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Stock
Photo News no. 3
December 2000
Content
* The stock photo giants might lose photographers.
* Guest article "How to send and receive pictures
online".
By David Riecks.
* Search engines and web site positioning - once again.
* E-book fever.
* Web site promotion.
* Finding press releases from the stock photo industry.
* Guest article "Would
You Rather Be Rich or Famous?
This is Not a Trick Question"
About the power of news releases.
By Mark Joyner
* More Tips
To
visit the latest earlier edition of the Stock Photo News
go HERE
From the editor
Yes, what a time lapse! Sorry for being so much abroad for
photographic trips, without taking proper care of new and old
readers of this newsletter. I apologise for this irregularity,
due to photographic work in Vietnam, Hungary, Southern Africa,
Italy (Rome), Switzerland (Luzern), USA (Texas) and Thailand,
all since February 2000.
In fact an important reason for this long delay is also a very serious problem
I have had with a transfer of the email list to a new mail list provider. The
short version of the story is, that we lost around 300 of our valuable readers
of the Stock Photo News. I have tried in many ways to rebuild the list, but
failed totally.
Therefore, if you have any ideas of friends or colleagues
or others who could have been subscribers earlier to this newsletter
or you think would find it useful as new readers, PLEASE send
them an email personally or by Recommend-it. - You could
win 10.000 dollars!
Enjoy reading!
Soren Breiting
A-Z FOTOS
www.azfotos.com
Comments and tips are appreciated, please email me personally
sb@TAKE_AWAY_azfotos.com
*** Please note: We will not sell or rent the email addresses
belonging to our subscribers - we respect their privacy. ***
The stock photo giants
might loose photographers
In the last few years we have seen overwhelming signs of concentration
in the stock photo business. The whole stock photo industry
is a 5 billion a year thing - and therefore interesting for
a Bill Gates and the like. Bill Gates is holding the one conglomerate
with Corbis as a main brand name. The perspective is to take
the full harvest of globalization made possible with the digitalization
of the original transparencies and with the Internet as the
distribution channel.
Putting millions of dollars in advertising is not an indication of willingness
to please the photographers who deliver the substance.
According to the newslist at www.stockphoto.net many "old" stock
photographers at Bill Gate´s stock photo libraries and at the other big
player, Getty´s, are unhappy with the treatment they experience from
the (partly new) owners.
In the long run such a reputation for a stock photo business could undermine
the possibility in the future to keep up with current demands, because the
talented photographers flee elsewhere.
Age Fotostock <http://www.agefotostock.com> is such an alternative stock
photo agency which has understood to take the need of the photographers seriously
and to offer reasonable conditions for the photographers. In the future it
will be interesting to see how much this will also move the picture researches
away from the two giants.
Read more here about the Getty issue here:
A new star on the stock photo sky is the British Alamy They
call them "The image brokers" and their concept is
also alternative and promising. This online photo database
is under establishment, searching photographers for submissions
of digitalized pro photos only. The prices are worthwhile checking
for the budget conscious picture researcher. For the pro photographer
this initiative seems to be a welcome renewal in a time of
bad news for the stock photo providers. Send Alamy your email
address and be informed to follow this initiative. It is scheduled
to be fully operational in the early 2001.
How to send and receive
pictures online and other file transfer methods
- By David Riecks
There are a number of ways of getting your digital images
to clients or end
users, and each have an upside as well as a downside.
The one people think of using most often - e-mail - is probably
not the best
method. If you are only including thumbnails or small samples you'll
probably be OK. I've had enough problems delivering larger files that I only
do this if the client specifically requests it, and confirms
with their IT (Information Technology) folks or ISP (Internet Service
Provider) that they can receive large files and note the upper limit on file
size. If they are on AOL I flat out refuse unless the files are under 800K.
Many mail servers are set to reject large attachments as they slow down
service for others, and could contain a computer virus.
The major problem with e-mail is that because most of the
problems occur
once the files have left your hands, you don't know if the file got there or
not. If the client's ISP blocks files over a specific size your message with
attached file may get killed. You don't receive an error message or any
indication that there has been a problem, and the client never gets the image.
In addition, if the receiver checks this same account from
multiple
locations (like office and home), they may be a bit upset to receive a 10mb
attachment at both locations. If they happen to be travelling and check
their e-mail with their laptop on the road (like when they are connected
over a low bandwidth modem in their hotel room!), they may have to wait for
quite a while your attachment downloads. Again, it's best not to send
unsolicited attachments to an e-mail.
If a client requests
a delivery via e-mail I first send a "pre-message"
before sending the file attachment. It's just a simple message that says,
"the file(s) you requested should follow in a second, separate e-mail
attachment. If you should only receive this message (and not the second one
with the attachment) contact me for alternate delivery arrangements." If
I
will be out of the office during this time, I may also post the file to a
hidden directory on my website and include the URL for the file in the first
message. If the second message with attachment never arrives, they can go to
the site and download the file using a standard web browser. If your
webserver allows it you may wish to provide security by establishing a
username and password for the hidden directory. If you don't have this
ability, ask for the client to notify you when they have successfully
downloaded the file, so you can delete the files from the website.
If you are sending several files, or concerned that the file
header might
get stripped from the file, you may want to use a program such as
Aladin's "Stuffit" or the PC file compression utility PKZIP. Stuffit
is cross
platform, while ZIP is PC only, so it helps to know what platform your
recipient is using before sending the file. There are ways to compress your
files with these utilities that are "self-extracting" but this feature
creates a slightly larger file. If you know that the client already has one
or the other of these utilities, you can simply used the standard
compression encoding. If they are a client that you will be exchanging files
with on a regular basis you could include where they can download the
freeware utility to open the files, as this will keep the download times to
a minimum.
Making the file available via FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
or on your
website allows the client to download the files at their convenience, when
they choose to do so. Downloading the file via FTP is a more secure and
stable way to transfer files. However many clients may think that this is a
difficult procedure, or may be unfamiliar with using the FTP software. If so
putting the file on your website in a hidden directory, or in a password
protected directory will provide similar security, but the HTTP (Hyper Text
Transfer Protocol) transfer may not be as stable. In either event you will
only want to leave the high resolution file on your webserver till the
client has completed the download. Even if you aren't limited by server
space, you should remove the files from the server directory for security
purposes if the directory is not password protected.
David Riecks is an assignment and stock photographer, digital
imaging
consultant, and co-owner of Zillionbucks.com, a webhosting services
provider. Contact him via e-mail david@riecks.com or visit
www.riecks.com or www.zillionbucks.com.
...........................................................................................................
David Riecks * david@riecks.com
701 W. Washington St * Midwest/Chicago ASMP
Champaign, IL 61820 USA *
ph/fax 217-239-FOTO(3686) * http://www.riecks.com
Build a web site for selling
Ken Evoy - a well known marketing expert - has just released
a new easy solution to how to create web sites which are optimised
for getting a lot of traffic through the search engines related
to specific key words. The system is called Build It and you
will find thought provoking information about the whole idea HERE
Search engines and web
site positioning - once again
As search engine
managers compete to make their search engines more "intelligent",
a number of features are incorporated in the algorithm which
decides the ranking your web site will
get after a relevant search. You have to be aware of the growing
importance the number of links to your site has. Another factor
is the number of surfers who click on your site from the search
listing.
You can check the number of links, e.g. in AltaVista.com by writing links:www.yoursite.com
in the search box. You can also use the test at
http://www.linkpopularity.com
Try to do the same with your competitors who have a higher
ranking than you, and you will probably see the effect of the
number of links. I expect that you have already done what is
possible to maximize your key word relevance and META Tag optimisation.
If not take a look here.
A rather smart way to increase the actual number of links to your site is through
participation in a link program. I have good experience with www.linkstoyou.com.
You need to renew the link pages once a month. Remember to make use of the
most important keyword(s) when you sign up with a name.
Another program is http://www.linkme.com
E-Book fever
The production and the potential of e-books are one of the
hottest issues on the Internet now. The benefits are obvious:
they can be sold and distributed through the net without costs.
The publisher compiles the content and put it into a proper
attractive format. The reader can read it on his/her computer.
With a smart lap top computer or e-book reader device the book
or a whole library is available wherever you are. No bulky
piles of heavy paper to carry with you. Just the electronic
files.
We must expect an important demand for professional stock photos for e-books
in the future.
E-books are very suitable for different promotional aims. Book publishers can
distribute teasers of their newest releases or background information of authors
or features. Magazine publishers can offer e-books as special treats to people
signing up for the full year through the net, etc.
In all branches it is possible to offer valuable e-books for free or for a
modest price, and when they are spread they will live their own life and remind
the customers about the business behind the promotion.
Probably the best book about how to produce and benefit from e-books is "Make
your Knowledge Sell". I have learned a lot from it. You find it here: http://contact.sitesell.com
Corey Rudl and his
people have developed a professional program "Ebook
pro" for handling and distributing paid e-books. It sounds
very promising and professional. You should be able to find
it here: www.marketingtips.com
A freeware ebook compiler: EbookBuilder 4, is available at http://home.wxs.nl/~verho037/jftools.htm#sbookbuilder
Finding press releases
in the stock photo industry
Take a search with AltaVista by going to NEWS and
type some words related to "stock photo". This time
of the year might be low on press releases, so eventually try
later. See also next article.
Fuzzy Images, Focused Ideas
Artist Uta Barth employs blurry visuals in her camera work to make ordinary
background settings the center of attention in the 'In Between Places' exhibition
at University of Washington. http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2346886&ern=y
Guest article about news releases:
"Would you rather
be rich or famous ? This is not a trick question"
- by Mark Joyner
"Champagne
wishes and caviar dreams..."
Our fascination
with the "Lifestyles of the Rich and
Famous"
kept us riveted to the TV screen for 9 years as Robin Leach
entertained us with mouth-watering glimpses of how the rich and
famous live.
Most of us yearn for wealth and fame, and yet secretly believe
that those commodities are beyond our reach -- that they are
reserved for others, not us.
What if I told you that most of the rich and famous people
in
the world became rich and famous simply because they knew how to
ethically influence the media? And what if I told you that if
you could learn their publicity secrets, wealth and fame are
yours for the asking?
The truth is, there is no method more powerful or less costly
for creating fame or fortune than publicity.
Publicity starts with a news release. The news release is
one
of the world's best marketing tools, but is also that wretched
thing that often shatters the hopes of all who dare to seek
publicity. But stick with me and I'll show you how to get the
upper hand that will put you far ahead of all others who have
tried and failed.
Most experienced business people have a story to tell about
their attempts at getting publicity -- and it always ends with the
same question: "Why do I even bother?"
The fact is that millions of dollars worth of publicity is
available to anyone who knows how to get it. One person I know
who has the best batting average at getting publicity is Paul
Krupin. Paul's PR client list consists of the largest roster of
rags-to-riches people and companies ever to be assembled in one
place.
Paul reveals the sobering fact that 90% or more of the news
releases received by editors end up in the trash. According to
Paul, nothing annoys busy editors more than news releases that
are poorly written. More particularly, there are 3 mistakes --
and these are serious, fatal errors that most people make with
news releases.
1) Your news releases talk about you too much. They say me,
me,
me -- or my product, my product, my product.
2) Your news releases are an advertisement. They sell, sell,
sell.
3) You're sending your news releases to the wrong media.
Okay, so you've made some or all of these mistakes at one
time
or another. But don't worry, it's not just you. Most people
fail to focus on the needs of the editor. They don't create
information that is aimed at the editor's audience. So they
fail to get the editor's attention, and ultimately fail to get
publicity.
How then can you make sure that your news release does not
end
up as a statistic?
Your news release should be about one thing only -- news.
If you
have a newsworthy angle, it hooks the editor into reading every
word of your news release. Make the subject of your headline
sound as big and as startling as possible. You need to make a
huge impact because you just don't know what other news releases
you may be competing against at any given time.
Your product can then ride on the strength of the news angle.
Use the soft sell approach so that your news release will not be
regarded as an advertisement.
Never tell the whole story in your news release. Instead,
generate a curiosity that must be satisfied. This is the
principle of cognitive dissonance that I teach in-depth in 1001
Killer Internet Marketing Tactics. If you create dissonance in
the mind of the editor with an unanswered question, the editor
must resolve that conflict by seeking the answer; i.e., by
calling you.
Before you send out your news releases, hand pick your target
media with surgical precision. This is crucial. Getting
publicity is not a numbers game. It's not how many copies of
your news release you can broadcast at once, but whom you send
it to that matters. The most well-crafted news release will be
trash-bound if you send it to the wrong segments of the media.
Do yourself a big favor. Do not read those mediocre how-to
books on publicity that are available everywhere. The only
thing you'll learn from them is how to get your news release
thrown into the trash. My theory is that a few decades ago,
some misguided person from the school of "Those who can, do --
those who can't, teach" wrote a book on how to write news
releases. Then someone else took the same myths and fallacies,
and wrote yet another version of the book. Pretty soon, there
was a flood of how-to books on publicity -- all rehashing the
same old dreary methods that simply don't work.
Instead, study the PR campaigns of those who have been extremely
successful at getting publicity. Study their news releases to
find elements that you can emulate for your purposes. Find out
the media targets they sent their releases to.
It is immensely easier, faster, and less expensive to learn,
model, and achieve success by following in the footsteps of
those who have been successful than it is to learn how to
succeed by trial and error. Don't buy into publicity theory. Go
with the hard facts -- those strategies that have been proven to
work.
Paul Krupin is a guy who's made all the mistakes that can
possibly be made in seeking publicity. As a result, he has
amassed an entirely unique approach to publicity, most of which
is light years ahead of all other information that you've read
on the subject. Paul has emerged as one of the leading PR and
Media Consultants, and has authored the definitive guide to
achieving publicity, "Trash Proof News Releases."
http://foreverweb.com/cgi-foreverweb/tk_tpnr.cgi?peza1
More Tips
If you are eager to increase the traffic to your web site in a dramatic way,
take a look at All E MarketingTips: here
You will find a news list for people working with professional
dog photography at http://www.egroups.com/group/CaninePhotographers
The Digital Journalist can be found at: http://digitaljournalist.org/
Please remember !
If you have any ideas of friends or colleagues or others who
could have been subscribers earlier to this newsletter or you
think would find it useful as new readers, PLEASE send them
a personal email or send an email by a click on Recommend-It
. - You could win 10.000 dollars!
THANK YOU for reading and recommending Stock Photo News.
See you in next Stock Photo Newsletter!
Soren Breiting
Copyright 2000 by Soren Breiting, A-Z FOTOS.
www.azfotos.com
Email me personally on sb@azfotos.com
You are welcome to forward this newsletter to a friend as long as you keep
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