Is your first reaction, “Of course not!”?  Well, even if you think you’re sure about this, I recommend you read on …

Webmasters use images all the time to create logos, help illustrate the point of a subject, break up text on a page or just to make a website more visually appealing.

But is use of these images legal? Maybe, maybe not.

What???

Here’s the deal: If you use images obtained from the internet to create your logo or for use on your website, you could be guilty of copyright infringement and not even realize it.

Copyright infringement is illegal and can get you in a huge tub of hot water. While you might be “free” to use these images, there are still rules to be followed to ensure you don’t infringe on copyrights.

There’s a common misconception that if an image is out on the web it’s “up for grabs.” Even if you purchase a “stock” image, it’s crucial that you adhere to an end-user license agreement.

Internet Images

I love how Google has its “Images” menu item. Whenever I want to see a picture of just about anything, I use Google Images to find what I’m looking for.

But while this may seem obvious to some, believe it or not too many webmasters will grab these images for their own use and republish them without permission. This is copyright infringement whether intentional or not.

If there’s an image you want to republish, you MUST get express permission from the copyright owner before you can legally use it.

What Are Copyright Free Images?

The term “copyright free images” is overused and leads people into believing they can take these images and then call them their own. The only way you can stake claim to an image is if you create it yourself and it is truly an original.

If you Google “copyright free images” 930 million results are found. The truth is the only images that can really be deemed copyright free are those that are in the public domain because public domain works have no copyright.

And even though you are free to use an image from the public domain, it will always remain in the public domain, copyright cannot be restored, and it will never actually be yours.

How About Royalty Free Images?

First of all, understand that royalty-free does not mean copyright-free. If you use a royalty-free image, the creator of that image remains the copyright holder. And royalty-free doesn’t necessarily mean free of charge.

Creators of images will often allow others to use their works for various purposes. For example, I used to publish a travel magazine and would sometimes publish pictures taken by professional photographers.

I would be charged a royalty fee based on my planned use of the photo. If I wanted to use the photo again in a different issue of the magazine, I’d have to pay the photographer another, separate royalty fee.

So what does “royalty-free” mean? It means you are free to use an image as many times you want without having to pay a separate fee for each use. Usually you will pay a one-time flat fee and can use the image as many times as you wish, as long as you adhere to the license agreement attached to it.

The terms of service and license agreement will spell out exactly how you are permitted to use an image. In shutterstock.com’s license agreement you can use their images on websites up to 800×600 pixels without copyright notice or credit, but if you want to use an image on t-shirts for resale, you are required to have an “enhanced” license and must include a copyright notice and credit the creator.

In other words, they are giving you permission as long as you abide by their rules.

What About Free Graphics?

There are tons of free graphics available in software and on the web. A good example is Microsoft’s free clip art. Anyone can use these images for whatever they want, right?

WRONG.  While Microsoft isn’t charging you a fee, there are still terms of use with very specific restrictions on the use of these images.

Pretty much every free graphics resource will have some restriction on the use of their images. Some will require credit to the creator or inclusion of a copyright notice. Some even have watermarks embedded already so the copyright will always be included. Some will say you can use images for this but not that.

These Images Are Not Unique

Copyright-free, royalty-free and free graphics can be used by anyone. Even if you’ve paid for the use of an image, that doesn’t take it “off the shelf” – tomorrow someone else can purchase it for their own use as well.

So if want an image for something like a logo and you want your logo to be one-of-a-kind, it’s a bad idea to use anything other than an original creation. This is especially true if you intend to trademark your logo!

The only way to have truly unique and original images is to create them yourself or hire someone else to create them for you. But if you hire someone else, realize that artist will retain copyright of the creation unless you have a copyright assignment agreement.

What Can Happen if You Violate Copyrights

Copyright infringement is serious. If you’re caught, at the very least you will be forced to remove the infringing images from publication.

If legal action is taken, you can be subject to a civil lawsuit in the copyright owner’s jurisdiction and actual and statutory damages that could be financially devastating.

And with certain deliberate violations, you could be subject to criminal penalties carrying massive fines and long prison terms.

The Bottom Line

Plain and simple, don’t take any chances. Don’t use images you have no rights to without express permission, and read end-user license agreements carefully so you understand permissible use.

Your avatar.

It’s the little square that appears next to your tweets, FaceBook posts, etc.  It’s your identification for social media online.

Someone recently asked me why I never change mine.

I simply replied…

It’s part of my brand.

For the most part, I use the same icon for 2 Create a Website everywhere.  (There are a few exceptions.)

It’s recognizable and my followers have become familiar with it.  I also prefer to use a photo because I believe it is more personal.  But I certainly understand why you may choose a logo instead (brand awareness).

Changing Faces

I follow people on Twitter who change their avatars multiple times per month, and there have been many times I didn’t realize who they were until many tweets later.

This happened with someone I follow very closely.  I unintentionally bypassed their tweets because I didn’t recognize the avatar.

I know what you’re thinking…  Content sells, not avatars.  So why does it matter what picture is displayed?

Here’s the deal.  Most people follow hundreds (or even thousands) of people these days, and can’t effectively read every update.  But many have their favorites.

No matter how many people they follow, they will always take time to read the updates from their favorite people.  So as they are scanning, they tend to zero in on these people, and a recognizable avatar assists with that process.

Of course, content is the most important thing, but don’t underestimate the importance of that little square.

A familiar picture helps people quickly recognize you as they scan through the numerous updates of people they subscribe to/follow.  You don’t want to get skipped by your loyal followers because you change your picture every other day.

If you’re using social media for personal reasons, then these rules don’t necessarily apply.  In fact, switching up your photo is often a means of self expression.  But for business, I think it’s important to consider familiarity, brand awareness and consistency.

I’m not saying never switch your avatar.  A change in scenery is nice every now and then — especially if you’re just changing to another photo where people can still recognize you.

However, random avatar changes (from cars to dogs to sunglasses, etc.) every week might be a bit much.  Just remember the role that small icon plays when it comes to recognition and branding.

What do you think?  Do you change your avatars often?  Why or why not?  Let’s talk!

You may have noticed the new logo for 2 Create a Website.

For years I’ve been wanting something more than the basic, one dimensional text logo I’ve been using.

I just never took the time to consult with a designer.

About a month ago, I was reading Zac Johnson’s blog and he mentioned LogoMyWay.com, a site that lets you hold a contest for your logo design.

I thought it was a fabulous idea.  Instead of being limited to one designer’s creativity, this site allows thousands of designers from all over the world to design your logo and compete via a contest.

How It Works

First, you create a profile and describe your site, any ideas you have for your logo, and choose a contest length (in # of days).

Then you decide how much you want to award the winning design.  The minimum prize amount is $200 (with an additional 30% going to LogoMyWay for administration).

Once the contest begins, thousands of designers from all over the world submit their entries and you can begin ranking the logos.  You are free to ask the designers questions and request changes to any of the logo submissions during the contest.

LogoMyWay holds the money in escrow until the contest is over and you’ve chosen the winning design.  Once you select the winner, the designer emails your logo in multiple sizes and formats (including a high-quality, EPS file).

So if you want to use your logo for T-shirts, business cards, mugs, etc. you’ll have several file formats to work with.

I received over 120 submissions during my 7-day contest, so it was nice to have a variety of logos to choose from.  All the designers were great about answering my questions and making any tweaks along the way.

During the first few days of the contest, I was a bit worried because I didn’t see anything I liked, but as the contest got closer to the deadline, the entries got better and better.

Is LogoMyWay For You?

Of course there are cheaper ways to get a professional logo designed.  In fact, The DigitalPoint Forums provides a contest forum where you can usually get a logo designed for under $50.

Nevertheless I really love LogoMyWay’s concept.  It’s great if you need a professional logo and want to have a variety of design ideas and outstanding talent at your disposal.

Yes, you will be paying a premium price because of the 3rd party involved, but I didn’t mind.  I went into this with very vague ideas for my logo, so it was great having a multitude of designs to pick from.

Also, since you’re dealing with “strangers”, the escrow method ensures you get your logo before you release the prize/payment.  In other words, you don’t pay until you get your logo exactly how you want it!

Feel free to browse some of the contests that are running now to give you an idea of how the process works. Pretty neat, eh?

Now… if they only had an affiliate program.

Ever since I redesigned my blog, I’ve been getting quite a few questions about the banner rotation script at the top of the page.  I used a free script called Magic Image and it is provided by EchoChrist.com.

Unlike a lot of banner rotation scripts, you are not restricted to one banner size within a given space.  So if you want to rotate both 120×240 banners and 120×600 banners in the same space, you are free to do that.

You can also select how many seconds the banners will display and there is an optional text description for each banner.

One feature I wish it had is the option to shuffle the banners.  You must show the banners in the same order every time the page loads. The only way to change the order is to manually change them in the script.

That’s really the only downside to Magic Image.  It’s very easy to setup and I’ve provided the instructions below…

1) Download it.

2) Edit the magicimage.js file (there are instructions in the script)

3) Upload the banners and magicimage.js file to your server

4) Add the following lines of code inside the <head> tag of your page.

<script language=”JavaScript”
src=”http://www.yoursite.com/magicimage.js”
type=”text/javascript”>
</script>

Happy Rotating!

Ever seen those 3D e-Book covers and wonder how people created them? Some develop them from scratch in programs like PhotoShop, Illustrator or Paint Shop Pro.

Others seek out sites that offer online e-book cover generators. (Although, most of them come out looking like crap because the online design options are severely limited and the image quality is often very low.)

Finally, there are people like me who buy e-book graphic templates and go from there. I can make my way around PhotoShop pretty well, but not enough to create a presentable, 3D e-book cover.

So about two years ago I bought some PhotoShop Actions from VirtualCoverGenerator.com.

Well, I just happened to pop over to this site the other day and discovered the author is now offering these PhotoShop Actions for free!

Darn, if I had only waited a couple of years.

What are Actions?

PhotoShop Actions are similar to macros for Excel.   They are pre-recorded actions that you can load into the program to complete multi-step tasks. And trust me.  If you are not PhotoShop savvy, creating an e-book cover would definitely land in the “multi-step task” category.

In other words, VirtualCoverGenerator.com has done all the work.  All you do is load the Action file in PhotoShop (sort of like a template), add a title, image, etc. to your book, click “Step 2″ and your e-book cover will be generated in seconds.

Pretty cool, eh?

You’ll be able to customize your e-book cover any way you want by adding your own custom colors, fonts, text, images, etc.

There are also Actions for a CD cover, newsletter, and a software box. So if you offer any of these items from your site or blog, you can use these Actions to create a digital cover or box.

It took me all of 60 seconds to whip out that software box you see on the left. All I did was open the appropriate Action, add my text, customize the colors and let the Action go to work for me.

I cropped the image down a bit, saved it as a JPG and published it to the Internet.

“So What’s the Catch?”

You know the drill.  There’s always a catch with free, right?  Well this is certainly no exception.

Of course you need PhotoShop (version 6 or higher). Second, you have to provide Fairuz (the owner) your name, email (so he can send you additional offers, no doubt) and agree to his terms and conditions. Then you’ll be presented with an offer or two (which you can graciously decline if you wish).

Finally, you’ll need to create a password to the site’s members area.  Once you’ve done that you’ll be taken to a page to download the Actions (zip file).

Whew!  Yes, it’s a bit of work, but a small price to pay if you need a high-quality e-book cover.

“This is Useless Info to Me”

You may be reading this now thinking, That’s great, Lisa but I don’t have any e-Books that I offer from my site or blog.

Well, my response to that would be…

Why not?

e-books can be amazing, viral marketing machines for you.  You can create a useful, free guide that is relevant to your niche, provide links back to your site/blog in the book, embed affiliate links and offer it as a free download.

Before you know it, friends will email your book to their friends.  Webmasters and Bloggers will recommend it from their sites.  The possibilities are endless.  And the more useful your product is, the larger the circulation potential.

Pretty soon you’ll be able to sit back and watch the viral magic happen!

I’ve been offering e-books (the PDF variety) from my sites for nearly 5 years and when I check my stats, at least one of my books has generated a commission for some product almost everyday. There’s nothing like doing the work once and getting paid for it over and over and over again.

Of course, you can also sell your digital product.  You don’t necessarily have to give it away for free.  Thanks to PayPal and other online payment sites, collecting funds from digital good sales is more convenient than ever.

So what are you waiting for?  Get those juices flowing and get started on your e-book?  Then dart on over to VirtualCoverGenerator.com and scoop up those Actions before Fairuz decides to sell them again.

Why use the same, boring orange RSS icon? Call attention to your feed and add an ounce of flavor to your site with a refreshing button or icon.

Your RSS feed will never be ignored again.

Notes:

Please “Save As” to your own PC and upload to your Web server. That way if I ever move or delete these icons, they won’t appear as broken images on your site.

The icons marked “Transparent GIF” will blend in with any background color.

Enjoy and please Stumble this post if you find my graphics useful. Thanks.

I was stumbling upon some sites this morning and came across a very useful website.

It’s called TutorialsGarden.com and they provide tutorials on PhotoShop, Flash, CSS, HTML and more.

I’ve dabbled in PhotoShop over the years, but never mastered it by any means.

I’ve always wanted to learn to do more with text for logos, headers, etc. but never found a site that was easy to follow.

What I like about TutorialsGarden.com, is they break down the steps for you and provide screenshots. All of their tutorials are organized nicely into sub categories so it’s easy to find the kind of information you’re looking for.

They have a very comprehensive section on PhotoShop Text Effects that I found quite useful. In fact, I created the graphic above using their easy-to-follow tutorial on creating “Animated Glitter Text.”

It took all of 5 minutes… literally.

So if you’re looking to improve your proficiency in PhotoShop, Flash, HTML, CSS, Adobe Illustrator and more, TutorialsGarden.com is a great place to spend some time.

And as you can see, StumbleUpon is not only useful for promoting your website. You may stumble upon sites that can help you out as well.