ABOUT THE NO-RIGHT-CLICK SCRIPT
The no-right-click script was made to prevent people from stealing other people's work and especially images. Its function is simple: If a visitor attempts to right click (it doesn't matter if he clicks on an image or not) a java script prompt pops up with a message saying "Sorry, right click is disabled" or something similar. There’s no doubt that this script does not lack a purpose.
WHY IT'S BAD
There are several reasons why this script might do more harm than good. Most of them are listed below.
- It's annoying.The sound of the prompt is not one visitors seem to like. It's very frustrating to hear it all the time. Most of the time, those who right-click have no intention to steal your images, so therefore, it gets really annoying if you have to close a window every time you right click. Sometimes people right click by accident - they don't deserve to be penalised in such a way. If a visitor finds a site annoying, he'll probably close the window and leave.
- It's confusing. Not all visitors feel comfortable with java script prompts. In fact, many of them don't even know what a javascript prompt is. The huge exclamation mark may scare them away because it looks like the one they get when Windows encounters problems. It doesn't matter what the prompt says(here at least). The image is the thing that might confuse them - they might think they've done something wrong or that there's something wrong with the site and simply close the window.
- It's insulting. That's where the text matters. It's OK to say "Sorry, right click is disabled" but it's really stupid to say "No thieves allowed" or "Don't try to steal" or "DON'T TOUCH MY IMAGES!" or any other crazy stuff you can think of. Why it's crazy? Because in 99% of the cases, the visitor has no intention to steal anything. So it's pretty rude to call him a thief. And visitors generally don't like being insulted.
Right click has other functions too. Wondering why I keep repeating that visitors have no intention to steal? Well, here's your answer. When you right click, a menu appears right? The function we want to disable is the "Save Picture As", isn't it? Look what other functions there are. What if a visitor wants to add your site to his Favorites? Well you'll say, you can use the menu at the top of the page. What about the "Open Link in New Window"? That's vitally important! I tend to visit each site in a separate window because I don't like going back and forward all the time and I'm sure many people agree with me. Why should you disable this function?! You'll lose your visitor as soon as he clicks on an external link!
So, what does the no-right-click script do? It traps the visitor!And what do visitors do when they're trapped? They leave!
WHY IT'S NOT USEFUL
Having read this far, you might think "Well, I don't care about the disadvantages as long as it protects me!". Guess what? It doesn't! There are many ways that people can steal your images, even if you've installed the script. It's not fool-proof. If someone wants to steal your images he can:
- Capture the screen. There's a button which does that in the keyboard.
- Highlight the image and then select copy from the edit menu on the top of the browser, as Bob pointed out to me.
- Search in your source code, find the url of the image and steal it. On the top of the page, in the drop-down menu called view, there's a function called "View Source".
- Left-click and right-click in sequence. That fools the script (well not always) .
The only thing this script does is that it makes it a little more difficult for people to steal your images. But they still can. So why turn your site into a visitor trap, just to have an illusion of protection?
The best way to protect your images is to watermark them and disable hotlinking. This doesn't interfere with visitor experience, but is a reliable measure of protection nevertheless. I am currently working on an article showing you how to effectively protect yourself from cyber-thieves. Stay tuned and don't hesitate to send me your comments or suggestions.
