I just discovered something absolutely embarrassing today. I've been getting penalized by Google Adsense because I used a picture from the Internet for which I don't have ownership rights. I did not pay for the image or anything. Now I understand why my Adsense earnings has been going down even though my sites' visitors have been going up.
I've been blogging on and off for a couple of years now on my all-time favorite Gratitude Journal http://gratitudejournalmisty.blogspot.com/ and I've been earning Adsense credits from it. I've been torn about this one too cuz I felt guilty earning off a blog that talks about God and his goodness. With that aside, I was amazed when I checked my Adsense reports today and I discovered that using just any picture from the Internet is a big NO-NO. It's kind of the same as plagiarism. Anything you don't own, you should steer clear from. At least, that's my big lesson for the day.
And so as I stifle a big yawn, I realized 2 things today -- first, images and words on the Internet may appear to be free for all but it's NOT. Second, that nothing is ever FREE in this world. And so I crawl into bed, content in the knowledge that I learned something valuable today. Never use anything you don't own or have a right over. Intellectual property rights also applies to the Internet. And Google had to be the one to teach me that lesson.
And that is one of the reasons why I love my job. I write for a living and I have fun while I'm at it. I have to remind myself of that reality everyday because sometimes I forget to thank God for giving me such a blessed life, for which I'm eternally grateful. I love blogging. Good night and God bless! :)
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