We have some changes on the very near horizon. Just a heads up, they aren’t changes we were seeking, but they are happening and we will adjust and adapt as we have all the past year.
As you have noticed, we rely heavily on Getty images for our blog posts. Getty provides some images in an embed format, which means we can use them for free but they remain the property of Getty (and the photographers). In the next week, these images are going to transition to hosting by SmartFrame, through Getty. They will still appear on the blog in embed format. The good news is that there will be enhanced features, such as the ability to enlarge the image and zoom in.
The bad news is that approximately 30% of the images will appear with advertising embedded. That means you will at times encounter an image that will feature pop-up advertising. It should not be all images, and Getty assures us that the advertising is strictly vetted so as not to be offensive. You will be able to close the advertisement and view the image.
This new technology will allow Getty to pay photographers royalties and continue to provide non-commercial blogs, like ours, free images through the embedding function. We preferred to keep our blog posts free of advertising, but this is not something we can control.
Please let us know if you encounter any advertisements that are offensive, while keeping in mind that the majority of the ads you see will be pulled from your own personal browsing history. If you do notice anything offensive, we will forward the information to Smartframe for their review.
We’ll keep monitoring and adjusting our image use as necessary. And yes, you can continue to post photos in the comments.
Onward, into our new adventure! Thanks for sticking with us through all these evolutions.
