What's all the hoohar?

Before joining ADSR#5 I wasn't aware of the drama that could develop within the scrapping community over some, seemingly, small things. When the ATC cards came up as a challenge I was quite surprised by the passionate debate which erupted. I love a good debate and think it's important for all parties to be able to voice their opinions in a safe and tolerant environment. I like to make an informed decision, so to me it's interesting to see things from everyone's perspective. Unfortunately, there was a lot of snarky remarks and nastiness.

Since then I have had my attention drawn to a blog post which has stirred much debate. 5 Reasons NOT to Post Credit is an interesting read and I would encourage you to go and take a look and read some of the replies. To my mind, this has brought up some legitimate points and got me thinking about things I hadn't really thought about before, even in regards to my own TOU. The post has caused a stir at DST with the debate raging over many pages. I read about 5 pages of it before I walked away to consider my own thoughts on the matter.

Jane opened a thread on my personal CT about it so that we could discuss our thoughts on it and this is what I had to say:

Okay, here's my two cents: As a designer I appreciate people crediting me, for the obvious reasons. I hope that someone will come along, like the LO, see the credits and pop over to my store. That being said I would not get my knickers in a bunch if I were to see someone had posted a layout using my kit without credits (unless it's a CT LO ).

As a scrapper I credit. I do not feel obliged, I want to share the amazing work of the designers who work so hard and am happy to. I keep notepad open and just jot things down as I go and then copy and paste. It's quick and easy and even if crediting weren't required, I would do it. There are always times when it's east to add a little something else and forget to add the designer, like a staple or button. In this case I don't worry too much if I forget. I figure nobody's going to hunt me down for that.

My girls have voiced though provoking opinions (in a nice, supportive way I might add) and it has added to all I have to think about. I had never realised the stipulation of required credit caused some people worry and stopped them from sharing their work in galleries and I, for one, don't want to cause such feelings. The whole reason I scrap + share is to express myself and to join in the community - I would hate to be unable to do that.

With all I have read and learnt I have decided to 1) Make my TOU publicly available, so that those who would like full disclosure about my Terms before buying can have them and make their own informed decision and 2) Remove the requirement for crediting.

As a designer, I feel this is the right decision for me and I feel happy about the change. As a scrapper, my change in TOU will not change the fact that I credit for the layouts I post in galleries - whether they are CT LOs or not and whether it's required or not.

You can find my revamped TOU here.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!