Using Pinterest Without the Fear of Breaking Copyright Laws
May 16, 2012
Organizations are nervous about using Pinterest. With all the news going on about pinning images being unlawful, there are lots of doubts about whether one should use Pinterest at all. This is particularly unfortunate given that, according to Mashable, Pinterest drives more traffic than Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined. However, if you're not using the power of Pinterest because of these worries, you're not being creative enough! Start with these ideas:
1. Pin your own images.
- Unless you plan to sue yourself, you'll be safe. Just make sure to have permission from any person or for any work of art or private space in the image.
- Pin an image from your own website to generate leads back to the content on your website.
2. Pin quotable quotations.
- Put quotations, sayings, or news headlines on top of photos you have taken or own. These images could be as simple as a photograph of sidewalk, grass, sky, or another texture that isn't distracting. Examples: view this quotation and this saying.
- You don't even need a photo. Your pin can be just text designed well in a space, which itself becomes an image. This resulting image should be succinct and beautiful. Click here for an example. Also view the Washington Post's 'quotes' board.
3. Pin images from the CPS photo library.
- These photos are available for MIT departments to use for MIT purposes only. If this describes your use, then you're in luck! Read more about the CPS photo library.
