Comments on: Will Twitpic Succeed Where Scoopt Failed? http://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html Professional Photography Blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:56:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: PIhttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-6227 PI Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:33:05 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-6227 Hey Kyle, we have had thoughts at Twicsy of building the aggregation service you described. Right now it is simply a search engine for a few twitter based networks, but we are trying to figure out how to intelligently expand our index. Give me a buzz if you would like to talk.Chris Seline email: my first name @searchles.com twicsy.com Hey Kyle, we have had thoughts at Twicsy of building the aggregation service you described. Right now it is simply a search engine for a few twitter based networks, but we are trying to figure out how to intelligently expand our index. Give me a buzz if you would like to talk.

Chris Seline
email: my first name @searchles.com
twicsy.com

]]> By: Chris Selinehttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-5858 Chris Seline Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:07:06 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-5858 Hey Kyle, we have had thoughts at Twicsy of building the aggregation service you described. Right now it is simply a search engine for a few twitter based networks, but we are trying to figure out how to intelligently expand our index. Give me a buzz if you would like to talk.Chris Seline email: my first name @searchles.com twicsy.com Hey Kyle, we have had thoughts at Twicsy of building the aggregation service you described. Right now it is simply a search engine for a few twitter based networks, but we are trying to figure out how to intelligently expand our index. Give me a buzz if you would like to talk.

Chris Seline
email: my first name @searchles.com
twicsy.com

]]> By: Will Sebergerhttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-5854 Will Seberger Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:04:44 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-5854 As quality reaches the bottom, and sales further stagnate as a result, I think stuff like this will actually drive a return to paying photographers for pictures and stories.At some point, someone will realize that he can get better work and sell more widgets as a result.The industry is in a race to the bottom cutting budgets and reducing the quality of the product.Quality content costs money. Actually, quality anything costs money. As quality reaches the bottom, and sales further stagnate as a result, I think stuff like this will actually drive a return to paying photographers for pictures and stories.

At some point, someone will realize that he can get better work and sell more widgets as a result.

The industry is in a race to the bottom cutting budgets and reducing the quality of the product.

Quality content costs money. Actually, quality anything costs money.

]]> By: Denver Engagement Photographerhttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-5852 Denver Engagement Photographer Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:37:07 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-5852 I'll be really curious to see if twiptic actually takes off. It seems like a great idea, and if it does really take off it could change the "I Report" kind of photojournalism. I'll be really curious to see if twiptic actually takes off. It seems like a great idea, and if it does really take off it could change the "I Report" kind of photojournalism.

]]> By: Scott Baradellhttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-5824 Scott Baradell Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:37:24 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-5824 Kyle, good to hear from you -- and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It will be interesting to see if the model you describe becomes a reality. Given the periodic uproar over terms of service where social networking sites are accused of user content grabs, it's definitely a thorny issue.Tony, the privacy issues are less of a factor with editorial images, but you're right that amateurs don't necessarily play by the same rules, or even KNOW the rules. With photo fakery easier to accomplish than ever, it's probably only a matter of time before a Photoshop special, submitted by a citizen "journalist," gets published on the front page of the NY Times. Kyle, good to hear from you -- and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It will be interesting to see if the model you describe becomes a reality. Given the periodic uproar over terms of service where social networking sites are accused of user content grabs, it's definitely a thorny issue.

Tony, the privacy issues are less of a factor with editorial images, but you're right that amateurs don't necessarily play by the same rules, or even KNOW the rules. With photo fakery easier to accomplish than ever, it's probably only a matter of time before a Photoshop special, submitted by a citizen "journalist," gets published on the front page of the NY Times.

]]> By: Tony Bleihttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-5823 Tony Blei Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:02:27 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-5823 I foresee a huge potential problem with news agencies going to, and using services such as Twitpic. Their free (or low budget) images could cost them a lot more than their $20.As a photojournalist, there are rules that we play by and we have a good idea of what the laws are. Not all citizen journalists are as aware. I predict that people will start snapping cell-phone pics and someday soon, people will object because their right to privacy was violated. Or there was no release signed by those who were photographed — and they object by calling their attorney.It's all free for now, but just wait. I predict that free will will end up costing more than having someone on staff. I foresee a huge potential problem with news agencies going to, and using services such as Twitpic. Their free (or low budget) images could cost them a lot more than their $20.

As a photojournalist, there are rules that we play by and we have a good idea of what the laws are. Not all citizen journalists are as aware. I predict that people will start snapping cell-phone pics and someday soon, people will object because their right to privacy was violated. Or there was no release signed by those who were photographed — and they object by calling their attorney.

It's all free for now, but just wait. I predict that free will will end up costing more than having someone on staff.

]]> By: Kyle MacRaehttp://rising.blackstar.com/will-twitpic-succeed-where-scoopt-failed.html/comment-page-1#comment-5821 Kyle MacRae Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:16:33 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=6085#comment-5821 Can't argue with a word of this, Scott. Great article.I've certainly been trying to figure out a business model for TwitPic and similar to provide an instant route to market for newsworthy content. But it always comes back to the same issue:"Even if you create a site that makes it incredibly efficient for news organizations to buy spot-news photography and amateurs to sell it, would the amateur even know about this incredibly efficient site before it was too late?"No, they wouldn't. And nor would picture buyers go looking for this stuff. The one-in-a-million Janis Krums-type pic will always find a market, eventually, even if only post-publication, but everything else...? Can't see it.About the only model I can see working is one whereby TwitPic *and every other site* has a 'Buy This Pic' button, where:a) the sale can be processed *without* the consent or involvement of the photographer (i.e. they have to opt out of commercial licensing)b) the buyer pays a fixed price with no need to negotiate (i.e. everything's $20 by default - just download, publish and pay).If you then build an aggregation service on top of that, something that automatically pulls pix from everywhere into a one-stop-shop, that indexes them intelligently, and that ranks them for likely value by date and 'buzz' (number of retweets, page views, links, tags)... well, then you might have something of value to picture buyers.Dunno. I do know that an agency model sitting between the public and picture desks doesn't work!Best Kyle Can't argue with a word of this, Scott. Great article.

I've certainly been trying to figure out a business model for TwitPic and similar to provide an instant route to market for newsworthy content. But it always comes back to the same issue:

"Even if you create a site that makes it incredibly efficient for news organizations to buy spot-news photography and amateurs to sell it, would the amateur even know about this incredibly efficient site before it was too late?"

No, they wouldn't. And nor would picture buyers go looking for this stuff. The one-in-a-million Janis Krums-type pic will always find a market, eventually, even if only post-publication, but everything else...? Can't see it.

About the only model I can see working is one whereby TwitPic *and every other site* has a 'Buy This Pic' button, where:

a) the sale can be processed *without* the consent or involvement of the photographer (i.e. they have to opt out of commercial licensing)

b) the buyer pays a fixed price with no need to negotiate (i.e. everything's $20 by default - just download, publish and pay).

If you then build an aggregation service on top of that, something that automatically pulls pix from everywhere into a one-stop-shop, that indexes them intelligently, and that ranks them for likely value by date and 'buzz' (number of retweets, page views, links, tags)... well, then you might have something of value to picture buyers.

Dunno. I do know that an agency model sitting between the public and picture desks doesn't work!

Best
Kyle

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