Terry Freedman, by Terry Freedman
Richard Byrne has written about why he puts his photo in his articles — to prove the article is his if (when) he needs to do so when it appears on another website.
The idea is that if an article is ripped off, it’s much easier to prove that it was originally published by you if your face is embedded in it.
It’s an interesting idea. I tend to embed my name in the metadata, such as in the Alt Text of an illustration, as well as in the byline. In the past that has stood me in good stead, especially with files, where you can insert your name into the Properties section. I’ve also used it in screenshots, which proved very useful when I came across one of my articles in a printed magazine! (The editor first tried to claim that it want my article, but a similar one. So how come, I asked him, the screenshots are exactly the same as the ones in my article, including my name being in them? It then turned out to be an “administrative error”. Of course!)
One problem I can see with this approach is that people might get fed up with seeing my mugshot on every article. I mean, even I get tired of seeing it!
If you found this article interesting or useful, please consider signing up to WRITE!, a newsletter for nonfiction writers. Click the word “WRITE!" below to find out more, grab a sample copy and subscribe. It’s free!
