Pinterest and Copyright...My Head Hurts!

I've been dreading writing this post, because it is such a touchy subject...Copyright. I've had a ton of emails asking whether people should delete their Pinterest accounts. I just want to mention, whatever I write here is my opinion and my own thoughts on this subject. Be kind in the comments section...I might cry!! LOL

The definition I found online is...

cop·y·right

   /ˈkɒpiˌraɪt/ Show Spelled[kop-ee-rahyt] 

noun

1. the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.: works granted such right by law on or after January 1, 1978, are protected for the lifetime of the author or creator and for a period of 50 years after his or her death.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

We all know what copyright is, but boy is it confusing...more so with the ease of information through the internet and computers. The new HOT website Pinterest has brought the topic of copyright to the forefront, especially in blogging. Many of us have Pinterest accounts and talk about it on our blogs.

 

The concept is awesome and that part I won't back down from. It's brilliant actually. Pinterest allows its users to have "virtual" cork boards where you can "Pin" your favorites. Favorites in any category you create...cooking, sewing, quilting, home decor, style, crafting etc. You can follow other Pinners and they can follow you...just like blogging. The wealth of inspiration that flows through Pinterest is astonishing.

 

You can "pin" something directly from the Internet and Pinterest automatically links the picture you have chosen to the actual site it came from...giving credit to that person, blog or owner of the picture, idea, recipe, tutorial etc. You can also "repin" something that you see on one of the other pinners that you follow. Just make sure if you repin something, the actual true link is still there to give that person the credit. (I know confusing, but once you start, it's like inspirational caffeine!! LOL)

 

Here's the MESS, what I can decipher from all the chatter on the tv, radio and blogs...when you take a photo or idea and copy it some place else, without permission from the author...you are violating copyright rules. We know that part, but I assumed since it automatically linked back to the author that was enough. Is it?

 

For ME and I mean for ME ONLY...I love sharing what I do. When I started this blog, I knew that once I clicked the "Publish Post" button, whatever I put out there was out of my hands to some degree. You have to really understand that, if you publish something on the Internet, it's out there for the world. Do I have a copyright paragraph on my side bar?...yes. This just covers me so I don't see one of my projects or patterns mass produced in the millions and some one else profiting from it. What I do want is someone to make and love the things I share on this blog. Make things for you, your family,  friends and even make a few and sell them at craft fairs or etsy shops. I even have a "pin it" button on each post, so you can pin the idea to your boards.

 

Blogging is inspiration and sharing of ideas, so I'm not sure why someone would be upset if their picture is "pinned" to some one's inspiration board. They LOVED it that much, they PINNED IT!! It's also linked back to you and your site. If they found your project on the Internet, then it must have been posted by you, so it's "out there" for all to see anyway. Posted for the world to see...really, the WORLD. If it's linked back to you to give you credit...no harm done. Right? (This is where I might find some opposition)

 

There is a new HTML code that you can add to your blog as a gadget. It will pop up if someone tries to pin something. Something like... This site does not allow pinning. Click HERE if you want to see that from Pinterest

 

I don't have any hard facts for this next part, but I feel most Pinterest users are like me (I am naive though)...we pin something because we love it and want to refer back to it at some point. I will NEVER use a picture I have pinned for profit...NEVER. and to think that I was violating copyright rules...NEVER. Will I ever find the time to make all the things I pin and find inspirational? Definitely not. I just love collecting ideas. Pinterest is just like all those magazines I rip the pages out of and save for future reference. Pinterest compared to my saved magazines pages is like comparing the Jetsons to Little House on the Prairie. Lol

 

Here is another point I am confused about...you take a photo and save it to your Pinterest account. What makes pinning something to Pinterest any different than...

• placing or saving the picture in your "favorites" or "bookmarks" on your computer or saving the photo in your photo section
• or sending the picture to a friend through emails or texting
• sharing a picture on your blog even if you put the source
• using sites like Stumble
• using Evernote which is a free program to save things on your iPhone or iPad...no difference, just on your phone or iPad instead of Pinterest. You are taking inspirational photos from the web and placing them some where else.

The other issue with Pinterest is their terms of use. There has been so much hub bub about it, they changed their terms. Click HERE if you want to read the new version. Seems like they are really trying to keep this concept fair for everyone with the new changes.

Not sure what the point of this post was other than to explain what I've been feeling and to see what others are thinking too.

What's on your mind about this topic?

So, so confused,

~Karen~

9:05 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Pinterest Help...Editing Your Boards

Here's more Pinterest help that you've been asking for. This will help editing your pin boards. You can edit...

• the board...like title etc
• a pin that was placed on the wrong board
• rearrange the order of your boards
• edit your profile too

Start by logging into your Pinterest account. Click under your picture in the upper right corner. A drop down menu will appear. Click BOARDS (circled in red in picture below)

All your boards will appear.

There is a big EDIT word at the bottom of each board.

There you can change board TITLE and the category you want that board to show up in.

To edit the pins on each board, click on a picture on that board.

All the pins will show up from that particular board. If you roll your mouse over a picture, you can pick REPIN, EDIT or COMMENT. See that quilt picture below? I placed that in the wrong board.

When you pick EDIT, you can then go to the drop down menu of all your boards and place it in the correct one.

I'll place it in QUILTS.

Make sure you click SAVE.

You can also rearrange the order of your boards too. Go to the upper right corner and click REARRANGE

It's a drag and rearrange set up.

Drag where you want the board and click SAVE!

Have fun pinning. You can see my Pinterest account by clicking the "P" on my right side bar.

Have a great day,
~Karen~

6:57 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Pinterest Help...Great Idea When Pinning

I did a Pinterest post last week and there was a comment from Nancy with an awesome pinning tip. When you are on the page that you are pinning the picture from, find the words or title of the picture that goes with it. Left click, drag and high light the words that you want. When you "pin it" the high lighted words end up in the description box of your pinned picture.

Aaahhh...come on ladies, sing like an angel. That is genius!!

Thanks Nancy for sharing such a time saving tip.

You can visit Nancy at her blog Polly-Wolly Doodle, but you can also find her at http://www.nancybabb-classes.blogspot.com/

She gives a great tutorial for turning corners when sewing. You can find that here...

http://nancybabb-classes.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-make-sharp-corners-on-pillows.html 

Thanks for stopping by. You can visit my Pinterest account by clicking the "P" above or in the circle on my side bar.

Have a great day,

~Karen~

3:59 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Pinterest Help...How to Pin and Repin

Pinterest is "the" place lately, but many of you have so many questions about it. Pinterest is a virtual cork board where you can save photos and links to things you see on the Internet.

Click HERE to see my Pinterest boards for an example.

The main question from most of you has been...How do I PIN or REPIN? They are the same, but different. Lol !!

Let's cover them separately with "PINNING" first.

To "PIN" something from a website, you need the "Pin It" button on your computer's toolbar.

See mine circled in red?

To add the "pin it" button to your toolbar, go to...

• your dashboard
• click "about"
• then click "pin it button"

It's under the Goodies section. The instructions are easy and there is also a video.

When you have the "PIN IT" button on your computer's toolbar, you can now "pin" anything from a website.

For example...

You are on the HGTV website and see a beautiful kitchen. You want to use some of the ideas from that kitchen when you redo your own home some day. When you are on that website, go to the "pin it" button at the top of your toolbar and click it.

Pinterest will bring up all the photos from that website. You pick one photo that you want for your pin board and follow the instructions. Easy Peasy!

Now how to "REPIN"...

When you are on your dashboard and want to start browsing...

Click the red "PINTEREST" word in the upper center.

First things that come up are the pinners that you are following and all the things that they have pinned.

The next section is "EVERYTHING" and that is, well, everything that everyone has pinned at that very moment.

If you want to break it down even further, click "EVERYTHING" and a drop down menu will come up with categories like DIY and CRAFTS.

Now to "REPIN"...

Move your mouse cursor over a picture that you want to repin. You can now pick "REPIN", "LIKE", or "COMMENT". You can do any or all of those three things.

When you click "REPIN" another screen will appear that has all your boards to select from. You can also place your cursor in the description box and change what the previous person has written or keep it...either way is fine. Click the red "Pin It" button. Done!

If you have repinned or pinned something that you don't have a board for, simple scroll down to the bottom of that boards menu and you can CREATE a new one.

I hope this helps. I will be setting up a Pinterest help page at the top of my blog, but for now you can find them under the labels section under Pinterest. (by the way, I have no affliation with Pinterest...just love it!!)

Have a great time pinning,
~Karen~

6:47 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Blog Buddy...How To Add Your Follow Me Pinterest Button

I've had lots of requests on how to add a "Follow Me on Pinterest" button to the sidebar of your blog. If you're new to Pinterest...it's fabulous! It's a virtual pin board where you "pin" all your favorite things you find on the Internet to your own boards. It's like having a cork board for all different categories, right there in your own account!

If you want to see what Pinterest looks like...Click HERE to visit my Pinterest boards. I add new things to it all the time.

If you already have a Pinterest account and want to add the "Follow Me" button to your blog...here are the quick steps.

Click these pictures below to enlarge so you can see it better.

Log into your OWN Pinterest account...you must log in so your Pinterest address shows up in the HTML code.

• click the "About" drop down menu
• click on "Pin it Button"

Under the "FOLLOW BUTTON" section, there are several different styles to choose from. Click on the one that you would like...

A different HTML code will show up for each one.

Put your cursor over the code, right click and click COPY.

Now go to your Blogger dashboard...I'm still in the old interface, so I click DESIGN. In the new interface, I think you click LAYOUT.

Click ADD A GADGET...

Scroll down and click HTML/JAVASCRIPT

A box will pop up. You can type a title in there if you want...not needed though.

In the main bigger box, put your cursor in there and right click then PASTE the code in there. For some reason lately, blogger or my mouse won't let me paste in these boxes. I can paste in other places, but not here.

If you have problems with right click pasting, just place the cursor in the box and then on your keyboard..

• hold down the Ctrl button and the "v" button at the same time. Should paste right in there

After it's pasted in the box, make sure you click SAVE

The new button will appear at the top of your sidebar.

If you want to move it down in a different spot on your side bar, DRAG and MOVE it down where you want.

If you move something you must click SAVE again.

There it is...a button that will link to your Pinterest account.

Hope this helps,
~Karen~

6:53 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Purge Your Magazines...

For me, the end of 2011 meant putting away Christmas things and organizing too. However, that creates a domino effect. I pull things out to clean and then organizing snow balls...right down to the pile of magazines.

I receive subscriptions to different magazines for birthday and Christmas gifts and I keep all 12 months of the year piled neatly to refer back to. Guests can also thumb through the many issues if they don't have that magazine at home.

At the end of the year, I go through all the magazines and tear out all the pages I love or need for future inspiration.

To store them, I take clear plastic protector sheets from the office supply store.

The sheets work great in a 3 ring binder.

Just slip each page into a protector.

Now you can refer to your inspiration book at any time.

Categorize each notebook or section for Christmas, Kitchens, Sewing, Crafts, Recipes etc...

This notebook is the "Flintstone" version of my Pinterest account. Pinterest is a "virtual" inspiration notebook. When you see something you like on the Internet, you "pin" it into your own personal inspiration file.

Click HERE if you'd like to see my Pinterest account. You can also click the red "P" on my side bar. I add new things to that everyday. It is quite addicting. If you've joined Pinterest, follow me and then I can follow you...inspiration shared every where!!

If you tackle one little organizing project at a time, your house will be neat and clean in no time.

Have a great day,
~Karen~

11:18 AM | 0 comments | Read More