, many will remain on the fence. I just think the premise encourages copyright violation. Thanks.

Barbara...

So much better to decide after getting all of the facts! Thanks so much.

Linda...

I'm just afraid that the site ENCOURAGES the use of work that belongs to someone else for your own gain, which BTW, is fine as long as the owner approves! THANKS.

Diane...

No problem with that at all...

What I am saying is that OTHER people are using MY work as their own, and using it to promote themselves! I'm NOT a member. I didn't post anything. I didn't give ANYONE permission. Do you see what I mean?

It seems that if you want to use this site you better only post things you dont care if others use.  If you can actually get leads from here then it maybe worth using strickly for business but if you use a professional photographer like it seems that you do, then you wouldnt want to post their pics on Pinterest.  Seems that would defeat the purpose.  I am glad I read your post and wont waste my time even creating an account there.  It seems counter productive.

I'm one of those guilty of pinning some of life's pleasures, my personal interests, and even some of my own stuff trying to use the link back power of the site, but at the end of the day, if all replicates napster, then I'll be just like I was when Napster made its exit. Watching sites like Kazaa, and Frostwire pop up that just end up replacing Napster....

Who knows where it all ends, who knows what's ahead for Pinterest? I'm sure having fun during the journey and enjoying the experience and all the content that's coming from it though.  :-)

Richard,

Yes, the GOOG Image Search link will take people to the source.  I want the credit right up front on any pin or repin, and Pinterest at least has that right, telling members who pin they should cite the original source, not GOOG.

They just don't enforce it.  Pinterest should lock out "GOOG Image search" as a contributor.

I don't want to share the source page with a bunch of other photos. If my stuff is worth pinning or repinning, it is worth citing individually.

Richard,

If you want to keep every thought and image you have created to yourself, then I would suggest that you encase your thoughts in a cacoon, dont advertise anything, dont publish anything, and certainly stay far away from the internet.

Afterall it is a new world where thoughts and ideas are expanding at a never seen before pace, and this is mainly because thoughts and images and ideas are freely shared on the internet, once you learn to accept it you will realize that it can be a good thing for all.

I have never used pinterest and have no plans to steal your valuable images or thoughts, but posting them on this blog will likely allow them to be poached by someone.

thanks for sharing

bob

Hi Richard, I agree.  Even Google + is being called Google Ghost by the WSJ.  And how often do you hear about mySpace these days?

Hi Richard,

Great insight, I see your point in that someone can buy your image and then allow free access, circumventing your protection against unauthorized use. That would be like buying a CD of Justin Beiber, reproducing a hundred thousand copies and giving them a way for free to anyone that would want them.

Maybe you're not selling the bootlegged disks and maybe you'de be mauled by a hundred thousand screaming pimple faced teenage girls but does that make it right?

~Jack

Richard, the only photos I have out there on the Internet are mainly of my listings and if someone would pin a Zillow page that my listing and my photos were on, well, I hope someone is interested and will get my contact information.  I don't post many other photos publicly online.

I am not just pinning or repinning "photos", I am pinning interesting blog/website posts/pages that I can access again down the road.  The photos just happen to come with the post as a visual organizer.  To me, it's like Evernote only it is much more visual and easier for me to go back to and find something I saved.

I started using Pinterest for recipes, mainly gluten-free.  I found some great blogs that I did not find doing a Google search.  Many good sites don't know anything about seo or organic search engine placement, nor do they pay for ppc.  I found some gems on Pinterest.

I decided to add some local area boards to my account with my own posts and webpages, and they are a mix of local area stuff and real estate.  This is my own stuff and if anyone repins them they will have my link.  Pinterest is making me want to get out there even more and make more local posts with good local pictures.

Maybe if I were an avid photographer that shared my photos with other sites (with accreditation to me), and then someone pins that site's page and I lose any link or mention, then I can see where you'd be upset.  For most of us, that wouldn't be an issue.  I know there are some great photographers here on AR, but I don't think it is a majority.

Unlike Evernote, I don't just pin every old thing, I am more conscious of pinning something others might find interesting too.  For instance, I'm shopping around for a new smartphone, mifi and tablet right now.  I've saved links in Evernote, but I'm not going to pin all that stuff since once I make my purchase I won't need it again.  I'm much more selective on Pinterest, it is much more than just bookmarking to me.

I'm not saying it's for everyone and I don't spend too much time on it, but I just had to offer another spin here. 

But ... people can steal your photos off of Active Rain too.  Isn't that just as big a concern?

COPYRIGHT LAW SAYS THE PERSON TAKING THE PHOTO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO THE PHOTO "UNTIL THE PERSONS DEATH PLUS 70 YEARS". JUST THE ACT OF TAKING THE PHOTO IS YOUR COPYRIGHT....NOTHING ELSE NEED BE DONE. THE PHOTOS ARE YOURS. 

WE JUST HAD AN AGENT "BORROW ALL OUR PHOTOS" FROM AN EXPIRED LISTING AND USED OUR "WORK" ON HIS MLS LISTING AND ALL THE OTHER PLACES THE INFO GOT PUSHED OUT TO. 

THE OTHER AGENT WAS INFORMED HE DID A "NO-NO" AND DID TAKE THEM DOWN AFTER A CONVERSATION WITH OUR BOARD AND BROKER. 

HOW CAN THE NEW AGENT SAY HE WILL DO A BETTER JOB THAN THE OLD AGENT AND THEN USE THE OLD AGENTS MATERIAL TO DO THE BETTER JOB...???? MAYBE WE WERE NOT DOING THAT BAD AFTER ALL ;)

Seems I am a bit more naive about Pinterest. In 'the old days' I used to have binders where I collected cutouts. Now I just have to 'click' on it and save it to a board and I can look it up any time. I like it. I love it and everyone needs to determine that for themselves. @Judy - we are on the same page! Yes, take a look at it and re-pin! :-)

Whatever I post on my website and blog, PLEASE pin it, post it, link it. I do try to use mostly my own photos on my blog - after all I always have my iphone with me so it's easy! Whenever I do a blog post and pin/publish it, my traffic increases strongly.

Karen...

Lol ... "Coweta Fayette" are the two Georgia Counties I work in my real estate business. And although they may not mean much to you, around here there are a lot of "Coweta Fayette" businesses. One of the big power companies is Coweta-Fayette EMC for example.

I own the mark "Coweta Fayette Real Estate" and as you might imagine it is great for SEO! Pretty cool, huh?

Emmary...

It all depends on your perspective I guess. If you tend to create, you abhor it. Thanks so much.

SECG...

All I am saying that as long as I get to choose what is done with them I am OK. Like reblogging on ActiveRain. As long as I get to approve it it is fine with me.

Mike...

You are correct. But I like the attention from Google! And you are right, I am NOT being accredited on Piterest.

BTW Google images is very clear about images and copyright. I do allow my photos to be indexed by Google because if someone clicks on it, they usually find me. Thanks.

Joetta...

You would be amazed at the number of people that crop off the Copyright notice ... like that makes it OK. Thanks.

As for saving the pic, no problem unless you republish it ... which could result in anything from a $500 user fee (My customary charge) to a $10,000 statutory tort. It's something to think about.

Bryan...

As long as I put MY content there, it's a super site! Thanks.

Brad...

On ActiveRain, there is a checkbox that says something like "This is my content..." Pinterest, on the other hand, installs a gizmo that BY DESIGN is used to pilfer images and other content from around the web. I think that this is where their legal perils lie.

BTW, as long as somebody directly pins a photo from one of my sites, and a link is automatically installed, and they NOTIFY me, they have met the minimum license requirement to use one of my photos as posted in the sites fine print.

I think that has always been very liberal and very fair.

I hope it fails just because I do not want to deal with another social network.  I am busy with the ones I know already.

Here's something else to chew on for folks who are saying that they're loving Pinterest - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/19/pinterests-terms-of-service-word-by-terrifying-word/

(THIS IS NOT MY BLOG. It came in a google alert)

focus on ActiveRain, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, something more productive 

I would not even know about Pinterest if it were not for bloggers and groups like Linked In. I personally just don't need another possible way to get into trouble.

Hey, our Spellcheck doesn't even recognize the word!

I was just getting ready to learn more about pinterest.  After reading your blog, I'll pass and hope that the lawyers do line up and nip this in the bud.  I have many of my pictures on google and yahoo but it goes back to my website or my AR blog.  That's fine.  If it goes to the link that picked off my picture and not to my link, I'd be mad as hell and I wouldn't want to take it anymore.  I hope someone gets on this fast.  Thanks for the heads up!

This is what I first posted as a comment to this blog:

Pinterest is here to stay. 

It has caught on like wildfire.  It has been on my "to do" list to figure it out since I first heard about it last July.  However, I've never "pinned" anything because I've been too lazy to do any of it.

Nevertheless, I have put "Pin It" buttons on all of my WordPress websites.

If it pushes traffic to my websites, that's pretty much all I care about. 

It's not going away.

I want to learn to use it to my advantage --- when I get around to it.

Then I read more of the comments and following the hyperlinks -- and reading.

I just read the article to which Jeff Pearl hyperlinked above .  Pretty scary.

I'm thinking I'd better stay off Pinterest so I don't infringe on anybody else's copyright.

However, I am going to leave the "Pin It" buttons on my websites on Oklahoma Horse Properties, Tulsa Short Sale Agents, or Land and Ranches in Oklahoma, beach vacation rentals in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, etc.  I have many websites.  If people want to use my photographs, so be it.  They are my own. 

If other people's pinning my photos on Pinterest pushes traffic to my website, then I will have succeeded in my mission. I only use my own photos.

I am not in the photography business.  I am hoping to improve my skills.  Perhaps when I am better at taking photographs, I'll cry "foul."

So, in short, I will not be creating Pinterest boards.

However, others can "pin" my sites, pages, and photos at their own risk.

Thanks for a great article and some great discussion.

Credit Your Sources

Pins are the most useful when they have links back to the original source. If you notice that a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Image Search or a blog entry.

So today I got the email that Pinterest has updated their TOS, effective April 6.  The above is an excerpt from "Pinning Etiquette."  Buried in the Pinterest TOS is a much more instructive and legalistic bit of prose putting copyright infringement back on the member, indemnifying Pinterest.
Why would that not be in the Pinning Etiquette section, rather than the vague excerpt above?

They do also say they have implemented an easier method to report copyright infringement.  Remember, that is to squeal on members, and those members agree to indemnifying Pinterest for all infringement claims when they pin and repin.

Richard, it is certainly very popular..time will tell us about Pinterest...great post!

Richard, I know there have been quite a few posts recently surrounding this debate. I haven't explored this venue yet. I can see I need to go back and read all the articles before considering this. But I definitely see your frustration.

I'm with Diane here. I enjoy Pinterest very much and it does give you some google juice along the way. If you don't want something copied from the internet, don't post it!

If you're a professional photographer, watermark your images before posting on the internet and be happy someone likes your work enough to share it. My husband's a professional photographer and he has no objection to others sharing his work. It's a compliment and a win/win. 

I do think Pinerest has some issues, but belive they are trying hard to work those out. Here's an interesting article if anyone cares to read it. 

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/22/pinterest-silbermann-photo-sharing/

Hi Richard,

I understand your concerns but I'm with Diane and the minority it appears that enjoy Pinterest.  I mearly see it as a way to save things I like more than a way to make money off of someone elses things.  I tend to take it as a compliment if someone pins or repins something of mine.  It affects me like reblogging!  Thanks though for sharing your concerns!

I enjoy Pinterest waaaaaaaaaay less than I did before I looked at it under a microscope. I have read and reread the orig TOS and the new stuff.   Since reading and thinking I have pinned and unpinned and repinned and unpinned because I realized a "pinner" had no permission to pin the picture and the link goes to a Tumblr site that shared it from another Tumblr site, which shared it from some huge site...  and the owner of the image got a mention from the huge site but not even a link (or got a link...)

Pinterest is a hot mess but I am still a member.  I have never totally taken down my boards. 

I say "hey you, what are you linking to the image on  Gooogle image search for?" and get emails from realtors, saying they just "repinned" the image.   I unfollow real estate professionals and social media gurus  who prove over and over they are not pinning safely or linking with love. 

I look for images that I used and attributed and linked to which had a license that allowed me to use it, that are wrongly attributed to me or to ActiveRain because the "pinner" did not bother to read the post and just snagged a pretty photo and the accompanying link. I do not like seeing photos  I shared on ActiveRain that has a license that allows me to use it, pinned and ActiveRain (my blog on ActiveRain)  given credit and traffic for the photo.

I think Pinterest could go the way of Napster, but then again there are critics of ActiveRain that have said for years that all the "repurposed" content here (images used without permission, blog posts copied and pasted from other publications and passed off as original content of the member) would make ActiveRain fail. There has been pressure to quit AR because of other members stealing content (for points?) and ActiveRain's inablity to police itself and it's members. 

I think the new Pinterest TOS is a step in the right direction but I think there will be more changes to Pinterest in the future. The cost of taking down the content that does not belong there if owners demand it could sink Pinterest.  And legal challenges... and hackers posting Walmart coupons that are phishing... and spammers and scammers using Pinterest to post whatever will provide them with more income will turn people off.    

Or perhaps copyright law will evolve and change because of Pinterest? 

I know this post is from a few months ago, but I have not yet even looked at pinterest, mostly because I don't want just one more social network thing to eat up my time.  It seems like with the internet things keep getting messier and messier with copyright, etc.  Same thing is happening with listing and our obligation to not falsely advertise.  Messy.  Has anything changed with pinterest regarding this over the course of the last few months?  -Kasey

I am with  Maureen hoping that copyright law changes. The web is all about sharing. Pinterest allows you to share what you are interested in. As long as you pin from the source, the owner gets credit.

If you have something you don't want others to look at, share, & think about, the best approach is not to  put it on the web or specifically on Pinterest.

Carol wrote "I am with  Maureen hoping that copyright law changes."

Huh?  I had to read what I wrote, I don't think that I have ever hoped copyright law would change. I believe it may change.  I wrote  "Or perhaps copyright law will evolve and change because of Pinterest? " I am fond of the status quo.