To the Many Gifted Artists on the Web:First, I'm leaving this page blank because I want to acknowledge the gift that you are to all non-artists on the Web. Without you our websites would not be very inviting. Without you we would have a difficult time accomplishing our goal -- sharing our message with the world. So this page is dedicated to you.
When I started building this website I was pretty ignorant about the use of graphics. If you find any graphics on this website that belong to you and you have not been credited appropriately, or, if you would like me to remove them, please e-mail me. Here is my address.
To All Non-Artists Reading This Page:
I hope you too see from this bare page how much we need the talents of graphics artists. We who are not gifted in this arena find ourselves dependent upon those who are. Most artists on the web are delighted to share the fruit of their labors with the rest of us. We need to know their simple and generous rules. When they do not want their work copied, they say so. So don't take it. When we take them without permission it is theft. When we take graphics with their permission, legally we must give them credit every place we use them, adding a copyright symbol, i.e., (c) + the name of the artist and the date of the copyright. If we do not add the copyright symbol and date, others can steal the work and copyright it for themselves. Then the original artist cannot use his or her own work without the thief's permission and neither can we. It is also a very courteous gesture to e-mail each artist and thank her or him for sharing their creations with us. Many like to look at how we have used their work, so give them your website address.
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TIP: I'm very new at site-building but I have already learned how important this page is to what I value most next to my relationship with the Lord -- integrity. If you care about yours, keep a log of every graphic you save. Record the graphic name and the website where you found it and the name of the artist or graphics group so that you can give them credit and create a link to their page. When we do this everyone is a winner.
TIP: It is important to record the sites where you find your graphics, not only for the benefit of the artist but for yours. A few of my favorite graphics have been wiped out because of my inexperience and now I cannot find them. They are lost somewhere out there in cyberspace.
