We all like to use the profile services that many people now offer. And why not? They make quick work of adding codes to our profiles or to our friends profiles. But how many of these “helping hands” sites are stealing the graphics they use? I’m not sure of that answer, but I do know of one site that does just that…Profile Jewels. It’s a pretty popular site, so I’ve bet many of you have heard of it, if not even used it (like I use to).
I came across that site sometime at the end of last year and had used some of their coding in some of my friends comment sections. Then in January, I happened upon some of my own tags. Well, of course I was flattered for someone to like my work in such a way as to offer it from their site! I kept looking through the site and lo and behold, my tags are everywhere! This person not only liked my tags, it seems, but loved them…I found a devoted fan! All told, there are 71 of my tags on Profile Jewels.
Well, on my own site, I have a Terms Of Use section that states my graphics are not to be distributed by other people. And what the owner of Profile Jewels, Valerie, is clearly doing is against my terms. If I would have found only a couple tags I would have passed right through without a care. But considering the amount she has on that site, I figured a link back to me wouldn’t be too much to ask. Apparently, it was.
I contacted Valerie (aka Shadow Wraith) about mid-January about getting a link back to my site on Profile Jewels. I even mentioned I would link back to her site…I have no problem with helping others get traffic. Apparently, she didn’t like the competition, because she pretty much snubbed me from the start. She seemed interested in me until she found out I was not the original artist of the art I used to make my tags. Once she knew I couldn’t sue her for use of my work, all bets were off and it took her forever to answer any of my messages to her. She even resorted to name-calling at one point! And all I ever asked for was a simple link…or if she didn’t want to link me, then the removal of my tags from her site. Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so…not with how many tags of mine she has on her site, and going against my original terms of using those tags.
So now it’s been about 2 months and she’s resorted to ignoring every message I send her. I know she hasn’t blocked me, yet, as my messages do get read. I had even contacted her co-owner of Profile Jewels. He said he’d talk to her about it and get back to me. No such luck there, either. He never got back to me and my last message to him is still unread, so I’m guessing I’ve been blocked. Last I looked on the site, he’s no longer a co-owner. So either she’s hiding him so no one else can complain about her theiving of graphics, or he’s no longer co-owner.
Because of all this, I’ve been boycotting Profile Jewels. I did like getting graphics from there, but I will not condone the theft of my graphics or anyone else’s. Who knows how many other graphics on that site are stolen? Who knows how many other people Valerie has snubbed and called names. I ask everyone who reads this to please do the same. Do not use any codes from that site, as you’d be condoning theft of other’s hard work.
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On a better note, I have decided to add codes to my site for people to use my tags on their profiles. Go to RavenMoon Designs, click on Link Ware in the bottom left corner. Then go to the Graphics menu, mouse over Sig Tags, and click Codes. You’ll find a menu for different sections of tags. All I ask is to leave the whole code (including the link) intact when you post the tags.
Let’s hope that no other site has as bad netiquette as Valerie has and would actually link to the people whose graphics they use.
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