Flickr/Creative Common Attribution Bookmarklet

Previously on this site I’ve talked about using PhotoDropper to make importing and attribution of Creative Commons-licensed Flickr images easier.

However, yesterday on BoingBoing, Cory Doctorow requested a bookmarklet to create attribution lines for CC-licensed images. Earlier today, a user came through for him by making a simple “drag and drop” bookmarklet that you can add to your browser toolbar.

To use the bookmark, you simple navigate to the Flickr image you want to use (making sure it is CC-licensed) and then click the bookmarklet. You’ll be greeted with a popup that tells you to copy the HTML code that you then paste into your site/post below the image.

The only wrinkle in the bookmarklet is that it doesn’t 100% complete the license. It does not link to the actual CC license, though it does mention its name. This is hair-splitting but, considering it would be an easy fix I would still like it to be done (Note: I left a comment on the BoingBoing post about this but it hasn’t been put up yet).

Still, it is a great idea, especially for those who don’t use WordPress or would rather download and host the images themselves and not hotlinking off of Flickr’s servers (as PhotoDropper does). Other than that, I still largely prefer PhotoDropper as it formats the text better and uses the CC logo, making it a bit shorter of an attribution line.

For those who are interested in an even easier way, there is also a Flickr CC Attribution Helper script for Greasemonkey that places a textbox with the attribution code on every page. Though it can only be used with Firefox and with the Greasemonkey extension installed, for those using that system it may make a lot of sense.

However, this script neither mentions which CC license the work is being used under nor does it link to the license, just to the image and the user profile.

Still, either of these scripts will be better than most of the CC attribution that takes place, They both do a more complete job than most do on their own and I’m certainly almost anyone who licenses content under CC would be happy with the attribution as it does keep with the spirit of the license, if not the letter.

All in all, these are great ideas for citing Creative Commons works.

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