please stop reblogging without crediting the artist (can’t believe people manually delete the name of the creator) spread the word!
One, the burden is on the artist to properly watermark their work. The art of reblogging is imagery without context and you have to assume if you are posting to Tumblr that any commentary will be removed or altered. Two, use the content source feature. Few people go out of their way to remove that and if they do, I’ll help lead the campaign that they should stop.
And my last point, which is overtly subjective, is that as an artist you should become more comfortable with the ephemeral nature of your works. Attribution is great, and if this is your job the whole point is moot, but you should be in an endless cycle of creation, caring little of the consequences or fame.
Interesting comment about the nature of reblogging. I hadn’t seen that before. I respectfully, and strongly, disagree. To me, the art of reblogging is saying, “Here’s this worthwhile thing that I found. Here’s a link to the source, or at least the name of the creator, so if you want to, you can go find more of it.”
If you don’t like context in your Dashboard, you’re free to ignore it. But I like context; I like commentary; I like knowing the name of the artist. Before reblogging a photo that someone has posted without attribution, I run the photo through Google Images and, if I find it, include the photographer’s name and a link in my reblog. Seems like a good way to add value to a post.
As for the rest of your argument: You make a good point about watermarking. I don’t watermark my photos, but if photography were my job, I would. There are ways to do it so that’s it’s not a horrid visual distraction. Also, Tumblr’s content source feature is very useful.
And yes, even though you seem happier about this than I am, artists should get used to the idea that people will use their work without attribution. Anybody who thinks otherwise isn’t paying attention. The nature of the Internet — including people who reblog art and delete the name of its creator, which seems really low — means that’s just the way it goes.
Finally, attribution and fame are two different things. If you don’t want credit for your work, that’s fine, but you shouldn’t scold people who do.
Anyway, although we disagree, I’m glad you posted what you did. It helped me clarify my thoughts about this issue.
