It's Easy to Forget....

...but citing your images properly is important. Case in point:

 

This image has been everywhere, from Tumblrs to Pinterest and back again. It was originally posted at the website listed on the image, here. The blogger probably never thought this would be picked up, since she's simply blogging to share her experiences with the Peace Corps in Mongolia with friends and family.

But people noticed.

Soon the photo was all over the web, with people curious about its origin. I first noticed the question of where it came from through a Pinterest caption, and decided to search for the artist's name. It took me little time to find the original site, but to my frustration there was no attribution included in the post. Finally, through some search skills learned in library school, I found the re-post with this caption beneath it, written by the original blogger:

"Yamar huurhen um be? I’m reblogging this picture from my Peace Corps Mongolia days with a tag since I’ve been seeing it around the web and around tumblr with no source. Enjoy and reblog away! The original source is my Mongolian friend Gangaa. The picture was originally taken in Khentii Aimag."

Unfortunately, this second post with the proper attribution was difficult to find. I'm afraid Gangaa will never receive as much credit as he (or she?) is due, nor is s/he likely to profit from this beautiful work, though many Tumblr users have posted requests to get a hi-def copy (which is one way professional photographers make their money!). The picture is, for all practical purposes, orphaned by a lack of attribution.

Finally, the reblogged image now sports an (ugly) border with the words "Reblog if you love happiness and camels." I love both of those things, but how about a clean, properly attributed image to reblog instead? Put Gangaa's name on the image above with the URL of the blog, and leave out the translation of the blog's name.

For all of you rebloggers out there, when you take an image from the web, try to keep in mind the ideals of the attribution code, even if the work has been shared freely. Kudos to the blogger for letting the world see her friend's joyful work, but I wish Gangaa's name had been attached to it from the beginning.


Everyone benefits when creators get their due. It creates a culture of sharing, generosity, trust, and respect. For more information, check out the growing Creative Commons movement.