Nostalgia is just as warm as hot cocoa

Photography News that's Fit to Blog (This Week)
by Kerry Raminiak

20 years ago today the Berlin Wall came down and so today we lead off with this great photo story by the New York Times. More impressive is this interactive gallery. I cannot endorse these articles any higher nor can I remark on how more and more impressed I have become with the NYT’s commitment to quality presentation of their photojournalism online.

Industry news recap. Everybody is talking about selling online.
Two articles came out within the past seven days articulating up-to-date analysis on the strongest sectors going into the upcoming holiday season. Both unabashedly explain that if you are not selling online “you’re out.”

From this article by PMANewsline:
“Despite the lingering effects of the recession, the online space remains the retail industry’s growth engine,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, Forrester Research vice president and principal analyst. “What’s different this holiday from past years is that online retailers will manage to the bottom line, which will change some of the tactics they have employed in the past.”

And for those number crunchers:
iPerceptions has released a report explaining the online sales process by surveying 360,000 visitors about how they are strategizing their holiday spending. Download the report (registration required) here. Our take-away was that it is pretty prevalent that online shoppers (representing the significant majority of the surveyees) will make two trips to an online shopping location: (1st) to learn more about prices and options, and (2nd) to make the purchase.

With that said, if you are not selling your photography online with PhotoReflect and are not opted-in to photo gifts and greeting cards right now, you are missing out every day, because people that are on your site today are seeking out what they will buy within the next three weeks.

Need to learn more about what I am talking about? Join us for one of our webinars found here.

Fun fun fun stuff.
Two of my favorite things to fall on my lap last week are listed below. But first, before you go any further, will you take this one-click survey? Do You Print? The results interest me and should interest you if you are thinking about how your photography products are going to be managed in the next couple of years.

My Parents Were Awesome.This collaborative photo blog is getting some attention, well, because it is simply so endearing. I bookmarked it as a favorite (and not in my “work favorites” folder, but, in my “real favorites” folder.) (Very few sites receive such an honor.) We’re your parents awesome? Did you publish to the site? Let us know in the comments!

iCaughtSanta is a cute way to kick off the season.
Take a look at this concept that allows you to put Santa (or the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy or Cupid, for that matter) in your living room. Pretty cute, I think.