There is an epidemic on facebook lately.  Beautiful and delicious recipes (and their images) are being posted.  Those images and recipes are being shared hundreds and thousands of times.

Here is the bad part: The people posting those images DO NOT OWN THEM. (example below)

They have found them on search engines, pinterest, and blogs and are posting them on their own facebook timeline.

When an image is published on the internet, the owner of that image immediately owns copyright.  When a recipe is published the owner of that recipe has copyright protection on the instructions. (See US Copyright Office for Recipe Copyright and US Copyright Office for Image Sharing)

What does the U.S. law state? (Verbiage from U.S. Copyright Office)

Is it legal to download works from peer-to-peer networks and if not, what is the penalty for doing so?
Uploading or downloading works protected by copyright without the authority of the copyright owner is an infringement of the copyright owner’s exclusive rights of reproduction and/or distribution. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. (emphasis mine)

Could I be sued for using somebody else’s work? How about quotes or samples? If you use a copyrighted work without authorization, the owner may be entitled to bring an infringement action against you.

In all cases, it is the researcher’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library’s collections.

What does that mean?  Its up to YOU to make sure that the image you have shared on your facebook page is within legal requirements for fair use.  If you share an image that does not belong to you, you are liable.  It dosent matter if you shared it from a page that shared it a zillion times, when it ends up on your wall that responsibility now lies with you.

Lets look at an example shall we?

This is posted on a popular facebook page called Incredible Recipes.  This page has over 248,000 likes. (as of 12:00pm 3/24/2013-as of 5:36pm the same day the page has grown to 261k likes)

They posted a  Blueberry Cobbler Bars recipe on 3/23/2012  which now has more than 1,000 likes and 775 shares.

This recipe and image were originally published on Cherry Tea Cakes blog on Nov. 17th, 2012.  The Incredible Recipes facebook does not credit Cherry Tea Cakes in any way.  The Incredible Recipes facebook page has copied Cherry Tea Cakes post verbatim; violating copyright law for recipe instructions, violating copyright law for photographic images, and violating  facebook’s Terms of Use.  And this is just one of the thousands they have shared.

UPDATE:  It appears the owner of the site has removed the recipe posted above as well as gone and tried to credit some of the other posts.  However, there are still many posts with full recipes listed and no source.  Hopefully she will go and delete those as well.

UPDATED 3/39/2013:  I am so very happy to report that Incredible Recipes is no longer sharing posts incorrectly!  She is obtaining permission and posting a direct link to the creators site.  This is such a wonderful turn of events and I am thankful that she was willing to work with bloggers!

Another big offender of late is certain Independent  Sales Consultants*.  These third party affiliates have huge pages (growing by 10k likes a week) are are posting and sharing content daily (if not hourly).  Within the consultant facebook network, images and recipe are being shared tens of thousands of times.  In response to a bloggers inquiry, one Consultant said they knowingly share images from each others walls to increase their page activity.  Its a snowball effect of intellectual property infringement.

When contacted, these independent contractors have responded with arrogance, ignorance, and defiance.  Bloggers (often the creators of the images stolen) are being blocked, banned, and mocked for seeking justice for their work.

I have been keeping documentation of the threats and harassment to myself and fellow bloggers.  Before anyone else threatens me with legal actions please be advised, it is not harassing to point out when someone is infringing upon my work.

*I have removed the specific name of the consultants upon consideration.  Many of the thousands of consultants are law-abiding and using appropriate methods to share, and (rightly) do not want to be labeled as violators.  

And just to respond to some of the comments that have been made to bloggers:

No, it is not a compliment when someones steals your work.

No, I am not weird because I am not flattered.

Yes, there certainly are more important things in the world to worry about, but I certainly have a right to care about this injustice.

No, its not ‘just a recipe’ and no not everyone can make it and photograph it like I have.

No, its not ok simply because you found it on the internet.  The internet is not “fair game”.

Why is this an issue?

The people who create the images, developed and wrote the recipes own them.  They have often invested time and money into recipe development and photography. They have often posted that information on a website that can generate income. (For example; I have advertisements on my blog, when people visit my site I earn money.)

When sites take images and recipes and post on their facebook page, they are firguratively stealing money out of the pockets of the owners.

What Can You Do?

The best practice is do not post any image to your facebook page (or website) that you did not take or do not own.  If you want to share a post from another page, try to find the facebook page of origin.  This will help ensure that the proper person is getting credit.

Never ever post entire recipes to your page.

When you see a page that is posting recipes and/or images they dont own, dont “like” them.  And if you are feeling even more daring, let them know what the right way to do it is!

Better yet, you can report pages who steal content. (click on the tiny blue drop down arrow, which is typically next to the word message, and then choose Report Page.)

The thing is bloggers like, no love, when you share their work the right way!  When you stop by their facebook page or pinterest page (or any other version of social media) and share their work they are Thankful and Grateful.  You sharing their images and words is part of the reason they do what they do!  When done correctly it will drive traffic and potential new friends to their sites.  This is the greatest compliment you can give a blogger.

What does ‘done correctly’ mean exactly?  Sharing a post directly from the source.  That is what that handy dandy share button is for!

What are “safe” ways to share pictures and recipes?

Make sure you get permission.

Only share from the original source.  Use the options that are in place, such as the “share” button, pin button, retweet, etc.

One facebook page that does an excellent job of sharing correctly is KitchenAid.

Not only do they post a DIRECT LINK to the creators blog post, they TAG the author!  (Liv Life is the author tagged below)

This is the ideal way to share content you do not own.

In summary:

You are legally responsible for all content posted on your facebook page.

Be wary of sites that post entire recipes with images. Most reputable sources do not list entire recipes on facebook.

If you find a recipe you like on a questionable page, try googling it. (This is how I found who created the Blueberry Cobbler above)  Then go “like” and “share” from their facebook page.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!  Please do share this post through social media and especially on your facebook page.  The more people that can be made aware of this the better.

HERE is my facebook post if you want to share directly.

***

Want more info?

Check these great posts:

Recipe Attribution

 Copyright Issues and Why They Cause A Lot of Drama

Can We Talk About Sharing

It was pleasantly surprising to know that I am not the only one who does not think anonymity is always great in cyber space.

My experience with anonymous comments has not been good.  I have been attacked for the color pancakes I make, for the choice to homeschool, for my faith, and for my cake decorating choices among other things.

How I handle it on my blog is like this: If your comment is a personal attack its deleted.  If the comment is constructive criticism I will post it and try to address the issues with the commentor.  If people simply have different opinions than me, but choose to express themselves in an intelligent way, their comments stay.  I have filters in place and my readers are usually not exposed to the hate that people are so willing to spew.

From the NYT article, “Leonard Pitts Jr., a Miami Herald columnist, wrote recently that anonymity has made comment streams “havens for a level of crudity, bigotry, meanness and plain nastiness that shocks the tattered remnants of our propriety.” (emphasis mine)

This is by no means an overstatement.  In the safe confines of anonymity I have seen the most vile of words written.  People feel impervious by the ‘anonymous’ label sprawled next to their words.  They are saying and doing things they would never dream of saying and doing to someones face.  Its as if they feel their words are without consequence and that it is their right to say whatever they want.

I think that news sites are on the right track if they are considering doing away with anonymous comments.  Force people to stand behind their opinions, or at the very least think before they say something that may cause harm.  I am not foolish enough to believe that people will not find ways to hide behind fake identities and persona’s.  But I am hugely comforted by the fact that people are recognizing that nothing good comes from the anonymous attack.

If it is not constructive  it does not make you ponder and re-evaluate, it is simply an evil distraction.

There may be a decrease in the quantity of comments on sites, the positive side is that there will be a surplus of quality interactions.

What say you?  Do you support peoples right to say what they want with identity attached?  Do you think there is any good to having anonymity online?  If anonymous comments were to be taken away, do you think that would make a positive impact?

Talk about mulit-talented!

I have noticed some creative and fun trends recently and really hope they stick around for a long, long time! (Be sure to share below what your favorites are!)

Bakers Royale and What Katie Ate are masters at this photographic feat.  It is certainly not easy to have a dark background, sometimes dark food, dark props and create a picture abundant with light and texture.  And don’t forget that the ultimate goal is delicious looking food!

Image courtesy of Sweetapolita, Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Glaze

Just look at the stunning cake from Sweetapolita!  How she managed to get all the light, texture and detail in her shot is well beyond my skill set!

According to YuppieChef, if you want to try and achieve this look opt for dark fabric, pewter or antiqued metals, or well used wood cutting boards and tables (for backgrounds).

Also, don’t disregard actions (photoshop) or presets (lightroom).  While we should also strive to get the perfect shot in the camera, a little editing can go a long way!

The Pioneer Woman has a couple free action sets for photoshop as well as photoshop elements,  there are numerous youtube videos for Food Photography,  MCP Actions has more actions than I can count,  and Totally Rad Lab is a great place to play around and discover the potential of what editing can do. (They even have a free trial!)

Quick tip: If you want to run an action on everything but the food in your picture, use your Photoshop Quick Selection Tool (looks like a lasso) around the food.  Then run your action, and everything but the area that you have selected will have changed.

Gourmande in the Kitchen has an amazing tutorial on how to arrange moody shot. (with Peter Georgakopoulos.)

I am a huge, huge fan of distressed and antique silverware and dishes.  They can make dramatic statements as a focal point or background.

Pewter is beautiful as is tarnished silver and distressed metals.  Jadeite, vintage stoneware, and depression glass are just a few of the amazing additions you can make to your food prop stash.

But remember to think out of the box with your collection!  I have an old cookie sheet (maybe well used is a better term) that has great texture and contrast.  Pair it with a Pioneer Woman’s ‘vintage’ action (at about 30%) and it almost looks like its from the 1900′s.

I also used that same cookie sheet in my post for Triple Chocolate Sugar Cookies!

Vintage cake stands, dishes and hand towels are a personal favorite, as they lend such a beautiful muted color and delicate texture.

Naomi from Bakers Royale did a great post on Finding Food Props. (with Sylvie Shirazi)

I also have a Pinterest board with many great food prop ideas!

The beauty of this is instant gratification.  Your eyes are typically met with a larger shot that encompasses all the elements of the food.  Then posted right next to it is a close up, detailed picture of something the photographer wants you to focus on.

Image from Tartelette’s post Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

While I have yet to even attempt this clever visual juxtaposition, I am a big admirer of others who do it so beautifully.

Image courtesy of Roost Blog, Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Bouchons with Toasted Nutmeg

 Caitlin, the awesomely creative force behind Roost Blog, does this with such raw talent its overwhelming.  Her ability to pair images with seem-less transition is nothing short of stunning.

I cant wait to see all the new and creative directions this trend will go!

Since I have been either pregnant or nursing for the last nine years(yes, seriously) , I cant actually partake in the gorgeous adult beverages that so many are sharing.  So the talented Russell from Chasing Delicious is going to share some of his expertise as well as photography.  Be sure to check out The Boys Club for more amazing concoctions!

Take it away Russell!

Cocktails are coming back in full force and all you have to do is look at a few of your favorite food blogs to see this new trend. I love seeing my favorite bakers, chefs and home cooks take on cocktails because like any dessert or meal, there are endless possibilities for cocktails. Not only that but modern cocktails can be beautiful and they are a great way to highlight fun and unique ingredients.

In food blogging (as in all avenues of life!) there are critics.  People who want to discredit you if your ingredients are not all organic or gluten free.  People who wont read your blog if you use a box cake mix or willfully shun you if your spaghetti recipe substitutes zucchini noodles for the pasta.  Who assume you know nothing if your following is less then what they deem appropriate.

Its easy to want to conform to the naysayers, simply to make the harsh feedback stop.  Its easy to do what everyone else is doing. (I know because I am guilty of this!)

But I am thankful to those of you that don’t.

When I see people being true to what is their reality is, I support it in any way I can.  Some dont always bake from scratch or buy locally grown organic.  It’s important to acknowledge that how others write, style, photograph, and share their experience is just as powerful and significant as our own experience.

Just because someone does things different doesn’t make them wrong.  Just different.  I hope we, as a community,  can stop dismissing others for not rising to an imaginary standard of excellence that some have set.  We all have value.

And speaking of value, don’t let strangers determine it for you.  When you hit the publish button and know that you wrote a great post with an enjoyable dish, don’t let minimal traffic or less comments than you would like change its value.

Your voice and your perspective is the greatest thing you can offer the blogging world.  Anyone can blog about chocolate cake, but its your style and passion that set you apart.

Marnely from the popular blog Cooking With Books shares her perspective on dining local.

I live on an island that basically provides for our every need. From an Alpaca Farm that creates wool clothing to keep us warm during the winter to The Grey Barn that is making cheese for our pizza nights. Living on Martha’s Vineyard (off the coast of Massachusetts) has opened my eyes on how important supporting local artisans and food producers is. These small-batch makers are the same people we see at the post office and are trying to make an honest living. Heck, we even have a local coffee roaster, Chilmark Coffee. Oh and an awesome lady that makes natural and organic beauty products from herbs and honey in her garden! The focus on local and sustainable food is hopefully not a trend or a fad, but a way of life that we all start to embrace as our own. 

 Image courtesy of Savory Simple

The amazingly talented Jen from Savory Simple shares her thoughts:

I try to buy local and sustainable ingredients as often as possible for many reasons. One of my favorite activities is perusing our local farmer’s markets throughout the year. The bright colors and fragrant foods are very inspiring to me. The food tastes better, partially because it’s so fresh but also because I know I’m supporting small local businesses.

Seeing bloggers talk about the importance of buying local and all the benefits is such a refreshing and motivating perspective. Knowing that so many people are making earth conscious, health conscious, and  even wallet conscious choices definitely makes me want to be a better consumer!

Helen DuJardin is one of the most sought after and respected food photographers of our time.  While she would never claim to be a pioneer in this style, I cant help but give her that credit. She has brilliantly learned to incorporate overhead shots with varying angles and always manages to find the way that best flatters the food.

Image courtesy of Tartelette, Apple Walnut Cakes with Mascarpone Cream

Do you want to perfect your overhead shot?  Try these three tips from the pros.

1. Set up on the floor.  If not possible, get an inexpensive step stool.

2. Texture and accessories are a must.  Utilize foods natural state by not cleaning up crumbs and  keeping used utensils in the shot.

3. No bokeh.  Go for full detail. (Meaning, choose the proper depth of field before taking the picture.  This is your aperture priority setting.)

I happen to love the trend of putting words right on your image.

Image courtesy of The Little Kitchen, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Image courtesy of Dine & Dish, White Chocolate Confetti Cake

Image Courtesy of In Katrinas Kitchen, Best Made From Scratch Brownies

Food Bloggers are embracing this trend with gusto and its awesome.  The variety and creativity is so fun to see!

However, dont be discouraged if you are not partaking.  Joy the Baker recently wrote a post on 10 Real Talk Blog Tips which says, “Here’s the deal:  it’s ok if you don’t put text on your pictures.  Someone had to say it.”  Go Joy!

Honorable mentions:

Food tied with strings and multi-colored straws.  I cant help it!!  I happen to think these types of styled photos are fun and joyful.  Regardless of what some may say, I hope that this trend continues.

Sharing. I hope this is not just a trend, as it is just a great way to encourage and support one another.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, Instagram, Vine, Reddit, are just a few of the ways we can share.   If you love someones talent and voice and recipes, sharing it with others is a great way to honor them.  Why not nominate them for a Saveur Site We Love?  Or create a Pin board for your favorite bloggers?  Heck, why not even create a board from your favorite blog? (I have one for Donna Hay, love her!)

So what trends are you seeing in the Food Blogging community?  Any that you love?  Dislike?

Similar posts:

Successful Food Blogs Trends for 2012

Current Food Photography Styles for 2012

1. You get criticized.  A lot.  Articles like this one, written by a food blogger.  And this one, written tongue-in-cheek.  Or this one called Are Food Blogs Killing the Joy of Cooking. Not only are you fodder for other bloggers, but from your readers, chefs, writers, everyone who has an opinion.  Countless negative, opinionated, articles have been written about food bloggers.

2. People are picky. That is all.

3. To be “successful” you need to be multi-talented.  Writer, recipe creator,food stylist, photographer, master marketer.  Not only just good at these things, but great even!  You have to be active on twitter, instagram, facebook, pinterest, google+, and countless other social media avenues.

4. Unlike opinion bloggers, mommy bloggers, fashion bloggers, gossip bloggers, etc… you need to create all your own, original content.  With pictures.

5. It costs a lot.  You have to buy all your own ingredients, which sometimes dont even get eaten because you spent and hour photographing it.  Hour old eggs=gross.

You purchase props and photography equipment and editing programs. Even a inexpensive point and shoot camera is not free.

If you are blessed enough to have ads, campaigns, and/or sponsors on your blog,  readers can be put off by it.  They dont want their screen clogged with flashing ads or running banners.  The truth is, bloggers are not raking in thousands of dollars from these ads, they are often just trying to break even.

6. People can be cruel.  It seems in food blogging, people feel they have a greater license to be critical and harsh.   Someone makes your recipe and it doesn’t turn out and suddenly you have 7 nasty emails and a hate campaign started against you on twitter.

I cant even tell you the number of times I have heard that my blog sucks and is not worth reading because I have (and will continue to) use box cake mix.  Or that I don’t use the word “than” correctly.  Or that I use shortening or a brand name they have boycotted.

Even within our community there are cliques and dissension.  Very few food bloggers cross over genre’s.  The Vegans stick to plants.  The Carnivores unite and grill stuff.  The Bakers read fitness blogs and lament while licking buttercream off the mixer paddle.  Wait.  Thats just me.

One great exception to the rule is Marla from Family Fresh Cooking.  She is lean, mean, and a universal food blog lovin’ machine.

7. People copy you.  They steal your recipes, your pictures, your ideas.  Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.  When I saw one of my original cake designs in a VERY famous bakers book, I cried myself to sleep.  For a week.

As stated in this post, there a many people who believe that once you publish something on the Internet it is fair game.  That you have no rights to your images and content and should be grateful that someone likes your stuff enough to steal it.

Not only is that completely false, it often means food bloggers lose income and potential readers.

And sorta makes my head explode.

Elise Bauer has been the victim of this more times than most, and is always generous in offering up her advice and wisdom.  She also has a great post on the topic posted on Food Blog Alliance.

8. Rejection is the norm.  Not only are there contests and awards that repeat the same blog names year after year, food bloggers are often rejected through photography.  Sites like foodgawker, tastespotting, serious eats’ photograzing or tasteologie are just a few of the places you can submit pictures.  Submit being the key word.  They can then be rejected for reasons like “Composition” “lighting” or even “unappealing”.

I have heard of stunningly talented professional food photographer bloggers like Gourmande in the Kitchen or Rawmazing have been rejected.

Seriously, if they get rejected, what hope do I have?

But, there is a reason that food blogging is one of the most popular and fasting growing trends on the inter-web.

Its fun.  

Its rewarding.  

Its challenging.

Its food.  And sharing food is good.

Eight Reasons Why You Should Appreciate Your Food Blog

1. You get complimented.  You are changing peoples lives, bringing them joy, and sharing YOUR take on food.

2. People are picky, yet can challenge you.  For the better.

3. You find out you are multi-talented and more capable then you realized.

4. You get to create your own original content.  If 100 people all make the same chocolate cake and blogged it, you would find that you have 100 different perspectives on their experience.  That is what I love about blogging.  YOU!

5. Any investment in yourself and your talent is priceless.

6. You learn grace through blogging.  Through less than kind comments, you see the value in the great ones.

7. It can be flattering to know others want to do what you do.

8. Rejection can be a great motivator.  (I would still be using a camera with a flash if I didnt experience rejection!)

This community may have some downs, as all do, but at the end of the day, the good far outweighs the bad.

Kristen, Amy, Cheryl, Sandy (image courtesy of Tidymom)

The friendships I and many others have made are priceless.  The fact that we are tested and challenged and pushed beyond the limits of our comfort zone is one of those things that we look back on and are forever grateful.

I can think of no greater motivator than inspiration.  Knowing you have inspired someone to make a positive change in their life just cant be put into words.  As mentioned often below, bloggers are speechless and humbled by these revelations.

I asked some blogging friends if they would share some of their personal highlights and comments from blogging, and here are their replies.

“So many things… but I broke down in tears on US Thanksgiving after a single dad emailed me to thank me for my turkey tutorial. He was making his first single-handed Thanksgiving dinner for his girls and, according to him, it turned out perfectly. This in itself was awesome, but the fact that he took the time to write a kind letter was so touching.”

Aimee of Simple Bites

“The most rewarding thing for me has been the friendships that I’ve formed with other bloggers. Some that I’ve met in real life, and some that I still haven’t. I’ve found a group of people that not only love food as much as I do, but that contribute to a community and support each other in their successes and struggles and everything in between. Some of my best friends have come into my life because of blogging, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Brandi from BranAppetit.com

“I would say the most rewarding part of blogging is learning that my recipes have helped people put healthier food on the table for their families. I love hearing about a 6 year old who prefers my cauliflower mac and cheese to the boxed stuff or learning that my pumpkin spice baked donuts full of wheat germ and yogurt were gobbled up as quickly as traditional fried donuts. So many people helped me navigate through my weight loss journey so it feels really good to pay it forward one recipe at a time through The Lemon Bowl.”

Liz at The Lemon Bowl

“I love when I get a comment from someone just to say they’ve been reading my blog for such & such amount of tine and thank you. Those really keep me going, because even after 4+ years of blogging you still wonder if anyone’s actually reading. I got one of these comments this weekend and it really filled me up!”

Aggie at Aggies Kitchen

“When a reader recently contacted me to tell me that she made one of my recipes for her anniversary it really made my day. She said that she had been going through a rough patch in her marriage (nothing horrible- just feeling kind of “dull” she said) and she hadn’t planned on doing anything special for the big day. When she saw my recipe pop up in her email she knew it had some of her husband’s favorite flavors so she gathered the ingredients and had the cookies ready that afternoon for her husband. As fate would have it he picked up her favorite ice cream on the way home from work and they were both able to laugh and have a good evening together. I get kind of teary thinking about that, quite honestly.”

Katrina In Katrinas Kitchen

“Nothing warms my heart more than an email from a reader. Just recently I got an email from someone I know, but have not heard from in ten years. They follow my blog! Imagine that…. He expressed how I inspired him to start cooking more and how much he enjoys my food and photos. It was probably the most touching email I have ever received. It reminded me why I started my blog. I want to share my love for food with as many people as I can. Teach people that good food can be made at home… everyone can cook and bake if they try.”

Carrie at Bakeaholic Mama

“I just received an email the other day that really made me feel good. It’s nice to know that people really love your recipes. Plus, it’s a great way to put an extra pep in your step  Here is a quote from the email: “I’ve struggled to find meals that were easy to cook, friendly on the pocketbook and acceptable to all the various pallets in our household.Nutmeg Nanny, you have met all those criteria – and then some. Even when I am harried, coming home with little time to put dinner on the table, you are my go to source! I know I can find something I can make *usually* with what I have on hand that is hands down something we’ll all enjoy…And I thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you for making home-made meals accessible and tasty!”

Brandy at Nutmeg Nanny

“Friendship with bloggers, for sure. And daily questions and positive feedback that I’m actually making a difference in the world. For me, it’s about “intentional” blogging, or I wouldn’t be doing it. “

Sandy at The Reluctant Entertainer

“I recently had someone make an ice cream I had re-created hoping to have it come close to my childhood favorite; Butter Brickle. She said it had also been her mom’s favorite and she made it for her mom’s birthday. Hearing how special it was for both of them made my day. It is those type of comments; the ones where someone has really enjoyed the effort, well, those make the effort worthwhile.”

Barbara at Creative Culinary

“I love to get comments and emails about how a reader tried a recipe and it was the first time one of their family members liked a particular vegetable that they thought they hated! I also love hearing about positive changes readers make in their diet because of something I wrote.”

Natalie at Perry’s Plate

“The best are always the comments saying that a family member wasn’t keen on healthy eating, but after trying one of my recipes they changed their mind. Or, when a mom writes and says now she can feed her kids fun, gluten free/healthy foods.  I absolutely love helping people! I’ve also made many dear friends and learned from many people all over the world through my blog. It’s such a blessing to be able to help and reach out to so many.”

Carrie at Deliciously Organic

“The best thing ever about food blogging was that when I made a few posts about my husband’s hospitalization (now over 3 months) I got a very supportive reaction. I was hesitant to post such personal things, but life affects blogging and I felt close to my readers. Still, I was a little afraid that people would say, “Get back to food!” When I reached a point where our finances were stretched to the breaking point, I put up a paypal button, but worried that people would think it was a scam or that I was being too needy. I was scared to look at my blog the next day.

Not only did I get encouraging comments, but fellow bloggers shared the link to my story, and people I knew – and people I didn’t know – sent in donations. “

Donna at Cookistry

One reader wrote,“I just LOVE your posts. All of them! Because of you I have started to bake, and I have completely stopped buying Hostess desserts! Thank You!  I adore Diethood!”

99.9% of the readers leave nice comments…  Thank goodness!

Kate at Diethood

“meeting so many great people face to face through blogging – in particular Jaden Hair, Marla Meredith, Aida Mollenkamp, Gaby Dalkin and Carrie Vitt – oh and Michael Procopio – always dangerous to name names as I’m sure I have forgotten important people but that’s the most positive thing that has come out of food blogging – the friendships I have made.”

Lucy at Ladles and Jellyspoons

“Blogging has turned my life around, especially this past year. I just lost two childhood friendships, making me question my self worth. I didn’t know what else to do, so I became more active in blogging and joined an online blogging group. Little did I know that these other food bloggers would become family to me. I feel more connected to these “strangers” than I do with friends I grew up with. I even had the chance to meet some in person and planning on meeting more next year. I can’t even imagine where I’d be now without the blogging community.”

Carla at Chocolate Moosey

“The most rewarding comments and emails I get tend to come from my French Canadian Crepes (http://snappygourmet.com/2011/08/04/french-canadian-breakfast-crepes/) recipe.  I’ve gotten numerous messages from people who were so excited to find the recipe because their mom, grandma, or other family member used to make the crepes for them and they have since passed away and they never got the recipe.  Always brings a few tears to my eyes!”

Lisa at Snappy Gourmet

“Whenever someone emails to tell me they made something from my blog and loved it. One woman made my bleu cheese crusted pork loin twice and emailed me pics to show me how she was improving on her cooking. It was really gratifying to know my recipe & instructions were making a difference. (http://cake-o-cake.blogspot.com/2011/11/bleu-cheese-crusted-stuffed-roast-loin.html)That’s just one example of rewarding. After starting the Food Bloggers Network in March I’ve “met” so many lovely people and have even visited one of my blogger friends on a weekend trip to her hometown. I regularly correspond with several other bloggers and have been introduced to many great blogs. This is what got it all started: http://cake-o-cake.blogspot.com/2012/03/food-bloggers-network.html

Awesome and very surprising have been the inquiries from people in my real life as to when I’m going to post again. I took a hiatus while we moved into a new house. People who never made a peep about reading were coming out of the woodwork saying, “but I read your blog all the time! Where’d you go?!” I was (pleasantly) stunned.”

Jessica at Oh Cake

“The coolest thing that has ever come from my blog was the opportunity to film at the Food Network Studios for a Cooking Channel show. I have watched tons of Food Network and Cooking Channel, and it was so cool to be in Chelsea and see the kitchens, studios, and all the crazy equipment! “

Joanne from Fifteen Spatulas

“All of the true and beautiful friendships I have made since I started. Some are still virtual and others are for reals. Another positive ~ being able to free my creative spirit and share it with others daily.”

Marla at Family Fresh Cooking

“For me, it’s my reader Louise and the relationship we had. I love blogging for many reasons, but her friendship through the years made it all worth it.”

http://dineanddish.net/2012/10/saying-goodbye-to-a-favorite/

*This post by Kristen really speaks to me.  I cant help but wholeheartedly agree with how she feels about her readers!  I feel the same about mine!

Kristen from Dine & Dish

“I think the most rewarding thing is when I share something a out my faith and someone tells me how much they needed to hear just that thing. That has nothing to do with food at all. But of corse someone telling me that their husband hates mushrooms yet loved my mushroom marinara just makes my day!”

Cassie at Bake Your Day

As you can clearly see, no comment nor email nor expression of kindness goes unnoticed by food bloggers.

I cant even being to tell you all the positive ways that food blogging has changed me.  I have gone to events and traveled by myself to far away cities when my first inclination is to stay here and be a home body.

I have met and befriended bloggers who I have very little in common with, yet we are bonded through a love of creativity.

I have seen the blogging community come together in a moment’s notice to uplift and support someone in need.  I have seen food bloggers use social media to raise money (and spirits!) for virtual strangers, without any questions asked.

I have laughed.  And cried.  And laughed some more.

These people, these delightfully sweet and savory food bloggers, captivate and inspire, motivate and encourage, share and support.

And the best part is?  There is always room for one more.

Social Media Cake

My main concern was that people are using their site as a collection of others’ photos.  But I did also address the fact that once you upload a picture to Instagram, you give them full permission to do whatever they want with it.

This is from their original TOS: (Proprietary Rights in Content on Instagram)

“Instagram does NOT claim ANY ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, or any other materials (collectively, “Content”) that you post on or through the Instagram Services. By displaying or publishing (“posting”) any Content on or through the Instagram Services, you hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, worldwide, limited license to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce and translate such Content, including without limitation distributing part or all of the Site in any media formats through any media channels, except Content not shared publicly (“private”) will not be distributed outside the Instagram Services.”

And this is from the soon-to-be implemented TOS:

“To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your user name, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you,”

It seems in the broad lawyer language that Instagram is presenting that they have the OPTION to use, sell, distribute your images in ADVERTISING.  Does that mean they will?  Will Instagrams TOS trump any state law?  It remains to be seen.

Social Media Cake

Instagram is a free service.

Instagram is now owned by facebook.  It makes good business sense that facebook would monetize them, and do it in a way that would only benefit facebook.  Do I think that is fair?  Heck no.  Am I ready to give up on Instagram?  Not yet.

They still have lots of issues.  They still have thousands of users who are in constant violation of their TOS, and they are very slow to enforce policy. (if at all)  However, as far as I can tell they have had the ability to use our images since the inception of their services, and have yet to do anything and is blatantly harmful to one of its users.

Should users boycott and demand changes?  Well, I guess thats up to you.

Its always, always a good idea to know and understand the TOS for any social media outlet you use.  (Right now, Google+’s policy states that they cant sell certain images, so its worth looking into if you want a “safer” social sharing site)

We still get the pleasure of viewing others pictures.  I adore the talented and creative people that I follow on Instagram, and for me my time there is often browsing others work.  Sometimes I dont even glance at my own account!

For now, I am willing to utilize their services and take my chances.

*If you do decide to delete your account, utilizing a service like Instaport.me will help you to export your images to your hard drive. (They are experiencing high traffic currently, so do try back if you are interested.)

*If you want to keep your account for now, but still want to take some preventative measure you can:

-watermark your photos in a clear, obvious way

-change your images to a low resolution before posting to Instagram

*Know Your Rights: Photographers (from ACLU)

Lately I have been getting numerous emails from random public relations firms.  I am talking 3-4 a day.  I am convinced I ended up on someone’s “list” and am now considered fair game to the ‘pitch artists’.

What I am experiencing is nothing new.  I have read about this onslaught before.  Basically since social media began making waves in public influence, public relations agencies have been pitching to bloggers.  Admittedly, their tactics have improved.  They now typically include a sentence about your most recent blog post and use your correct name.

But the goal has not changed.

In my opinion, they are seeking you out to use you.  They want your twitter followers, your facebook fans, and your blog readers.

And they want it for free.

Check out this site, which actively helps PR companies pitch.  Even if you haven’t received a pitch yet, mostly likely you will.  Its just a matter of time.*

An example of what I am getting:

Hi Manda,

We’re currently working with xxxxxx promoting their video for a new line of producs; you can watch the video here: videolink . The products on show are ideal for people with a passion for food but no time for cleaning, and we feel i am baker would be the perfect place to reach our audience.

If you would be interested in featuring the video on your site please get back to us and we can sort something out.

*******

So I responded to this company:

Hi xxx

Thank you so much for the kind words!

I like your product (already use it!) and would be happy to feature your video on my site.  My normal fee for that is $x.  Please let me know if I can provide you any further details!

*******

I received this back:

Hi Amanda,

Unfortunately we do not have any remaining budget for this campaign. 

We’ll keep you in mind for future endeavors.

*******

Even my 3 year old knows that she doesnt want to do somethin for nothin, as evidenced by the fact I recently had to bribe her to pick up her princess shoes.

Here is one way I describe it: (usually to people who are not bloggers)

Its like going into a car dealership and saying, “I have a radio I think would be great in your car.  Can you install my radio in your car, advertise about my radio for me, make sure the radio is on all the time, and get all your existing customers more interested in my radio?  Oh, and this would be for free, since I am letting you use my radio.”

Just because a company contacts you and says, “We think your site is a great fit for our brand.  Please tweet, facebook, google +, blog, and pin our newest product and we will then consider you for future endeavors,” doesn’t mean you need to do what they ask!

You have worth.  Negotiate with them!  Dont accept the first offer as the final offer.

I dont know about you, but I was completely flattered the first time I got a pitch.  I was willing to do whatever they asked and then some.

I think they are banking on that.  Like, literally.

And in my experience, they actually do have a budget.  They just dont want to spend it where they dont have too.  Why pay when some bloggers are willing to do it for free, just to build a “relationship”?

WHAT PR AGENCIES NEED TO KNOW

Doing a blog post takes work.

Tweeting about a company that we do not know affects our twitter relationships.

Sharing a company on facebook affects our reputation.

Pinterest is still fairly new, but if a blogger has followers, their pins have value.

If a blogger chooses to work hard to promote your client and put their reputation on the line then they deserve compensation.

WHAT BLOGGERS NEED TO KNOW

Your social media package (your blog, facebook, twitter, pinterest, google +, etc) has value.

Monetary value.

No matter what size your blog is, I encourage you to place a value on certain functions.

It is my opinion that you are the best judge of what that value is.  For instance, say JimBob has 1,000 fans on facebook.  JimBob shares daily on facebook and typically has at least 50% (if not more) of his fans interacting with him.  Susie Q has 10,000 fans on FB.  She doesnt have as much interaction and on average only 10% of her fans comment, like, and share.

(twitter, blog readers, pinterst followers, etc. are all interchangeable with facebook in that paragraph)

Please observe my very technical and high end graph.

Even though SusieQ has more fans, JimBob would probably run a more successful campaign.  Sadly, most PR agencies are not taking the time to determine this.  You need to be the one to tell them!

You know your fanbase, you know the interaction, you know your klout.  Base your fees on that, not on what someone else is charging.

In my best Norma Rae voice I want to say,

“Do not sell yourself short!  Have a fee and prepared statement in mind!  Take a stand against abuse of social media power!”

Or, ahhhh, something like that.

Did you know companies exist with the sole purpose of telling PR reps how to pitch to bloggers?  It is my hope that we, as bloggers, can challenge them.  Force them to pay bloggers an appropriate sum for our time, our influence, and our hard work!

ALL bloggers.  Even if you feel you have a small audience, you have a voice.  I just hope they can respect that.

#justsayin

*There is nothing wrong with getting a pitch!  My next post will be on how to discern if a company is right for you and how to make sure they keep coming back for more.

Disclaimer: I have been contacted by companies I love and admittedly, I will work for them for free.  If I already use their product, have previously promoted their product, and think others can benefit from using their products, I am excited to share that through all social media avenues.  Sometimes, for me, its not about what I can gain from it, but how can I help others by sharing.

Let me start by saying I am not a lawyer and I wouldn’t know how to think like one even if I tried.

What I am is an honest blogger who is feeling duped.

When I started my Instagram account I was instantly smitten.  Everything about it was wonderful… the ease of uploading and processing my pictures, the convenience of posting my pictures to other forms of social media.

I even wrote posts about it and made a cake in honor of it!

Most of all, I loved looking at other peoples streams.  The talent and content was mind blowing… what people can do with a camera phone is truly awesome!

But there is a dark side.

People take images off the internet and repost them on their Instagram accounts.  With no attribution.  Essentially, they are creating their own ‘Pinterest like’ boards through Instagram.

This is a violation of the terms of use by Instagram, as they clearly state here:

You represent and warrant that: (i) you own the Content posted by you on or through the Instagram Services or otherwise have the right to grant the license set forth in this section, (ii) the posting and use of your Content on or through the Instagram Services does not violate the privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, contract rights, intellectual property rights or any other rights of any person, and (iii) the posting of your Content on the Site does not result in a breach of contract between you and a third party. You agree to pay for all royalties, fees, and any other monies owing any person by reason of Content you post on or through the Instagram Services.

So when I saw my Surprise Inside Heart Cake posted on an account with over 174,000 followers, I was upset.  I left a comment on the picture saying, “This is my picture.  I did not give you permission to post it.  Please remove it from your feed.”

I was ignored.

I reported the picture to Instagram.  See, I read this post and thought they had my back.

I was ignored.

As it stands there are over 24,000 “hearts” on that picture.

There are comments like, “Cool!  How did you do that?” and “Recipe please?”  ”How did you get the surprise inside that cake?”

The people who posted my picture (proprietors) also submitted my picture to various contests and photo galleries.  Never once, anywhere, did they ever credit me or even imply the picture was not theirs.

To this day, the picture is still there and I have never heard one single word from Instagram.

There is another account (around 60k followers) that posted my rainbow pancakes.

I asked the proprietor to remove the image from her feed and she all but laughed in my face.  Some of the comments I got when I asked her to remove the picture:

(from the proprietor herself)

“I got the images from weheartit.com a picture sharing website.  I feel no shame for taking a picture off a website and reposting it, like hundreds of millions of people do.  And that picture is not your picture, unless you uploaded it to weheartit.com yourself, which was your fault because it’s a photo sharing site.  Once you upload it there, you cant get upset when someone else reposts it because that’s the whole idea of the website.”

For the record, I have never uploaded a picture to weheartit.com

“If she (the proprietor)  gets them off google anybody can take them and if she takes it from u it just means u had a good pic…”

“She (the proprietor) doesn’t have to do anything!  She doesn’t know you! What is your problem?  Its not like anyone would just take your pics.  GET A LIFE!  Don’t you have better things to do?  Oh wait, I guess not!”

“Once you put ANY type of media out on the Inernet, it is no longer yours.  Its anyones to use, repost, or “steal”.  And none of those things are any type of actions that are illegal.”

“Dont flip out *** dang!  Those pictures are all over instagram and pinterest.  Stop being a baby.”

“You do know its not copyrighting unless she sells it or takes credit for it, right?  Oh wait, you don’t know.  Its basically like printing off a picture from the internet for a school report.  All your classmates see it, and its not copyrighting.  Thats just the same as Instagram.  Read (the proprietors) bio.  She didn’t claim credit for them.  Get your facts straight.”

Clearly people were not happy I asked for my images to be removed.  I am continually getting harassing comments and being insulted.

(These are just two examples, there are many more ofenders)

So why do I bother?

I work hard on taking pictures and publishing things on my blog.  Taking pictures does not come easy to me and its often a labor of love.  I have invested time and money into every post published.

When I published that picture on my blog, per my disclaimer, I immediately had copyright.  I own my pictures.  I have the right to say if someone can post it or not.  Furthermore, I have legal recourse if someone posts it without my permission.

Except with Instagram.

Because even though their terms of service indicate that you need to own a picture before posting it, there are thousands of accounts that do not follow those terms.  These accounts have huge followings, and are full of images that the proprietor does not own. (see below)

And, in my personal experience, Instagram has not done anything about it.

Under the Proprietary Rights in Content on Instagram section on their legal terms page it states:

Instagram does NOT claim ANY ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, or any other materials (collectively, “Content”) that you post on or through the Instagram Services. By displaying or publishing (“posting”) any Content on or through the Instagram Services, you hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, worldwide, limited license to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce and translate such Content, including without limitation distributing part or all of the Site in any media formats through any media channels, except Content not shared publicly (“private”) will not be distributed outside the Instagram Services.

So even if someone takes my pictures and distributes them, Instagram is not responsible.

If  you read on further, Instagram also claims your picture as theirs.  They can use your image(s) around the world and owe you nothing.*

They, and all of their users, can use your pictures for whatever they want whenever they want.

And there are no consequences.

*I am not saying I wouldnt be honored to have my pictures deemed worthy enough to distribute.

I could contact an attorney and pursue legal action, but right now that would be out of anger and hurt feelings.  I want to make sure if I pursue this its for the right reasons and would help the greater good.

I also want people to understand that just because they found a picture on google doesn’t make it their property.

I hope that when people post on Instagram that they have either taken the picture themselves or are willing to pay royalties/give credit to the appropriate source.

That they would post with integrity.

Am I asking too much?

*If you are a blogger or have a website, I encourage you to try searching for one of your more popular images on Instagram.

***********

I just received this from Instagram:

If you answered no then please just stop reading.  Open your browser, type in Pinterest.com and be prepared to lose the next hour of your life.

If you have then you most likely know how much Pinterest has affected blogging.  No matter what topic you blog about, Pinterest can drive more and more traffic to your site.

Especially if you use pictures in your posts.

I want to show you a little trick I learned.

After editing a picture you typically save it, and when you save it have to enter a description.

This is the label I am talking about.

When someone clicks on the “Pin It” button on your blog post, the label (or description) you wrote automatically populates in their Pinterest description box.

Why not take that opportunity to enter a complete and specific description?

For instance:

Instead of labeling my cookies, “vertical-cookie” (which describes that I have an upright picture of my cookies) I will choose a more descriptive caption.

For these cookies I chose, “Cherry Flavored Morsel Oatmeal Cookies”.

Other options are:

“Cherry Cookies from iambaker.net”

“Oatmeal Cookie Recipe”

“Cherry Oatmeal Cookies!  Find many more delicious recipes on http://iambaker.net!”

(I am obsessed with exclamation marks!)

If your program doesnt allow spaces in between words for the photo description, you can always make the changes in your dashboard when you upload the picture.

Here is the description with the dashes-in-it, pulled directly from my photo editing program. (photoshop)

I simply re-wrote my “title” and made it the description I wanted.

*I use the Catalyst theme in WordPress.

You can completely customize the description to fit your picture and 9 times out of 10 the pinner will leave what you have.

I have found this works when people hit the “pin it” button directly below a picture on your post or when they have a “pin it” button on their toolbar.

Sometimes when people ‘pin’ Pinterest automatically grabs the first few sentences of your post.  Your best option in those cases is to make sure that your first sentence talks specifically about what you have made. (this can also be a plugin issue if you have the social media buttons)

There you go!  A quick tip to help make sure your pictures are being best optimized for Pinterest use.

If you need an invite to Pinterest let me know!  Or if you want to become friends on there HERE is my Pinterest profile.  Hope to see you!

Thanks to Tidymom who has been showing us how to implement better SEO practices for a long time now~!

This is my favorite shot of a slice of cake.  When one person (whose opinion I trust implicitly) saw it they said, “Can I just tell you everything that is wrong with that shot?”

Yes!!  Please do!!  (Seriously, I appreciate all feedback!)  Because when I took it I didnt realize the back was blown out and that the fork placement draws your eye away from the cake or that my depth of field is way to shallow.  I just thought it was pretty.

So this is not a series on how to be a better food photographer.  Because clearly I know very little on that topic.  And there are amazingly talented people out there who DO know how to do food photography and styling.

Dine and Dish

What Katie Ate

Sweetapolita

Rawmazing

Roost

Donna Hay

These guys are the real deal.  One reason that these folks speak to me is that when I see their pictures I dont think, “That is beautiful styling.”  I think,

“I want to eat that food.”

They are so masterful with telling my eye where to go, where to linger, and what exactly it should be focusing on.

They just get it.

(I highly encourage you to check out those blogs… if you love their talent as much as I do, be sure to tell them!)

I am quite secure in the fact that food styling & photography is NOT my gift.  I DON’T get it.  I have taken classes, I have watched video’s, I have tried to flat out copy people. (always giving credit of course) Its just not. my. thing.

So I fake it.

One way I fake it is with props.  I tend to make lots of cakes so side plates are a big prop in my life.  I have many, many, way-to-many side plates.

And way to many cake stands.  But thats another post!

For this {faux}tography post I want to show you the power of a side plate.  I am not kidding you when I say that they can transform a piece of cake.

Things to look for:  In which picture do you think, “Oh, thats a pretty plate,” and in which (if any, remember I am not a pro) do you think,

“I must eat that cake!”

So does one stand out?

Look at how much a difference a red plate vs. a white plate can make.  Can you imagine if we added a glass?  Or a pretty napkin, or even the whole cake behind?  I have a hard time seeing that so I have to try and build as I go, a piece at a time.

So.  While I fully suggest if you want to be a great food stylist and food photographer, learn from the best.

But if you need to fake it like I do, try focusing on one prop.  Like plates.  Or silverware.  Or napkins.  And then build up your supply so that you can experiment and see what you prefer!

(Most of these plates were purchased at Thrift Stores and yard/salvage/garage sales.  One of these days I will take you shopping with me!)

Wanna know which one I like the best?

Plain ole white.

Did you have a favorite?

Five dozen to be exact.

That was before I made fifteen cakes.

White cake and chocolate cake and red velvet cake and even a brownie cake.

Even though its windy, snowy and cold here, I never had to turn the heat up.  My oven kept the house toasty warm.

Today I get to take pictures of assembling cakes.  Tomorrow I get to decorate cakes.

But first I need to run to the store.

I have two cakes left to make,  and I need more eggs.