For a recent project, I have been tracking ownership of various images that we would like to use in a video. The topic is quite elusive and possibly incendiary. People who have imagery tend to have these buried deep within a site or within a .pdf document that is delivered online. Some companies have images of manufactured products that they make and advertise.

Clearly, those who share information on the Web and Internet do so for a purpose. This is about sharing information about expertise and products. It’s about reputation and access. So what have I learned in terms of chasing professionals across the Web and Net?

Findable

People are eminently findable. Most people, even if they have changed employers, tend to stay in the same field. They have worked hard to own a company or create a name in a certain field. Even if they make a change, it is not a fundamentally big change. Next, even if their names were misspelled and their identities garbled, they’re still findable because of some unique identifier (usually a last name cross-referenced with a domain field). (One of the individuals I found seemed surprised that his photos were used in a publication under a wrong name—or at least the wrong initials.)

Responsiveness

Another thing I learned is that people tend to be very responsive by email, even if they’re on the road. Most of those I emailed responded within a day or two. Further, most have very generous spirits. They are willing to allow the uses of images. They are willing to send originals in less compressed formats. They will email their friends or colleagues to help one get further information.

A few even express curiosity about how the images will be used and say that they want to see what the actual image looks like.

One even offered to share more expertise about the image he shared. To return the favor in kind, I am working to make sure that he connects up with our local expert in that field who would benefit from his special insights—in the hopes that stronger professional connections may be made across the field. (There’s a lot to be said in finding others with shared expertise. As an outsider, I view photos and don’t really know what to comment on the contents—because I don’t have the expertise. Having others who know exactly what one is seeing is probably encouraging to others in the field).

I also offer up the potential that my university may return the favor someday. I hope that to be so. After all, by the time a person actually reaches out for some support, it’s generally because they really need it.

In-House Resources

Another lesson learned from this chase has been the fact that my university has plenty of great in-house resources—if only one knows who to ask (and if the right person asks). A good administrator is a great bridge builder and knows who has what and has the reputation that encourages people to respond to her requests—and I have been deeply impressed at how well professionals cooperate. There is a lot of joyful good will! It is very human to want to share one’s works and resources.

My one quandary is in reaching out to commercial entities, which seem less responsive and potentially less willing to share. The images we are requesting are widely available on the Web. Maybe the issue is that there is a lack of clarity about what copyright releases we’re requesting. Maybe it’s an issue of protectionism in a commercial space. Maybe we’re the first university to ever request rights releases from a particular business. It’s hard to say.

Anyway, I am just deeply grateful that so many in higher education and non-profit professional organizations are friendly and supportive.