I signed up for Find A Grave on Facebook as I thought it would be interesting, and indeed when the site was down, that's how I found out about it.

HOWEVER

The people over there are recommending rubbing to see what the stone says. Among other things. They are also complaining about people being mean to them when they steal photos and post them as their own and they do not see what they have done wrong.

I have left the group as I am tired of being the only one to keep saying, no don't do rubbing, no don't do this or that. I guess they think I'm mean and grumpty.

I guess I am, but I'm so upset that those people are doing/recommending things that are so against the site rules and I seem to be the only one telling them NOT to do that. So I've just unsubscribed - I can't stand it anymore.

RosalieAnn, I believe the reason they post on FB is because they know they would get blasted on these forums for advocating rubbings, excusing photo lifting and bashing anyone who does not transfer willy nilly. It was pretty much the same in the Find A Grave Addicts group on GenealogyWise.

That, and a lot of them may have been kicked off this site!

Sounds like someone started a site just to give anti-Find A Grave advice. Could be that one who started so many of the other things against this site (july1962).

Does Find A Grave have an "official" Find A Grave Facebook page? (Probable all just normal users setting up sites with the Find A Grave name.)

I joined that group too when the site was down....guess I never paid that close of attention to it....just went and left the group also. You cant steal photos and act like theres nothing wrong with it...shakes head....what the heck??

Oh, but it wasn't wrong because she didn't take the photo. All she did was copy it from one spouse's memorial to the other...and other people defended her because there was no "intent".

I also have a problem with taking credit and posting cemetery surveys from copyrighted books. Most think it is okay, and quote public domain. How is that public when it was done by a society that use the books to make money for projects. Most of the offenders have never taken a photo much less got beggar lice in a cemetery and we all fawn at their feet. I believe that this will come to light and it is going to cause big problems for this site as well as other sites. As far as photos go, NBC news said that when you place a photo on a public digital site, the copyright goes to the site and you lose any say so. It is just an quirk of unwritten laws that are subject to change in the future. Write you state attorneys office, they handle this type of theft.

Croker, on another site, someone said something about that NBC news bit, so I'm going to ask the same question I asked there - can you post the link? I believe there is more to it than simply "if you post a photo". The Terms & Conditions of each site comes into play. For example, here on Find A Grave, it is clearly stated the copyright remains with the contributor, but over on Ancestry, the T&C states by uploading you grant Ancestry license to redistribute in whatever manner they deem appropriate. Most hosting companies (like GoDaddy.com) prohibit posting anything that will violate the intellectial property rights of someone else (ergo, don't post what you did not create).

And, no, my state attorney (and I doubt any other) does not handle this type of theft because copyright is an interstate issue.

As to the "copyrighted" books... "facts" (the names and dates) ARE public domain. No one can "own" them, because no one created a fact. What is copyrighted is the 'collection' as a whole (the entire book) and the 'original presentation' of those facts (how the facts were arranged).

I take photos from a book published before 1900. I think that book is out of copyright (has never been reprinted).

IMHO publishing a book to make money is no longer an effective way to do that. Magazines and newspapers are struggling, bookstores are going out of business - the print media is all struggling. Those societies who hope to raise money that way are going to have to find another way to do it.