The American Image uses a unique set of algorithms to analyze image meta-data to extract constellations of related images. Use it to describe what America means to you! It was inspired by the photo essay work of photographer Pierre Guimond.  The idea that you could express a social or political point of view by the grouping and juxtaposition of images taken from different locations is not new, this is the basis of how films are edited to tell a story.  What is new are the tools, resources and databases that allow the public direct access the creative wealth of our communities.  The intent for the site is to provide an expressive platform to create a meaningful mosaic. Whether this is for fun and your own entertainment or to express a long-felt political opinion is your choice.

For those of our users who choose to express a personal opinion with their collection, our aim is by taking a non-literary approach, we’re hoping to avoid some of the polarizing effect that words can have on some of the important issues of our day. One of the most important of these issues is who we are and what do we stand for. In a cyberspace flooded by major media sources, The American Image attempts to allow individual voices to be joined in a chorus that cannot be ignored, one that gives us hope, direction and security. For truly the real American Image can only be formed by the totality of these multiple points of view.

The site was built by the combined creative, technical and fundraising efforts of Bob Krupinski, Alex Henault, Jean-Philippe Cote with the generous support of Media Principia, the Bell New Media Fund and Telefilm Canada.

Producer
-Bob Krupinski
Marketing and business development
-Alexandre Henault
Webmaster
-Jean-Philippe Cote
Technical Designer
-Franck Garnier

The short version is this, you can use the site to collect and mash-up yours and/or other peoples photos and have them displayed on a map. In doing so you are either entertaining yourself and others or expressing your own point of view. You do both of these things at your own risk. The American Image gives you access to the content but how you use it and what you say with it is your responsibility. The American Image assumes no rights or responsibility over either your creative work or your exercise of free speech. Don't troll (quick definition: posting purposely inflammatory things for the sole purpose of baiting others to argue the points until blue in the face - basically people do this for kicks, to destroy conversations and communites, for the heck of it). Follow the golden rule, treat others' opinions with the same respect that would like to be afforded. The American Image reserves the right to deny this service to any user who it deems at its discretion has violated these principles.

The American Image accesses content from many sources (Google maps, Yahoo maps, MSN maps, Flickr, etc.) and the site has been built to only allow their use according to the terms of service of each source.  That means you can use and share the maps your own purpose but if you want to make any commercial or public use of the material from this site, you must adhere to the individual terms of service from each of the sources you use in your map.  These TOS can be found on the originating sites (i.e. www.flickr.com)  The American Image will not take any responsibility for unauthorized use, it is the users responsibility to clear their own use rights.  

Any photos that you upload to the site are also your responsibility and The American Image will not prescreen these uploads but can remove any material that it deems at its sole discretion to be objectionable or unlawful.

Reports of copyright violations or objectionable content can be made to: webmaster@theamericanimage.us

Short answer: While we will take the reasonable precautions to protect the information in your profile, The American Image strongly suggests that you do not upload or post any photos or information to The American Image site that personally identifies you or where you reside. Any information or photos you put on the site are at your own risk. The nature of the Internet is such and no one can absolutely guard your data.

The American Image will not give out your information to any third parties and you can delete your profile any time you wish and it will be removed from our servers. See privacy policy (below) for details.

PRIVACY POLICY
We respect the privacy of visitors to our site. This Privacy Policy governs the use and collection of information from you by The American Image through your use of this site. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully so that you understand our online privacy practices. By visiting this site, you agree that your visit, and any dispute over our online privacy practices, is governed by this Privacy Policy. Questions regarding privacy issues should be directed to webmaster@theamericanimage.us.

CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
Children should always get permission from their parents before sending any photos or information about themselves (such as their names, email addresses, and phone numbers) over the Internet, to us or to anyone else. We won't knowingly allow anyone under 13 to register with The American Image or to provide any other personally identifying information. If you’re under 13, please do not use this site or provide us with any personally identifying information about yourself (such as your name, your email address or your phone number).

TYPES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT
The information we gather falls into three categories: (1) information (for example, your name and email address) that you voluntarily supply when you register to use The American Image site, and (2) information gathered on usage patterns and preferences as visitors navigate through our site, and (3) image(s) you voluntarily upload according to the terms and conditions you agreed to when registering. Registration Information. When you register, we ask for you to provide information about yourself, such as your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, etc. The information you supply will help us to design changes to the site to improve its performance and the experience. Browser Level Information and IP Addresses. Our web servers may automatically collect limited information about your computer configuration when you visit our site, including the type of browser software you use, the operating system you're running, the resolution of your computer monitor, the website that referred you, and your IP address. (Your IP address is a numerical address that is used by computers connected to the Internet to identify your computer so that data (such as the web pages you want to view) can be transmitted to you. We also use IP address information for systems administration and trouble shooting purposes. Your IP address does not tell us who you are.) We use this information to deliver our web pages to you upon request, to tailor our site to the interests of our users, and to measure traffic within our site.

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
Sponsors and Marketing Partners. We may give you an opportunity to tell us whether you would like to receive promotional materials from third party providers, such as our corporate marketing partners. If you elect to receive such materials, and this is solely at your discretion, we may provide your personally identifying information to such third party providers. Statistical Information. Much of the information we collect is in the form of aggregated statistics, such as the number of users who visit various pages within our site, and demographic information relating to visitors to our site. Such aggregated information does not include any information that would identify you personally. We may use such aggregated information and disclose it to third parties as we see fit. Sites to Which We Link. Our site may include links to other websites, and provide access to products and services offered by third parties, whose privacy policies we don't control. When you access another site, use of any information you provide is governed by the privacy policy of the operator of the site you're visiting. Other Disclosures. We may occasionally release information about our visitors when release is appropriate to comply with law, or to protect the rights, property or safety of visitors to our sites, the public, or our company and its employees, agents, partners and affiliates. As our business grows, we may buy or sell various assets. In the unlikely event that our company, or the bulk of our assets relating to this site, is acquired by another company, information on our visitors would be among the transferred assets. If our company is sold, the new company is obligated to adhere to this privacy policy.

STORAGE OF INFORMATION.
All information gathered on our site is stored within a database operated by us or by a contractor on our behalf. This database is located on servers that are under our control and are housed in a secure facility.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
A final note: The Web is an evolving medium. If we need to change our privacy policy at some point in the future, we'll post the changes before they take effect.

Coming soon...