Licensing with templates

[Jackthemeangiant]

I am looking at some free website templates, and they have different types of licence agreements. I was wondering if someone could shed some light on the different types of agreements. I googled them, but all that I could find was the actual like 8 page document and I don't feel like reading it all.

The ones that I see most are:
Creative Commons Attribution v2.5
Public Domain
GNU General Public License

Thanks in advance.

[Bogie]

Well, Public Domain and GNU General Public License are pretty well "whatever you want to do".

Careful of "Free" website template sites that claim they have ownership ... not all do. Such is the net.

Personally I think you should consider places like www.BoxedArt.com and www.aplustemplates.com

Both with low membership fees and excellent templates available.

For stock royalty-free pics go to my favourite spot, www.istockphoto.com (a Calgary company). $1 per photo.

[rob]

Differences in licencing have more to do with their application than their selection, Dr. Jack.

For example, all of those licences have a public personal clause that says you can do anything you want (sometimes with change limitations) as long as it's for personal use. For business use, the GNU and CC contracts have some tricky wording that limit and almost discourage commercial use.

To preface this, I am NOT saying copy the templates you like.
But, why don't you make a list / take screenshots of the elements you like in the templates and then use them for inspiration to either create your own, hire a local designer, or outsource the design on a site like RentACoder or Programmer Meet Designer?

Too much of the web is either "cookie cutter" or simply copied. Template sites promote this. Using them is usually as much, if not more work, than doing it yourself or having it done for you.

[Jackthemeangiant]

The for the replies.

I have been asked to make a website by my cousin for educational use. Something for her master's degree.

She is under a time constraint, so that is why I was thinking of using a template.

Does educational fall under personal use? It would not be for commercial use.

[rob]

Have a look at the specific license, Jack. Especially for a Masters, you'd want to be sure. If your sister knows any law students, it might not be a bad idea to get it looked at with specifics rather than the generalizations that I'm offering here.

Still, I'm not a fan of templates. Having a quick look at a few of your posts, it looks like you've done a couple of sites in the past. Not really all that much to tossing together a quick edu site. If your worried about the time for illustration, outsource it for $20 or so.

[Bogie]

Take a low cost template (like the ones from boxedart and aplus), edit it a bit, maybe colors, change a pic or 2, etc., then use it. I would never use a free one due to "you never know". Besides, the boxedart.com and aplustemplates.com usually come with the files you need to make those changes (PSD files, etc.). Grab some pics from istockphoto.com and you are off to the races in quick time.

The template would serve as a quick starting point and the pic and colours changes would make it more "your own". I've made plenty of quickie sites from templates, although I do prefer a full creative custom site (but creativity can sometimes move slow).