Tag Archives: Facebook page

Is It Legal to Post Photos From Google Images On My Facebook Page? | by Noe Gaytan

Posted on by
Noe Velasco
Latest posts by Noe Velasco (see all)

Photo Credit: MikeBlogs on Flickr

If there is one thing that I have learned from working with social media, it’s that people love photos. Just look at the countless image sharing web sites that have popped up such as Instagram and Flickr. Almost every good article that you will come across on the internet will also include a picture. When we make Facebook posts for our clients, we always get more Shares and Likes if we include an image. For whatever reason, people are just naturally drawn to visuals. So when the need for photographs arises, many people look to Google Images and don’t think twice about posting it on their Facebook. While this may be morally or socially acceptable to do on a personal page, there are deeper legal and ethical implications when doing this on a business page.

There is a term in law known as “the three a.m. stoplight”. If you pull up to a red light at three in the morning, and there are no cars around, is it illegal to run it? The answer is yes, it is illegal. However, chances are you won’t get caught so most people choose to take that risk. The same applies to sharing images on the internet. If I were to take a photo from somebody’s blog and post it on my Facebook page without proper attribution, I would be infringing on their copyright. Internet culture has evolved so that most people don’t really consider copyrights. We choose to run that red light because, hey what are the chances that blogger is going to happen upon my Facebook page, right? Most people may choose to take that risk with their own personal accounts. But business owners with their reputation on the line will certainly think twice about it.

Luckily, there are ways around this. So you think that picture of the cute kitten would be perfect to post and show your followers? Well you can get permission the old fashioned way: just ask nicely. Wherever the image originated from, you might be able to contact the owner. However, since the internet is a share-happy place, the post you find might be a re-post of a re-post of a re-post, and the person you try contacting may not be the proper copyright holder. In that case, it would be safer not to use the image. Another approach is to specifically search for “free to use” images. These can easily be filtered through an advanced search on most image databases. In most cases you will be required to properly attribute the work by including a link or naming the author. There are even ways to shorten the URL and make the link less intrusive.

Many people look to Google Images to find pictures because it is what they are most familiar with. But the question “Is it legal to post photos from Google Images on my Facebook Page?” Google Images is a search service that compiles images but it is not a database. Any image found through Google Images is coming from a separate site. It would be that site that holds the copyright. There are other web sites that ARE media libraries where you can find photos and videos, often for a price. Getty, AP, and Reuters are the top paid sources. Flickr is an excellent place for finding free to use images.

If you come across an image you want to share, you can take one of two approaches. The first option is to share the link. You can do this by copy and pasting the URL onto your Facebook status, or by clicking on a “Share” or “Like” button that might be on the page. Each one is formatted differently on Facebook, so try both and see which you like better. Or, you can upload the image yourself and be include as part of your post something like “Image by MikeBlogs on Flickr”. Nobody wants to get into a messy copyright infringement situation. But business owners should not let that keep them from sharing images. If you use the proper tools embedded on to most sites, then you are sure to be safe. That is why the share button exists. Social media is all about sharing. Just remember to play nice and give credit where credit is due.

Design a Customized Profile Image for Your Facebook Business Page

Posted on by
Lacey Welborn
Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

One of the many things we do is set up Facebook Profiles. It is important to fully fill in profile information and to have a to-the-point description in the About section, since that always shows up on the side bar on the left of the Facebook page.

We do these things, but our favorite part of setting up a Facebook Business page is creating the page’s profile picture.

The maximum width for a Facebook image (as displayed on the profile page) is 180px. Which isn’t a whole lot of room. The good thing is that this image can be much longer. The maximum height is 540px (as displayed on the profile page). Which makes a good size space for you to add some color to a page, add information, or add an image that really expresses the brand.

One important thing to keep in mind is the page thumbnail. The thumbnail is the small square image that shows up next to your page name whenever you post on Facebook. This thumbnail is taken from your profile picture. To get a good thumbnail make sure there’s a square portion that’s almost as wide as your profile image dedicated to giving your page a good thumbnail. (To set your page thumbnail: After you post your profile image you can click to ‘change picture’ and ‘edit thumbnail’ to pick the appropriate part of your profile image to be the thumbnail.)

When designing a Facebook profile picture I usually make sure the logo takes up nearly the whole width of the image, that it has a square portion all to itself, and there’s no distracting background behind the logo. This portion will make up the thumbnail. Then I work with the colors and the attitude of the business to create something appealing and attractive. Sometimes it is important to get more information in the Facebook image, one thing I always try to include is some contact information. It should always be easy to find out how to get in touch with a company. I always keep the Facebook layout in mind when designing these pictures. Once I get the image together I like to put it into a screenshot of a Facebook profile so that I can really see how it’s going to look on the page. After a little fine tuning and approval from the business owner we post it up and admire how much a well crafted profile picture can really enhance the look of a Facebook page.

Keeping the Facebook layout in mind can let you have a little fun with profile images.Try adding a shadow to the edges of an profile picture to create a little bit of depth, or use the white background to your advantage by adding rounded corners. The white background could also be useful in creating a super 3-d look, a photo at an interesting angle with a white background could be used in the profile picture to create a really dynamic effect.


Lacey’s super special tip: Most people recommend that the Facebook page profile picture be 180px wide by 540px tall, but it’s better to upload a page image that is 250px wide by 750px tall. That way when the profile picture is opened the image viewer it will be full size.

If you would like help setting up a Facebook page for your business, or if you already have one but want it maximized contact Contact Zeb Welborn at (909) 973-9088. Be sure to ask about the other Facebook services we provide.