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I just read this on Mo Manning's blog and thought I should pass it along, I'm sure we can all learn something from this letter. Digital Pencil Too: Letter to a Crafter.
Thank you for pointing it out. I don't normally buy from Mo Manning however I feel the need on World Cardmaking Day to link that post to my blog. I hope everyone else will do the same.
I am going to place an order. I have never used digi..but I will have to give it a shot and help Miss Mo too.
blessings
Me, too, Amber.
I love this hobby so much. It's disturbing to hear about such widespread (let's call it what it is) stealing going on. I hope the word gets around about what people are doing.
Thanks to the OP for posting this.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Thanks for sharing this. It is sad, but true. I haven't shopped there before but after reading the letter, I found a great image for my son's birthday card!! Bought it and can't wait to color!
I don't think Magnolia has stopped production - yet. It helps when people who see cds being offered for sale of Magnolias (or other stamp company images) to report it to Ebay AND to the stamp company.
Yes, Mo Manning does have rubbah!!!
I LOVE her 'digis'......especially her mature fairies....lol.
Wondering where we can place this so it will be read - A LOT!!
I am the author of two books and have had my words "shared' via the internet and even altered. I feel the pain of these artists. I hope everyone on SCS reads this post and takes to heart the damage that can be done when we steal the work of some hardworking artist.
__________________ Louise Bergmann DuMontAuthor, Speaker, Serious About Her Coffee, Lover of all that is Chocolate...Worshiper of El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One)
Thanks for sharing this post. Back in the day, I did image swaps and stopped after I started designing for my first stamp company (Verve) and realized just what damage these kind of swaps can do to a small business.
Thanks for sharing this post. Back in the day, I did image swaps and stopped after I started designing for my first stamp company (Verve) and realized just what damage these kind of swaps can do to a small business.
As I read that letter, I was wondering about image swaps too...like you I tried a swap, but then it always bothered me that I was cutting sales. Or at least cutting the NEED to make a purchase.
I personally don't feel that image swaps are ethical, and I appreciate how Mo made a comparison to burning duplicate (or more) CD's. I totally think it's ok to share a stamp set with a friend down the road, like you can borrow them a CD, but in my opinion, the swapping of images by mail isn't necessarily harmless as some may think.
__________________ Cher No longer stamping...on to bigger things.
It was a wonderful post and I am so thrilled to see it being shared here. You can also help by posting the Stamp Out logo on your blog or facebook page if you have one, and link it back to the facebook Stamp Out page. The members of Stamp Out are hoping to have some events in the near future to further educate and inform people. I think Mo has done an excellent job in putting a human face and heart to art theft.
thanks for sharing. This is a subject that seems to come up all the time on the internet especially in craft circles. I cannot offer a solution, but it really strikes me that since is happens so much that there needs to be digital solutions sought and applied.
We can only try to be diligent ourselves in not doing this.
This was a excellent post...........thanks for sharing... I plan on checking out Mo Mannings' digis.......................I just checked some of her images....they are uber cool!
Last edited by Rosiebudstamp; 10-01-2011 at 11:32 PM..
Reason: add
thanks for sharing. This is a subject that seems to come up all the time on the internet especially in craft circles. I cannot offer a solution, but it really strikes me that since is happens so much that there needs to be digital solutions sought and applied.
We can only try to be diligent ourselves in not doing this.
So true. This has been such a problem with Cross Stitch patterns. Intellectual work is often stolen. I thought as the internet grew, more people would become aware of the activity as what it is --theft. But as awareness grew, so did the problem.
Our choices will be "wal-mart" shortly. Run the little guys out, you will only get to choose from one or two sources, usually supporting mass appeal items only.
Thanks for sharing this post! What an important message! I have never used any of Mo's products but will have to get some! We definitely need to support others in our crafting community.
Yes, Mo Manning does have rubbah!!!
I LOVE her 'digis'......especially her mature fairies....lol.
Wondering where we can place this so it will be read - A LOT!!
Why can I not see on her site where she sells rubbah?? I just see digis.
What am I not seeing?
Katrina, Thank you so much for drawing our attention to Mo's post. We all need to honor the artists who create all the wonderful images that we love to work with.
I read a lot of the comments on the Stamp Out Thieves blog and I was blown away by a few of the "anonymous" people's (read: cowards) comments. I've shared the link on my FB. It never feels good when your art is stolen.
I appreciate and support artists and their right to make money and I also don't support outright stealing of images (or selling them). However, Ms. Mo doesn't speak for all stamping companies. One of my very best friends recently started her own stamp line and is very supportive of swap as she knows that they can bring in lots of sales.
I participate in swaps (only companies who allow them) and have bought more stamps than I EVER would have without receiving images thru a swap.
I think swapping has been given a bad "rap" by some people and I think it's sad. While on the surface, it looks like people are getting tons of images and no actual purchases are being made, this is just not true!!! If I receive 3 envies of images (usually 6 1/4 sheets in each envie) a month, I consider it a good month. Please do not condemn all swaps and swappers without actually knowing how the process works.
I thought I'd share one more comment. I don't think that a stamp swap is necessarily a bad thing, nor do I think it is it unethical. I share books with friends, and I know that the two books I wrote are shared and I do not have a problem with that. Someone purchased the book (or in this case the stamp) and they can share it so long as they don't "publish" it or mass copy it. I know there are often stamps I'd like to try out. I borrow them or swap a few (six or less) with friends. If I really like the stamp, I buy it. I've purchased dozens and dozens of stamps simply because I've tried them and liked the. I know of a quite a few people who read copies of my books that were loaned to them by friends and then they went out and bought copies to give as gifts. Again, to me, this is different than posting an image on your website where no one will ever find the need to purchase that stamp. BTW, most angel companies do not mind swaps for the very reasons I mentioned above.
__________________ Louise Bergmann DuMontAuthor, Speaker, Serious About Her Coffee, Lover of all that is Chocolate...Worshiper of El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One)
I think the problem is, some people don't have the same integrity as most "good" swappers. "Bad" swappers either don't know or don't care that their actions can jeopardize a company.
As I was reading the replies, I was thinking, hmm, I just asked for some copies of an image swap from a friend, I probably shouldn't have done that. But then I was thinking, seeing the images really has prompted me to purchase stamps that I might not have otherwise. The choices in my town are very limited, and I don't really have the time to sit and shop on the internet and look at every stamp shop/image that is out there. Participating in that swap made me go in search of specific artists/companies to buy the actual stamps (ok, I'll admit, Magnolias were some of them! lol). I will be much more aware of where I get my images, and for the record, I've been REALLY into the digis these days, and always pay for them!
I thought I'd share one more comment. I don't think that a stamp swap is necessarily a bad thing, nor do I think it is it unethical. I share books with friends, and I know that the two books I wrote are shared and I do not have a problem with that. Someone purchased the book (or in this case the stamp) and they can share it so long as they don't "publish" it or mass copy it. I know there are often stamps I'd like to try out. I borrow them or swap a few (six or less) with friends. If I really like the stamp, I buy it. I've purchased dozens and dozens of stamps simply because I've tried them and liked the. I know of a quite a few people who read copies of my books that were loaned to them by friends and then they went out and bought copies to give as gifts. Again, to me, this is different than posting an image on your website where no one will ever find the need to purchase that stamp. BTW, most angel companies do not mind swaps for the very reasons I mentioned above.
They can loan the stamp to their neighbor/friend/sister just like you loan a book to them, yes that is right. What you cannot do is copy the book and give it to people (without permission from the author) or copy an image and give it out. It is irrelevant what the outcome is or whether or not money changes hands. I don't believe to many angel policies address swaps because I don't think it ever crossed their minds that they had to until recently. When you think of "sharing" an image/stamp before the internet versus after the internet you are talking about a whole different ball game.
I also have to disagree with the comments regarding swapping leading to buying stamps. Maybe that is true in some instances but for the majority of people if they receive 6 copies of one stamp why would they ever buy it? Most stampers don't use the same image 6 times unless they are working on a rare project such as invites. So in comparing what I feel to be the minority of people who might buy a stamp based on a swap, I think there are far more that will never buy it because they received it for free. (and if they want more of that image they will ask whoever sent it to them to send more.. I have seen that happen, and I have also seen many people requesting specific images in swaps)
Granted this is all just my opinion, and I am sure I will hear massive protests.... you must at least admit that the internet has put a whole different spin on sharing, and in order to be fair companies cannot differentiate between the "good" swaps and the "bad" swaps.
They can loan the stamp to their neighbor/friend/sister just like you loan a book to them, yes that is right. What you cannot do is copy the book and give it to people (without permission from the author) or copy an image and give it out. It is irrelevant what the outcome is or whether or not money changes hands. I don't believe to many angel policies address swaps because I don't think it ever crossed their minds that they had to until recently. When you think of "sharing" an image/stamp before the internet versus after the internet you are talking about a whole different ball game.
I also have to disagree with the comments regarding swapping leading to buying stamps. Maybe that is true in some instances but for the majority of people if they receive 6 copies of one stamp why would they ever buy it? Most stampers don't use the same image 6 times unless they are working on a rare project such as invites. So in comparing what I feel to be the minority of people who might buy a stamp based on a swap, I think there are far more that will never buy it because they received it for free. (and if they want more of that image they will ask whoever sent it to them to send more.. I have seen that happen, and I have also seen many people requesting specific images in swaps)
Granted this is all just my opinion, and I am sure I will hear massive protests.... you must at least admit that the internet has put a whole different spin on sharing, and in order to be fair companies cannot differentiate between the "good" swaps and the "bad" swaps.
I'm delighted to see Mo's very powerful and eloquent post linked here and the positive responses to it. Thank you for those. I'd also like to publicly thank Mo for the courage she has shown in writing it - she's right when she says everyone has sad stories, but very few of us would have the courage to write about them publicly.
I do have to agree with what Michelle has written above though and although some people have bought stamps as the result of swaps, many more haven't. I would also like to bet that even among those who have bought, the number of images received well and truly outweigh the number of stamps bought as a result.
I'm not having a go here, because I know a great many people genuinely don't realise the harm that internet swaps can do - but trust me, NO company would object to them if they didn't harm sales. As a crafter, I know I want as much choice as possible, but I'll only get that if companies stay in business.
I've bought several clear stamps that Mo has designed (under the Stamping Bella label) and I love them all. I'm constantly checking to see if she has new stamps out. She is such a wonderfully talented artist!
Must read...sad truth about stamping
