Angie Pedersen's Scrapbooking Industry News

Smilebox Introduces Teacher’s Toolbox Program

Via the Smilebox Blog: Smilebox has launched its new Teacher’s Toolbox program offering qualified teachers a free premium account to the Smilebox service (a $39.99 value).  A Premium account provides unlimited access to more than 650 Smilebox designs, music options, and print options (print any page at school, home or at a local retail store).

Smilebox has debuted a new lineup of designs created specifically for the needs of teachers including digital newsletters, school-themed scrapbooks, fieldtrip photo albums, school mascot/logo customizable slideshows as well as student activities such as multimedia autobiographies and storybooks.

At present time, the program is limited to the first 1,000 participants. Teachers can register for the Teacher’s Toolbox program at Smilebox.com.  Other interested parties can copy an invitation and send teachers an email describing the offer. 

Family Tree Magazine Partners with Tamagotchi

Family Tree magazine recently announced a partnership with Tamagotchi to collaborate on a new project: Announcing Family Tree Kids!

[Family Tree Kids], designed for children ages 8 through 12, has family history-related games and crafts; activities that’ll help kids build their family detective skills and learn about their families; and a fun family tree kids can download, fill in with ancestors' names, and print.

A grownups’ section offers a resource toolkit for parents and teachers who are helping kids with genealogy projects.

Our partnership with Tamagotchi, makers of the popular digital pets, inspired Family Tree Kids! Familitchi, the newest version of Tamagotchi’s pets, encourages kids to learn about family history.

Photo Marketing Association Offers National Photo Month Resources

May is National Photo Month.  Photo Marketing Association members can access exclusive marketing tools on the association website.

• Customizable advertisements in print and web format in a variety of sizes, using royalty-free images
• National Photo Month logos
• The Long Term Photo Care program educates digital camera customers on how they can better manage, protect and preserve their digital pictures.
• four-color Guide to Great Digital Pictures brochure provides tips on what to consider when purchasing a digital camera, digital camera basics, recommended accessories, help with camera settings, etc.
• The World of Digital Photography: an easy-to-personalize PowerPoint presentation 
• a National Photo Month lapel pin

PMA members can log on to the association website or contact PMA Business Resources for more information.

Photoshop Express Users Take Issue with Terms of Service

On 3/30/08, SBIN posted about Adobe's Launch of Photoshop Express Beta.  Since then, various bloggers have commented on the "generous" use clause outlined in the Express Terms of Service:

8. Use of Your Content.      

1. Adobe does not claim ownership of Your Content. However, with respect to Your Content that you submit or make available for inclusion on publicly accessible areas of the Services, you grant Adobe a worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable license to use, distribute, derive revenue or other remuneration from, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such Content into other Materials or works in any format or medium now known or later developed.

Adobe blogger John Nack noticed this statement, and emailed Adobe for clarification.  The Photoshop Express team responded:

...We reviewed the terms in context of your comments - and we agree that it currently implies things we would never do with the content. Therefore, our legal team is making it a priority to post revised terms that are more appropriate for Photoshop Express users...

This response is also posted on the Photoshop Express Forums.

Users should be aware that similar terms appear to apply to all Adobe cyber-real estate, as stated in the Adobe.com "Misc" Terms of Use:

...By posting or otherwise submitting Images, you grant to Adobe and all other users of this Site permission to use your Images in connection with their use permitted by these Terms of Use (including making prints and gift items incorporating such Images), including an unrestricted, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free and fully paid up license under all Intellectual Property Rights to copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, modify, translate, transmit and reformat your Images, with or without having your name attached to such Images, in any manner or form and for any purpose, with full rights to sublicense such rights through multiple tiers of distribution. You will receive no compensation with respect to the use of your Images.

New Owners Announced for RAKScraps.com

Jeanine Baechtold, co-founder of RAKScraps.com and co-owner of Kristy Valshan, Inc, recently announced that RAKScraps.com has welcomed New Owners.

Correen [Silke], Rachel [Dickson], Robin [Cabana] and I are excited to share with you the new owner of RAKScraps. Nick Romer, founder of the wonderful website ScrapWow.com, QVC craft personality, author, and friend has come on board as owner of RAK. He and Barbara Eastwick of Paperdesignsbybarbara.com will now be the administrators of this fabulous community, and the four of us are stepping down. Be sure to take a moment to help us welcome Nick and Barbara to RAKScraps – Nick’s username is rakwow and Barbara’s is RAKScrapsBarbara.

RAKScraps.com was founded in 2004.

toNoodle Launches New Photoshop Video Tutorial Website

toNoodle LLP announces the launching of toNoodle.com, a subscription based service offering video tutorials on Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop CS3 with emphasis on digital scrapbook techniques.

"While we realize there are plenty of text based tutorials covering Photoshop training already available, we wanted to make it easier for newcomers to digital scrapbooking to learn how to use the software" says partner Paul Lindberg. “For many ladies, learning new software seems so daunting. However, Cameron does a great job of breaking it down into simple-to-follow steps."

Cameron Vanausdal is Lindberg’s partner and the voice behind the video tutorials. With his easy going style, Vanausdal leads the viewer through the training videos covering subjects targeted to the beginner and the advanced. “Our customers continually thank us for making it seem so simple to grasp,” says Vanausdal. “The software manual is often too intimidating for the ladies. They just want to know how to do a certain task, so that’s how we produce each video.” Lindberg says Vanausdal’s way of demonstrating advanced techniques with simple language is what makes him so popular with the customers.

Vanausdal is uniquely qualified for graphic software training with a digital scrapbook emphasis. He graduated from Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah with an Art degree. In addition to his artistic skills, he is a professional photographer, videographer and web designer. After freelancing as a web designer for many years, Vanausdal began working with Lindberg at a large online scrapbook retail business.

Lindberg has over 12 years experience in the scrapbook retail business launching his first retail scrapbook Web site in 1996. After 8 years as General Manager of a $3 million company, Lindberg’s entrepreneurial spirit took over once again. “I really enjoy working closely with the customer to give them what they’re looking for,” says Lindberg.

Working in the scrapbook online community made both partners realize there was a need for quality video training for those wanting to jump into the digital realm.

toNoodle currently has 57 video tutorials and has just released a series of videos on how to use the new release of Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0, which has many changes over the prior release. New video content is added to the site weekly.

Free samples of the video tutorials are available for viewing on the toNoodle home page located at http://www.tonoodle.com.

The subscription rate is an introductory $15 per month.

SOURCE: Express-Press-Release.com

Digital Scrapbooking Blog Carnival becomes Resource Jamboree

Recently posted on Hummie's World:

I had previously tried from May 27, 2007 to March 1, 2008 to get the Digital Scrapbooking Blog Carnival off the ground. I greatly appreciated the ladies who supported it and worked to help get it off the ground. It has not grown, so I am discontinuing my practice of the blog carnival (hoping someone else will take it over because its a fantastic thing) and redirecting my energy to posting in the forums.

Hummie will now share similar Digital Scrapbooking resources in her Forums, and invites visitors to also contribute.

Read more about how the Blog Carnival works.  Anyone interested in taking over the Digital Scrapbooking Blog Carnival should contact Hummie.

Free Photo Scanning for Social Networking Site Members From ScanMyPhotos.com

Free Photo Scanning for Facebook(R), MySpace(R), Blogger(R) and Flickr(R) Members From ScanMyPhotos.com

Wednesday February 13, 6:53 pm ET

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It’s a wrap. During the walkout, members of the Writers Guild of America received free photo scanning from ScanMyPhotos.com as part of the business communities’ support for their efforts. Now, the super-fast nationwide photo scanning service is redirecting its free campaign to a much larger group - members of four leading social networking sites.

"If you subscribe to Facebook, MySpace, Blogger or Flickr, a problem is there are 3.5 trillion treasured analog photo snapshots stashed in shoeboxes. These generations of charmed photo memories need to be digitized and shared too", advised Mitch Goldstone, president and CEO of ScanMyPhotos.com.

"We selected Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and Flickr social networking members to receive this $49.95 value because they represent the most cutting-edge and innovative group of consumers. In exchange, we ask people to post reviews on their experience with our scanning and digital imaging photo center", said Goldstone.

HOW TO GET YOUR PHOTOS SCANNED FOR FREE

1) Free scanning applies only to current members of Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and Flickr to scan up to 1,000 4x6" non-copyrighted photo snapshots, plus pay standard shipping and handing fee of $19.95. Additional paid services are available, including custom photo albums, photo enhancements and extra DVDs.

2) Valid only for direct mail customers in the U.S. Limited to one complimentary scanning service per person / address. Cannot be combined with other orders. Expires on February 29, 2008 extended to March 15, 2008.

3) Click here for complete packing instructions: http://scanmyphotos.com/requirements.html

4) Photographs must comply with ordering requirements and be loose, out of envelopes and albums.

5) Access ScanMyPhotos.com 24/7 Live Support help desk anytime.

6) See blog for more info: Tales from the World of Photo Scanning.

7) Click here to download order form: http://scanmyphotos.com/orderformfree.html.

8) And, a favor: afterwards, please post a review about your experience with ScanMyPhotos.com

ScanMyPhotos.com pioneered a new way to affordably and quickly digitize millions of analog pictures by commercializing KODAK’s document imaging scanners.

See also PhotoPreservation.org: the Voice of Photo Scanning.

SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance, via Genealogy Insider

F+W Publications Announces Lauch of MyCraftivity.com in March

INTRODUCING MYCRAFTIVITY.COM!

F+W will invite [CHA show] attendees to become a Charter Member of its newest website, MyCraftivity.com, a new crafts community where crafters can interact with others during our special SNEAK PEEK look! MyCraftivity.com gives crafters the tools they need to flex their creative muscles by

• Getting their own personal page
• Making friends
• Blogging about their craft life
• Sharing photos of their projects
• Participating in forums with other crafters

MyCraftivity.com officially launches March 17, 2008, but [CHA show] attendees will be able to sign up at the booth during CHA at F+W's interactive station.

SOURCE: Scrapbook Retailer Magazine

Scrapbooking Fonts in MyFonts News

Scrapbooking/Font Designer Ronna Penner was recently featured in the MyFonts.com Rising Stars newsletter, highlighting her "Sweetheart Script" font as a "merry upright script font with a gentle flow".  The newsletter mentions that the font has become Typadelic's (Penner's font studio) best-selling typeface.

Other Typadelic fonts mentioned in the newsletter:
CookieNookie - #1 on MyFonts' "Starlets" list, and also on the Best-Sellers list.
Persimmon
Garden Party