Subject: Photos for Photo Quizzes
Posted by: Buddy1
Date: May 10 13
How can I tell if an image has the appropriate license to use? Some are easy to find out (such as Wikimedia), but some are difficult. For example, if I were to use the Flickr website, where do I find this out?
Posted by: Buddy1
Date: May 10 13
How can I tell if an image has the appropriate license to use? Some are easy to find out (such as Wikimedia), but some are difficult. For example, if I were to use the Flickr website, where do I find this out?
31 replies. On page 1 of 2 pages. 1 2
Snowman
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If you look at an image on Flickr such as http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniemole/8426762150/ then in the right column you'll see the heading License. If it says all rights reserved then you can't use it. If it says "some rights reserved" then click on those words and it will take you through to a page that explains what the usage restrictions are. Another way to check on Flickr is to restrict your search to "The Commons" only. Reply #1. May 10 13, 4:37 PM |
Buddy1
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What does "The Commons" mean? Does that mean the only results will be those that have just the Creative Commons - Attribution only license? I searched for a couple items using that criteria and under "License", it says "No known copyright restrictions". What does that mean in terms of acceptability? Reply #2. May 10 13, 5:27 PM |
kaddarsgirl 
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You can find them here: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ Reply #3. May 10 13, 5:43 PM |
kyleisalive
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The link found on the Photo Quiz Guideline page leads directly to the Creative Commons Attribution main page on Flickr. Reply #4. May 11 13, 7:11 AM |
nannywoo
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I'm unsure, too. I did a search for "Ur" since I'm working on a quiz about the ancient site in Iraq. I linked "Wikimedia Commons" as directed in Adventures in Authoring and did a search. Some wonderful images came up from the British Museum and the Louvre. Can I use those? I would think the museums have rights to those images, even if a visitor took the shot. Reply #5. May 11 13, 2:44 PM |
| kyleisalive
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If the licenses fall into the categories we allow, then they will be fine to go online. Attribution images can be posted provided they link back to the original author. If there is an issue we will not hesitate to remove them and ask for a replacement. We will always do our best to try and avoid this; if the museums have strict no-photo policies we will comply (as we already have with specific websites). Reply #6. May 11 13, 3:53 PM |
rossian
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I'd really like some clarification about the embargo on using recognisable pictures. I thought this was a definite 'no', and had to change some photos in one of my early attempts (I'm not complaining - it was my fault for overlooking that detail). It was even suggested that a photo of a portrait might be problematic. I've just played a new (as in online about three weeks ago) photo quiz which had two photos of people, so I'm rather confused now. Could some editors confirm what may be allowed and what definitely isn't, please? Reply #7. May 12 13, 1:53 AM |
looney_tunes
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The rules have been tightened steadily as editors have discovered new possible areas of problems. You can have a person, but not a recognizable person, as of right now. This is because, no matter what the licensing is that the person placing the image online says, you (and we) cannot be sure that the person has given consent for the public use of their image, unless it is your own photo and you vouchsafe for it. Until very recently, editors didn't necessarily check for that, just for the licensing. Reply #8. May 12 13, 3:33 AM |
| Buddy1
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What's the rule about how helpful photos should be in a quiz? Should photos clue a person into the correct answer? Should a question not be able to be answered correctly unless the photo is looked at? Should the photo be not so specific? Do these rules change from category to category? Are there any other related questions that I should be asking? If multiple examples are needed to answer my questions, then please use multiple examples. I've had an issue with this, and I PMed the editor, but I'd like to know the beliefs of others. Reply #9. May 18 13, 12:01 AM |
| looney_tunes
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The most important thing is that the image should not make the question ridiculously easy to answer. Just as we do not accept verbal questions like "What is 1 + 1?", it is not desirable for questions in photo quizzes to be totally given away by the image. (The judgment as to what is too easy is at each editor's discretion, as it is for non-photo questions, so there may be a degree of inconsistency in its application.) I try to use images that provide some useful information for most of my photo quizzes, but sometimes they are just decoration - I am currently writing about mountains, and for a number of the questions will be including spectacular images that enrich the experience of reading the question, even though they do not make it any easier to answer the question. Reply #10. May 18 13, 12:30 AM |
| rossian
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The restrictions on which photos can be used mean that I can't always use the picture I'd prefer. As L_T has said, I don't think a complete giveaway is a good idea, although something which gives an additional hint is perfect (although elusive). There are times when the only option is to use the picture as decoration. There have been occasions when I'd have loved to include additional photos to add to the information section, too. Reply #11. May 18 13, 5:46 AM |
agony
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I'd like to emphasize a point Looney made - there will not be complete consistency on this. Every mix of quiz and photo is slightly different, and every editor will have a slightly different take on it. Say the answer to your question is "The Arc de Triomphe" and your photo is of the Arc. One editor will say "Well, that's a complete giveaway" and not allow it. Another editor will say "That's only a giveaway to a player who knows what the Arc de Triomphe looks like, and that player deserves to get the question right" and will allow it. Some photos will be definitely too easy - the answer is "red" and you show a red square. Some will be definitely allowable - the answer is some very obscure musical instrument, and you show a photo of the instrument. But some of this will be a matter of opinion and unfortunately there is no way around that. Reply #12. May 18 13, 6:29 AM |
| Buddy1
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That just doesn't seem right. For a non-photo quiz, it seems like there is unsion on whether a question is too easy, too difficult, or just right (although For Children seems to accept slightly easier questions, since the target range is younger). For a photo quiz, it seems to be, chose either somewhat easy or somewhat difficult photos and hope you get the right editor otherwise you'll have to change your photos (which may not always be easy). Reply #13. May 18 13, 9:15 AM |
guitargoddess
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There is definitely not a consistent agreement among editors about too easy/difficult in a non-photo quiz; everything is subjective, including difficulty level, sometimes appropriateness, sometimes even quiz mechanics, e.g one editor might accept an interesting info section that just barely meets the minimum requirement but another editor might send it back and ask for more. In terms of 'giveaway' photos, it's still subjective but I think most of us would agree that if a three year old who can't read the question can look at the image and answer the question correctly (like 'red' or 'cat' or number 1) - the photo is too much if a giveaway Reply #14. May 18 13, 9:25 AM |
| Buddy1
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There are so many rules that are applied on a consistent basis (whether site-wide or category-wide) that it seems like something as important as what kind of photo to use should be among those rules. I don't think it should come down to luck of which editor is selected to edit the quiz. (Is there a way to ask for a particular editor to edit your quiz?) All other important rules are the same no matter which editor you get. It doesn't seem to make sense that there is no control over whether the photo is good enough and it comes down to luck of the "draw". Reply #15. May 18 13, 9:43 AM |
| guitargoddess
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Well on what I see as the "important" rules, we are all on the same page, e.g. as to what photos we can legally use. At the end of the day a "too easy" question is not THAT important. There's no way to be 100% consistent about something like too easy or too obscure. It's subjective and always will be. Often if we think a case is borderline, we discuss it amongst ourselves and go with a consensus, but often the 'consensus' is not every single editor agreeing, but rather a majority. And no you cannot request a particular editor to edit your quiz, though if you'd already discussed your idea with a particular editor, you can put that in the quiz submission note. Reply #16. May 18 13, 10:37 AM |
| Buddy1
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I think I might be getting off track of what I originally intended. Rather than whether photos are too easy, it should be more along the lines of "If a question can be asked without the use of a photo, then should that be suitable for a photo quiz?". I still get the feeling that the answer is the same: it differs from editor to editor and you just have to hope to be lucky enough to get the editor who says "it's okay if a photo isn't necessary in answering the question". Reply #17. May 18 13, 10:51 AM |
| Buddy1
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Also, if appropriate photos vary from editor to editor, then how do you know if you’ve got an appropriate photo? Nobody likes doing all that work then finding out it was all for something, because the quiz won’t work with the photos. Isn’t that why (to give an example) “Closed” sub-categories are marked Closed? So people know ahead of time not to write a quiz there rather than doing the work and then being informed the sub-category is closed? It wouldn’t be fair if we had to guess which categories were closed. Why should we guess what an unknown editor will accept as a photo (beyond the site-wide rules, like the "no recognizable people" rule)? Reply #18. May 18 13, 1:13 PM |
| rossian
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I wonder if you're over thinking this. Editing style varies from editor to editor even on standard quizzes. I've noticed that myself on previous quizzes even with editors in the same category. I just make the changes the editor requests, even if I'm privately thinking 'I'm sure x would have allowed that'. It isn't that hard to change a photo - I've had to do it several times, sometimes because I've been asked to do so and sometimes because I find something that I think works better. As I said previously, I try to find a photo that adds another clue. For example, I asked a question to which the answer was 'The Merchant of Venice'. The question was a quotation, plus another verbal clue, and anyone who knows the play would have been able to answer it from that. The photo clue I used was of the Grand Canal in Venice, which might have helped anyone unsure of the answer, even if it was only to think 'why did she use that picture?'. Who knows? What I wouldn't have used is a photo showing the cover of a book with 'The Merchant of Venice' written on it, which would have been a complete giveaway. I'm not an editor, just another author doing the best I can, but that's my take on using photos. Reply #19. May 18 13, 2:25 PM |
| guitargoddess
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When I said appropriateness, I meant in general, in any type of quiz or question. Some editors are more wary than others about anything deviating away from a "G" rating; this is something that often gets discussed looking for a consensus, with differing opinions. In terms of "If the question can be answered without the photo, is it a suitable question for a photo quiz?", I believe we are largely on the same page with a "yes" answer. Personally, I'm not crazy about photos that are just there for the sake of having a photo for decoration (I feel it should help in SOME way or at least be 'interesting' in its own right, such as the example mentioned earlier of photos of mountains), but I won't reject them because of the way I personally feel. I believe the editing staff is largely on the same page as to this specific question. Reply #20. May 18 13, 2:49 PM |
31 replies. On page 1 of 2 pages. 1 2
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