Can you use elements from a tutorial on a company website?

[Dreamrage]

My boss recently asked me to work on new site pages for the company site, I had to research web 2.0 and use elements from it. I had to create a presentation showing what web 2.0 sites looked like and give a few ideas on how the site would look if it was redone in web 2.0.

I looked at a LOT (believe me) of different web 2 sites and tutorials and used the information to create 8 previews.

My question is, if I used certain aspects from a tutorial to create a site, would it be ok to use? would I have to link to the tutorial I got it from?

[PandoraH]

I can't speak to the specific legal issues here, since your in South Africa.

However, from a professional point of view, I can say plenty.

If I read your post correctly, you are wondering if you can use graphics that were created by someone else, that you found on the WWW, on your companies website. Is that correct?

-Pandora

[HTMLBasicTutor]

I read your original post differently than PandoraH.

My interpretation is you learnt some techniques and ideas while researching what Web 2.0 is all about and you are wondering if you have to give credit to the tutorials where you learnt the techniques if you incorporate them.

Can you clarify what you meant please?

[PandoraH]

Originally Posted by HTMLBasicTutor

I read your original post differently than PandoraH.

My interpretation is you learnt some techniques and ideas while researching what Web 2.0 is all about and you are wondering if you have to give credit to the tutorials where you learnt the techniques if you incorporate them.

Can you clarify what you meant please?

I bet that's it! I swear, I re-read the post 4 times, and even wrote a really large reply, but then scrapped it because I realized I may have been reading the post wrong the whole time.

-Pandora

[Dreamrage]

I'm sorry. what I meant was, that if I learnt certain techniques from playing with tutorials online, would I need to give credit to the site that I learned it from?
this is what you get when you are tongue tied, or more to the point, type tied.
When I read through the tutorials, they don't say that you cannot use these aspects in your site, but they don't exactly say you have to give them credit either. I've always done my own thing, but for the last four years I have learned from online tutorials and PDF's, and then developed my own style accordingly.

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Originally Posted by Dreamrage

I'm sorry. what I meant was, that if I learnt certain techniques from playing with tutorials online, would I need to give credit to the site that I learned it from?

No, but read the next part of my answer.

Originally Posted by Dreamrage

this is what you get when you are tongue tied, or more to the point, type tied.
When I read through the tutorials, they don't say that you cannot use these aspects in your site, but they don't exactly say you have to give them credit either. I've always done my own thing, but for the last four years I have learned from online tutorials and PDF's, and then developed my own style accordingly.

If applying the technique uses someone else's stuff directly (say a Javascript or CSS file you got from their site that they created) there is usually a note in the file saying their copyright notice/credit comments must stay in the file. Look for any other files included in the package where they say how you can use the downloaded material.

An examples:

CSSPlay. Stu specifically says if you are going to use his menu/stuff on a commercial site then you are to make a donation.

Scripts you download from DynamicDrive have a notice in the file (or what you copied directly from the page) stating where you got it from and that the notice is to stay in tack.

If you are still really confused or nervous you could contact the source and double check what their policy is.

When images are involved you really have to check how/if you are allowed to use them and the permission of use is from the original creator not from somone that got permission to use on their site.

[Dreamrage]

Originally Posted by HTMLBasicTutor

No, but read the next part of my answer.


If applying the technique uses someone else's stuff directly (say a Javascript or CSS file you got from their site that they created) there is usually a note in the file saying their copyright notice/credit comments must stay in the file. Look for any other files included in the package where they say how you can use the downloaded material.

An examples:

CSSPlay. Stu specifically says if you are going to use his menu/stuff on a commercial site then you are to make a donation.

Scripts you download from DynamicDrive have a notice in the file (or what you copied directly from the page) stating where you got it from and that the notice is to stay in tack.

If you are still really confused or nervous you could contact the source and double check what their policy is.

When images are involved you really have to check how/if you are allowed to use them and the permission of use is from the original creator not from somone that got permission to use on their site.

Thank you for that It's quite a load off my mind. What I generally do is use the images presented to me by my boss, which he has bought online, our previous site had all that, but he wants to move into web 2, which left me at wits end, which is why I did all the research. I am a photo manipulator ( or compositor). Designing for me was ok, but the CSS, Javascript and coding behind the scenes was something I could never get the time to work with. At the moment, I am creating the visual aspect, and one of my other team members is responsible for the coding behind it. (He has coding degrees as long as my arm). Basically all I have been learning about is different layouts, textures, drop shadows and stuff that makes web 2 what it is.