WPPI has extended to PhotoOne (and other vendors) 10 FREE FULL REGISTRATIONS to WPPI 2010. If you are planning on going to WPPI 2010, and haven’t registered yet, give us a call and we will get you a FREE REGISTRATION.

WPPI makes it clear that they will not provide refunds — so only apply if you are planning on attending but haven’t registered yet. PhotoOne will be in Booth #1315 at WPPI.

I know this is obvious to most — the shift from physical delivery to electronic delivery continues its evolution at an exponential pace. For me, it’s not so much the shift itself, but the exponential nature of it. A recent research piece by The Outsell, cited that for “news right now” 57% of news users now go to digital sources. This compares to 33% a few years ago. Another finding is that “Readers report a 10 point drop in usage of the newspaper in just three years, and continuing plans to trim their newspaper habits.”

Again, nothing surprising about these statistics and the resulting trend, except for the speed of decay. If you are a photographer advertising in your local paper, you may think twice about it (although, I believe a small local journal has a greater chance of being read in paper form versus the Boston Globe or New York Times).

It is clear that a greater and greater percentage of the “grand” audience is looking to stay connected digitally — Facebook, Twitter, email marketing and blogs provide attractive alternatives to outbound marketing portals. To further this thought, Bob Lubell, Grand Lubell Photography, sent a long and interesting email that struck me in its simplicity but effectiveness.

There may be times during the year when we have a question to ask or an important item to tell you. Please let us know the best way to reach you by choosing from the list below:

Email
Home Phone
Cell Phone
Text Messaging
Twitter
Facebook

Don’t assume your client base wants their information delivered in a homogeneous fashion nor assume they want it delivered the same way they received it 18 months ago — ask the question.

As a final observation — just when you think you have the “tiger by the tail” and the “stars are aligning” — you should never lose sight of the inherent “cycle” of most everything in life. I was speaking to Phil Cantor, Phil Cantor Photography, this week about marketing from our studio management software platform and having the latest and greatest features and capabilities to electronically measure the effectiveness of an email campaign. Phil commented that “. . . this is all fine and good, but I am wondering about your label printing feature . . . ” because he wants to stand out from all the email marketing and spend a portion of his marketing investment in “snail mail.” This is a feature we have had for 10 years, and just when we thought it was becoming obsolete, it’s having a revival.

The wedding world lost three bridal magazines in the fourth quarter of 2009 but actually added one during the same period titled Get Married. I am slightly intrigued by the idea that “management” thought it was time to jump into print, and more narrowly, into print in the bridal market — especially after Conde Nast decided it was high time to get out. I am more intrigued by the new technology they are including in the quarterly publication.

The magazine will include Microsoft Tag which is Microsoft’s barcode technology. The tags are incorporated into the full- and half-page ads to provide the new generation of brides a new and different buying experience.

The Microsoft Tags require the user to secure a free application called gettag.mobi which is downloaded to your smartphone. The Tag Reader allows you to take a picture of the barcode which will then generate additional content embedded in the ad, like images and galleries, videos, web sites and messaging. At this point, the bride can store the data and purchase products that appeal to them.

This is not the first use of barcoding in the publication industry but it is the first specifically marketing to brides. The bride now has an opportunity to interact with print through their smartphones and experience the bridal process the same way they are experiencing life — a great approach. It will be interesting to see if a quarterly magazine can find a niche with the new brides.

I was reading an article this morning about Google’s Nexus One phone. I guess I missed this part in all of the Nexus One fanfare, Google is selling the phones ” . . . without retail stores or customer-service reps to hold shoppers’ hands through the experience.” Really?

It got me thinking — I would like to experience the trapeze at some point during my lifetime, but am I as intrigued and willing to try this new thrill without a net or someone with some experience holding my hand through the process? NO. In fact — [heck] NO!

Google has decided to use a support forum to handle any issues users may have with the Nexus One. “Google promises an e-mail response within 48 hours. Based on the volume on Google’s message forums . . ., Google has a lot of e-mail to reply to.”

At PhotoOne we take technical support seriously. It starts with the set up of PhotoOne with a technician working with you to transfer your current studio data; and continues, by phone, through the first six to twelve months depending on the software purchased. After that, PhotoOne offers a Technical Support Membership insuring you a “net” as you build and grow your photography business. Our Technical Support Team is lead by Julie and she has 10 years of experience with PhotoOne Software and another four years working in Technical Support. This commitment to Technical Support is to provide our clients a “human” voice when they need assistance with PhotoOne or their environment supporting the studio management software.

Happy New Year. We are going to post a series of helpful tips in PhotoOne over the next four weeks. The tips are going to be geared towards PhotoOne features that we think will enhance your studio workflow when it comes to using studio management software.

Did you know that you can sync the PhotoOne Calendar to your Outlook and from there to Google, Blackberry, and iPhone? PhotoOne seamlessly syncs to Outlook, and from there to your selected device.

In PhotoOne, on the left hand side under the Calendar tab click Outlook Interface. From here you can choose 1) Sync PhotoOne to Outlook, which puts appointments from PhotoOne into Outlook, or 2) Sync Outlook to PhotoOne, which allows you to import appointments from Outlook into PhotoOne.

If you click Sync PhotoOne to Outlook it will bring up an Update Outlook screen. Tag any appointment books that you wish to export and all of its appointments, that are in the future, will go into Outlook when the Update Outlook button is clicked. You can tag or untag an appointment book by clicking the Tag and Untag buttons, you can click Tag All to export all of your appointment books, and you can clear all the calendars that will be exported by clicking Untag All.

If you click Sync Outlook to PhotoOne you will see a list of the appointments that can be imported. You can click the appointment and review it below. Appointments that have already been imported or have previously occurred will not be imported. If you wish to import appointments you have already imported you can check mark the Bypass Filter and then click the Refresh button to update the list.

From Outlook you can import/export the appointments into your selected device or calendar. For example, to sync your iPhone with your PhotoOne calendar you would sync to Outlook and then sync outlook to MobileMe.

We just got back from the Mystic 5 workshop and trade show — what a great event. Walter van Dusen hosted a really fabulous event that covered a myriad of topics and ideas. Although the weather was a bit “frosty” the speakers did a great job of warming up the crowd and getting the creative thought flowing. Clearly many photographers in the crowd were looking for ideas, services and products that would better position them in 2010 after a less than forgiving 2009. The energy around the event was very contagious supported by the fact that Jerry Ghionis presentation ended at 12:30 am on Monday night after 5 hours of presentation to a packed “house.”

The list of speakers is below — you may want to think about attending this event in 2011 to get your new year started on the right foot.

Tony and Diana Cooper of TLC Photography will kick off their professional photography workshop series on January 23 and 24, 2010 — just 4 weeks away. The first of a three part series will be the “Nitty Gritty Workflow Workshop” which will be hosted at their 3,200 sq. ft. studio.

The two-day seminar/workshop will highlight the “best practices” Tony and Diana have developed for their studio business over the last 15 years including, sales and marketing techniques and suggestions, the use of Lightroom to edit and prepare images, leveraging ProSelect to sell more images, your lab and developing a great working relationship and much more. A complete overview is provided here.

This is a great opportunity to (re)think and refine your photography workflow for 2010. Their studio is conveniently located only 50 miles from Washington DC and 15 miles from Hagerstown MD — so easy to get to. Registration for this first event is now open, so go ahead and sign up. Also look for TLC’s “Lighting Essentials Workshop” in February and the “Successful Senior!” workshop in March.

Tony and Diana use PhotoOne as their studio management software and will be highlighting some of the features as part of their presentation. If you are sponsoring an event, seminar, workshop please let us know and we will share it on our blog with other PhotoOne users. Happy New Year!

I have read a couple of articles this holiday season that are proposing that it is just a matter of time before the demise of Christmas and holiday cards — really?!

I am posting this because ONE, I know that cards are a big part of some photographer’s year-end business and TWO, on a personal level, I am a little skeptical. This year probably saw a reduction in the number of cards sent (year-over-year) but I think that is more the results of the economic environment and the associated effort individuals are putting into their jobs to retain them.

Others are putting forth that the Christmas and holiday cards are being Grinch-efied because a paper card is viewed as ” . . . wasteful, impersonal, and bad for the environment . . .” on top of the tough economic times. Time Magazine ran an article titled “The Beginning of the End for Christmas Cards?” They cited in their article that a BankRate post stiplulated that ” . . . an e-card is mentioned frequently as a free alternative to ye olde Christmas card. Their “selling” points . . . They’re free, don’t require postage and no one has to wash their hands after opening them. Some even play music, making them a fun, free way to catch up with far-flung friends and family.”

Some of the other articles speak to the rise of social media. Social media allows more people to stay in touch in real-time which helps with the rationalization to not send cards. Catherine Taylor, in a Social Media Insider blog post, says “The [social media] system could use some improvement, since my Mom isn’t yet on Twitter, and for whatever reason, Facebook hasn’t yet suggested that I friend any of my cousins. However, the way things are going, I probably won’t need Christmas cards, instead replacing them in the future with YouTube Christmas greetings, . . . blog, . . . ” Although, this is a little tongue and cheek — there is a set of data points that could let you surmise the demise of “the card.”

I, for one, don’t think there is a trend — although I am not Gen X, Y or Millennial. I do think it is a great exercise to stay in touch with those you care about and enjoy the sense of tradition that is part of sending and receiving a Christmas or holiday card. There is something special about receiving a card that a human hand has touched and prepared just for you — it is not the same experience electronically. I have posted a poll below. Let us know what you think the trend is going to be around Christmas and holiday cards over the next several years.

We have heard from various clients that at their State or local level a sales tax change is scheduled for January 1, 2010.

Please check and make sure you know what is planned in your area. If, in fact, a change is planned for January 1, 2010, please review this blog post and video for a quick tutorial on how to make the change in PhotoOne.

‘Tis the Monday of the biggest holiday week,
shopping and scurrying — all those last minute tweaks.

We at PhotoOne are so grateful to all,
and look forward to celebrating and staying away from the mall!

Thank you for making it another good year at PhotoOne. PhotoOne looks forward to assisting you and your studio by providing a continued commitment to our studio management software in 2010.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. PhotoOne will be available until 2 pm EST on Thursday December 24th and December 31st. We will be closed December 25th through December 28, and there will be no emergency support. We will also be closed January 1st and will provide emergency support as normal starting January 2. Enjoy your family and friends during the holidays.