Creative commons licenses are like lifeline for individuals, who want to use others creative work but can’t afford to pay. Many bloggers, freelancers, graphic designers or start-up entrepreneurs can’t afford to pay (at least initially) the charges or bill to original copyright owner of a particular creativity.
But, creative commons licenses provide a flexible solution for those individuals compromising with a legal deal between the original owner as well as individuals who wish to use them.

Image Credit <LuMaxArt>
Contents
What is Creative Commons ?
According to definition in Wikipedia article, Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States. Creative Commons is devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share.
Image Credit <Iwanwalsh>
Why is it Important to Know Different Creative Commons Licenses ?
The creative works with which Creative Commons deals, can be anything. Creativity like photography, research paper, articles, logo, banners, graphics, videos, images, screenshots etc. But we would like to consider example of images here.
As you know, to rank high in search engines one must focus on Search Engine Optimization [SEO]. I have already discussed that images play a very important role in SEO of a blog post. So there must must be at least single image in each of your blog posts. But what is most annoying is that you can not go to take photographs yourself for every post you write. So you have to rely on other sources say internet for images.
One fact that you must keep in mind that you can not use any image you come across on internet. You must have consent of original owner of that image for using it commercially. If you are using them without their consent, you are using them illegally. So, get ready to face legal issues.
Hence, here comes creative commons into play and makes your work easier. You can easily use, upload or share images available under creative commons licenses. However, you need to do a proper attribution as asked by copyright owner. Before using, you must make sure that you abide by their license and usage policy.
How to Do Proper Attribution ? – Understanding Creative Commons Licenses and usage
Creative Commons provides creative works under a number of licenses. Each license requires a different way of attribution. In some you are free to use without attribution, while others requires acknowledgement to author or source. Some of them don’t allow you to use commercially while others require to be licensed under the same ‘open’ license.
Little confused ?
Okay here is a quick visual intro of everything you need to know about creative commons licenses and their attribution. Check out this awesome Info-graphic from Visual.ly.
Also Read : How to Find Royalty Free Blog Images Using Google Search ?
The Pro Review from TechReviewPro
Must check license and usages details of an image before using. Make sure you look for those which are filled under creative commons licenses. Give a proper credit or attribution if you are asked to do so.
Hope you enjoyed reading this post ! Feel free to put your doubts, queries or experiences about creative commons licenses in the comment box below..
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