New service Photrade offers an ad supported photo syndication service that brings photo monetization to a broader audience.
The concept is simple enough and we’ve seen parts of Photrade in other services. Users upload their photos Flickr style then are presented with a variety of options. Like CafePress they can offer T-Shirts and similar items with the photo printed on the said item at a price determined by the user. Where it differs is with the ability to offer digital rights management as well, complete with syndication options. Rights to use a photo can be sold, or can be offered as a embed that comes with an overlaid adsense style ad unit. This provides a CPM revenue stream (you’re paid on how many times your photo is shown) whilst also providing a legal low cost alternative for websites seeking legal quality images. Watermarking support is also available.
Jeremy Schoemaker caught up with the company recently and shot the below video. The site is currently in closed beta and should be opening up to general applications in the new year.
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most people don’t really want to trade their bowls of noodles
agree with #1
true, but for great pics, event pics that sort of thing I think it has potential…ignore the base level pics and think bigger
I Disagree with #1. I think its a very good idea and really has a potential, it increases users possibilities.
I like how she chuckles after she says the ad isn’t obnoxious.
Looks like BritePic.
TechCrunch review:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007.....e-img-tag/
http://www.britepic.com
The concept has superstar potential, however, they’re just not being creative enough with their idea. I wouldn’t use this service.
The worst looking site in the Web 2.0 space! I think they could use some photos themselves!
Yep the site does not looks professional though concept seems good.
Have to agree with Sherif… site doesn’t look too good.
This is Krista, from Photrade (the person in the video). Thanks for your comments and interest in Photrade. We appreciate the comments on the UI and design, and we are not satisfied with where the site is right now either. We are currently in a private Beta test as we work out the bugs and improve the overall user experience.
We are currently unfunded but are really excited that we just hired a full-time designer, so there should be LOTS of UI improvements coming soon, prior to our public launch.
Thank you again for your interest, and please feel free to contact me with any comments about the site at krista @ photrade . com or our CEO Andrew Paradies acp @ photrade . com. If you are interested in an invite you can request one at http://www.photrade.com.
Clever, but not too sure it will work out.
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
#14 large with meatballs, please.
An order of fresh spring rolls, too.
Lame. Who would want ads on their photos? This takes away the beauty from the actual photo. Hmmm…I’ll stick with ads in other places…
John,
Just wanted to make sure you knew that you do not have to have ads in your photos. It is simply an option. Our goal at PhoTrade is to create one place to help you manage, protect, and monetize your photos.
Thanks,
Andy (PhoTrade team)
Yeah, I get it, but you are a little late to the game…
seems like a cool service, will have to see how it develops since they’re still invite only
Shrewd users could make a killing off this model. Now if only those ginko baloba pills would start working, I might be shrewd myself someday.
I think that the concept is great and it is definitely something that I would be interested in checking out (I wonder how long an invite takes?)….. The design isn’t great (although I can forgive that since they said above that they are unfunded and it Beta)…..
I agree with Duncan - if you think bigger picture this could be really big…..
Addition to #1
To be more accurate, bowls of rice noodles
Pho ga!
i like the idea and work in a similiar business. the legal issues will be a ? and educating their users and buyers what the ramifications are to licensing content like this for different usages. ill be excited to check it out and wish them luck.
also opening up a consumer licensing vehicle for amatuer photographers will be a very cool event. we are attempting to do that as well at cutcaster. sort of like ebay meets getty meets craigslist but open to anyone and we leave a ton of control in the seller and buyers hands.
That Krista Neher does have some nice boobs doesn’t she? Wow!! I’ll use the service if her picture is on their site.
I’m a little bit confused. I went to the site and saw that they provide code/urls to embed the photo or send a link via email. What I didn’t see were ads overlaid on the photo.
http://www.photrade.com/photos.....;350_0.jpg
I right clicked and copied the image location and I see the watermark…but that’s by no means new or unique.
The embed code displays the photo but puts a semi transparent photrade logo on it. Is that what’s optionally replaced with ads? The embed code links back to the photrade page which has two columns of ads.
Is the primary difference here that they are sharing revenue from ads?
I thought from reading that they had some technology that wrapped the photo inside of something else (i.e. Flash) which could protect the photo and carry along additional elements (i.e. ads).
But couldn’t I just grab the url of the jpeg and embed it into my blog without the owner receiving any compensation?
Cool idea…just wanted to have a better understanding of what it was.
I think Adbrite launched there version of this concept some time ago ( http://www.britepic.com/ ) . From what I’ve seen of the two.. britepic appears to have a much better approach.
I like pho. It’s very delicious. I don’t know why anyone wants to trade it.
ugly ugly ugly.
sorry, this will never work… its a good idea but when a blogger links a image they don’t want an ad on their image.
Kind of funny since Peculi.com launched earlier this week, in public beta, and it is cleaner and without the embedded ads. We have tried to get TechCrunch to publish us but haven’t heard anything back yet. Little bit frustrating. We notified them last week and invited them to participate in our private beta. We are just no name college students but I think we have a better site.
Ah well.
The DMCA won’t cover these guys when someone starts making money off images that aren’t their’s. I guess they think it’s better to be in the game on thin legal ice than not at all.
I can see Viacom v YouTube but instead it will be Corbis/Getty/Magnum/AP v PhoTrade….and as PhoTrade offers revenue sharing to everyone right from the getgo their case won’t have half the chance of YouTube’s.
My thoughts anyways…I may be talking bollocks, I have no legal education what-so-eva :))
This is a problem. I have a simple vanity website which is photo heavy. I find that people are hotlinking to my photos (or just copying them outright). It is only downside, since none of this brings people back to my site. It seems that BritePic effectively hosts the photo in a form which allows use of the photo without losing control of it. But Photrade makes a lot of sense as well, because it adds social networking. I could see moving lots of my photos from Flickr, where I have no realistic control, to something like Photrade. This would allow the networking, and also make it easy to use the photos on my website. If only their interface were better, like flickr, smugmug, or pbase.
I think it has huge potential.
Goodbye (for me) Flickr, photobucket, imageshack shack shack
My Phobadge —> http://www.photrade.com/thumbs/badges/367.jpg
Well I quite like it, it has potential.
I think now they need to do some serious SEO for stock photo buying, now that the user base has mushroomed since this original article was posted.