Angie Pedersen's Scrapbooking Industry News

LibraryofLife.org Partners with National Scrapbooking Association; to Launch CelebrationofScrapbooking.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - March 10, 2006 - The first ever website for scrapbookers designed specifically to preserve and share their albums online forever and much more, will launch on May 6, National Scrapbooking Day.

The National Scrapbooking Association (NSA) together with LibraryofLife.org , an organization that helps people celebrate life by preserving images and memories online forever have joined forces to produce "CelebrationofScrapbooking.com,", a user-friendly themed website that takes scrapbooking to a new level.

Uploaded scanned images or photographed pages can be shared with family and friends from afar.  Websites can be dedicated to pay tribute to loved ones.  There is also the added benefit of a guestbook, a space for text, music, video, family tree, personally recorded messages and more.

"Celebration of Scrapbooking lets people get their scrapbooks off the shelf to share their favorite memories and creative work with the world in a way that's affordable and attractive," says Veronica Hugger, president of the National Scrapbooking Association.

"It's the next step in the booming world of scrapbooking.  The National Scrapbooking Association is thrilled to help bring this new service to the scrapbooking community." Posting a scrapbook online offers scrapbookers many new options for sharing memories with the confidence that their treasured memory book will be preserved for generations to come.

"Why subject such a treasured piece of work and family photos to potential destruction from floods, the passing of time or other hazards?"  Henry Chamberlain, CEO, Library of Life.org, says.  "There is no better way to preserve memories than having them online, forever, hosted by LibraryofLife.org - it's affordable, convenient and couldn't be easier to do."

Capturing, sharing and preserving memories is one of America's favorite pastimes.  More than 25 million consumers actively engage in ongoing scrapbooking activities. This translates to spending of $2.6 billion each year for books, photographs and other supplies.

"Scrapbookers invest their time, energy and effort to create albums showcasing their original photos and keepsakes.  These beloved scrapbooks usually stay close to home for the immediate family to enjoy," said Hugger.  "Now there is an online service specifically designed to help scrapbookers create a permanent, digital record of their creations to showcase and share with friends and family far away."

Celebration of Scrapbooking allows scrapbookers to invite guests to view their treasures and add their own greeting or message at the scrapbook's site.  Scrapbook pages also can be displayed in slide-show form with a musical background.

"With Mother's Day coming up, Sunday, May 14, families may want to upload a commemorative scrapbook and get family and friends to add their own Mother's Day wishes," Chamberlain said.  "It's a personal and meaningful gift that lasts forever."

Library of Life is offering a Mother's Day contest for National Scrapbook Association members - scrapbooks uploaded online will be judged by a panel of scrapbooking experts and the winner will appear on the homepage of celebrationofscrapbooking.com and featured on the Library of Life.org site.

Library of Life was started in 2004 by Stephen Forsyth, a wealthy businessman when remembering all the parts of his life, family and friends and all the experiences he had enjoyed mostly good, some bad.  His own survival of a life-threatening illness, and the death of his brother, helped him reflect about the loss of memories and learned lessons that could be shared by people all over the world. These musings helped bring about the Library of Life websites.  Current site offerings include - www.celebration-of.com, a great way to celebrate the birth of a baby, wedding, anniversary or birthday and www.memory-of.com, a place to share a loved one's life with others and offer comfort to those left behind.  Visit www.libraryoflife.org for more information.

National Scrapbooking Association (NSA) is dedicated to serving all segments of the scrapbooking industry including consumers, retailers, service providers, manufacturers and publications.  The NSA provides the tools to strengthen and unify the scrapbooking community and is dedicated to expanding the passion of scrapbooking to untapped markets.  For more information please visit www.nsa.gs.

NSA launches web site to promote National Scrapbooking Day

(I-Newswire) - HOUSTON —The National Scrapbooking Association announces a new web site – NationalScrapbookingDay.com – to publicize and promote events commemorating National Scrapbooking Day. The free service encourages all scrapbooking enthusiasts to submit and search for events and ideas to celebrate NSD. The site also invites scrapbookers to sign a petition to recognize National Scrapbooking Day, which traditionally is the first Saturday in May.

Many scrapbookers mark National Scrapbooking Day by gathering with fellow scrapbookers and working on pages and albums. Retailers and Service Providers host special events like crops, contests and product sales. This year National Scrapbooking Day is Saturday, May 6, 2006.

“National Scrapbooking Day also is a time for all scrapbookers to reflect and recognize that what we do matters,” notes NSA president and co-founder, Veronica Hugger. “Scrapbookers are historians. We dedicate our precious free time and energy to document the lives of loved ones. National Scrapbooking Day reminds us that scrapbooking is important.”

NationalScrapbookingDay.com provides a means for scrapbooking enthusiasts to share and celebrate the day with scrapbookers everywhere and helps all segments of the scrapbooking market:

- Consumers can find stores or service providers near them offering ways to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day
- Retailers and Service Providers can list for free any event they are sponsoring that is in conjunction with National Scrapbooking Day. Now is the time to finalize plans for National Scrapbooking Day, so events can be promoted appropriately
- Manufacturers and Publications can submit project ideas for make & takes, games, or classes, or advertise on the site as a way to show support

To submit and search for NSD events and ideas and to sign the petition to recognize National Scrapbooking Day, visit NationalScrapbookingDay.com.

About the National Scrapbooking Association ( NSA )

Serving all segments of the scrapbooking industry – consumers, retailers, service providers, manufacturers and publications – the NSA provides the tools to strengthen and unify the scrapbooking community and is dedicated to expanding the passion of scrapbooking to untapped markets. The NSA web site features a comprehensive list of scrapbooking retailers, a calendar of scrapbooking events, and an aggressive affiliate program to benefit referring members.

SOURCE: i-Newswire.com 

ProtectMyPhotos Launches Online Photo Backup Service

Orlando, FL - ProtectMyPhotos recently launched its new online photo backup service, coinciding with the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) 2006 convention. The company is focused on providing the most complete photo protection service for consumers.

"We started this company because we needed this service ourselves. Other backup solutions such as burning CD’s, expensive online services, and companies that force you to order prints just didn’t cut it," says Cliff Shaw, CEO of ProtectMyPhotos. "Our goal with ProtectMyPhotos was to create an affordable and easy-to-use service that allowed for seamless uploading and protection of customers' digital photos, and required zero maintenance. Market research shows that 97% of digital camera owners would be distraught if they lost their family photos, but only 18% have all of their photos backed up. I think that says a lot about the shortcomings of the current solutions. When it comes to backup, people want it to just plain work."

ProtectMyPhotos automatically uploads users' digital photos using their broadband connection, and continues to check for additions and changes. Photos are stored at secure datacenters in two geographic locations, and customers can access them anytime via the Web. In the event of data loss, photos are easily restored to their original form. Rare for online storage, ProtectMyPhotos also ensures pictures are restored with their original file locations and dates and with no reduction of quality. The service costs $5.95 per month and is available now at the company's web site, www.protectmyphotos.com.

"2006 will go down as the year that broadband finally fulfilled its promise, especially in online backup," says Shaw. "High-speed connections have always promised to deliver these types of solutions and the smart players are focusing on automatic and perfect end-to-end delivery. Our service helps users transfer thousands of photos with no guesswork. You will see us quickly change peoples' perceptions of what it means to upload thousands of files."

About ProtectMyPhotos
ProtectMyPhotos provides maintenance-free, secure online backup for digital photographs and strives be the most complete and secure photo backup solution for consumers. The company sells its service through its web site at www.protectmyphotos.com.  ProtectMyPhotos is based in Boulder, Colorado and is privately funded.

SOURCE: ProtectMyPhotos via DigiCam News