livejournal etiquette
Apr. 13th, 2004 06:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lierdumoaOkay, I don't think I've ever done a post like this before. It's the sort of post I *hate, hate, hate* making. But I feel it is my responsibility to say something, so I will.
Icon etiquette. Now I'm a pretty laid back person when it comes to icons. I don't ask for credit, usually. I don't like using icons that other people on my friends list are using, so I prefer that me and my friends not be using the same icons simultaneously. However, if someone wants to use one of my user icons, I don't usually mind because a lot of them I don't use that often anyway.
Now, in a recent post, I showcased some icons that I had made for myself. I didn't say that I had made them for myself. I pretty much assumed that everyone would be able to tell that I had made them for myself, since I did not post them to a community or state that they were up for grabs. Also, one could see from the url's that they were my linked to from my user icons, as opposed to from my photobucket account.
In any case, someone decided to use one of the icons I posted. This is totally different from using one of my userpics that I hardly ever use. This is using one of my icons before I even get a chance to use it. I'm a little annoyed.
Now it occurs to me that this is really my fault, for not being clear. I'll be sure to add a note in my userinfo that people should wait until I get a chance to use my icons before they start sharing them.
Point of interest: I am not writing this post because I am annoyed. I am writing this post, because I feel it is important that people be aware of livejournal etiquette. Especially if they're basically nice people. That way, if you're rude, at least it's on purpose and not because you're unfamiliar with some unspoken rule.
So, here's a basic laundry list: If you're going to use someone's shit without permission, make sure they never find out. If they're on your friends list, they're going to find out. So you'd better get permission first. If someone tells you that you can use an icon/graphic/etc., then go ahead and use it. If someone *doesn't* tell you that you can use it, then ask first. They might say no, and even if they don't say no, they might place restrictions (eg. you can use this icon in a month, once I'm done with it).
I myself have made a few blunders. I made icons out of photographs I didn't take, without asking the photographers. Luckily, said photographers weren't offended. I'll be sure not to make a blunder like that again, because it occurs to me that I could have offended them. And that would have been bad.
Another important note -- credit isn't everything. You might tell yourself, "Well, I didn't ask, but I gave credit." You might even tell yourself, "I never asked Rowling if I could write Harry Potter fanfiction, but I gave her credit." Well, Rowling isn't on your friends list. She isn't in your livejournal communities. You don't interact with her. You don't have to maintain a working relationship with her. If she gets offended, it's not your problem. But you do have to maintain a working relationship with the people on your friends list. And if they get offended, it *is* your problem.
Gah. Now I'm going to go off and pretend I never wrote this.
Icon etiquette. Now I'm a pretty laid back person when it comes to icons. I don't ask for credit, usually. I don't like using icons that other people on my friends list are using, so I prefer that me and my friends not be using the same icons simultaneously. However, if someone wants to use one of my user icons, I don't usually mind because a lot of them I don't use that often anyway.
Now, in a recent post, I showcased some icons that I had made for myself. I didn't say that I had made them for myself. I pretty much assumed that everyone would be able to tell that I had made them for myself, since I did not post them to a community or state that they were up for grabs. Also, one could see from the url's that they were my linked to from my user icons, as opposed to from my photobucket account.
In any case, someone decided to use one of the icons I posted. This is totally different from using one of my userpics that I hardly ever use. This is using one of my icons before I even get a chance to use it. I'm a little annoyed.
Now it occurs to me that this is really my fault, for not being clear. I'll be sure to add a note in my userinfo that people should wait until I get a chance to use my icons before they start sharing them.
Point of interest: I am not writing this post because I am annoyed. I am writing this post, because I feel it is important that people be aware of livejournal etiquette. Especially if they're basically nice people. That way, if you're rude, at least it's on purpose and not because you're unfamiliar with some unspoken rule.
So, here's a basic laundry list: If you're going to use someone's shit without permission, make sure they never find out. If they're on your friends list, they're going to find out. So you'd better get permission first. If someone tells you that you can use an icon/graphic/etc., then go ahead and use it. If someone *doesn't* tell you that you can use it, then ask first. They might say no, and even if they don't say no, they might place restrictions (eg. you can use this icon in a month, once I'm done with it).
I myself have made a few blunders. I made icons out of photographs I didn't take, without asking the photographers. Luckily, said photographers weren't offended. I'll be sure not to make a blunder like that again, because it occurs to me that I could have offended them. And that would have been bad.
Another important note -- credit isn't everything. You might tell yourself, "Well, I didn't ask, but I gave credit." You might even tell yourself, "I never asked Rowling if I could write Harry Potter fanfiction, but I gave her credit." Well, Rowling isn't on your friends list. She isn't in your livejournal communities. You don't interact with her. You don't have to maintain a working relationship with her. If she gets offended, it's not your problem. But you do have to maintain a working relationship with the people on your friends list. And if they get offended, it *is* your problem.
Gah. Now I'm going to go off and pretend I never wrote this.
