The Problem with Pinterest
It’s so simple, a pin here, a screen shot there, save image
as, just copy and paste. Easy, isn’t it? Sites like Pinterest, Instagram, Tumbler, etc.,
are great ways to bookmark your journey through the interweb and are a simple method
for sharing what you find. However, when it comes to research, these sites are
a blessing and a curse.
How can having all this information at one’s fingertips be a bad thing? ... Because of the rampant failure to cite sources, attribute research
and recognize other’s work.
Recently we called out vendor for violating the copyright on
a Larkin and Smith pattern. When
challenged to cite their source, they claimed that the object in question was
inspired by an original. The object, in
fact, turned out to be an original – A Hallie Larkin original!
But where did this all go wrong? Simple – it’s easy to pin. It’s harder to
take the time to cite your sources. In
this case, not only did the museum that housed this supposed “original” not get any credit, but the primary source was actually a secondary
source. A good one based on a primary
sources mind you – but ultimately the vendor was inadvertently selling a copy
of someone else’s work.
Here’s how Hivesters can make a difference!
If you are using sites like Pinterest – note where the pin
originated. Posting something on
Facebook? Cite the museum, date, artist,
etc. Quoting from a book, article,
website – cite your sources.
Good research is built on a framework constructed by
others. The reason we’ve come so far is
because of people like Linda Baumgarten, Janet Arnold, Sally Queen, Sharon
Burnston, Florence Montgomery, Claudia Kidwell, Edward Maeder, Beth Gilgun, and
Henry Cooke, among others.
Cite your sources. Give credit to those whose research you
are using, respect intellectual property.
For you it might be a hobby and doesn’t really matter. For the rest of us, it’s our hard work, and it
does matter.
For more about citations see:
