"Giving credit" is not sufficient for usage of Copyrighted material. Ignorance of U.S. and International Copyright laws is not a valid defense, nor a valid defence. I would advise that anyone featuring YCJ images on their site without an agreement with me should take them down immediately. Big Internet Group, LLC (BigSoccer) and Yellow Card Journalism, LLC (YCJ Photos) are business partners. Hotlinking our images - from our www.ibiblio.org/footy website is fine. Hotlinking, or hosting our images on a blog or other website without license is a violation of our copyright(s), and we do take it very seriously. Please cease any such behaviour immediately. We are more than happy to discuss a reasonable (read: cheap) fee structure with any MLS fan website or blog.
Credit, yes. License, no. Please contact me directly and I'm sure we can come up with a license fee structure that fits your budget. That's how it works for you. It ceased to be that way for us, tens of thousands of dollars in losses ago. We are professional photographers. While giving away photos may give you warm fuzzies, it doesn't do much for air fare, camera gear, or mortgages. We're all for promoting the Wizards and MLS, but I'm pretty sure that they're not going to hand over their images to you to use for free.
Well, there was this one time that I was like "Hey, how much for that 600mm F/4 VR lens you have there?" and the guy behind the counter said "$10 thousand oughta do it, but we also accept trades of a kidney or today we're running a special for fifteen warm fuzzies and it's all yours" Unfortunately I only had 8 and a half warm fuzzies at the time (the 1/2 was a lukewarm fuzzy, I had given away a photo to someone and while they appreciated the gesture, they didn't like the photo very much), so I tried to talk the guy down but he said that 12 warm fuzzies and a bottle cap were as low as he'd go. By the time I got back from giving away my photos to get enough warm fuzzies, they were all sold out. To make things worse, some doucsh bag pickpocketed half my warm fuzzies _and_ my bottle cap on my way out the store. But seriously, the figure I used there ($10k) is not an exaggeration by any means. There's a reason that their pictures are as good looking as they are - and why the ones you take with a $100 point-and-shoot digital just never seem to look as good.
while we (i, actually, as i don't want to speak for anyone else) may have some issues with you or how you've gone about some things, i would like to encourage you to not quit the blog. i just want to make that clear... that i'm not hoping you run off and hide, never to be heard from again.
Calling Wade a jerk repeatedly isn't the right way to handle this either. He's not being a jerk. He's protecting something that is his. Calling somebody a jerk when they're very much in the right doesn't endear you to people.
Can we *please* stop with the piling on? He's sorry. He pulled the photo. He learned a lesson. No harm came to any animals. Of course, Wade is not a jerk. He's one of the founders of the Mystics-cum-Cauldron. He's as dedicated to soccer as they come, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for the thankless hours he's out in. He is not a jerk. He is, however, a cantankerous old fart.
He may not be a jerk, but he definitely came across as one, especially to those who do not know him personally or don't know who he is. Regardless of who you are or how important you may be or believe you may be, there is still no reason for you to act like that toward someone without first talking to them privately, in person, e-mail, or whatever method of communication you choose. Luckily for Wade, Andy came in and made up for his complete lack of tact and professional conduct.
A life lesson for us all. The internets are dramatic. It's easier to just not do it than deal with confrontation, but hopefully your break is very temporary. The bigger everything gets, the more diluted a single opinion becomes. For the diehards of this team, no matter where they sit, that is a great thing. A lot of the perceived negativity is just a matter of a limited fanbase and unlimited word counts. I thought this was class. Not many would've gotten over the initial ruffled feathers.
Arguably the first time in the history of BigSoccer where I've been the "good cop" But seriously, we don't want to make anyone stop blogging or writing. We want the clients!
Get him sleep deprived, with a couple of drinks in a hotel bar while waiting for his overbooked hotel room to free up. I definitely understand where he's coming from though. The frustration builds up. It's not just the fans and blogs. I've been hit up for photos by USL and MLS related entities in the last couple of days. It's really frustrating. By "hit up", I mean they want the photos for free because they "have no budget". Don't let your children become sport photographers.
IMO, the way some of the "die-hards" (no particular names, and not including everybody) have treated each other and some fans "on the outside looking in" (whether their new fans, people who don't sit in the Cauldron, or non-regular attending fans) has gotten to me like it has gotten to our new friend from Dallas. And I'm sure a big group of you are friends and what you say on here is not to be taken personally and what not but some of us that aren't part of your tailgate group don't know you and whether you meant what you said or not, we don't know that. Be can only perceive you're meaning based on the words you use and how you use them and perception is reality in this world (whether you like it or not, agree with me our not, whatever). I hope to see OZ back in 2008 and the Wizards bringing home a MLS CUP. I'll leave it at that. (disclaimer: I know crap happens, I know everyone is entitled to their opinion and feelings, as am I, nobody a jerk they just act like one sometimes, yadda yadda yadda, whatever, I know I can't change the world with one post, feel free to close this thread soon)
While USL and MLS might not have the cash of the NFL, have you found that true of other, more established sports leagues in the US?
Absolutely not! We close this thread and I fear his "sabbatical" will become permanent. And PS this thread was started to end drama.
no kidding. with all the positive things going on with our club, you think people would be rallying behind one another. the focus of this forum has got to change. drop the drama.
I put together the fan made logos to check out. One is really good. http://kcwizards.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/fan-made-wizards-logos/
posted this on your blog, but the second logo isn't fan made, it's an old secondary logo. In fact I scanned that exact image out of the 1996 media guide that we got. while the first one looks ok, I just don't think it'd come off well in a smaller version on a jersey.
To that I would say what logos do come off well when they're shrunk to 1:10 scale? Still that one does require some work. It's a starting point, much as the Reading style circle badge was, the one with the hideous yellow stripes. First step change the powder blue to a royal or Wizards blue. Second, move the dragon into one of the panels. Third move 19 into the left part of the ribbon and 96 into the right part. Fourth, Put ad astra per aspera into the middle part of the ribbon. Which team will get to the stars through more difficulty than the Wizards? That's right, none of them. It's ours, it's true and it's a badge of honor, so it belongs on our badge. #5, fill the other panels with something, I'm thinking a fountain and maybe a K and a C in the others. Then we should be almost home. Damn I wish I knew Photoshop.
I wish you knew photoshop too, I'd like see that badge. Anyway there is a post on yellow coming into our color scheme up today. I'm really like the idea now. http://ozcitysoccer.com/2007/12/20/blue-and-yellow-match-made-in-heaven/
Not having a "go" at you, but ... how do you know it's gonna have yellow in it? There's nothing cited in your story. Or is this an opinion piece? because it's not written like that. Color me (not yellow though) skeptical.
I wondered that myself. The only thing I have seen is on Grathoff's blog, saying Burciaga told him that a third jersey was yellow (not an added color). I won't believe it 'til I see it from a more reliable source, like Robb . Personally, I hope they don't add yellow....I like blue and white just fine as it is.