The two photos on my book cover are licensed with the Share-Alike and Attribution Creative Commons license, which means that as long as the book cover created with those photos is also shared for others to adapt, we can use the photos by attributing the source of the photo – and the photographer.
Last night I used FlickrMail to send messages to both of the photographers to tell them we’re using their photos, and also to get their mailing addresses so we can send them a printed copy of the book.
And then the neatest thing happened. From the photographer of the Danish keyboard I received a message in return already, and a request to be his friend on Facebook. I accepted and checked out his online profile. As it turns out, he’s in Houston and I’m in Austin!
He had already posted a shot of the cover to his Wall, and his friends were commenting and complimenting his photography. I got so excited I broke my cardinal rule of never posting to social sites during work hours, and I added my own gratitude and compliments. I think it’s the neatest thing that Creative Commons sharing gave us both such a boost.
As Jude said in his FlickrMail reply, “I enjoy sharing my work with the community. I’m so glad you found it. I think the Creative Commons License is such a wonderful resource.”