We love Social Media!

Do you follow PhotoBooks{etc} on Twitter or are you a fan on Facebook?   We love social media!  It's so fun to get to talk to our customers more often than our monthly newsletter.  We love the feedback we get from the new age of instant communication!

Check out THIS ARTICLE about how our new businesses use Social Media to grow and keep in touch. 

Carrying On the Work of Helping Women Start Businesses

As I look towards a new angle of my business, I have found a way to keep my passion of helping women start businesses alive.   Please read my PhotoBooks{etc} blog to see how I am going to use my own business to help others start theirs.  Then please consider making your photobooks and custom photo products through my site so that we can enrich the lives of others together. 

Scan My Photos Scanned My Photos

A while ago, there was a contest sponsored by Scan My Photos on Twitter. If you re-tweeted the contest tweet, you could win free scanning. Well, I won free scanning!!!

The prepaid shipping box was quickly emailed to me and then I had to decide which photos would go into it. I hauled out all my photos and started sorting. I actually wish now I would have just grabbed piles and put them in the box instead of trying to sort them. They will all have to eventually be scanned anyway. But, I wanted the photos of family members scanned first so I went for those.

I followed the instructions provided and crammed the box FULL - I think I ended up with well over 1000 photos and I could have probably crammed in a few more. Then I dropped the box in the mail - it was all pre-paid so all I had to do was take it to the post office and send it off to California (not India as some services do).

In a week or so, I got it all back - all the photos were scanned! WooHoo! The prize package included several copies so I was able to give a CD to my folks. Now, I have to decide what to do with the photos now that they are scanned. Do I throw them away or keep them? I guess I'll keep them.

I can't wait to use them for digi scrapping and make photo books at PhotoBooks{etc}!

The best part is that I didn't have to scan them! I had started several times but doing one at a time on a flat-bed scanner was going to take FOREVER!!!!!

If you're on the fence about the cost of a scanning service - get off the fence and go for it! Time is money! There is no way I could have ever scanned this many photos myself! I highly recommend Scan My Photos and will use them again to finish up my scanning.

Get a FREE PHOTO BOOK from my photobook site!

I want you to try my photobook program (also the platform for PhotoBookBiz) because I am sure that you'll love it as much as I do! So, here's the deal: Get a FREE personal soft cover photo book ($12 value) FREE (+$4.95 shipping).

Go to www.Photobookoffer.com and put in the code PBE509. Then, enter your name and email address and you'll receive your special offer code via email.

When you get it, go to PhotoBooks{etc} and make your FREE BOOK! Use the code you got via email at check-out.

The free book has 20 pages but you can pay for additional pages as well as additional books. While you're there, you can make other products from layouts in your book - key tags, mugs, puzzles, etc. with just a click of your mouse.

But, your personal soft cover book is FREE!!!

This is a GREAT WAY to try out the program if you're thinking about PhotoBookBiz!

Looking at PhotoBookBiz?

Check out the video tour of our newly relaunched Rocket Life program. If you've been thinking about starting your own PhotoBookBiz with us, now is a great time!!!! It's just $49 a year!!!

Will Digital Scrapbooking Follow the Same Unfortunate Path?

We're having a discussion at ScrapBiz right now about how to bring new scrapbookers into the industry. It's been the greatest challenge of our industry mostly because not too many people wanted to do the "dirty work" of marketing. So, we lived under the delusion that EVERYONE discovered our wonderful hobby by 2000 and then we just all moved forward into more complex techniques and a greater variety of albums, themes and sizes. Yet, as I wrote over a year ago, beginners are the heart beat of our industry.

Now, here we sit, 9 years later wondering where everyone is. I guess you could say we're suffering from heart failure. The average interest in a craft or hobby lasts about 7 years. Two years ago, we started bleeding customers who stopped scrapping or moved on to digital scrapping. We've picked up a few here and there but few businesses have had the courage to spend their marketing time and money on gathering in new scrappers.

Is digital scrapbooking walking that same path? In some ways, I think it is and in some ways, I think it might not be.

I see several places where you can take online classes or watch tutorials on how to digi scrap. That's a good thing. I liken that to the many basic classes stores offered in the early days. Nearly every store had a "scrapbooking 101" class that taught the basics of layout, color, photo cropping, tools, etc.

But, on the other hand, when I go to consumer message boards dedicated to digital scrapbooking and see someone wander in and ask about getting started, I see other digital scrappers tell them to go get Photoshop Elements to get started. That's not a beginner's program. When I suggest something REALLY simple like Scrapbook Max!, I will often get razzed for suggesting it and the original poster gets told again to go get a program that will probably just frustrate them in the end.

YOU might be able to do fantastic and magical things with PSE, but not everyone CAN (or even wants to). Much of the scrapbook universe does NOT alter their photos in PhotoShop. Most of us just slap them on the page. So, simplicity in putting them on the digital page is really what most of us want.

I went to a friend's house the other day to show her how to digi scrap. She has 4 kids and is ready to do at least SOME of her photos digitally. I showed her Scrapbook Max! and I showed her the program at PhotoBooks{etc}. Even those two options intimidated her. Just because she can use Facebook doesn't mean she's comfortable with all aspects of her computer. Is she being left in the dust by the digital industry? Perhaps. If she had asked about it at a consumer board instead of asking me, she would probably have gotten the PSE suggestion and would have never tried it.

So, if the digital scrapbook industry is smart, they will figure out how to continually invite new people to try digital scrapping without intimidation or the assumption that everyone's already doing it. Learn from our mistakes. I don't think we (the traditional industry) have.

Photo Book Fundraiser info

PhotoBook Fundraiser Press Release

Picturing a New Kind of Fundraiser

Non-profits tap into custom photo gift trend with new fund raising option

(EVERETT, WA. January 7, 2009) If you’ve ever bought measuring cups you didn’t need, magazines you don’t read, chocolate that was over-priced or saved labels from soup cans, then you can appreciate the fund raising efforts of non-profit organizations.

As it becomes less socially acceptable to send children out knocking on doors to sell wrapping paper and cookie dough, it becomes more difficult for non-profit groups such as PTA’s and Booster Clubs to raise money. Many have turned to online resources such as shopping sites that give a small percentage of sales back or grocery store affinity cards that pay back every time they’re used. But, they often pay very little so a lot of supporters need to participate to make an impact.

PhotoBooksEtc.com, an online photo book and custom photo product site, announces an easy fund raiser that offers groups 10% back on sales through their club site.

“Many schools and booster clubs I have talked with this year are trying to find low-impact ways to raise money by selling products or making partnerships with companies that families are using anyway,” says Kim Guymon, owner of PhotoBooksEtc.com, “almost everyone has photos that they want to display. Our products are something that nearly everyone will enjoy making and receiving.”

Non-profit groups can request a free account from PhotoBooksEtc.com merely by verifying their 501 c 3 status and providing a contact for the group. A link will be placed on the fundraiser page of the PhotoBooksEtc.com where supporters can go make products. PhotoBooksEtc.com ships the product directly to the customer and then gives 10% profit back to each group for sales made through their link. “All the group has to do is promote their link,” says Guymon, “it’s a no-brainer fundraiser. Everything is done for them; we just need to know where to send the check.”

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If you’d like more information on Photobooks{etc} and it’s new fundraising program please email Kim Guymon at Kim@Photobooksetc.com.

Happy Halloween Photo Book

By PhotoBooks{etc}
Don't forget you can get 10% off your order of $50 or more until December 15 when you use the word HOLIDAY in the coupon box at check-out!

Check out the new ScrapBiz Website!!!

I'm so excited - we finally revamped our site. I liked the old one, but it was made by some programmers in a far off land and it had many "funky" parts to it that drove my webmistress nuts at times.

So, we decided to remodel the place! It looks pretty darn good! TAKE A LOOK!

Information about ScrapBiz is easier than ever to find! And, our members can finally stop searching for that itty-bitty "member log-in" link that was clear at the bottom of the home page on the old site. Now, it's front and center!

And, you'll notice that we added ANOTHER option - the PhotoBookBiz option. We now have 4 products to help you start or run your business:

• Start a Biz - everything you need to learn about and start a business in the scrapbook industry including the very important support you need to keep it fresh.
• Just the Start Up Guide for those just looking for information but not really ready to start a business in the near future
• Support for existing businesses - if you're already in business but looking for like-minded people to hang out and share with, then this is the option for you!
• And our new PhotoBookBiz option! We're SO EXCITED about this! You can literally start your own branded private label photo book and product site! Check out what I've done with my site HERE. This is great for digital scrapbook designers, custom scrappers, retail stores, online stores - pretty much anyone who wants to add custom photo books to their traditional offerings!

SALE on Photo Books and Gifts!

Check out my Photobooks{etc} Blog for information on a great holiday gift giving sale!

There's plenty of time to make a very personal gift that's sure to be a hit!

Get our Photo Book Idea Newsletter

We have started a newsletter for our Photobooks{etc} Site called "WHAT'S YOUR STORY?" Sign up to receive ideas and tips about making your own photo books and gifts as well as be the first to know about specials and new products on our site.

This is for our retail photo book customers. If you're interested in finding out about how you can start your OWN PhotoBook Biz, then use the form down the left side of the page for our ScrapBiz ezine.


Subscribe to our newsletter - WHAT'S YOUR STORY?

Free Economy Shipping at Photobooks{etc}!

To celebrate our GRAND OPENING - get FREE ECONOMY SHIPPING at Photobooks{etc} until September 15.

Use the Promo Code TRYME at check-out.

New Photo Editing Video at Photobooks{etc} Blog

A few days ago, I launched my new photobook business. I have a blog for Photobooks{etc} that goes with the site. It will have information, tips and tricks and updates about our program.

Yesterday, I posted a video about editing photos in the program. There are some very cool tools that ANYONE can easily use to change and enhance the photos in your project! Check out the video HERE.

I invite you to try out our program. The quality of the products is TOP NOTCH and the creative platform is super easy to use AND you can easily use your OWN digital scrapbook papers and embellishments with it. Just upload them with your photos and "drag and drop"!

Introducing PhotoBooks{etc}

I have been in love with the Rocket Life program since last Fall. And, I finally took the plunge and became a reseller for them! I am so excited about this program and the opportunity I have to now offer others the chance to have their OWN photo book and gift business through ScrapBiz!

But, PhotoBooks{etc} is my personal site: LINK Try it! You can download the plug-in and just mess with the program without any obligation (it only works with Internet Explorer right now, though). If you like what you see, go ahead and order! The prices are very competitive and the quality is top notch. I'm totally addicted to the key tags! Try making one - it's a great way to get a feel for the program and the quality of the products!

Things you can do at PhotoBooks{etc}:

• Use your OWN digital scrapbook products - just upload them with your photos and drag them on the page.
  
• take any layout and make any product. It automatically resizes for you!
  
• Arrange your photos manually or have their Smart Arrangement Technology do it for you!
• Add text to your photos and have them printed

Seriously, try out the program - there's no obligation and no account needed! Just download it from my site and play!