My apologies to Kelly if this is off topic, or too inflammatory -- Kelly, I'll understand if you censor -- or lock -- this thread (I may be a tad miffed, but I won't think ill of you, I promise!)
Please read the following carefully, in full. Yes, I know it's quite long. I'm going to try to write this diplomatically, but I am rather annoyed, so please please please give me the benefit of the doubt in what follows.
There's something I have to get off my chest...
This is not about something that has happened once -- it has happened multiple times, over months. And this irksome behaviour has built up and built up to the point where I feel I need to say something publicly. I don't expect to change anything; I'm not looking to form a lynch mob to go after anyone... I just want to put my feelings out on the public record -- nothing more..!
There's a certain fan site run by someone who, by all accounts, works very very hard to bring fans news stories and information about the Supergirl tv show. I stress: very very hard. But there's one habit this site has that I find deeply, deeply, regrettable -- and I can no longer hold my silence.
The latest example is a classic case in point: a behind-the-scenes gallery has just been posted on said site of Melissa Benoist filming some Supergirl action. The accompanying blurb on said site claims the pictures were "sent" to the site. "Sent"? "Sent"?! The site wasn't sent the photos -- it lifted them from another fan site that had scooped everyone by publishing (as far as I know) the gallery first.
(I was the one who posted the link to the original site's gallery on said site's forums, only to discover hours later that the entire gallery had been duplicated -- so was I the one who sent the pictures?!??)
But, the fact that the gallery was duplicated is not what is bothering me... Images get reposted around the web all the time. The images in question were on Tumblr within moments of being put on the original site, and without any link back to the source site for credit -- it's regrettable, but that's life on the internet, so no point in getting annoyed.
No, what is bothering me is that not only did said site repost the gallery in full (in the same order as the original), without credit to its fellow fan site that got the scoop (claimed to have been "sent" the images instead!), but it cropped the images to remove any trace of the original site's small and unobtrusive tag at the bottom, with its web address. A side-by-side comparison of the images clearly shows that they've been cropped just above the text, to disguise their origin. If the images had been "sent" to said site, then why do they happen to be missing the small part at the bottom of each image where the original site posted its URL..?
Now... I do not expect any credit for being the one who "sent" the pictures to said site -- but I do expect one fan site to be respectful to another fan site by acknowledging when it is 'borrowing' material. Forgetting to post a link to the original fan site is unfortunate -- but it happens all the time on the internet -- but doctoring the images to stop the other fan site from taking credit for getting the original scoop is not nice.
Now... you might say (and with good reason!) "but the other fan site doesn't own the images, it probably lifted them itself from a photographer's web site". Yes, this is true. Good point! But... I have also seen other galleries posted on said site where the images were also cropped, this time to remove the small text that credited the photographer and his agency.
In other words, not only has said site manipulated photos to avoid crediting the hard work of a fellow fan site... but it has also manipulated photos to avoid crediting the original photographer. !!!THAT, IS BANG OUT OF ORDER!!!!
When Kelly and I compiled a list of the Comic Con videos a few months back, both of us were careful to give credit when we copied links compiled by other fans on Tumblr, Twitter, etc. Fans should respect other fans -- that's my opinion. If another fan has done Supergirl fandom a favour by publishing some new material, there's nothing wrong in reproducing that work on other fan sites... but please be respectful enough to give credit to the original fan. Don't take credit for finding the work yourself (or being sent it), when you're clearly benefiting from another fan's efforts.
Even if you disagree with me, and you think it is okay for fans to copy each other's discoveries without credit... that doesn't excuse striping credit from the original artist. Never never never never knowingly remove or disguise the tag or credit line of a work's original creator. (Not unless you are doing something 'transformative' with the work, to turn it into a brand new piece of art.)
So... this is addressed to all fans, and all fan sites, including myself: Let's have some respect, please. We're a community -- let's act like one.
Here endeth the rant.
R5
Please read the following carefully, in full. Yes, I know it's quite long. I'm going to try to write this diplomatically, but I am rather annoyed, so please please please give me the benefit of the doubt in what follows.
There's something I have to get off my chest...
This is not about something that has happened once -- it has happened multiple times, over months. And this irksome behaviour has built up and built up to the point where I feel I need to say something publicly. I don't expect to change anything; I'm not looking to form a lynch mob to go after anyone... I just want to put my feelings out on the public record -- nothing more..!
There's a certain fan site run by someone who, by all accounts, works very very hard to bring fans news stories and information about the Supergirl tv show. I stress: very very hard. But there's one habit this site has that I find deeply, deeply, regrettable -- and I can no longer hold my silence.
The latest example is a classic case in point: a behind-the-scenes gallery has just been posted on said site of Melissa Benoist filming some Supergirl action. The accompanying blurb on said site claims the pictures were "sent" to the site. "Sent"? "Sent"?! The site wasn't sent the photos -- it lifted them from another fan site that had scooped everyone by publishing (as far as I know) the gallery first.
(I was the one who posted the link to the original site's gallery on said site's forums, only to discover hours later that the entire gallery had been duplicated -- so was I the one who sent the pictures?!??)
But, the fact that the gallery was duplicated is not what is bothering me... Images get reposted around the web all the time. The images in question were on Tumblr within moments of being put on the original site, and without any link back to the source site for credit -- it's regrettable, but that's life on the internet, so no point in getting annoyed.
No, what is bothering me is that not only did said site repost the gallery in full (in the same order as the original), without credit to its fellow fan site that got the scoop (claimed to have been "sent" the images instead!), but it cropped the images to remove any trace of the original site's small and unobtrusive tag at the bottom, with its web address. A side-by-side comparison of the images clearly shows that they've been cropped just above the text, to disguise their origin. If the images had been "sent" to said site, then why do they happen to be missing the small part at the bottom of each image where the original site posted its URL..?
Now... I do not expect any credit for being the one who "sent" the pictures to said site -- but I do expect one fan site to be respectful to another fan site by acknowledging when it is 'borrowing' material. Forgetting to post a link to the original fan site is unfortunate -- but it happens all the time on the internet -- but doctoring the images to stop the other fan site from taking credit for getting the original scoop is not nice.
Now... you might say (and with good reason!) "but the other fan site doesn't own the images, it probably lifted them itself from a photographer's web site". Yes, this is true. Good point! But... I have also seen other galleries posted on said site where the images were also cropped, this time to remove the small text that credited the photographer and his agency.
In other words, not only has said site manipulated photos to avoid crediting the hard work of a fellow fan site... but it has also manipulated photos to avoid crediting the original photographer. !!!THAT, IS BANG OUT OF ORDER!!!!
When Kelly and I compiled a list of the Comic Con videos a few months back, both of us were careful to give credit when we copied links compiled by other fans on Tumblr, Twitter, etc. Fans should respect other fans -- that's my opinion. If another fan has done Supergirl fandom a favour by publishing some new material, there's nothing wrong in reproducing that work on other fan sites... but please be respectful enough to give credit to the original fan. Don't take credit for finding the work yourself (or being sent it), when you're clearly benefiting from another fan's efforts.
Even if you disagree with me, and you think it is okay for fans to copy each other's discoveries without credit... that doesn't excuse striping credit from the original artist. Never never never never knowingly remove or disguise the tag or credit line of a work's original creator. (Not unless you are doing something 'transformative' with the work, to turn it into a brand new piece of art.)
So... this is addressed to all fans, and all fan sites, including myself: Let's have some respect, please. We're a community -- let's act like one.
Here endeth the rant.
R5
