Internet Warriors
Earlier in the week I noticed on Facebook that a new group had been suggested for me. I can’t remember the name of it exactly but it was to do with memories of old Govan in Glasgow. There are already a few of these so why we need another one is beyond me. Anyway, I noticed that someone had posted up a few of my Govan archive photos. I mentioned in the thread that these were my photos and had been reproduced without permission and even without a photo credit. Other groups have had the decency to ask and I have granted permission so long as they credit me as the photographer which they always do.
I tend to stay up quite late at night so just before I closed down my Mac a couple of nights ago a PM popped up on Facebook from someone I don’t know. It was someone (possibly and Admin.) from the group I had just posted on. Although this person didn’t know me the PM contained nothing but abusive comments about me, my post and questioned why I felt the need to be credited as they were in the public domain so belonged to everyone now. I replied trying to inform him about common courtesy and why people put copyright messages on their website, where these had been ripped from. That just angered him more and resulted in more personal abuse. He closed with the comment, “good luck with sewing Facebook” and then blocked me before I could reply. His inability to spell suing told me a lot and I had a good laugh in the end. When encountering keyboard warriors I never get worked up or annoyed because it’s what they do. Never rise to their bait. It could just be some sad person, recently arrived home from the pub drunk, after being bullied by their mates.
Now, I am not naive to the point where I think that nobody will copy my photos for their own or other use. I sat on my archive shots for over 40 years but the day I posted some to the internet I knew that they were no longer under my control. I often wonder how professional photographers can make any money these days through plagiarism and people pirating the use of their images. Thankfully I don’t depend on photography for my main source of income, but it would be nice and polite for anyone posting copies of my work, or any photographers work, to at least give a photo credit.