When I post my photos online, my main goal is to share them with family and friends.  Most of the photos are private, but some that I truly like and think are very nice shots, I leave for public viewing and comment.  I would never think that they would be used for anything.

When I was trying //Zoto.com, I posted several photos that I had public in my //Flickr account.  I then forgot about Zoto.com.  Well, yesterday I logged into my account on Zoto.com and I looked at the featured photos page and there was one of my photos!  It’s a photo of Tiana, which I like very much, and thought it was cool.  Then today I go to Zoto.com’s home page and see:

Tiana on Zoto.com

It’s cool and unsettling to see a photo you took on the front page.  They do give me photo credit (my username in the lower left-hand corner) and the photo is used within all legal guidelines according to their Terms of Service (TOS).  So I just need to be fine with it, since I did sign up for their service.

The lesson here?  Just know that any photo you post on the Internet, whether public or private, has the potential of being used.  You should know your rights if someone is using your photos elsewhere.  And last but not least, read the TOS before signing up with a service.

Believe me, I like the photo.  I like it being used - in a way.  I just feel a little awkward about it all.