Hello all!
Pleased to announce I have my first two sits coming up in France, and can’t wait.
Just wondering if there are any parameters around posting on my social media platforms whilst sitting.
Obviously every home owner will be different, but is it an acceptable practice to post pics of pets and hashtagging TrustedHouseSItters?
Also aware that as a single female sitter, I have to be careful about how I word posts, and not announce that I am alone in the middle of nowhere…
Thoughts?
Louise
I think you have to discuss that with the home-owner. I wouldnt mind photos of my pets being posted but I’d rather the photos focused on the pet than the house/immediate neighbour (for exactly the same reasons that you mention for yourself).
And previously I have fostered pets for a domestic abuse charity so I wouldnt have wanted those on social media at all.
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Hi Louise and great to hear you have two sits booked in France! Which regions?
Lots of members, including us, post on social media, but as @Ketch has advised, it’s important to ask the owners first and check they are happy for this to happen. I think we’ve only had 2 ever that preferred not to for privacy reasons.
It’s also important to check this if videoing or photographing inside someones house, as members sometimes do to share their amazing experiences on social. Always think about things that might identify the owners, photos, car registrations, wide angle shots, house name or numbers, that sort of thing - but again a quick check with the home owners at handover is the common courtesy and privacy best practice on this too.
Tagging #trustedhousesitters or #trustedtales is always a big YES from the team! We always love to see what our members are sharing and experiencing.
Enjoy your French sits, and if you are anywhere near Beaune or Dijon, give us a shout!
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Hi @Louise65 I totally agree with the two responses you’ve received so far. I write a blog and so for every sit I specifically ask if I can add photos of the pet to the blog, and cover the points mentioned by Vanessa in that I make sure the photo is focussed on the pet and not the surroundings (unless away from the home). I also add a statement at the end of each blog post showing that I have the permission of the pet owner to use the photo. I don’t want someone getting the wrong impression when reading the blog. No pet owner has ever refused, and most seem quite proud. One owner asked that I copyright mark the photos, but she had good reason as someone had taken advantage of her that way. She explained her reasoning.
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Hi @Snowbird , FYI re copyright … in short
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if a pet owner takes the shot: you need so-called Pet Photo Release = authorization from the pet owner stating that the photo can be published. Then you also credit the pet owner as a photographer
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If someone else takes the photo, you still may need a Pet Photo Release (responsibility of photographer) BUT you credit the photographer for the photo, not the pet owner
However, if a shot of a THS-dog is taken in a public place no release is needed. (paparazzi shot). You still need to credit a photographer though
If the photographer sells the rights to a third party you may have to credit the third party depending on what their purchase license says
p.s. pet release form
pet release form
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@anon47943759 Thank you for this information as I’m sure it will be helpful for all members.
When I use photos I tend to be guided by being respectful to the owners, even if I may be getting approval when not necessary. It gives me peace of mind.
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Well … this is not a yes/no answer. Some countries, e.g. China or Russia couldn´t care less about copyright infringement
In addition, the location of a server where the photo is uploaded does matter.
Generally, in a perfect world, worldwide, you do not publish other photographers’ photos without credit and/or (eventually) release.
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Copyright is one thing - I think most countries have laws about using someone else’s work (in this instance a photograph) without attribution or payment.
That pet release form is about gaining the owner’s permission to publish a photo that you have taken of their pet, which isnt quite the same thing.
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I definitely agree to ask permission before posting photos and ask if you can mention their name or not. I usually stick to saying things like “at the park with this beauty today” or something like that versus publicizing the animal’s name unless I have permission to do so.
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OK, great! My first sit is in the Bordeaux region and the second is in Provence. SO looking forward to them both!
Thank you for the info, will most definitely check in with both owners before posting anything on social media.
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Thank you for that insight, helpful!
6 posts were merged into an existing topic: Basic Instagram - posting to #trustedtales
OMG how much money am I losing out on, considering the many times have MY photos of the pets have become their petsit profile photos?!?!
I post pics of the pets but never post the homes
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Not sure if this is even an issue for most pet owners (at least if you don’t post an exact location or too much of the house), but you can always ask (most likely you’ll get a yes and they will think of you as considerate and respectful).
I was a little spooked when I found pictures of my home - even the sign on my driveway posted on Facebook. I am elderly and live alone in a remote area. With location services attached to photos, my home is easy to locate.
My sitter was great except for not asking permission before posting identifying pictures of my home on social media.
I had to tell her how creepy it was to go on Facebook and see photos of my farm when I don’t even post them myself.
She felt terrible and deleted them immediately when I related my concern, but pictures of pets are one thing; pictures of private spaces are totally another. I will be adding this to my Welcome Guide.
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Hi @Jud welcome to the forum.
I would not have been comfortable either seeing personal things online. A lesson learnt for your sitter no doubt.
We live in such a big world of online social exchange nowadays, I think some folk can easily forget not to overshare unfortunately.
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This is a great topic to be mindful of for a variety of reasons. I’m not particularly active on social media myself but I’ll tell you a little story.
I used to be a member of a fitness studio where I attended most classes online. One time, the cat I was looking after decided to stay right by my side whilst I was doing an online fitness class. He seemed to be really enjoying the music as was swishing his tail right the way through the class.
Unbeknownst to me, the class instructor was taking pics of me and the cat together and uploading them to her social media. I’m a camera-avoider at the best of times!
Many would say, “What’s the big deal?’ First of all, I felt that was a real breach of my privacy as I was completely unaware I was been photographed.
I was not asked my permission to be photographed and I certainly wasn’t consulted about any images of me being used for SM purposes. This was not in the terms and conditions of my membership either.
It was many months later when I randomly checked out the social media of this place that I saw various images of me in a number of different properties on different house sits.
If we’re using video-conferencing platforms like Zoom and so on, and our camera is on, sometimes these meetings can be recorded and circulated and if parts of the property we’re staying in are on display, we could potentially be breaching a HO’s privacy if there are distinctive, identifiable features in the background.
Definitely something for us all to be aware and mindful of so thank you for raising this important topic.
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If you want to show their home, I suggest asking for permission first.
I don’t share pictures of anything except for the pets or a view from sit properties. I purposely crop out or avoid shooting anyone’s home, because I figure that’s an invasion of their privacy to share. Plus, might create security risks.
If I were a host and realized that a sitter was sharing photos of my home without having asked first, I’d consider that a violation of trust and would avoid them in future.
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