It’s always a little frustrating when you have an idea and see
someone else run with it. About 6 months ago I was trying to get a
large German publisher to implement something similar to Scoopt - with no success - and now they’ve been scooped!
Scoopt recognises that these
days, the best photographs of a news event are likely to be taken by
eye-witnesses at the scene and not by professional press
photographers. Of course, this is nothing new - big events like plane
crashes are often captured by amateurs, who happen to have a camera
with them and the precence of mind to use it.
What has changed though is that, thanks to camera phones, a lot more
people are carrying around cameras than they ever used to. This means
that it’s infinitely more likely that the event will be captured.
What Scoopt does is allow witnesses to news events to post their
photos online. Then they try to sell them to their "extensive network
of media contacts", splitting income on the 50:50 basis - though the
photographer retains copyright.
The big challenge (assuming that the network of media contacts is real) is in communicatiing the idea to the population at large. People don’t witness news events every day and may well not know about Scoopt - or have forgotten about it when they need it. Which is why it makes much more sense to launch it in conjunction with a newspaper.
A lot of fuss is being made about bloggers "replacing" journalists
in some way. And indeed, many bloggers provide a very high quality
output that would grace the pages of any "traditional" publications.
But the reality is that there’s plenty of room for bloggers/citizen
journalists, as well as the more established genre of writers.
However, it’s pretty clear to me that the news photographer is much
more endangered as a species and sites like Scoopt are happily
hammering the nails into the coffin.
As a slight digression, I’m reading Andrew Marr’s book "My Trade"
about journalism. [Andrew Marr is a senior Brit journalist, who is about
to take over Sir David Frost's iconic TV programme Frost on Sunday.
Presumably they'll change the name.]
One pithy quote I enjoyed was "Journalism is the industrialisation
of gossip". I wonder if he’ll write about blogging or citizen
journalism?
Hi Russell
Many thanks for your interest in Scoopt — and sorry for scooping your brainwave!
Just a couple of comments:
You say: “What Scoopt does is allow witnesses to news events to post their photos online.”
I would like to make it clear that Scoopt is in no way a photo-sharing site. When you send Scoopt a photo (via MMS, email or direct upload), it is *not* published in any public area of the site. Rather, we evaluate the photos and endeavour to make a sale direct to media buyers.
You say: “People don’t witness news events every day and may well not know about Scoopt - or have forgotten about it when they need it.”
Can’t quibble with that! However, when a member joins Scoopt, we send an SMS to their mobile phone with details of how to MMS and/or email us photos. We also send a confirmation email with the same details. The hope is that members will save this message or perhaps create a Scoopt contact in their phone’s address book. Then, when something happens, they have Scoopt’s details to hand and can submit a photo instantly from the scene.
You also say: “Which is why it makes much more sense to launch it in conjunction with a newspaper.”
But I’m not sure I understand your meaning. Yes, launching with a newspaper would give us instant widespread publicity but it would also — critically, I feel — limit our market. Scoopt can sell photos (and videos) to anyone, not just to one paper or publishing house or media conglomeration. Our independence is, I believe, absolutely central to getting absolutely the best deal for our members — which will often mean selling to the highest bidder.
Thanks again. Your article is much appreciated.
Kyle MacRae
Scoopt
Hi Russell
Many thanks for your interest in Scoopt — and sorry for scooping your brainwave!
Just a couple of comments:
You say: “What Scoopt does is allow witnesses to news events to post their photos online.”
I would like to make it clear that Scoopt is in no way a photo-sharing site. When you send Scoopt a photo (via MMS, email or direct upload), it is *not* published in any public area of the site. Rather, we evaluate the photos and endeavour to make a sale direct to media buyers.
You say: “People don’t witness news events every day and may well not know about Scoopt - or have forgotten about it when they need it.”
Can’t quibble with that! However, when a member joins Scoopt, we send an SMS to their mobile phone with details of how to MMS and/or email us photos. We also send a confirmation email with the same details. The hope is that members will save this message or perhaps create a Scoopt contact in their phone’s address book. Then, when something happens, they have Scoopt’s details to hand and can submit a photo instantly from the scene.
You also say: “Which is why it makes much more sense to launch it in conjunction with a newspaper.”
But I’m not sure I understand your meaning. Yes, launching with a newspaper would give us instant widespread publicity but it would also — critically, I feel — limit our market. Scoopt can sell photos (and videos) to anyone, not just to one paper or publishing house or media conglomeration. Our independence is, I believe, absolutely central to getting absolutely the best deal for our members — which will often mean selling to the highest bidder.
Thanks again. Your article is much appreciated.
Kyle MacRae
Scoopt
Hi Russell:
“However, it’s pretty clear to me that the news photographer is much more endangered as a species and sites like Scoopt are happily hammering the nails into the coffin.”
Aaaah.. I must disagree. While there are more citizen shooters packing a cam-phone now, thats true, but the image quality “really” lacks for print. Main-Stream Media would only pay for these pix if: A- No suitable pro quality shot exisits, B- No other ‘almost free’ content has been submitted. Amateur footage during the moments of major event (London 7/7) being the exception, thankfully it’s very seldom such incidents occur. Was that Daily Mirror front page image “sent to the BBC by a member of the public” paid for..?!? http://mobhappy.typepad.com/russell_buckleys_mobhappy/2005/07/london_77_and_m.html
It is a cool idea (mobile image agency), but I kinda doubt that many pro news photogs are going to hang-up their bags anytime soon as a result of this.
Cheers,
Lars.