How To Credit the People that Make the Icons You Love

[ase]

Icon Cite Guide
Since it's someone else's work, it's considered courteous to cite the source of icons you use that other people have made. This is often expressed by people asking users to "comment and credit" - leave a comment describing which icons you plan to take, and credit those icons when you use them. Some icon-makers have more specific preferences. You can never go wrong by reading the entire post and following links to citation/usage information. Asking questions is also encouraged - if you don't ask, you won't know.

How to credit an icon:

1. Log into your LJ account.


2. Go to http://www.livejournal.com/editpics.bml, or use the toolbar on the login page: click on manage, then userpics.


3. In the keywords or comment space, write "by [name]" where [name] is the user who made the icon. So if you're using one of my icons, you would write, "by ase", or (if you want to get into fancy coding) "by <lj user= ase>".


4. Save your new settings.

That's it. As a bonus, other people now know where you got your icons, so they can see if the icon-maker has any more icons they like. Or so they won't be all, "d00d! Your icon r0xors!!! Can U make me 1 just liek it? LOL!!1!"

(You think I make this stuff up. In this case, you'd be right – but the netspeak is real.)

Also, icons that are up for grabs are generally marked as such; it's probably wise to assume that anything not labeled "take me!" is not, in fact, available to be taken.

I know it seems like a lot, but what it boils down to is pretty straightforward: you didn't make it. Don't steal other people's thunder. Less credit means less fun, and that's why we do what we do on LJ: because it's enjoyable.

Again, sorry for the length, and enjoy the icons!

Comments

thank you

[wombathouse.livejournal.com]

I borrowed the "habitat" pic. I am a new and very very feeble newbie, yours is the first pic for me, so thank you!!