Tara de-rezed from Facebook over a year ago. She’s starting a new fitness class for moms that she’s instructing. With this she’s decided to return to “the schmacebook”. I’m seriously psyched and this photo demonstrates why.

I’ve logged an average of 4.2 hours this week. This is peak performance for me.

I love finding my photos in the wild. Here’s another great one.

That’s my wife, Tara, and daughter, Ashby in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. This was included on the Wikipedia article on cartwheels. Fun. 

Of course, I look at this and I think about how poorly framed the photo is. At least, I had the triangle of her legs to emphasize Independence Hall. Oh, well…frown.

My friend Louis Kim once mentioned to someone that I was a photographer. I responded with, if by that you mean I take a lot of photos, then yes…I suppose I am.

I take a LOT of photos. I publish a lot of these to Flickr and license them very liberally under Creative Commons using the cc-by-sa-2.0. You can read the full description of the license, but here’s how this license works:

1. You can use this photo however you like. You can even make changes to the photo if you like and reuse it over and over. For free.

2. All I ask is that you attribute me as the photographer when you use it.

Pretty simple and obviously very liberal. In a few cases I have sold my photos for hundreds of dollars. Why? Just for the privilege of not attributing me. It’s been a couple years since I sold one though. Shucks.

I have noticed something though. There has been a huge increase in people using my photos and NOT attributing me. It’s annoying me. Here’s the latest example:

That’s a photo I took while attending the e-G8 conference last year in Paris. It was picked up by WikiCommons and they correctly attribute me and cite the license I’ve applied. However, this photo is one of over a dozen I’ve noticed being used without properly attributing me. Indeed, this very photo has been used several times without attribution.

Wikicommons makes it very easy to apply the correct license. Here’s how they do it.

I guess what I’m saying is: tsk, tsk Seth Fiegerman. You really should know better.

One final note, I read “10 Things You need To Know this Morning” every day. I very much enjoy and appreciate Seth’s work. I’m think it’s great that he appreciates mine too.

David Ogilvy:

The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well.

Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches.

Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.

2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.

3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.

4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize,demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.

5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.

6. Check your quotations.

7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning — and then edit it.

8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.

9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.

10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

David

Ogilvy recommends:

Writing That Works; How to Communicate Effectively In Business

It’s a great book. I’ve purchased several copies for the office. Every person that’s read it has said it’s had a big impact on them. It has for me too.