Sometimes it seems like we live in a Google world.  If you are looking for an alternative to Google Analytics or for new web site comparison and search tools,  compete.com is a good option.

It seems like more bloggers and web masters are turning to compete.com everyday.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.  

Rosh

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Title Tags

I feel this is old news and basic information that everyone should know.  Unfortunately, I see too many web sites still breaking the rules and photographers are loosing opportunities.

The web site title tag is a very important part of the quest for a top search engine ranking.  Sadly, many web site owners still stuff their title and focus on the wrong words.

What is title tag stuffing? It is placing a large number of words in the web page title tag and repeating the same words with a slight variation.  For example:  “new media photographer new media photo new media photography media photography” or “Detroit photographer Detroit food photographer  Detroit portrait photographer Detroit people photographer”  - You’ve seen it before.  It is a “black hat” technique that can have a positive effect for some search engines, but the goal standard is Google and Google will penalize the web site for such a title tag.

Another mistake is focusing on the photographer or a business name in the title.  It may sound like a good idea.  But, if someone is looking for you in a search engine, they already know your name.  Placing the photographers name in the body of the text two-three times will do the trick.

I’ve heard photographers say they want to be first in the search engines ranking for their name.  That is just an ego comment, not a good business idea.

Photography buyers are not shopping for a “Joe Smith photographer”.  They are shopping for a “wedding photographer”, “portrait photographer” or “food photographer”.  That is what you want in the headline to be.

Also, where are you located?  A photography buyer in Florida is usually looking for a photographer in Florida. So, placing your location is a very positive inclusion in a web site title tag.  Something like “Orlando wedding photographer”

Having more then six to eight words in a web site title tag can be damaging. Think about the best words that describe your web site and use tools like insights for search for support in selecting words that will help grow your business.

We had a full week of blog posts. I review and expand on a number of the topics.

If you would like to offer an audio segment on the new media photographer podcast call the comment line or send me an email. By podcast number twenty I will be adding a couple segments to expand the scope of the show. Feel free to share ideas.

Rosh

Thomas Hawk’s Article

Thomas Hawk wrote a blog post called 

10 Reasons Why FriendFeed is a Better Place to Browse Flickr Photos Than Flickr Itself

I thought this was a good new media photographer style post worth sharing. He has some interesting ideas worth considering.  Check out the post at the link above.

Rosh

Finally some good people have taken the lead and Podcamp Michigan is a go!!!  Get involved!  

I will be there.

Podcamp Michigan I
November 8th , 2008, 9-4 at Embassy Suites Hotel, 28100 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
Hotel phone: (248) 350-7007

Rosh

Pixelpipe review

Pixelpipe is simple, easy and useful.  It saves the new media photographer valuable time by allowing the distribution of images or video to multiple hosting destinations (called “pipes”) with one upload.

Pixelpipe supports most of the major hosting sites such as flickr, shutterfly, photobucket and Picasa.  Social media sites such as facebook, friendfeed, twitter and major blog hosts are also supported.

For the professional, Pixelpipe offers solid solutions by adding “Pipes” for emails, ftp uploads and stock sites such as Digital railroad.  This allows a virtually unlimited number of locations and delivery methods for uploaded images.

With one upload I was able to email a photograph to a friend, deliver it to Digital railroad and flickr. 

The layout is simple and easy to use.  It only does one thing; simply deliver your images where you need them.  Powerful.

Rosh

Creating awareness of the extremely drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), the new media way. 

TED prize winner, photographer, James Nachtwey launches his awareness project today. 

Tonight these these images will be projected in 50 cities all over the world. 

See them here and join the awareness effort.

http://www.xdrtb.org/

Photographer James Nachtwey XDRTB video

I was asked by a non-profit agency to review photographers who volunteered to participate in a gallery show promoting the organization. 

I was given about 60 names and web sites to review.  Some photographers’ web sites were excellent, fast and easy to use. While others crashed my computer.

Was one of the sites yours?

Sometimes Flash sites or complex programming doesn’t always translate very well with all browsers.  Other times the image file sizes were way too large or not compressed enough.  The bottom line was it didn’t matter why the sites slowed down my computer.  The problem is the photographer’s internet brochure is slowing down the prospect’s computers, too. 

If a web site slows down my computer to a crawl or even crashes my machine, I won’t be back.  I’m sure other viewers have made the same choice; that hurts business.

Some web sites were hard to navigate or required me to click too many buttons to see topics or images of interest.   I needed to view different types of photographs to get a feel for each photographer’s abilities.  Some web sites asked too much of me.  In some cases I had to think too hard.   The last thing you want is for visitors to have to work too hard to find the information they are seeking.

Your site is cooler than mine.

Some sites were just confusing. Unorganized.  Some of the best-looking sites used Flash templates or a top-notch hosting service.  Of course, Flash sites tend to be harder to find in the search engines. This is why my site continues to be built with mostly HTML code and lots of text.  It’s not as flashy, but I get the rankings.

Ultimately, you need to test your web site.  Try different computers, browsers and operating systems.  A couple years ago I realized that 30 percent of my viewers used the web browser Firefox.  (It is even higher today).  I generally use Safari to surf the web and my site looked great.  But, when I open up my web site in Firefox the entire site design was skewed.  I realized then I needed to pay much more attention.  

The last thing you want is to lose an opportunity because your web site is a struggle to view.

Rosh

Chase Jarvis is a fine advertising photographer.  He also has embraced new media. Jarvis offers a fine blog and his videos have become viral.  It seems the more content he shares the more well known he becomes.  

One of his latest videos, uploaded about a month ago, has had over 250,000 views.  Jarvis had the opportunity to preview the new Nikon D-90 and filmed the experience with his staff using said camera.  Other videos have earned him over 50,000 views.

I’m sure most would agree that his success isn’t attributed squarely on his use of new media, but I can assure you it has increased his name recognition. 

One video I enjoyed is called 32 questions.  It’s a video interview for a photography student named Bill. Jarvis answers 32 questions from Bill’s list.  He shares the video due to the fact that many of the questions are commonly asked of him. 

Think about what you can do to increase your visibility.  I wouldn’t count on Nikon calling you with an opportunity like Jarvis had, but you are a creative person and an educational or virial video just might give you the kick you need.

Who are some other photographers that have embraced social or new media you feel are worth noting? Leave a comment.

Rosh

Cooliris review

Cooliris (previously known as Piclens) is a very cool 3D world of clickless image and video browsing.  

The company was founded in 2006 and offers a downloadable plug-in that is imbedded in your browser for easy access. It works on both Windows and Macintosh platforms for most major browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Flock and Safari. Although Cooliris offers the most features through Firefox and Flock.

Cooliris allows the viewer to browse images through google, yahoo, Flickr, photo bucket to name a few.  You can even search Amazon book titles. 

My favorite use is searching current events, news and sports photos and videos. The experience is seamless and dynamic. The only negative I can find is that it can be a little dizzying.  

If you are looking for a new search and viewing experience Cooliris is certainly worth a try. 

Rosh