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Take advantage of all the online solutions BIG Folio has to offer, from SEO to logo/branding design services to online proofing and sales. They have everything you need to successfully present your photography business to your valued clients, all under one roof. Plus, PPA members get $100 off any Premium design OR $50 off any Standard design. Visit the Extreme Details page in the Benefits section of PPA.com for complete details on this offer.Offer expires September 30, 2009.

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We are launching a new Imaging USA Fan Page, and the old Imaging USA Facebook group will be closing soon.

Make sure you don't miss out on any of the excitement! Go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Imaging-USA/82819519050 and become a fan now!

A friend forwarded me a link to this New York Times article today: "Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media." It is a look at how small businesses are using Twitter to create digital word-of-mouth marketing. If you are new to Twitter or not using it yet, the article may give you some good ideas on how to begin.

Even more exciting than the article (at least for me) was its link to a blog called "Small Biz Survival, the rural and small town business resource." It has a wealth of resources and ideas for small business owners in--you guessed it--small towns and rural areas. In addition to the well-written articles, Small Biz Survival offers a newsletter, podcasts, a free downloadable booklet: 20 Small Business Ideas for Small Towns, and a community of readers who share their ideas on the articles--the comments following the articles can be as useful as the article itself. Take a guided tour of the site to see all they have to offer.

Yesterday (April 16), Facebook's new Terms of Service (TOS) statement was opened for voting. This new document is an improvement over Facebook's existing TOS and the impromptu change made earlier this year.
 
Take a look at the statement and voice your opinion with a vote. After all, even if you don't use Facebook all that much, some (or most) of your clients do! But you better vote quickly--the voting period closes April 23. (You must have a Facebook account to vote.)
 
Read Facebook's TOS here: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=67758697570&topic=7569.
Vote on the Facebook TOS here: http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=76815337130.
 
Click here to learn more.

Buckeye Color Lab expands its educational resources with their new professional level learning portal at www.theMentorBlog.net.

TheMentorBlog.net is a free website that features six of the country's top professional photographers who share new insights each week on what and how they are shooting client jobs to stay as profitable as possible.

This refreshing new resource is updated weekly and features fresh posts from an all-star team of photo talent including:

  • Children and family photographer AUDREY WOULARD,
  • Portrait, editorial, and wedding photographer TAMARA LACKEY,
  • Studio business and marketing expert ANN MONTEITH,
  • Wedding, family and seniors photographer GREG SCHRADER,
  • • Photo Marketing expert CAROL ANDREWS,
  • Successful studio management educator SUSAN ROWE,

Steve Troup, CEO of Buckeye Color and the creator of this new concept explains "Each author brings a variety of talents to the site and is encouraged to post an item of interest on whatever they happen to be doing that week. It's a great way to share how photographers of all disciplines are keeping their businesses growing no matter what the economic climate is."

theMentorBlog.net is online now, proving to be unusually popular with thousands of hits each day, and is open to everyone.

webby-honoree.jpgProfessional Photographers of America (PPA) is serious about the business of photography--so serious that they redesigned their entire website for photographers, receiving an international honor from the 13th Annual WEBBY Awards in the process.

Of the nearly 10,000 entries submitted to the WEBBY Awards, fewer than 15% were distinguished as an Official Honoree for their standard of excellence. PPA's website (www.PPA.com) was one of the few.

Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards are the leading international awards honoring excellence on the Internet. Honorees and Nominees were chosen by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), a global organization of industry experts and technology innovaters, such as David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Groening, Jamie Oliver, Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser, R/GA CEO Bob Greenberg, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky Partner and Chief Creative Officer Alex Bogusky.

The judging body chose to recognize PPA's site and others as Official Honorees due to their exceptional quality, even though they were not selected as one of the five category nominees. This honor signifies an outstanding caliber of work in regards to content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience.

There are always improvements to be made, and PPA is working to fine-tune the website every day. In the meantime, celebrate PPA.com's honor here:http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?media_id=96&category_id=81&season=13

About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received over 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft Silverlight; The Creative Group; .ORG; Getty Images; The Barbarian Group; Digital Kitchen; Variety; Wired; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image. For more information, visit www.webbyawards.com.

We will be installing new hardware on Saturday, February 28. Work is scheduled to begin at 8am EST and should be completed by noon EST.  During this time, access to online profiles, event registration, merit reports and other web functions that are tied to our Atlanta servers will be interrupted. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

We will be installing new hardware on Saturday, February 28. Work is scheduled to begin at 8am EST and should be completed by noon EST.  During this time, access to online profiles, event registration, merit reports and other web functions that are tied to our Atlanta servers will be interrupted. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Dear PPA Member

Technology has made the ability to view and sell images much easier. Unfortunately, it also allows the general public to take images without permission (and in some cases, without payment) and display them online.

Our full-time Copyright & Government Affairs staff does an outstanding job advising members on how to handle such cases of online copyright infringement.

While every situation is unique (from senior clients scanning their favorite portrait to show their friends on Facebook to former commercial clients re-using images after their licensing agreement has ended), there are steps that all photographers can take when images are used without permission--and they're here in this week's article, Defending Yourself Online: Protect Your Images. If you're unfamiliar with what a DMCA takedown notice is--and how powerful it can be--this article is a must read!

PPA strives to help protect, educate, and provide you with the tools and resources to stay successful. We focus on giving you what you need, so you can focus on what's important: your business.

Cheers,
Christel Aprigliano
Director of Membership

P.S. If you're interested in a topic we haven't covered in our weekly Vital Signs newsletter (and think that it might interest other PPA members), please send me an e-mail at caprigliano@ppa.com .
TRAVERSE CITY, MI: MorePhotos, an Internet software company since 1998, announced today that it has acquired Pictology, a former competitor, and its technology.

Based in San Diego, California, Pictology was established in 2004, with a client base of 2,600 photographers.

"This acquisition aligns with our dedication to helping our clients solve critical business challenges at a time when the business of photography is constantly changing," said Mike Connors, President and CEO of MorePhotos. "As our clients' needs evolve, we are strengthening our ability to fulfill them."

With the acquisition of Pictology services, we can now provide additional tiers of services.  The simple, easy to use, software for photographers allows the display of their images online, and provides their clients with a way to view and purchase images in a secure and efficient manner.

MorePhotos' software was developed for photographers, to display and offer images  for sale from events they have photographed.

Currently, MorePhotos provides services for clients in 25 countries, and in four languages.