To Pin or not to Pin

I signed up for Pinterest a few days ago after reading +Trey Ratcliff 's post about it. There is some lively dialogue taking place in the comments of that post (link below), and is worth reading to get an idea of the various viewpoints by different photographers.

http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/02/13/why-photographers-should-stop-complaining-about-copyright-and-embrace-pinterest/

I can understand the worries of joining the Pinterest platform, especially if I were a professional photographer. I think alot of us have the same concern, that putting our images "out there" for the world to view/download/copy means that said image is no longer under our control. There's no way to guarantee that credit will be given, that people won't pass off your work as their own. For photographers who rely on printed works, this is probably a major sticking point of platforms like Pinterest.

Trey presents his points of view (he wholeheartedly supports the platform) on his blog, but I also encourage you to read the following link so that you're aware of the potential legal ramifications: http://greekgeek.hubpages.com/hub/Is-Pinterest-a-Haven-for-Copyright-Violations

My take? It's an easy decision for someone like me since I'm not a professional photographer. I take pictures for fun, so I'm going to give Pinterest a try (though G+ is definitely going to remain the primary place I post). There are certainly less-than-ethical folk out there on the internet, but I feel confident enough that the majority of people are still good enough to at least assign credit to images if they like what they see.

My account is: http://pinterest.com/njmshashin/ (though there's not much there yet)

I see that +Jarek Klimek is starting up a circle for Photographers on Pinterest – if you're interested and have an account, toss your name in the comments on his original post.

Reshared post from +Jarek Klimek

My new circle: Photographers on Pinterest

It's really hard to find photographers on Pinterest, so I've decided to create and share a Google+ circle for this. Are you into photography? Do you want to be included in the circle? Do this:

1) Share the link to YOUR Pinterst profile in the comments below the original post:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/111873853137122484021/posts/agRa7siUYz4

2) Share the original post publicly with your G+ audience.

I'll add all the users who fulfill both conditions into my Photographers on Pinterst circle and I'll share the circle publicly on February 21.

Feel free to follow my Pinterest profile http://pinterest.com/jarek/ or my TOP Google+ Photos pinboard http://pinterest.com/jarek/top-photos-google/ . You aren't obligated to do this to be included in the circle.

If you need a Pinterest invitation, share your email here. I'm sure there will be enough Pinterest users who will be willing to invite you.

#pinterest #photography #photographers
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Jarek Klimek (jarek)
Jarek is using Pinterest, an online pinboard to collect and share what inspires you.

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