Protection of Images on Facebook

I have a site with Zenfolio which I am more than happy with, but increasingly hear that to complement this and generate interest I should use Facebook.

I am not interested in Facebook from a social media perspective (my daughter has that sewn up) but as a way to share and promote my images. However there are many "Scare stories" regarding image protection and was keen to get views on this forum. Thanks

Just put a good watermark on your photos that you upload to facebook. That is about as good as it gets.

Define "scare story". The general public don't understand copyright. Posting on a social media site such as facebook where the use base is encouraged to share things is going to see your images copied by people. A watermark is about as good as you can hope for and most will just crop the images if they are in them any way.

I use a Watermark so would do that. I accept that images may be shared but I guess if they are fairly low res thats not too bad. I think the "scare stories" I was most concerned about was Facebook retaining the right to use the images for any reason they see fit.

You have hit the nail on the head when you say about copyright being misunderstood, I have done some reading up but I guess the fact that I am not in the Portraiture or Wedding area area and just want to display my own images of landscapes and wildlife its not too much of an issue.

Many thanks for the quick replies to my first post on here, its a great forum

The only place to find out what Facebook says it can or can't do with your images is in their terms and conditions. Relying on third party stories and hearsay will get you a different answer from everyone you ask. Read the t's and c's.

The scare stories are bunkum. But for your peace of mind you should read through the Ts&Cs

Once you put your photos on Facebook, people are going to swipe them for their own use, and you can't stop it. If that scares you, don't put images on Facebook.

...OR!

Don't fight it; use it to your advantage. Put an unobtrusive but easily identified logo on every image you put on Facebook, and encourage people to share it and like it and use it. Post photos of people so that they tag themselves and share your photos. Your Facebook fans will become your marketing agents.

Don't put up any images that you expect to make future revenue; instead, put up images that you've already been paid for, or images for which you're not being directly paid, and use them as a marketing tool.

This really only works if your target clients are Facebook users. If your target clients are advertising executives and corporate media managers, then you're not going to get much traction with them on Facebook. If your target clients are teens, seniors, moms, etc - the people that are the "noisiest" on Facebook - then you can get a lot out of Facebook.