I need to edit some posts on my Blog which will give you email updates.....please read.....

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that I need to go back and edit some of my posts over the next few days - I need to add some HTML code but I won't bore you with the details - it is do with preventing my photos from being copied or downloaded.

My understanding about Feedburner is that if you subscribe to my Blog via EMail/Feedburner, when I go back and edit posts, you will then receive an email.  I looked into disabling the Feedburner while I am doing the editing, but you can't do it. 

If you subscribe to my Blog in other ways, you may also find that these older posts that I am editing may appear as the "latest" post when they are in fact, older.

So please accept my apologies in advance if you get a few EMail updates or feed updates that have older dates on them over the Easter break (don't worry - there won't be hundreds) - they are not SPAM and I am not SPAMMING you.  Nothing has gone wrong with your subscription - it is unfortunately in the nature of Feedburner and Blogs in general, that when you edit your posts, people will get the updated post.  Handy for some things - not so for others!!

Update re copyright

If you read my last post (from a few days ago) about Copyright and how someone wanted to use one of my cards in an ad and I had said "no",  well the person concerned chose another card from my on-line Gallery, cropped it so my personal watermark wasn't visible and then used it in the ad with their rubber stamp at a particular website where you can buy/sell (not Ebay)!  I was positively livid and astounded at the cheek!

So I immediately contacted the website who were fantastic!  They sent me a link to a legal form called DMCA Notice of Copyright Infringment  (DMCA stands for Digital Millenium Copyright Act) with instructions on how to fill it in which took me a few hours and all I had to do was email it back to the website.  The listing was pulled straight away.  Some hours later the stamp was re-listed minus the picture.  I hope the Seller has learned their lesson.

I also contacted the Administrators of my on-line gallery from where the card was copied from (I had made the card before I had this blog) and informed them of what had transpired and they are dealing with it.  It is a breach of their Terms of Service to use someone's work in this manner.  I felt it was no use my contacting the person again as they had not complied with my original wishes anyway - the boss pointing the finger will hopefully have more force!

I would urge you to read about the DMCA at Wikipedia - even if you only read a little bit about it as you may find yourself in the same boat as me and not know what to do about it.  Perhaps even Bookmark it so you can go back there if you need to one day (and I hope you don't have to!!).  I know of another Blogger whose cards were used without permission as samples at an on-line store pertaining to a brand of stamps the store were selling!  I am just dumbfounded that people will do these sorts of things!

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Thank you for your patience while I make these little Blog adjustments and I hope they don't cause you too much angst!

Jocelyn

I have a new email address - and some Copyright explanation

Hi there!  

Just wanted to let you know I have changed my EMail address for any enquiries relating to my Blog or cardmaking only and have updated the relevant parts of my Blog to reflect my new address.

It is:      insteadofironing@gmail.com

This only applies to my Blog and is specifically set up for my Blog.  

For family and friends that use my other EMail addresses, please continue to use those other addreses.

Copyright Issues

 

Did you notice that at the top LHS of my Blog a new little box that says "My own free copyright registered and protected" plus the details underneath about my Creative Commons License?  Read on....I will explain.....

In the section on my blog called "Hello and welcome to my Blog", I have a few lines (which most bloggers put on their blog) about their artwork being copyright to them and is not to be used for personal or monetary gain or used for contest submission etc - which I think is fair and reasonable.

But a little while ago, I was contacted by someone via another on-line forum I am part of, who loved one of my cards that had pink flowers.  They told me that they had the same floral stamp that I had used and was planning to sell that stamp - and wanted to use my card as a sample in the ad.  Whilst it was flattering that they liked my card so much, I replied very politely that I wasn't comfortable with the idea as I had no control over where my image would be used and as they were an accomplished cardmaker, perhaps they could make a card with that same stamp and sell the card with the stamp?

I received a rather upsetting reply as they were rather indignant that I should need some sort of control over where my image would be used and just "forget it - they'll look elsewhere".  

I felt it was important that the person understand my position as they didn't seem to - and I replied that I have a note on my Blog that my cards are copyright to me and are not to be used for personal or monetary gain - which it would if they were using my card as a sample to help sell their stamp.

I also pointed out that the reason I chose the colour pink for my flowers on the particular card in question was because the lady concerned has been battling breast cancer (pink being the colour for breast cancer) and that they will not live to see their next birthday - this is the last card I will ever do for them - and to have someone use that card to sell their stamp would be very upsetting to me; that often my cards have a story behind them - they are not JUST cards to me!

It must have struck a chord with the person and they were very nice to reply and were very polite about it and they seemed to then understand my position.  And, in all fairness to this person, sometimes people just don't realise the implications behind what they might be asking and have little knowledge of copyright.

So, as I have seen others Blogs display their Copyright, I thought it was time I registered my Blog and it's contents via a Creative Commons License so I have some sort of recourse if someone uses my Blog content for their own benefit.  

Thanks for listening and have a great week!

Jocelyn