Make Images You Upload to Associated Content More Useful to Others

Do you upload images to Associated Content when you add them to your articles? If you do, there are some things you should be aware of to make them usable by other writers.

When I first started writing for Associated Content, I didn't want to have to find and upload my own images, so I was using images from the public gallery as often as possible. Unfortunately, I discovered a major issue, and now I upload most of my own images for my articles.

So what was the issue? When you upload an image, you are asked to add tags and a description. Some people put a basic description while others put a detailed description. Often these descriptions only make sense in context with the article they were used in. When another user tries to use that image, they will get the description that was added by the uploader.

Now you're probably saying: "That's okay, Associated Content allows us to edit the caption on public images." Ah, but have you really checked on that? I used to use the edit feature to change the captions to fit my article, thinking that would work. Months later I started looking back at some of my old articles, and realized that the old captions were still on my images! Even though the AC interface makes you think you can edit the caption, it doesn't work, and will revert back to the uploader's original description when it publishes.

Unfortunately, once you've been paid for the article and it's live on the site, there's nothing you can do about those images or their captions. You can try to get AC staff to edit them, but they may tell you know, or it might take a long time as there are more important things they have to do, like review new articles. Because of this issue, you need to be very careful what images you choose, and do not use ones that have captions that do not apply to your article.

So what can people do to keep this from happening? Well, there are two options. One: Only add a generic caption to an image if you intend to upload it to the public gallery. With a simple description like "A sad child." or "Birds forming a heart in the sky.", anyone can use the image, and the caption will be basic enough to work. If you feel you need a lengthy, article-related caption for your image, then you should not upload it to the public gallery.

I hope that after reading this, people who upload will do such in a way that their images can actually be used by other people, or not upload at all. And for those using images from the public gallery and editing the captions, you now know that it doesn't work. Choose your images carefully, or upload your own to be sure the caption doesn't conflict with your article.