If you want to give away your work, for free, just join LinkedIn

[ripgriffith]

In a blatant act of hypocrisy, LinkedIn, in their new User's Agreement, states the following: "You own what you own", and follows that with an egregious rights grab.  See the attached clip from their agreement.

[jjj]

I like to see them try modify my name or address.
Linkedin doesn't tend to have much user content other than maybe an avatar, they're not exactly Flickr.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I opened Facebook and LinkedIn accounts a few years ago, but have never bothered doing anything with them, as I find the LuLa forum satisfies my need for "social networking." I've been thinking of dropping Facebook, and now I think LinkedIn must go as well. I really don't want to be associated with an outfit that disrespects its customers to that extent.

[BobShaw]

If you put something on the Internet then you are giving it away. It is as simple as that. You have to decide if the return is worth it. 

I manage the Canon EOS Digital Photography group on LinkedIn and we have 45,000 members. The Adobe Photoshop group has 150,000. It is a just another source of information that you either find useful or not, but you will never find all information on the planet in one place.

Having said that, I am new to this forum but it is one of the best I have seen, especially for the higher end users.

[jjj]

I opened Facebook and LinkedIn accounts a few years ago, but have never bothered doing anything with them, as I find the LuLa forum satisfies my need for "social networking." I've been thinking of dropping Facebook, and now I think LinkedIn must go as well. I really don't want to be associated with an outfit that disrespects its customers to that extent.

I wouldn't exactly describe LuLa as being anything like FB or Linkedin. The social networks are far superior to forums in many ways, being far more modern and functional compared to something dating from the last Century. Best of all you can choose who to associate with. I only tend to befriend people I know in meat space and therefore don't have to put up the the anonymous trolls that plague most forums.    Oh and anyone who complains about idiotic posting on FB is really commenting on the people they choose to have as friends.
I've also had work from social networks and travelled to numerous places as a result of using them. Despite using forums for far, far longer, I've had nothing like that happen.

Not to mention they are a fantastic way to keep up with friends and family, that are literally scattered around the world.

[EduPerez]

Those terms and conditions seems perfectly reasonable to me, considering the nature of the service provided by LinkedIn; they just state, using legal words, that you allow them to do what you ask them to do:

• Do you want to upload a picture for your profile? Nice, now they need your permission to store it.
• Do you allow them to resize and crop such picture? Well, that is a modification.
• You want that picture to be shown to other users, don't you? Thats redistribution.
• Somehow, LinkedIn makes money from their website, and that website is full of content provided by their users; thus they are monetizing the content provided by their users.
• And the list goes on...

[hjulenissen]

I just saw this documentary, "Terms and Conditions May Apply". I think it was well worth a viewing.
"Terms And Conditions May Apply examines the cost of so-called 'free' services and the continuing disappearance of online privacy. People may think they know what they give up when they click 'I Agree' on companies like Facebook and Google. They're wrong."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084953/

[StoneNYC]

I haven't read the Facebook user agreement in a long time, but I don't even think that Facebook's version of this is as bad as LinkedIn wow!

[digitaldog]

Those terms and conditions seems perfectly reasonable to me, considering the nature of the service provided by LinkedIn...

I agree. Who's going to post a saleable image there? It's just a lot of text and talk, just like here. BFD.

[JoeKitchen]

These terms are typically boiler plate contracts that lawyers put together, often ones who are not specialist in copyright law.  About a year ago, photographers went crazy over the same thing with Houzz's terms.  The rumor went around that Houzz was selling images that photographers (or whom ever) posted to stores, like Lowes, for ad use.  The ASMP looked into this and was not able to find one instance of a photographer's work being sold through Houzz.  They also sat down with Houzz and talked out the T&Cs and the issue of selling images.  Houzz said that they have never had any interest in doing so, however they could not (just like any photographer who has a website) prevent people from stealing the images through right click downloads or screen shots.  They do use images in feature articles where items and finishes in those images have links to stores, like Lowes, where consumers can buy the same item.  This may leave a bad taste in your mouth, but I can not think of a better way to get in front of residential designers, not to mention it is free.  

I feel this is a little of the same thing.  (LinkedIn makes it money differently and does not do anything with the images other then allow users of the site to see them.)  I use LinkedIn all the time and have gotten work from people seeing my profile whom I did not know previously.  And this was good paying work, not "hey, I have $100, can you take 50 shots of a project for me?"  Not to mention I am connected to a large number of architects, designers, and marketers in NYC and Philadelphia, which means I am connected to virtually anyone in the design industry in those cities through someone I know.  Makes it very easy to ask for referrals, and we all know referrals are the best source of new work.  It is a great site, so long as you actually use it; creating a profile and then letting it be is not using it.  

You may disagree with me and for the time being you will be right.  Most of all the decision makers are in there 40s and 50s and more old school in finding photographers.  But once the current 20 year olds move into those decision making positions, you better be on social media.  

[Justinr]

These terms are typically boiler plate contracts that lawyers put together, often ones who are not specialist in copyright law.  About a year ago, photographers went crazy over the same thing with Houzz's terms.  The rumor went around that Houzz was selling images that photographers (or whom ever) posted to stores, like Lowes, for ad use.  The ASMP looked into this and was not able to find one instance of a photographer's work being sold through Houzz.  They also sat down with Houzz and talked out the T&Cs and the issue of selling images.  Houzz said that they have never had any interest in doing so, however they could not (just like any photographer who has a website) prevent people from stealing the images through right click downloads or screen shots.  They do use images in feature articles where items and finishes in those images have links to stores, like Lowes, where consumers can buy the same item.  This may leave a bad taste in your mouth, but I can not think of a better way to get in front of residential designers, not to mention it is free.  

I feel this is a little of the same thing.  (LinkedIn makes it money differently and does not do anything with the images other then allow users of the site to see them.)  I use LinkedIn all the time and have gotten work from people seeing my profile whom I did not know previously.  And this was good paying work, not "hey, I have $100, can you take 50 shots of a project for me?"  Not to mention I am connected to a large number of architects, designers, and marketers in NYC and Philadelphia, which means I am connected to virtually anyone in the design industry in those cities through someone I know.  Makes it very easy to ask for referrals, and we all know referrals are the best source of new work.  It is a great site, so long as you actually use it; creating a profile and then letting it be is not using it.  

You may disagree with me and for the time being you will be right.  Most of all the decision makers are in there 40s and 50s and more old school in finding photographers.  But once the current 20 year olds move into those decision making positions, you better be on social media.  

But it doesn't work a bit like that over this side of the water. People go round collecting contacts like baubles with no real intention of ever actually referring back to them and if they did they probably get looked upon as some sort of bothersome and prying weirdo. It must be a cultural difference, there must be something in the American psyche that social media chimes with that is missing over here. Yet we still suffer endless reams of nonsensical piffle about using it to boost our incomes even though I have never seen any figures to demonstrate that time spent on such activity is a sound investment.

What I would suggest that is that the young decision makers bear this in mind if they ever get to drift this way and reckon it will work the same for them here, it just won't.

[lowep]

I only tend to befriend people I know in meat space

what is meat space?

[Colorado David]

I only tend to befriend people I know in meat space

what is meat space?

The world outside of the net.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meatspace

[Justinr]

The world outside of the net.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meatspace

There is one! 

[Deardorff]

Can you point out the specific contract terms so we can see them?

[ripgriffith]

Can you point out the specific contract terms so we can see them?

If you are directing that at me, the original poster, the contract terms in question are in the first post.  I'll re-post them here.

[John Francis]

If once made the mistake of paying for a premium LinkedIn account.  Even after canceling the premium account, I was billed.  I called LinkedIn customer service and said that it was "mistake" and that I would not be billed again.  Sure enough, I was billed again.  I called my CC company and complained about fraudulent charges.  Not surprisingly, my CC was well aware of complains against LinkedIn.