Grant P. Hatch - Spectrum Photo - Wolfeboro, NH, USA http://www.spectrumphotoonline.com

Good day Bill,

I have been giving it some thought, and I have an idea for PicturesMatter.com

The reason I was asking about the ownership of TakeGreatPictures.com was that I was looking for good content for building our website knowledge-base, and because TGP.com has quite a bit of information that would be good for newsletters as well.

Borrowing from the shared ideas platform of MMIE . . . PicturesMatter.com could be a website where independent sources submit content to be shared and borrowed, directly off the website.

Example, I write content for a Spectrum Photo newsletter. I email it to someone (ed. note - is that "someone" me?) who posts it at PicturesMatter.com. Others do the same. Then, all website content is FREE for anyone to pull information from...all with the caveat that the info is provided by third party contributors and that the website assumes no responsibility or liability for its content. It becomes a knowledge-base exchange for photo retailers, photographers and consumers. The fact that dealers can use content for their own websites and customer emails (such as through Constant Contact) gives us a great platform. You also retain rights to republish contributions in any of your books, in perpetuity.

If promoted in MMIE to get it started, it could be nice for all.

The website could even contain an area for shared royalty-free images between dealers for advertising purposes. Limiting file size would help contain a growing library. Having access to good royalty-free images is something that I am always needing.

There you have it... one idea for your website, PicturesMatter.com.

from the editor: An exchange of newsletter ideas sounds great. Execution might be a little more difficult. At the moment, PMA is trying to get people to exchange lesson plans, without many contributors.

Who among our readers would send in newsletters? Is sharing newsletters different from sharing lesson plans? As you know some retailers see the licensing of their lesson plans as revenue stream to offset development costs - not sure newsletters are quite the same. Food for thought . . .

Chris Lydle - Chris' Camera Center, Aiken, SC USA - www.chriscamera.com

PMA+ is a new resource from PMA and quite frankly, I was dubious at first. It took a while for them to get the content up to speed but now there's plenty of useful stuff. In particular, I like the collection of newsletter articles that can be cut and pasted. Here's what the list looked like this week:

1. Photographing Pets
2. Outdoor Portraits
3. Heartfelt Portraits (great for Valentine's Day!)
4. Photographing Kids
5. Thank You
6. File Formats
7. Rules of Thirds
8. Holiday Lights
9. Photobooks
10. Greeting Cards

Before dismissing PMA+ out of hand, I'm giving it a try.

One of the most important ways to boost rankings for your store's website is to have a lot of good incoming links and to update your content frequently. Creating email newsletter content - DIY instructions in particular - is an excellent way to do four things:

1. Entice readers to open your newsletters
2. Lure them into clicking through to your web site
3. By making relevant posts on Twitter and Facebook and other social networking sites, reward the general public for visiting your site
4. Improve your site's organic rankings by virtue of the more rapid content changes and the social network incoming links.

I've always tried to have instructional content on the Chris' Camera Center web site but only lately have I been using my email blasts to boost traffic there.

Why should you list only the name of another author when you can make the content your own? Add some of your personal content and make sure you get the first byline.

by Chris Lydle and Jill Enfield

Every February, throughout the United States, millions of dollars are spent on candy, flowers, food, and more - all in the name of Valentine's Day. You can better express your feelings by giving a portrait to your loved one.

A portrait showing the essence of your loved one's being will be appreciated all year long and beyond. Such a portrait shows you truly care and profoundly appreciate the person's unique qualities. These portraits need not focus on traditional romance but on capturing the inner beauty of the model.

Capturing the character of yourself or your model is most effectively achieved through an "environmental portrait." A few quick and easy tips are described below to get you started and ready for the big day. The ideas are simple, such as blurring the background, but have a huge impact on the photos.

Other tips include using props found around the house or outside and making sure to take advantage of beautiful, natural light . . . read more

On the "Heartfelt Portraits" segment I added some of my own photos, put in a couple of paragraphs and changed some of the stock text, and revised the byline to read "by Chris Lydle and Jill Enfield."

And here's the key:

Don't give it all away on the first visit! My email features one photo and a couple of paragraphs, and a link to "read more." We want to lure our customers to the web site.

David Guidry - Lakeside Camera - Metarie, LA USA - www.lakesidecamera.com

David Guidry has had to reinvent his business time after time. Whether it's been the paradigm shifting switch to digital or the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, he's made the changes necessary to stay ahead of the curve. And he's not done changing.

Guidry says lots of hard work along with trial and error will be the norm for the year ahead. David also shares how specialty stores and smaller labs can compete with the better financed mega stores and super websites. Guidry tells Bill McCurry how Lakeside Photoworks is "fulfilling the promise that is inherent in being a specialty dealer" and "where we can differentiate and compete". Listen (or read the transcript with pictures of Lakeside Photoworks) as Guidry shares the philosophy that makes Lakeside a world class industry leader.

The bad news is, Session D52 has been canceled.

No use crying over spilled milk. Instead you might go to D54 - Social Networking Glue and figure out how to get more out of Twitter. If I hadn't already attended some of Randy Hufford's hands-on sessions about gallery wrap canvas, I'd like to be at session D51. And there are a couple of other good ones at the same time: D53 - The Future of Photo Publishing and D55 - The Print Is Dead! How 20-Somethings Use Photography

And add this one to your must-see list:

During the Official Business Session on Sunday, February 21, beginning at 9:00 a.m.: Brian Noble, Don Spring, Richard Robertson, Kevin Donahue and Vivian Kistler will be getting Distinguished Service Awards. So turn up and cheer for them and for Ron Cook, who will receive the Hall of Fame award.

Your "must visit" list while you're sitting at the computer: visit www.camerasatpma.com to see all the new models as they are released. Bookmark it and check each morning. That way you might almost stay as up-to-date as your customers!

February 11, 2010 - International Photographic Council (IPC) presents annual Hall of Fame Award to Fred Lerner at the United Nations -For luncheon information or reservations, please contact James Chung at jchung1@prodigy.net or 914.476.1712.

February 19-23, 2010 - PMA '10 kicks off in Anaheim, CA. Conferences begin the 19th and the trade show begins the 21st. http://pmai.org/pma2010_home.aspx

March 2-6 - CeBIT, Hanover, Germany

June 3-6, 2010 - PMA Australia, Melbourne http://www.pmaaustralia.com.au/

June 21-24, 2010 - IPI Members' Retreat and Supplying Partners Trade Show, Henderson, Nevada. Members only

July 16-20, PRO Members' Convention and Trade Show, Cleveland, Ohio - Members only

September 21-26, 2010 Photokina in Köln, Germany. http://www.photokina-cologne.com/

September 22-25 - CEDIA Expo, Atlanta, GA