Flagging author photos that have been on LT for a while

I don't have a problem with flagging pictures that have just been added, but what about pictures that have been on the site for a while (e.g., before I joined LT)? Do you all just leave them alone? I guess it shouldn't matter how long they've been up because it still would be in violation of copyright, but for some reason, I think it would feel wrong doing it. Do any of you flag older pictures?

E.g., John Dickson Carr's photo is from a copyrighted (russian) site: ©mx999&VRaptorссылки

I do flag older pictures if I come across them. After all, contrary to appearances, I'm not on LT all the time, and I miss some!

Just a note that there are author photos that have been flagged but they lack enough flags to go one way or the other.

Take a look please and vote: http://www.librarything.com/gallery/flagged

Where is that discussion thread concerning what images are appropriate for author pages? I've got a self-righteous author who says

"Are you an administrator at LibraryThing? As I understood it, users and authors are free to post any imagse for which they have rights/permission, and choose whatever image they choose as their main image. Of course I know how to add the book to my personal catalogue, but that wouldn't be appropriate yet, as the book has not yet been printed, or published."

Perhaps other members might write him a note - rapotter

>4 2wonderY: You do keep getting the crazy ones, don't you?

And some very nice ones too. I had one author send me a copy of his book.

There is a section of the FAQ that specifies "author images should be pictures or artwork depicting the author" and "Book covers belong on the page associated with the book, not the author." I left a note on the flagging page.

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Where's_my_picture%3F#Not_an_author_i... for reference.

Good grief! Click on 'Add a picture' on an author page. You will see this:

Guidance on author pictures

What are author pages and pictures?

LibraryThing author pages, including author pictures, are public repositories of factual information about that author. They are not promotional resources for authors, but similiar to Wikipedia pages.

What makes an author picture?

An author picture should be a picture of the author.

Do not post:

Cover art
Pictures that do not represent the author
Pictures that violate LibraryThing's Terms of Service
Pictures that don't meet this criteria may be flagged for removal by other members.

Whose picture is it?

All LibraryThing members can contribute to author pictures. Members who wish to post purely promotional images, cover art and so forth are free to do so on their member galleries.

More information on contributing images can be found here.

>7 Collectorator:

I suppose "Common sense" is too much to ask from self-promoting authors?

>9 MarthaJeanne:

God forbid someone should actually read that. After all, it's not like this is a site for literate people. /snark/

Read? What's that?

We seem to have removed the picture, at least for now.

Yes, I thought he looked like a nice person and his books appear to be well worth reading.

>14 Collectorator: Celebrating the glorious day with you! Sun's out - we've got the office door propped open.

So...
I think I've stumbled upon the ultimate self-referential author.
Member joeyaliziojr
Take a gander into his catalog.

Question - Twelve of the thirteen author pictures he has loaded are his book covers. Yes, they all feature his face on them. Since they are book covers, should they be flagged? I can see a nasty fight if we do.

So he writes... Really bad murder porn? With a Mary Sue type main character where he does all the things as the main character? Huh.

I'd say take the one picture that ISN'T a book cover and make it primary and leave the rest alone. But that's me, and only because the id... er author put himself on every cover.

>16 2wonderY:, >17 gilroy:

I agree with gilroy. I generally have no problem with cover images that feature an image of the author. (I do feel differently if that image is tiny and/or almost unrecognizable.)

I'm now fantasizing about running a quick face-detection (not recognition of an individual, just "there's a face here") check on images uploaded as author images, and saying "This doesn't appear to be a picture of a person, is it really an image of the author?" if it doesn't find a face. There are a few open APIs that make this pretty easy. It wouldn't be 100% - obviously a lot of book covers have face on them - but it would help.

The guidelines say not to upload cover images to the author page. I'd bend that rule a bit if the cover picture is mainly just a picture of the author, and it's the only picture of the author available, but if there's a picture of the author that's not a book cover, I'd prefer that and say flag the covers away.

They are now flagged. If he gets nasty, too bad, those are the rules. Covers are not author photos, they are promotional.

>21 .Monkey.: I just spent some quality time over on

http://www.librarything.com/gallery/flagged

I have comments on his "library" but I'm keeping them to myself (because pointless).

>22 Lyndatrue: I feel the same way.

>21 .Monkey.: Better anyone else but me. Thanks!
Butt ugly pictures too.

Gone now.

>22 Lyndatrue: Lol yeah, I mean I was glancing over what was written on those images in the moments it took to click the link and c&p the -not legit photo- comment, and...yeah I actually stopped at one point and was like ...is this seriously the title of something or is this dude just screwing around slapping insulting text on photos?! but, it was listed as a work so ...yeah. 0.o

>26 .Monkey.: I admit that I checked his location, and was overjoyed to see it was on the east coast.

Just HAD TO share this before it goes away

author member loaded this photo on her author page, captioned "My mare Zubedia":


author Gina McKnight

rybie2 to Gina111
flagged it with the remark "Nay, not a picture of the author.."

>29 2wonderY: Well, it could be the author. If she could talk like Mr. Ed (yes, I'm old), she could have dictated the book maybe?

>29 2wonderY:

There are some authors on LT who I think could be well-represented by a photo of a horse, but not of that end.

Someone loaded a couple of author pictures on C. T. Russell's page. This author is physicist Christopher Thomas Russell. The old photos are of Charles Taze Russell, belonging on Charles T. Russell page. Might want to go back and take another look.

>32 2wonderY:

I think that those pages had been combined at one point. That damn issue with parentheses causes "C. T. (Charles Taze) Russell, 1852-1916" to go to the "C. T. Russell" page, so if someone tries to combine the former with "Charles T. Russell" or "Charles Taze Russell", we get an improper combination.

I've added both pictures to the correct author page.

Two photos of Carol Reed have been flagged. I think I've succeeded in moving them to the correct author, Carol Reed (1).

Member/author has got all his book covers uploaded as author pics, and admittedly, they all contain a picture of him. I moved his profile picture to the author page and he and I have engaged in a brief wrestling match for setting the primary picture.

https://www.librarything.com/gallery/author/weissmanpeter

Consensus? I don't personally care one way or another, but the site guidelines say "no book covers." I'd be okay with a book cover photo if no others were available.

I think the book covers should be flagged. I have done so. The rules say specifically, 'No cover art.' He can include them in his profile gallery if he wants.

>37 MarthaJeanne: They are back up and have been flagged again. Need votes.

He also had links from the author page to the Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Abe books pages selling his books. I deleted them. This is obnoxious behaviour.

I changed the primary picture and PMed Lorannen

Hey ya'll, I'm the one that flagged the book covers the second time around. Thought you all might like to know he also "reviewed" one of his books here on LT, giving it five stars of course. The review has been flagged a couple of times, and it's probably about to be at the threshold where it will no longer display automatically. The review in question is for this book: https://www.librarything.com/work/6451161

Anyway, lots of problematic behavior from this one.

>40 KoobieKitten: Author's are allowed to review their own books so his review needs counter-flagging.

Speaking of personal development ponies, that one (mark authors' reviews of their own books as such) is so old that I actually had forgotten about it. Still would be nice, though.

>40 KoobieKitten: Yeah that's a big no-no on your part. It says right in the flag dialog the acceptable reasons for flagging, and that isn't one. It's irritating behavior, sure, and it almost certainly makes us users here look unfavorably at them, but it's still up to them to do it.

>39 MarthaJeanne: Thanks for the note! I've reached out to the member, and am keeping an eye on things to make sure they understand.

>44 lorannen: Great! Thank you.

Oh, I had no idea! Originally I flagged it because it was mentioned by another member, as part of the dialog under one of his flagged author photos, that this particular behavior was not acceptable. I took that person's word for it since they have been on the site for quite some time.

As for author's reviews being allowed - I had to go digging to find the info. It wasn't in the flag dialog. I had to click on terms of service, then scroll down and click on tips and guidelines for authors, and then scroll all the way down to the bottom of that page to find this information.

Thanks everyone for clarifying this!

>46 KoobieKitten: You know, you're right. It really isn't very clear at all, especially not when someone's just trying to do the right thing. I know that most flaggers already know the rules, and I was fortunate in knowing about that rule before I ever even noticed that you could flag reviews, or I'd have probably been caught in the same error myself.

In the specific case of that particular author, he does himself a disservice by doing that review, since there are several other reviews, and they seem quite positive. Usually when I see an author do a review for their own efforts, no one else has bothered. Often, they're the only one that even has a copy. This guy just seems, well, ill-informed (I'm being kind).

New member/author has added this author image to the author page:



and I know it's from an old film, but can't recall who the actors are.

Help please?

https://www.librarything.com/pic/5896668

ETA: Ah! Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis. I have flagged the picture.

New member aKay Brothers have added an author photo which has been flagged as a stock photo and has inappropriate promotional materials in the text.

https://www.librarything.com/pic/5967863

I just want to add that googling the name comes up with one image that is probably accurate: (both words are hashtagged)



from an Instagram account in the name of Uday Singh.

I won't add it to the author page, but it might be useful info if the member starts an image war.

>49 2wonderY: They just switched it out for another (which I see you also flagged). I've flagged the profile for them.

https://www.librarything.com/profile/AkayBrothers

I did it with a clear conscience, and I'd happily do it again.

>49 2wonderY: >50 Lyndatrue: And ... Suspended