When you first heard about Twitter, you probably wondered why the heck anyone would care about the answer to “What are you doing right now?” If you’ve used Twitter and developed some relationships, you probably realized that the connections go way beyond folks sharing what they’re having for lunch.

what confusion?!I want to hear your Twitter story in a couple sentences, of what you thought it would be like when you joined and then what you’ve found Twitter to actually be once you’ve used it for a while. I’ll select a couple commenters at random; one will win a Luma Loop camera strap (size medium – $60 value) and the other will get one year of Flickr Pro ($25 value). Winners will be announced next Monday (June 7th), so leave a comment soon!

Please share… what’s been your Twitter experience when compared with your expectations?

Photo by kl-Ga, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

  1. Flickr + Twitter is Live, What about Licensing/Legalities?
  2. Flickr + Twitter: the End of Twitpic?
  3. Social Photo Podcast #1: Twitter Lists, Flickr+Getty, Twitter Revolution

tagsAs I explore Flickr and look at others’ photos, here are some tips I’ve learned about effective photo tagging (as well as one pet peeve to avoid):

  • This one is almost too obvious, but always tag. Add some keywords so that folks will find your photos.
  • Add some “concept” tags. Think of the emotions, feelings, activities, or general concepts that might apply to a photo. Does the photo depict happiness, reading, or the idea of busy? Add those as tags.
  • Be consistent with plurality: Choose car or cars. Choose airplane or airplanes. Choose flower or flowers. Pick one method and stick with it, rather than some of each. Or better yet: use both.
  • Understand spaces: You have two choices to deal with spaces in tags. Either surround the tag with quotes like this: “new york” or simply remove the space and use newyork. If you simply type new york into a Flickr tag box, you’ll end up with two separate tags: new, and york.
  • Avoid this pet peeve: If you’re uploading a group of photos, take the extra couple of minutes to correctly tag the individual photos. If your batch of 10 photos contains 2 that have rainbows in them, don’t tag all 10 photos with rainbows — folks will get frustrated as they wonder why photos without rainbows are showing up under your rainbows tag.

By following some consistent guidelines, you’ll result in more exposure for your photos on Flickr. Feel free to comment with any other tagging tips.

Photo by sheldonschwartz, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

  1. Is Anyone Using Flickr’s People-Tagging Feature?
  2. Tag! You’re It on Flickr
  3. Facebook vs. Flickr: Where to Share?

In the last couple of weeks there have been some great developments for photographers looking at interesting things to read. First, The Linked Photographers’ Guide to Online Marketing and Social Media was released. I’m currently reading through my copy and will post a full review once I get through the book. It’s all about marketing using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and the other topics that we often talk about here on Social Photo Talk, so I bet that I’ll have plenty to say.

I also am reviewing a copy of iPad: The Missing Manual, due to be released on June 1st. The iPad has quickly become an important tool for the modern photographer. I’m a fan of the “Missing Manual” series and I’ll be sure to post a review once I wrap up reading it. So far it’s really good, providing a thorough look at the iPad. Stay tuned for more information.

On top of those, HDR guru Trey Ratcliff (aka Stuck in Customs) just released an eBook on digital photography workflow. As someone who has mastered a workflow to produce a large quantity of high-quality (and well-processed) images, I look forward to reading all about his process. There are two versions of the eBook, a standard edition and a bonus version for just a few dollars more that includes additional material and some information specific to HDR. I’ve just ordered my copy and can’t wait to dive in.

Whew! That’s a lot of reading to do. I’ll be sure to share reviews when I get through, but I wanted to make you aware that if you’re looking to learn and want to read, there are some great options right now!

Whatever Happens HappensThomas Hawk is one of Flickr’s most prolific photographers, posting a couple dozen photos per day (or more). He posts some really great work (for example, see his set of photos with more than 25 “favorites”). His blog has occasionally featured the stories of photographers who have had their work (or even their entire Flickr account) deleted from Flickr, often without clear explanation. View all of his Flickr content removal posts (which he tags as “censorship”) on his blog.

Thomas is also affiliated with Zooomr, a Flickr competitor.

Today, Thomas Hawk was banned from the Flickr help forum in direct response to his posting links to material critical of Flickr. One wonders if his affiliation with a competitor might be involved, but the official explanation is that they’re silencing him because they don’t like the material he’s posting.

I’ve mostly stood by and watched the Flickr issues without action, but their latest action to shut down dissenting voices leaves me pondering my future with Flickr.

Photo by Thomas Hawk, used under Creative Commons licensing

On a day when Americans pause to give thanks, I’d like to mention that I’m thankful for all of you who go out, take photos, and share them with the world. The social web and social photography sites such as Flickr have enabled anyone to see an amazing set of work with great ease. As I browse through my Flickr contacts and look at the caliber of work being produced, I’m constantly inspired. I’m inspired to go out and shoot new subjects; I’m inspired to try a new technique; I’m inspired to learn more rules and then learn when to break them.

Flickr Favorites
Some of the great things I see on Flickr

As a photographer, what are you thankful for?

These other posts might be of interest to you:

  1. 11 Ways to Say “Thanks” with Social Media

MicrophoneOn the first episode of the Social Photo Podcast, hosts Aaron Hockley and Lyza Danger Gardner talk about Twitter lists, the open call for Flickr users to become Getty stock contributors, the Twitter Revolution panel from Photo Plus Expo, and more. This episode is just over 11 minutes.

Links to Things We Talk About

Distribution and Feed

For now, you will find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. The plan is to get listed on iTunes as soon as possible, so look for that announcement in a bit. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 1 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

This is very much a rough start at a podcast… you won’t find any frills on our first effort, but we’d love your feedback. Either leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Photo by visual.dichotomy, used under Creative Commons licensing

Subscribe via iTunes:this link will launch iTunes for easy subscription

003/365 - I'm blogging this.Episode 6 of the Social Photo Podcast is ready. Hosts Aaron Hockley and Lyza Danger Gardner talk about photo sharing with family, WordPress 2.9, a contest, and a couple fun new sites for photographers’ amusement. This episode is around 10 minutes.

Links to Things We Talk About

Distribution and Feed

We’re now on iTunes – if you use iTunes, you can subscribe using this link: Subscribe on iTunes

You can also find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 6 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

We’d love to have your feedback – technical, content, or otherwise. Leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Photo by Antigone78, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

  1. Social Photo Podcast #2: @dailyshoot and Sharing Work Online
  2. Social Photo Podcast #5: Copyright and Property Releases, Stock Photography and Journalism, Photo Sharing Poll Results
  3. Social Photo Podcast #4: What to Tweet, Holiday Gifts, Upcoming Poll on Workflow

If you’re new here, you can keep up with my latest photography information at Picture Pundit – subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE Report: A Guide to Twitter for Photographers.

squared circle ~ 2601 squared circlesToday we release the third episode of the Social Photo Podcast. Hosts Aaron Hockley and Lyza Danger Gardner talk about a @dailyshoot update, Flickr’s short URL service, integration between Flickr and Twitter. This episode is just under 9 minutes.

Links to Things We Talk About

Distribution and Feed

We’re now on iTunes – if you use iTunes, you can subscribe using this link: Subscribe on iTunes

You can also find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 3 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

We’d love to have your feedback – technical, content, or otherwise. Leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Photo by striatic, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

  1. Social Photo Podcast #2: @dailyshoot and Sharing Work Online
  2. Social Photo Podcast #1: Twitter Lists, Flickr+Getty, Twitter Revolution
  3. Social Photo Podcast #15: Flickr Contacts, Shane Rich Interview

Subscribe via iTunes:this link will launch iTunes for easy subscription

After a week off, we’re back with the 18th iteration of the Social Photo Podcast. Hosts Aaron Hockley and Lyza Danger Gardner talk about Lightroom 3, CS5, Politics and Social Media, iPad, and more. This episode is about nineteen minutes long.

Commonwealth Place: Links to Things We Mention

Distribution and Feed

We’re now on iTunes – if you use iTunes, you can subscribe using this link: Subscribe on iTunes

You can also find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 18 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

We’d love to have your feedback – technical, content, or otherwise. Leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Photo by The Lightworks, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

  1. Social Photo Podcast #19: iPad, iPad, iPad, and Adobe
  2. Social Photo Podcast #22: Blogging, iPad Updates, Easy Release, Adobe’s Lens Correction
  3. Social Photo Podcast #16: iPad Poll Results, URL Shorteners, Andy Adams Interview, Call for Questions

Subscribe via iTunes:this link will launch iTunes for easy subscription

Here we go with Episode 15 of the Social Photo Podcast. Host Aaron Hockley talks about the beefier Social Photo Talk newsletter, Flickr contact notifications, an interview with Shane Rich, and more. This episode is about fourteen minutes long.

Earjams in earLinks to Things We Mention

Distribution and Feed

We’re now on iTunes – if you use iTunes, you can subscribe using this link: Subscribe on iTunes

You can also find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 15 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

We’d love to have your feedback – technical, content, or otherwise. Leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Photo by Neil T, used under Creative Commons licensing