After her nasty comment, we took it off line. She apologized and we came to a mutual understanding. I even took her original comment down since she regretted writing it. No big whoop.

But now I’m wondering what I’m allowed and not allowed to do even if I give full credit for a recipe or photo, and give lots of links and credit. I think I will still do what I do, then email the blogger/photographer and ask permission to use the photo with a link and credit.

Or maybe it’s time to go back to what I used to do – only post what I’ve cooked up and photographed.

It’s funny, because I do alot of book reviews and publishers always want me to use artwork, descriptions, recipes, etc. from their books because they see the promotional value. While blogging is different – you don’t hold it in your hand like a book, after all – are bloggers ignoring the promotional value of someone using their work as long as there is credit, links and possible traffic coming to their site?

Sounds like something we’ll have to discuss at BlogHer.

This of course drives me absolutely crazy because the majority of the sites the blogger steals from are so large they probably can’t be bothered to go after such a small site. At my site, we work really hard to come up with original content.

They have yet to plagiarize my site but I think it’s because they know i probably check their site and would go after them if they stole my content. Or they might just read my site, follow my source links and copy the posts.

It’s so aggravating.

This issue isn’t about content stealing to me .. it’s about playing the “How Big Should My Name Be At The Top Of Other People’s Blogs” game. Why can’t you just accept that someone likes your stuff and gives you credit? If you are way to afraid for people looking at your stuff – stop writing the stuff.

E.O.M. (yes, I know you hate me now *sniff*, but that’ just i.m.h.o.)

Brian

Brian

As I have begun to gain a small audience here at Men in Aprons, I think it wise for me to write about this, seeing how many of my readers are food bloggers themselves. All of you out there who are blogging about food, creating, recreating, and posting …

Here’s my rule on using someone else’s recipe: If I find a recipe I like, I cook it myself, take my own pictures, and post my own thoughts about it. And I usually credit the author in the first paragraph. I will also post any modification or experimentations that I did.

Recipes aren’t usually covered under copyright, although I suspect that if I reprinted “The Joy of Cooking” under another name, lawyers from HarperCollins would be eager to test that bit of legal teory.

But stealing the descriptive copy and the photos is a big foul. Particularly when you’re running a competing site.

I was irked when a Beatles site reprinted, in full, my review of a biography, not only on one, but two sites (both lathered with ads). There wasn’t much I could do about it — Yahoo’s rules for complaining about offending blogs they sponsor is complicated and time-consuming — and the loss to me was small in comparison. Since he steals from every media source, it’s like a pickpocket taking a few pennies from every pocket.

But it does add up.

Years ago I was the hobbies editor at About.com. The full text and images from hobbies’ sites were frequently swiped in the same manner, and the offending parties were pursued until the materials were removed.

The Culinary Arts site has no right to continue using the material. It’s wrong and should be removed.

By the way, Darren, you asked in a recent blog post (I’m paraphrasing) if bloggers would use posts from their sites as part of a book without asking the commenters for permission.

I’m an author who does not use comments verbatim. I rewrite it, ensuring that the main idea stays intact. My books include a dedication thanking entire industries for their assistance.

“I do this because I enjoy food and feel that its worthwhile sharing that enjoyment”

So, I guess if I am a fan of a rock band I could just grab their CD into MP3′s and post the MP3s (or even just the hit single) on my website. I would take her quote above and change “food” to “music” so it reads:

“I do this because I enjoy music and feel that its worthwhile sharing that enjoyment”

She is also saying Elise is a sellout trying to make AdSense revenue off her recipes, so it is okay for her to redistribute it for free?

Am I off base here?

-dm

Plus, it’s oh so very easy for the person doing the “lifting” to act like they wouldn’t care if it was being done to them, but it’s an entirely different matter to have it done to you over and over and over again.

Using the intro paragraph is wrong and swiping the photo is just bad form.

Excessive copying shows a laziness on the part of the blogger. There’s no need you need to take the person’t pictures, also, as well as all the text.