Comments on: Link-love etiquette

By: Chip

Chip — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:07:21 +0000

That's pretty cool, Abby Bob. Free hot-links — what's your business model?

By: Abby Bob

Abby Bob — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:49:04 +0000

Hi Chip, it sounds strange but we built a site that encourage people to hotlink for images. Have a look at it and give your comments, if you like. Cheers!

By: Chip

Chip — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:26:54 +0000

My pleasure, Assaf. You've perfected the art of quoting just enough to induce itchy mouse finger.

By: Assaf

Assaf — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:07:40 +0000

Thanks for the link love :-)

By: Kevin S. Brady, Esq.

Kevin S. Brady, Esq. — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:19:22 +0000

Regarding the last paragraph, bloggers might want to consider avoiding copyright infringement, which is a bit more serious than mere "hotlinking." You should ask the blog owner BEFORE copying and reposting an image. Send an email and tell the owner you'd like to use his image. Oftentimes, he'll give the OK. But take the image, and the owner finds out–and it's not hard for them to discover–and your site's host may receive a DMCA takedown notice. You might not be pleasantly surprised with the results.

The same goes for copying other content, including text. Paraphrasing small portions is generally considered fair use (though there is no bright-line test on what amount is considered OK). But take the whole post, and you could be deemed an infringer.

A little communication can save you lots of problems later.

Cheers.