"Be who you are and say what you feel...

Because those that matter... don't mind...

And those that mind... don't matter."

~~Dr. Seuss

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I have made most of my photostream private for family and friends only. Online image theft is/has been an ongoing problem which I will neither aid nor condone. I re-posted some down-sized images for public view and will post these to open groups.

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Flickr is just a hobby that should be light, entertaining, diverting and fun. It doesn't pay to give too much import to it and the one-dimensional people on it. Not that there aren't real people behind the posts - there are, of course -but online one only get to see the them as they chose to present themselves in this one dimensional world..

I accept people at face value and will accept most people as contacts. It takes a while before I'm comfortable with "friending" someone.

I do not 'friend' anyone who posts uncredited images in their photostream. In my view, it is not only unethical but most likely illegal not to list every image's source and copyright information. To uphold my views, I must reserve 'friend' status for those few who share, endorse and voice a similar view to mine and illustrate that fact in their own photostream. Actions speak louder than words.

In my case, I actually took all photos in my stream and created the scans from books I own unless another source is clearly stated. I expect the same diligence from my online friends. One has an obligation to the original copyright holders. If one is going to invoke "Fair Use" and display another's works, one is required to give full credit.

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If you enjoy kid's books of any vintage, you're my kind of person, however... (After four years here on Flickr, sadly, the need for this proviso has become evident as too few seem to read or adhere to the very simple www.flickr.com/guidelines/ )

I totally "get" that people like to "collect" art images off the internet for their private enjoyment but if you RE-POST these items and don't post all the necessary info, you are breaking copyright, creating "orphan works" and basically stealing from the original artist and/or the original poster. And stealing, no matter how easy, is NOT okay. Using copyrighted images without proper permission especially for any commercial purposes or profit (yes, that includes crafts one makes and sells) is a crime. In the US, copyrights can be extended to 120 years and while they may be shorter, one best be prepared to do the research to confirm it. So...

IF there is any part of you that thinks it is okay to "take" or "find" or otherwise steal images either from here on flickr or other websites and then publicly re-post them here (or anywhere) without the SOURCE and IDENTIFYING INFO - we have nothing to discuss.

IF you feel strongly that to post other people's photos, artwork and/or image scans morally, ethically and legally REQUIRES the original poster's full knowledge, permission and a complete attribution in order to meet "Fair Use" requirements, we may have something in common.

IF you have taken the time to at least examine your and my country's copyright laws and believe copyright laws are to be respected and honored, we may be friends one day. (This means a full attribution in regards to book or magazine art and limiting yourself to a "fair use" display of images unless in public domain.)

I am totally for promoting picture books and vintage art whether in copyright or in public domain. My concern is that flickr does not require listing the artist, book/mag/web source, and the copyright or edition date for books or bookart. Ethically, I think they should. I make my full views known here: www.flickr.com/photos/illustrated_book/sets/7215762475633... If after reading all my long-winded harange, you find you are of like mind and you caption all your bookart posts with Title, Author, Illustrator, Publication Info, Copyright dates and image source, I look forward to meeting you :-)

It only makes sense to follow flickr's guidelines and copyright laws. Otherwise, you totally forfeit the right to complain if/when unethical people "find" your posts and repost/reuse/sell them without permission from you. You can't have it both ways... It can't be okay for you to "find"/ steal images and then complain when others steal what you stole, eh?

Copyright terms for various countries:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries'_copyright_length

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

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Happily married for 20+ years and hopefully another 40 years should we live so long!

Enjoy well-written & well-illustrated children's books. Tend to favor colorful and more complex art (ex. Arlene Graston, Laurel Long, Kinuko Y. Craft, Scott Gustafson, Susan Jeffers, Charles Sandwyk) over cartoon-style but find there are invariably exceptions to be made (Harold & the Purple Crayon for one).

And I tend to buy more than one copy of the same book if I think its outstanding as gifts for the various nieces & nephews. I am the book-auntie. I consider it a challenge to try to find books that would be impossible for them not to love.

I am not a great photographer but I enjoy taking photos at family parties and being a tourist in my own town.

One day I decided to take memory photos of the areas I grew up in for myself and for my brother the history major who (poor thing :-) now lives in a beach resort. Was surprised to realize that not much remains of the views and places we knew. So now I'm addicted to photographing historic markers and museums supposedly for my boyo but probably more for myself.

At this point, due to the plethora of pics, you're best off just picking a set and skimming the thumbnails for any that strike your fancy. Don't try to view them all or you'll feel like you're trapped in the Twilight Zone!

And how much time do you really want to spend in my world :-)

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The way to happiness:

Keep your heart free from hate,

your mind free from worry.

Live simply, expect little, give much.

Scatter sunshine.

Forget self, think of others.

~ Norman Vincent Peale

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I try for the happy medium in between... Don't talk to strangers... and... There are no strangers, just friends I haven't met yet.

I enjoy the flickr community and 'meeting' fellow book-lovers and art-lovers online. In the winter, my favorite online group is Rejean's "Our Books" and local state photo groups. And since visiting and falling in love with India, I relive the short time we were there by visiting the Chennai photo groups. But in good weather I just want to be outside and am not a regular on Flickr then (tho I will never forget my online friends :-)

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I love "meeting" like-minded souls here on flickr... However...

I don't automatically make anyone a return contact of mine but it's nothing personal.

I block anonymous Flickr users (low-info or no profile/photostream) all the time.

I will definitely block anyone whose profile or photostream makes me in the least bit uncomfortable. Heck, I've blocked people just because their flickr names were creepy, crude, rude, or otherwise ill-advised.

Flickr provides the blocking service for a reason and I have no problem using it. For me it's mostly a matter of personal boundaries. Live your life as you please with my blessings (as long it doesn't hurt anybody) and I shall do the same.

I like to KNOW who my contacts are and actually have some contact with them before being made an official contact. I don't "collect" contacts just for the sake of collecting a list of names. And I'd prefer not to be "collected" myself.

I block anonymous Flickr-ites and "collectors" pretty fast but "un-block" just as fast if this is the only reason. Hey, that's just me. So if I've blocked you and you don't know why that may be the reason. No big deal. Nothing heart-wrenching. Don't worry about it. We can always try again later.

It's not like I'm important to your happiness or welfare! ============================================

The written word is easily misinterpreted especially online and with people from so many different countries and cultures it's simply bound to happen. So give me the benefit of the doubt that I mean well and I'll view you in the same manner.

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Great site regarding image formats.

I decided to save treasured images on my pc in .tiff and use .png format online for best quality and least loss.

www.videointerchange.com/formats.htm

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