(2) comments
Add Your Reply
Menu
Imagine this scenario: You’ve done everything by protocol. You have a high quality, unique and well written blog post ready to publish — it has all the bells and whistles, including an invigorating/captivating title, strong embedded SEO keywords and you’re posting it at the wee hours of dawn (this way it’s the first thing your loyal readers will see when they wake up). It will be a sure fire hit, right?
Probably not.
You’re missing one major detail that can make or break the success of a post — a photo. While you may not think photos are all the important they really are—it’s the first thing a reader’s eye will be attracted to. While an aesthetically pleasing photo may convince readers to take a sneak peek at the introduction at the very least, no photos on the other hand can make the post seem dull and boring and he or she may skip the post all together. With that said, always include a photo whenever possible. If you struggle finding ways to find royalty-free images however (they must be royalty-free you don’t want to get sued) check out some these different sources to find great photos at no cost.
Before anything else is said it’s important that you understand copyright laws regarding photos:
• Assume every image you find is copyrighted, even if it does not explicitly say so. Always looks for a common creative common license to see what the terms of use are and so that you can credit the photographer’s work. If there is no creative common license readily available and no sign of copyright still do not use it. Contact the photographer directly to ask permission to use it first.
• Public Domain images are not copyrighted and can be used without a hassle; these include photos found on official governmental Web sites and photos/art works created before 1923.
• Screen Shots of programs/videogames are ok to use as long as it does not disrupt the sale of the product/service and as long as it’s used as a supplement for a “how-to” article.
• Images of CD covers and films are also ok to use as long as you are not the one to leak it—meaning it’s been out for quite some time and has been traveling in cyberspace for a while.
That said, check out these sources to find some quality, useable and free photos for your blog:
• Wikipedia Commons—Wikipedia’s facts may be a little sketchy when it comes to certain material, but in regards to photos, its spot on. Whenever someone uploads a photo to the popular site to accompany an article they are automatically entering the images into the “public” domain. You still need to abide by the licensing rules that can be found at the bottom of each photo, but with more than 10 million photos of various objects, animals, tech gadgets and historical figures you’re sure to find something to match with your blog post.
• Google “Reuse” Images—Using the advanced image search option is also another easy way to find great photos. All you need to do is filter your results by clicking on the “Only images labeled for reuse” option located underneath the “More Tools” heading. Make sure to scour for a common creative license before you post the image to your blog.
• Flickr—Lastly, you may just be able to find your ideal photo scouring through this site. This photo-sharing service has all kinds of photos taken by amateur and professional photographers. While not all of the images can be used, a good number of them can be. Like with every other image, just make sure to carefully read the licensing agreement.
Photo license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en
Original Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ikayama/1114439643/
