It's Good to Share, but only if it's consensual.

I started my day in my usual way on Wednesdays, lots of tea and blog reading followed by more tea and a skim through the local weekly paper.

I found a double, no, make that a triple whammy. Two of my "must read" blogs, Charm about You and Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle have had blog posts lifted and published elsewhere.

Then later in my paper I found these adverts,

First let me apologise for the poor picture quality, These were the best I could take as the paper is very shiny.

Take away the knife on the first and the slices of cut meat on the second,  look at the different angle and you will see what to me looks like the same joint of meat on the same board. There may have been a slight alteration of the onion wedges and garlic cloves but in essence they are the same.

These photos are probably supplied by a specialist studio dedicated to food promotion shots. The company that I worked for did the same for packaging labels.

I also think that sharing like this keeps the cost down. That is of paramount importance for these short run promotional leaflets.

I would imagine that both parties are fully aware and that in all likelihood these are stock photos that can be tweaked and reused many times.

If all parties are in agreement then this is a good thing, it saves both time and money, and helps to keep the cost down to us the consumers.

It is only when this happens without knowledge and permission that things become nasty. Theft is theft is theft, whether it is a garden gnome or a Mercedes Benz, a blog post or blue prints for a new invention. 

Not that I would compare a blog post to a garden gnome, but I do have a rather splendid if faded Winnie the Pooh leaning on a hoe in my garden.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I am hardly likely to suffer this type of theft as I give my ideas freely to anyone who wants them.

2. I don't have  Mercedes Benz for any one to steal.

3. I do not aspire to owning a car that costs more than my house value.

4. The only item in my house that I would kill to prevent the theft of is Ben.

5. The sun is shining and it makes me happy.

I know that this is similar to my post on Sunday, and I promise not to harp on it, but it is something dear to my heart. Many years ago a friend at work submitted an idea to cut cost and improve production. This disappeared without trace only to bounce up the following year as a project from the Production Manager who claimed and took all the credit and a large cash bonus from the company. My friend had changed jobs and moved away so lost out big time.

Enough of this, the sun is calling me to get outside and I have a cup of tea to drink, now there's a surprise.

              TTFN                                         Pam