Many of you may think you can just do a Google image search and use whatever image pops up. Actually, this is not advised and could also get you into legal trouble.
Most images in a Google search are copyrighted and not allowed to be used in your Steemit post. The Cheetah bot will find you eventually, and you'll be blacklisted. It is not even worth doing, because your precious social real estate in here will be transformed into a seething, sweaty, vile pile of crap posts if you do decide to steal images from others.
The Good News
There are a few excellent websites that allow you to use their images for FREE, even without attributing the photographer. In fact, without Unsplash or Pixabay, I'd be forced to create all my images myself.
Please download and use the images on these sites. They are creative commons, which means there are no copyrights. There are so many images in both these sites, you really won't have any more excuses to use crappy photos.
I picked out a few from Unsplash.com so you can see the quality (feel free to use these if you want):
WHAT IS DPOS?
Ok, now that you have some new ideas floating around for future posts, you should know what Steemit is and what you're inside of. Steem is a delegated proof of stake model. Dan Larimer invented the proof of stake model (DPOS), and I bet most of you have no idea what I'm talking about.
Please read the wikipedia definition:
Steemit runs on top of a decentralized network named Steem. Like Bitcoin, Steem is a blockchain with transferable tokens. In addition to moving tokens from one place to another, Steem is also a text content and metadata database that applications or websites can connect to. Through these apps, Steem users can transact and interact with the Steem database. Instead of using cryptographic hashes as addresses like many blockchains do, user-chosen alphanumeric account names are used. With human readable account names, transactions can be made directly from an identity to an identity, making them easier to understand than hexadecimal hashes.
Steem also reaches decentralized consensus differently than Bitcoin. It uses a method called delegated proof of stake where block-creating accounts, called witnesses, are elected by Steem users. Instead of relying on proof of work to find blocks, the Steem network actively schedules blockchain transactions to be processed in blocks every 3 seconds. Block producers are given a small part of the rewards created in each block; the rest is paid to authors and curators.
Unlike Bitcoin, Steem has no transaction fees for rate-limiting or to pay its block producers. Instead, accounts use bandwidth, which replenishes fast enough that a typical user is not affected or limited. -Steem blockchain entry from Wikipedia
Here's an advantage of DPOS:
"Proof of Work relies on energy use. According to a bitcoin mining-farm operator, energy consumption totaled 240kWh per bitcoin in 2014 (the equivalent of 16 gallons of gasoline).[10] Moreover, these energy costs are almost always paid in non-cryptocurrency, introducing constant downward pressure on the price. Proof of Stake currencies can be several thousand times more cost effective.[11]
The incentives of the block-generator are also different. Under Proof-of-Work, the generator may potentially own none of the currency they are mining. The incentive of the miner is only to maximize their own profits. It is unclear whether this disparity lowers or raises security risks.[12] In Proof-of-Stake, those "guarding" the coins are always those who own the coins (although several cryptocurrencies do allow or enforce lending the staking power to other nodes). -Wikipedia
Yes, you heard that right. You are interacting and participating in a delegated proof of stake system! You are part of the future. In order to start participating more, it's important to get to know the Steem Witnesses. There's a lot to learn, and your journey has just begun. As @aggroed has clearly illustrated, there are two different kinds of Witnesses in here: technical and social. Witnesses who create real change and work on behalf of improving the Steem ecosystem rise up, while the less active Witnesses fall out of favor.
If you feel overwhelmed, it's ok. You have plenty of time to learn. Most of us early adopters have been in here for over a year, so we had time to learn. The more you learn, the less likely you'll find yourself begging for upvotes. Steemit is a magical onion.
If you cry at the first layer, you'll never find the honey inside the core.
Have you never voted for a Witness, and don't know where to begin? There's a little 3-lines tab in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Click on that and find the "Vote For Witnesses". I'll probably be writing a tutorial soon about this to remind you to vote. Becoming active and realizing that you do indeed have a voice in here is the first step. You must first believe you are worthy of all this. You are. That is why you're here.
Gratitude Bingo
Thanks to all my readers, upvoters and supporters. I just reached 5000 followers and I feel very happy about this (only 1429 are dead followers).
Thanks to whoever wrote the Wikipedia entry for Steem/Steemit. I know how hard the Wiki editor is, and I am so glad to finally see Steem in the official Wikipedia.
I have yet to read my own entry in the Steem Center due to a recent self-loathing episode. Thank you for doing this and I will read it as soon as all other details have been taken care of.
Cheers,
Stellabelle
Perfect timing for a reminder for the community members who may be newer or haven't caught on yet that using google images is not the best idea for 99% of a blogger's needs.
I primarily use Unsplash and Pixabay since starting on Steemit, but just wanted to add a few more to the mix for the community:
Public Domain Archive - They update weekly and have a lot to go through!
Negative Space - Great user interface and, again, tons of categories and resources!
With those four sites, no blogger need ever use google images again.
It would totally suck to do great on Steemit only to then find out you're being sued or served CND's by a mob of (understandably) upset artists and content creators.
EDIT: Forgot SpaceX They also waive copyright so you authors can get some great material without worry
Hi @stellabelle, I am new around here and I am finding it all quite overwhelming! There is A LOT to take in, but I am really willing to learn. I found your blog recently and would like to thank you for the incredibly useful informative posts you write! I am looking forward to the tutorial on "Voting for Witness "
All the best!
Hello @stellabelle! Thanks so much for these precious informations, you are just awesome!
I used to pick up photos from the net but will surely stop now as I gift myself a brand new camera! I will use my own photos just to avoid issues that may arise and I also believe the post will be more professional too!
Cheers
@progressivechef
Nice post and very helpful, upvoted and gave it a resteem. Thank you!
Yeah it's pretty common for a newbie to simply take photos from google images and add them to their posts. It's better to realize you're doing it wrong sooner rather than later!
Oh crap stella. I did that. As most people I guess... well, what will be will be. But thanks for the heads up. Great as always! Cheers =)
Once you get into Unsplash, you won't want to leave!
Hah, well see about that. I'm more on the critical, almost hater side, some would say. But I'll check it out later today surely. Bookmarked already.
Thank you for this! Who did the cute illustration at the bottom of post?
@lauralemons did my portrait, then I added stickers from Toca Boca, then I drew in the letters, and circles...
Thank you for replying! It's so cute!!!
Congrats for 5000 followers and useful DPOS info. Thanks.
I try to add my own spin to images on my posts to try and change it from how it originally was but I guess that will still be wrong to do. I try to credit the sources for information I get and I'll definitely start using the sites you suggested as many other people including me have been using images from google without caring about copyright and how it is wrong to use someone else's content without them knowing nor mentioning them.
I'll start to remedy this problem now and start giving links to sources.
Thank you for bringing up this rather huge problem and I'll begin to use those sites with royalty free images @stellabelle
There have been legal cases already, involving artists/photographers who found out their work is being used on Steemit for someone else's profit. It's bad on may levels, as it will degrade the integrity of Steemit, and our precious Steem, plus give you legal problems.
Will check out the unsplash and pixabay for future use. Still on the learning curve, but much more knowledgeable than when I began not quite long ago. Trying not to cry at the first layer 😂. Great post!
Nice posting, i have resteem and upvote, your upvote give me strong.
I have read your writing, Which I worry about is when I take a photo on google then I translate in steemit it will appear cheetah robot who thinks that I am a plagiarist, how this, give me advice. Don't forget invite me please, thanks
@mukhtar.juned
#indonesia
#ksi
you cannot use Google images. Most of those images are copyrighted. Use unsplash or pixabay.
What is the definition of unsplash and pixabay?
I don't know what you mean, give me your idea
@mukhtar.juned they are websites:
https://unsplash.com/
https://pixabay.com
I'm a big fan of DPOS, I think it's the superior algorithm for consensus.
yeah, I am beginning to think it's superior as well. The constantly shifting list of Witnesses is a testament to that....it's not perfect, but what human system is? Bitcoin has those giant mining pools.....I think it's important to support individuals who do great work. We can do that in here.
Centralization is inevitable, so being able to control that centralization is the key. Having a method to instantly remove or change those in power
Seems like I'm being told something, I have been seeing posts about this recently.....I need to do something else. Your quite brutal though, dead followers?
everyone has dead followers.
You have 17 dead followers: http://steemit.deadfollowers.info/
Out of 1200 I think about 1000 of mine are dead lol!
Post is very useful @stellabelle .., could be a lesson for us beginners in steemit. ,, I @rerycore like your post. I wait for your next post.
Nice post and very helpful, upvoted and gave it a resteem. Thank you!
:)
Like your post
Stellabelle for witness.
stay tuned.
Will do. Thanks for update.
Excellent post. Resteemed.
If you do want to use Google first click in the settings than click advanced search. Scroll to the bottom and you will see some options where you can use the image itself or they have options where you can even alter the image. Now search for the image you want you will see less options but just use more keywords and be creative.
I always love your post @stellabele , you always teach me to something new. :)
Newbies learn from their mistakes , like plagiarism of photos text, until they do not learn , nothing can happen (like a change) I will admit when I first started I used a photo and got in trouble with it , I really had no idea and ever since then , I've been straight forward and everything . This platform should consist of honestly and hard work from its members , this is not Facebook or instgram , this is a bloggers platform @stellabelle
Thank you for providing this very useful information. What's more now a lot of newcomers join in the fabulous media steemit. I'm sure a lot of who do not really understand how to use the right. Through this post they will get this very useful knowledge. Including me too. Once again thank you very much for your brother. May always be successful for you
I used to post stuff like that to add to my post. I stopped when I realise its not useful
Excellent achievement congratulation for 5000 followers and I don't know about unsplash site I will surely visit the site thanx for the info.....
When do you stop being a "Newbie"... I've been here since Nov. and whenever I see a newbie post, I look!
Well, the thing is....NEVER!
I like to write for newbies, because i too, will read stuff designed for newbies...
I heard the words, 'DELEGATED PROOF OF STAKE' about 48 times before i decided to delve into fully understanding it!
I bet there are a ton of people who don't know that this platform is DPOS! A futuristic DPOS model!
Being a serial learner is the most important skill to possess now, and will make it so that robots don't replace you.
I must be doing something right... The only time Cheetah caught me was on an article I published on Blogspot before coming here. I should have enough SP to become a dolphin tomorrow or the next day... But, I'll always be a minnow at heart!
Thank you I have a better understanding of what is going on now. I used to see people in business that had no idea how stuff worked. They were wealthy. Somewhere along the way things shifted where a person had to at least know the basics of they couldn't participate at all.
un buen contenido gracias por compartirlo con nosotros
Oh dear. What you have reminded me. I used to create all my pictures. Along with my posts it took hours and hours for just one post.
Hi stella..... I love your post and your resteems... they do help the authors.... Ty🤗😇
Thank you for highlighting this issue. As an artist, I am fully aware about copyright infringement and the dos and don'ts. It made me cringe whenever I see someone used images which obviously were lifted directly from Google. Citing the source alone is not enough because using those Google images falls under the infringement of the right to distribute. I used images from pixabay and many other public domain sites as reference photos in my art.
Very useful information. Thanks U @stellabelle
I've seen quite some posts bashing Google Images and promoting Pixabay & some other websites by giving out some copyright advisory. I've used them too but I don't see any advantage over Google Images for using these websites. Neither do they have got a large collection of images nor do they have a good search tool. Most of my keywords in these websites don't give any result and that's so disappointing!
To all Google Image lovers here, please note that instead of dumping Google Images for some unfamiliar websites regularly being recommended by some senior Steemians on this platform, you should better learn to use Google Images properly. Before you type in your keywords in Google Images' search box, click the "Tools" drop-down button and choose "usage rights". Or click "Settings" and then go to "Advanced Image Search" and in the "usage rights" drop down choose "free to use or share". Now continue with your searches. You will get all the images which are copyright-free for sharing here. I'm writing all this in bold letters because I don't know why nobody tells it here. Instead of abandoning good tools, we should learn to use them according to our needs.
And by the way @stellabelle, I think you now need to edit your beautiful graphic as you have just touched the 75 rep score. Many many congratulations to you for accomplishing this feat!
Most people will not know how to use the tool correctly. Better safe than sorry. But thanks for the indepth answer!
Had no idea about unsplash.com. I use pixabay, but it's always nice to be able to expand the images one can use. Thanks for the tip @stellabelle!
This is truly education for a newbie like me. Restreeming it for the benefit of other newbies.
I love pixabay!
Am so glad I found you and this post. I have also learn another thing about posting and I will always make use of the information shared. Thanks for this.
Nice wiki entry. I like the text. Good that we are presented now.
Thank you so much for the information.
Thanks for the links. I have been using Google images and properly including the "photo source" which I thought was okay already. Thanks for this post.
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The format and style of your writing shows experience, @stellabelle. I know your intention was to educate about copyrighted photos - which is great info and I will look into pixabay - but I may borrow some of your headline styles as well. They grabbed my attention.
Also, I didn't realize Steem was on wiki, very cool. I think this Steemit is here to stay!
Unsplash Izzawwnn! I appreciate it!!
Always on the lead to release first hand information. I have never been this grateful in my life. Thank you so much ma'am
It is really an eye opening article for newbies who even do not have any idea of the sin of copying and pasting from the sources even without giving their references. The most important thing i like in your article is the quote you sub titled to encode your thought and the quote is "If you cry at the first layer, you'll never find the honey inside the core". You have rightly coded self motivating thought and the secret of growing up with dedication, indeed. Thanks for such the beautiful share, it is really an informative guide. Waiting for an other tutorial for newbies.
Good reminder! I welcome your post wholeheartedly! As a stock photography professional of 20+ years, it dismays me that so many are ignorant about copyright laws. On my very first day on Steemit, I found one of my own Getty images being used without authorization by someone high up in Steemit - someone who should practice what is preached! Those who say it doesn't harm are wrong. Sadly a search on the web of thetparticular stock image brings up the illegal Steemit image way before my own one. So, those who have no idea how to properly find the source of the image may think that one was the source, so they may copy it and the cycle of unauthorized use continues!
Thanks Stella! I use images from Google and I thought they were all free! Silly me.
I have many friends that are newbies too, so I'll like to share this post with them. It would really help. I'm still finding my way around here, but most of the terms here look like Martian Language to me and payout is kinda disappointing. I wanted to give up, but your post has helped me want to stand firm. I shall conquer Steemit!
how do you find out number of dead followers?
Thank you, valuable information!
This is helpful...my interest in steemit and steem power is now even more. Can we chat?
find me in steemit chat...but read all the FAQ's first.