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Recently, a friend of mine congratulated me for selling one of my wildlife photos. When I asked him what he meant, he sent me a link to a site that was prominently using a shot I had taken of some wolves. The problem? I had never given the site owners permission to use my photo, which they had 'borrowed' from my Flickr page. I asked them to remove the photo, and they did--but not everyone out there is so reasonable. You can watermark your photos to prevent this sort of thing from happening. But is there any way to find your photos online to see they're being used inappropriately?
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No, it isn’t reasonable for you to ask your boyfriend to stop being friends with anyone, especially considering you’ve been dating, what, a few weeks?I mean, I wouldn’t even ask my husband of 5-1/2 years to stop being friends with someone, even if it was someone I knew he’d slept with and whom I believed might still have feelings for him. Hookup Sites 101. It’s important to realize that no hookup site can guarantee that you’ll find someone to hook up with (not as long as they’re reputable, at least). However, some are better. These sites are actually hookup sites and NOT dating sites. That said, there are code words used to signify paid company. I remember when the word 'date' indicted paid company lol. Anyway, if you see an $ taking the place of an 'S' anywhere in a profile or message take it they are an escort. The new-ish Bing search engine lets you zero in on 'similar' photos when conducting an image search. This can lead you to photos that are being re-used on. Red Flag 4: Everyone looks like a celebrity on the website. Individual profiles are often used by scammers, but even worse are entire websites created for the same purpose. If you find yourself on a less well-known dating site where each profile features a more attractive person than the last and everyone seems to be an expert at photo.
It turns out that there are a couple of ways to keep an eye on your photos.
Your Photos Are Vulnerable
Before we go any further, though, allow me to emphasize that whenever you post a photo on the Internet, there's a potential for theft. There is no way to completely protect a photo from being used without your permission. Even if your Web page uses a special script to disable the right-click 'Save picture as' command, a determined photo borrower can simply take a screen shot of the Web browser. The only way to absolutely secure your photos? Never share them online.
Reverse Image Search
Suppose you have posted some photos on a photo sharing site, and you're curious to see if someone has absconded with them. What you need is a way to perform a reverse image search--where a smart search engine looks for a photo by detecting identical content within the image itself, rather than keying on file names or metadata, which are easily changed.
That might sound like science fiction, and in fact it's pretty close. But I've found a Web site out there, TinEye, that can actually perform reverse images searches today.
To use TinEye, you can upload a photo from your computer or point the site to a Web page that already hosts the photo. TinEye then returns a list of sites using the same image.
TinEye is far from perfect. It often identifies photos that are similar to--but not exactly the same as--the source image. Worse, TinEye's database of photos represents only a fraction of what's available on the entire Internet--so if you get zero results, that doesn't mean your photo isn't being repurposed out there somewhere.
Look for Similar Photos
I haven't been able to find any competing reverse image search sites that are similar to TinEye, but I do have a slightly different strategy you can try.
The new-ish Bing search engine lets you zero in on 'similar' photos when conducting an image search. This can lead you to photos that are being re-used on multiple sites.
Just go to Bing and click Images, then search for a photo. When you see the results, hover over a photo that interests you. Click 'Show similar images,' and Bing will refresh the page with results that might contain the same photo from a different site.
Of course, this approach has its flaws as well. You can't start with a specific photo like you can with TinEye; you have to nudge Bing to a photo you're interested in using the right search terms. And once you find that photo in question, looking for 'similar' photos is still far from a sure thing.
The moral of the story? There are a few tricks you can use to see if your photos are being used out there in cyberspace, but it's still really hard and the results are inconclusive. Don't post anything you aren't willing to give away.
Hot Pic of the Week
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique.
Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.
This Week's Hot Pic: 'Tomatoes,' by Brian Kolstad, Clarkston, Washington
Brian says: 'My son, Keith, helped us plant these tomatoes a few months ago, and we were finally able to harvest some this weekend. I shot this photo with my Nikon D70 on our front porch and then used Photoshop CS4 to create the high-contrast, muted effect.'
This Week's Runner-Up: 'The Talc Mine' by Christa Saurer, Sunland, California
Christa says that this photo of a dad and his two children exiting a talc mine in the Mohave Desert has 'an almost religious or otherworldly feel to me.'
To see last month's winners, visit our October Hot Pics slide show. Visit the Hot Pics Flickr gallery to browse past winners.
Have a digital photo question? E-mail me your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself. And be sure to sign up to have Digital Focus e-mailed to you each week.
This story, 'Finding Your Photos Online' was originally published by PCWorld.
Greetings, friends. Welcome to CNET's online dating advice column by me -- Erin Carson, staff reporter, resident young-enough-person, refrigerdating correspondent, curator of odd stuff on the internet, most likely to leave you on 'read.'
You might be wondering why you should pay any attention to what I have to say about online dating.
First off, I've been happily married for 10 years. Kidding! I'm out there just like everyone else, a machete in one hand, pocket knife between my teeth, hacking through the dating wilderness, wondering how this all happened, and why I didn't pack bug spray.
Read more:Best dating sites of 2019
I've also been covering dating apps for about three years, which means that if I've written about it, I've probably downloaded it. In that time I've talked to many of the folks behind the apps you use, and with experts who work with hopeful lovebirds every day.
Most of all, believe me when I tell you: I get that online dating is a little weird. However, I subscribe to the philosophy that tech is a tool, and if folks can have tacos delivered to their apartment, hitch a ride, and shout their desire to know the weather into the ether and get a response, they should be able to find someone to drag along to that random free arts event in the park.
So, if you've got questions about how to pick an app, craft a bio or how not to sink into an existential mire whilst on the apps, hit me up.
Q: What are the best types of profile pictures?
You. In the bathroom, flexing hard, about to take a selfie. Put your phone down.
If I've just destroyed your entire dating profile photo strategy, pull up a chair and we can chat.
Now, I will couch what I'm about to say with the fact that more than a few dating platforms out there have put out data in the past about what seems to work on profiles. You might be able to dig up platform-specific info on the ideal number of pictures you should have, or even the most successful facial expressions for men and women. One study found that guys come off as more attractive and trustworthy if they have a dog in their profile, which is great news if you're like me and like looking at pictures of dogs (and dreaming of stealing said dogs).
Dognapping aside, think of your photos as a whole. You've got maybe 4 or 5 pics to tell some kind of story about who you are and what your life is like.
Here's something that sounds obvious: Make sure people can see your face clearly in at least your main profile picture. THAT MEANS YOU IN THE SKI MASK. Are you robbing a bank?? What is happening??
Anyway. Throw in some lifestyle photos. Like to travel? Play soccer? Hike with friends? Great. (Side note: Make sure you're not projecting some type of unrealistic, showboat persona. Odds are you don't spend every weekend in a tux or evening gown. Give folks an idea of how you spend your time when you're not scaling a boulder shirtless.) Not only are you illustrating who you are, but you might be making it easier for someone to message you about how they, too, play Tibetan singing bowls in their free time.
When constructing a profile, it doesn't hurt to imagine how some random person out there will perceive it. If all they have to go on is one grainy picture of you, taken at 3 a.m. while lying down on your couch, using your laptop's built-in camera, well… the odds are not in your favor, pal.
You might not have perfect travel pictures of exotic destinations or delightful snapshots from Gatsby-esque soirees. That's OK. At the very least, put on a clean shirt, go outside and get a friend to take a decent picture of you.
And never forget: Car selfies are trash.
Q: What are the best pickup lines for starting a conversation?
Let's get one thing out of the way: The best way to start a conversation is not 'hey,' or 'hi' or any derivation thereof, unless you're actively trying to get ignored. In which case, by all means go for it. I can almost promise you'll end up in the hey stack of rejected matches.
In truth, 'hey' might be a perfectly acceptable way to start a conversation with a friend or colleague. You start at 'hey' and end up debriefing on Game of Thrones. But here's the thing -- you're not approaching someone you have a preexisting relationship with. You're talking to a stranger on the internet who, in all likelihood, is trying to place a bet on which strangers from the internet they should talk to while fighting off the creeping numbness that comes along with flipping through 3 bazillion dating profiles. At best, 'hey' is uninteresting; at worst, it's rage-inducing.
'Hey' just isn't going to cut it, partly because, as is the case with your photos, your bio, and other profile elements, you're making a pitch about yourself to the person you're trying to talk to.
In sum, 'hey' is the worst thing since stepping on a wet spot on your kitchen floor while wearing socks. Don't do it. Just. Don't Do. It.
So, what do you say?
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There's no science here, folks. But the opposite of a soul-suckingly generic greeting is actually taking the time to look at a person's profile. Try asking them a question about something they've mentioned. Do they like to cook? Ask them what they'd make based on what's in their kitchen right now. Into live music? Ask what bands are on their bucket list. Big Westworld fan? Ask them what the hell happened last season because I have no damn clue and would love to know. (Maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.)
You're just trying to break the ice and veer into a more natural chat about whatever is actually interesting to you both. The first contact is a small hurdle to clear to get you toward either figuring out if the other person has the personality of a wet mop or maybe you'd like to meet up in person.
Granted, you can scour the internet for cheeky opening questions like whether pineapple belongs on pizza (it does and I will fight you) or send along a GIF of a waving panda. Yes, you can do that. It might work. I would argue, though, that's a bit of an assembly line approach to trying to start a conversation.
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Keep in mind that when it comes to online dating, it's easy to feel like you're on some kind of nightmarish, overcrowded merry-go-round. Just think— wouldn't it be nice to get a message from someone who seemed like they were specifically interested in you?
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This is a recurring advice column focusing on online dating. If you've got a question about finding love via app, send it to erin.carson@cbsinteractive.com for consideration.