Can you slap someone's face on the Web?

[Gary David Bouton]

I've gotta believe that more than one of us has been stiffed for work, but I guess I'm still naive enough to believe that work I make for someone for free still deserves a thanks.

Attached is a logo I did for someone's site. They got in touch with me through one of my books, and I guess some people feel after they buy your book, they can ask favors or something.

They ask for my time, and then not even an email to thank me.

It feels kinda like univited guests who won't leave...

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.

[Gary David Bouton]

I've gotta believe that more than one of us has been stiffed for work, but I guess I'm still naive enough to believe that work I make for someone for free still deserves a thanks.

Attached is a logo I did for someone's site. They got in touch with me through one of my books, and I guess some people feel after they buy your book, they can ask favors or something.

They ask for my time, and then not even an email to thank me.

It feels kinda like univited guests who won't leave...

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.

[randyrives]

Very nice image. Makes you kinda wish that you could repo the image somehow. People so often get caught up in themselves they forget the amount of work it takes to greate a logo or graphic.

And some people think just because you use a computer that it is easy, and therefore it is nothing for you to produce them a graphic on demand/request.

--Randy

[s.winders]

If artists were payed by the hour a reasonable rate then artists would be richer than Bill please dont do that to my company Gates.


That really sucks G,maybe write back and say to them well if you read the book you would be able to do it yourself wouldnt you. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] Thats really disgusting behavior [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

Stu.

[jens g.r. benthien]

Gary,

doing someone a favor is one thing. But I know this behavior myself - I've experienced it many times decades ago. It bugged my, so I developed a solution:

The customer (ANY customer) will receive the finished object via e-mail, ftp or any other kind of media. However, it has a copyright notice stamped on it with 50% transparency and an ugly texture - no way to use a pixel editor to get rid of the copyright mark. The second file they receive is an encrypted zip or rar file, protected with a password. This one contains exactly the same object or artwork, but without the copyright stamp, and I inform the customer about this fact.
As soon as the payment has been irrevocable accredited to my bank account, I send him the password.

40% of my customers hate me for this. 30% flame me - because I never disclose this part of the deal when the place the order. But until today I've never felt sorry about any order or job anymore. Oh, of course I charge a 50% downpayment when they send the order.

This is the only way to protect yourself. It's a rotten world, full of a..holes who think they own the right to cheat designers, artists etc.

Let's discuss this in more detail! Maybe something about the US copyright office where you can register your artwork, and if a 'client' doesn't pay for it, you have a very excellent position in court. BTW, you can register your artwork online!

Have a great weekend,

jens

jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://jens.highspeedweb.net

[Steve Newport]

Although it never happened to me (yet!?) I can understand how steamed you must be, just makes you wanna kick yourself and the other person even harder! Did you ask them to pay for it?

Jens, How do you register your artwork online!?

Steve Newport

[\"W\"]

Gary,

This has happened to me too. I have done (free) work for people who have thanked me by email and were grateful. There are, however, others who after the fact have not thanked me, but contacted me for revisions ad-infinitum of my offering, without even a thank you after they were finally happy with it. I got the impression from them that I was some robot in cyber-space that creates and dispenses "custom" webgraphics for free like a vending machine. No offer of a link or a by line. Only "gimme, gimme, gimme"!!

Beware, people! These sort of transactions usually start with the taker, sucking up to your skills bigtime, only to kick dirt in your face later. Learn from it, but don't let it change your heart and personal characteristic of generosity.

Regards, Wayne

[Gary David Bouton]

I'm glad my compatriots agree with me on this one.
Are we agreed, "it sucks big-time."?

I do a lot of stuff for free. This group has thanked me for my volunteer efforts more than any entity, person, or group on the Web.

I just think that when I put about 35 years of learning and formal training at the disposal of someone in need, it's not fatal to say, "thanks", you know?

Three people had busted their CDs from one of my books, and Pearson Education is slow if not downright negative about replacing CDs. So guess what I did? Yup, each got the CD within 2 days offa my own burner and my own time. The three reactions were different and interesting. One of them thanked me out the wazoo, promised to buy all my books, and offered to pay me for the inconvenience, time, and postage. The second one dropped me a line, said thanks, and asked if I needed money for compensation. The third I never heard from.

I conclude that times may change, but people don't. And that there is a fixed number of a..holes in any organization or civilization. You lose one, and you will get a fresh one (or two) in no time [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Bothered but not bitter,

Gare


Btw, attached is a new model I freely donate to this forum. It's in DXF format. Have fun. It's a pisser.

Gary David Bouton
Gary@GaryDavidBouton.com
Free education! The Writings Web site
and the updated GaryWorld Gallery is pretty okay, too.

[jens g.r. benthien]

Steve,

start right here:

http://www.loc.gov/copyright/

jens

jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://jens.highspeedweb.net

[s.winders]

Cheers for the toilet Gary [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]


I made some genetic changes to the porcelains make up and got the result below.The arm belongs to a copyright infringer [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]


Cheers.

Stu.