Comments on: Share Icon

By: Support the Open Share Icon Project at bioneural.net

Support the Open Share Icon Project at bioneural.net — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:00:10 +0000

[...] backlash in the face of threats from ShareThis.com/ Nextumi Inc., owners of the trademarked Share Icon [...]

By: Dhruva Sagar

Dhruva Sagar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:14:54 +0000

Thanks for this info…nice share.
Having a look at it…seems cool so far

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:40:10 +0000

As someone who was asked to stop using the ShareThis Icon by the folks at ShareThis.com (I was using the icon for Shareaholic much before it was acquired by ShareThis), I very strongly believe we as a community need to create an “Share icon” that is made available and distributed in the same spirit and openness as the OPML, Feed, and GeoTag icons.

Some of us have set the wheels in motion, and will have some concepts for an Open Share Icon to share with the community soon.

Please stay tuned, and in the mean time please join the Google group we have created for the Open Share Icon Project, to share your ideas!

http://groups.google.com/group/open-share-icon-project

Thanks!

By: reason lahalla

reason lahalla — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:09:51 +0000

I am neither prominent nor popular, but knowing that this icon project is not community based will ensure that it keeps it’s distance from my little blogging effort. I’ll continue to provide individual social links for visibility and open standard community awareness. Thanks for the heads-up.

By: matt

matt — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:07:52 +0000

Nathan Bowers brings up some excellent facts about the recognizability of the “ShareThis” icon being used widespread. I think people just need to use the “ShareThis” widget if they want this green icon on their page.

I would really like to see some prominent bloggers (like ma.tt) come out against this evil project. This icon is not open!!!! It is legally owned and rights are reserved people!! SHARETHIS OWNS THIS ICON, NOT THE COMMUNITY… so for god’s sake, can we please start giving at least 1/2 as much attention to that fact, bloggers??

Furthermore, an icon does not carry with it accessibility issues or keyboard friendly options… again you are talking about the “ShareThis” widget, not just the icon. The widget is very much proprietary… this is all the more reason to support 100% abandonment of the “ShareThis” icon in your own project. We, as a community, need to work together to make our own share icon… one that cannot be sold to a corporation, one that will start as and remain property of the community.

Shame on “ShareThis” for including the other two icons on their page… they want to make it seem like their little icon was made in the same vein as the other two icons… i think it’s a gross misrepresentation of the facts and i’m getting more and more disturbed with all the blog posting I see about this… and all comes back to you, matt. hehehe… you started this recent wave with this very post. I would be forever in your debt if you would be so kind as to followup with a more enlightening angle on the use of this wholly owned, limited license graphic (and perhaps a short discourse on the difference between a graphic file and a Widget that uses said graphic file).

By: Rap

Rap — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:47:17 +0000

I would use share this, however it’s not accessible nor keyboard friendly…

By: Ivy

Ivy — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:25:39 +0000

Thanks a lot, Matt! I’ve been wondering where I could get my hands on the vector version. This sites helped!

By: Neil

Neil — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:51:46 +0000

pity there is no easy guide to implement it with a wordpress installation…

By: Jakob Montrasio

Jakob Montrasio — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:48:47 +0000

It’s a nice plugin, but I think it has too few options…
Hope they make one with more configuration choices soon.

By: Benji

Benji — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:49:43 +0000

ehhh the link of the gallery has been is in the footer… this whole time

By: btard

btard — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:36:50 +0000

@Adam: I’m also doing the same

By: Nathan Bowers

Nathan Bowers — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:35:18 +0000

ShareThis might be okay if you’re writing a blog for tech savvy people, but its implementation of “Email this to a friend” is not clear enough for readers who aren’t hip to the concept of social bookmarks. It’s not clear enough because ShareThis doesn’t look familiar to non-techie readers. If they are planning to share an article they want to see a dead simple “Email to a friend” button.

It might be best to hide all the social bookmark icons under the ShareThis icon but always display a simple “Email to a friend” icon next to ShareThis.

Like others in these comments, I’d worry about relying on ShareThis’ good graces. Better to rally around a public domain standard.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:04:26 +0000

If matt is using a heavily customized version of Galler2 then go matt, tried so hard to get it working with my wordpress and it just wouldnt work. Followed the installation to the ‘T’ but it was a major no go, 2 x index.php = no fun.
I feel thats the one thing that wordpress is mission, a good quality photo plugin. I heard rumours 2.5 had a built in Gallery?

By: adam

adam — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:18:13 +0000

furthering the case for community marks. sharethis.com is definitely gross, I’m sticking with version 1.4 of the plugin (before alex sold it)

By: Ezra Hilyer

Ezra Hilyer — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:25:17 +0000

I didn’t know that it was gone.

By: ken rossi

ken rossi — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:32:13 +0000

I thought opml was open using share and share alike. I wanted to make sure folks didn’t trademark their own creations by expanding on the icon. Is there a better license I should consider?

By: Ryan B

Ryan B — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:15:36 +0000

I would use share this, however it’s not accessible nor keyboard friendly…

By: paolo/pixline

paolo/pixline — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:24:07 +0000

I’ve heard that Matt is running an heavily customized Gallery2 installation. But rumors aren’t official news of course

By: rayk

rayk — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:51:03 +0000

Thanks Matt! I’ve seen the icon around the internet before but didn’t know what it was for.

Well implemented the nice little sharethis, certainly beats have 10 different icons on one line like I’ve seen on some blogs.

By: btard

btard — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:28:58 +0000

PS. Typo: I have used it on my site SINCE Alex let it loose.

Also, why is it showing my old Gravatar? What a bugger.

By: btard

btard — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:20:56 +0000

I didn’t realize this sharing icon was a standard. Regardless, I have used it on my site site Alex let the plugin for WP loose. It’s SUPER dope.

I don’t think it will ever become a “standard” per se as people will always associate the other (bigger) iconography of google, yahoo, etc.

Still, it’s gotta start somewhere…

By: Dean

Dean — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:06:18 +0000

Didn’t realise it was ever gone. I’ve been using share this on my site for over a year, I don’t know how much use it gets though.

By: matt

matt — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:38:42 +0000

I am pretty sure the share icon is trademarked… sharethis is claiming so at least. Best to forget about this icon and come together on a royalty free standard. Who will lead the charge (the geotagging icon project is a great one…), but we need the same enthusiasm and commitment to openness as these other icons have enjoyed for a sharing icon.

By: SB$

SB$ — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:17:18 +0000

“them” = sharethis.com. Mozilla owns the RSS icon.

By: SB$

SB$ — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:50:40 +0000

hmmmm. I know ShareThis.com “threatened” Shareaholic a few months back. Shareaholic used to use this icon. I don’t trust them. They’re not a non-profit like Mozilla.