Let’s say that you’re making a PowerPoint presentation on improving businesses.
Let’s further say that you want to illustrate how the members of your business’s management team must work together. You decide to use a picture of gears to show how the team interlocks and turns as one.
You go to iStockPhoto and grab this picture:
(source)
If you then show this presentation to a bunch of scientists and engineers, don’t be surprised if they point out that these gears won’t turn.
iStockPhoto has a lot of other gears that you can choose from. Please don’t pick the photo that looks like it belongs on There, I Fixed It.
I’m not sure I’d say anything. I am sure that I’d find it very hard to believe that person, though.
…and even better, search for an appropriately licensed Creative Commons photo of gears on Flickr and save your money.
Having found that particular picture floating around on the internet with no iStockPhoto watermark, I expect the presenter did an image search, found it, and stuck it in his presentation. But yeah, cc-licensed Flickr photos are where it’s at.
Can I just say enjoy?
I’ve definitely been to meetings for which that photo is an excellent metaphor.