Should Medium Make Image Captions Mandatory?
True story. Here’s where the writer got stupid.
True story. A writer submitted a story to Illumination. An editor responded to ask the writer to please add an image credit. Nothing new there.
Editors are snorking as they read that. Uncaptioned images are 90% of an editor’s grief. The most common mistake that holds up publication.
Here’s where the writer got stupid.
The writer challenged the request. Medium content guidelines don’t say captions are mandatory, the writer said.
I use the word “said” politely.
Publishing is a two way street, my friend…
Before we talk “rules” regarding image captions, let’s talk the obvious.
Are you kidding me?
You’re going to argue with the person who can hit the magical publish button to put your story in front of 26K readers?
Do you have 26K readers? I sure as heck don’t. I wish!
And because I don’t, I’m insanely grateful for the reach publications give me. Where do you think I got the readers I do have? Publications. That’s where.
Publishing is a two way street, my friend.
Ideally, it works like this. — Publications need content for their readers. — Writers need readers for their content.
Can you see how this can work to mutual benefit? How lovely it can be? Thank the earth and heavens that Medium came up with the idea of publications. Can you imagine if you had to go it alone?
But no. We don’t have to. Because there are publications, with editors that work their buns off to distribute and promote their writers. Free. Editors are volunteers. Doing it from the goodness of their hearts.
Make a good name for yourself and editors get to recognize your name. Make a bad name for yourself and the same thing happens — but maybe you don’t make “the name” for yourself you were hoping for.
Yeah, that guy? Pfft. He can sit in the queue. Editors are human. You get what you give.
Should Medium make image captions mandatory?
No. They can’t. Here’s why. Go to any copyright free image site, like Unsplash, Pixabay, etc — and read the terms. I know. Shocking! Who reads terms?
Here’s what they say.
The images on copyright free sites have no copyright. Duh. That’s why they’re on copyright free sites. They have been released without a copyright.
You can take those images and put them on t-shirts or mugs if you want to. They have no copyright. Once you download them, you can use them however you want. Free rein. Even on your Medium posts. No credit required.
So no — Medium cannot “make you” credit an image that requires no credit.
It’s not about what Medium can “make you” do. It’s about the result you hope to get.
1) Do you want to get curated?
While Medium cannot make image captions mandatory on images that require no credit, they do make it mandatory for curation.
Here you go…
Writers must use images they have the rights to — and cite the source. Right there in the curation guide.
You’ll notice it also mentions publications?
Ding, ding, ding. Publications should use images they have the rights to, and cite the source if they want to be eligible for curation.
Is there a publication that doesn’t want their stories curated? Not that I know of.
2. Know WHY image captions are in the curation guide?
Because editors and curators do not have instant recall of every image ever uploaded to every copyright free site. We can’t look at your image and know it’s from Pixabay, Unsplash or any of the 100s of copyright free sites.
Neither can we do the Vulcan mind meld.
We can’t read your mind and know where the image came from. I do not look at an image and know you took that in your back yard, last year.
Throw us a bone.
Do you have any idea how many people grab images that are not free of copyright and don’t credit them? How are we supposed to know where you got every image you use?
Know what I do?
I right click and “google image.” If the image you used comes up on a paid site or pinterest or a new site, no go. That’s not yours to use.
2. Should editors need to babysit writers?
Know how many times an editor should have to ask about an image credit? Zero times.
Know how many times an editor should have to ask if the writer has the rights to use an image? Zero times.
That’s not on Medium. Or the editor. It’s on you.
Read the curation guide. Follow it.
It’s the guide every editor uses before accepting a story. Editors don’t read submissions and say well, this will never get curated but I’m going to take it anyway. It doesn’t work that way.
Editors use the curation guidelines as our guideline. You should, too.
Do we need to legislate manners, too?
If theft was not a crime, would you rob banks and knock over little old ladies to grab their purse?
Not most of us.
Does everything need to be a “rule” to govern our behavior? Human decency is how we created rules to begin with. Decency supersedes rules.
Do you neglect to say please and thank you because it’s not the law? No. We say please and thank you because it makes life a little nicer. A little kinder.
And can’t we all use a little more kindness?
Likewise, we do not credit images because we “have to” or because it’s “the rules.” No. We credit images to make life a little easier for the editors who volunteer their time to help deliver your words to an audience.
So they don’t have to guess. Or check. Or search.
Trust me, we appreciate it. We love when we read a submission and it’s followed all the rules. Images credited. Sources cited. We don’t take the time to tell you because the queue is long. But we appreciate the heck out of you.
For everyone else?
Only use images you have the right to use. Add the credit in the caption. Preferably as a link.
It’s not hard. It’s not about the rules. It’s about the manners and consideration and making a name for yourself. Preferably, a good one.
“It is your consideration that defines what you will be, do, and have.” ― Meir Ezra