**PAYING** for Photopoint!!

“Shoulda seen this one coming. I'm sure you're all getting your notices that Photopoint will no longer be a free service as of May 1.

I had participated in the Online Photo Contest, which has gone to charging. I've read the NY Times will soon be going to charging. Alas, the dot.coms must stay afloat!!!!

So, ya gonna stick with Photopoint or not???”

“Oh no, some body else has their hand out. I suppose you don't get nothing for nothing.

I haven't seen the notice yet. How much is it gonna cost? What are the options? Any other services?

Man I like perusing other peoples photo albums. This is a major bummer. We gotta find a way to show off our pictures if this is too much $$$$”

“Dear Member,

PhotoPoint has dedicated its business to protecting your pictures and allowing you to share them easily with your family and friends. We thank you for making PhotoPoint the #1 online photography company.

To continue providing you the online photo experience you enjoy, we need to make several changes to our service in the coming weeks.Most significant is that, starting in mid-May, PhotoPoint.com will no longer be a free service, except for limited "trial" memberships.

We believe you deserve to get real value for your dollars. For the past six months we have conducted surveys and talked directly with members to learn what people want from an online photo company. We have built a full-service program based on value, not just storage, designed by users like you.

As a PhotoPoint Member, you will enjoy all of the current PhotoPoint features including secure photo albums and PicCheer photo postcards, plus:

Save 5% off all print orders for the year

Create and Save up to 5 SmashCast Movies - add music and graphics to your photos

Store up to 1000 photos*

Print at Home service - print photos at home like a pro

Enjoy express customer service

Receive our PhotoPointersTM Tutorial Series - valuable tips and tricks for improving your photography


For a limited time, you can join for an entire year for a one-time charge of $19.95, and we'll include 25 free prints (the prints alone are a $12 value). As a valued member, you also have the option of a special lower priced basic membership, which does not include prints, for just $9.95 for the year. These introductory offers will end April 30, 2001.

We want to thank you for your loyal support of PhotoPoint, and look forward to continuing to provide you with the best photo service on the Internet. If you have any questions, please visit our More Information page, or contact Customer Service.

Sincerely,

Ed Bernstein,
CEO
PhotoPoint.com”

“I'm going elsewhere. There's bound to be a photo service or two that stays free.

If I paid for every internet service I use and every good site I visit regularly, I'd go broke. Just add them up in your head, multiply by $20 or $30 per month, and see how much it is.”

“I'm going to download my photos onto a CD and may consider Webshots as an alternative. Anyone else have any suggestions?”

“Already paid the introductory price of 9.95 for the first year. Small price to pay to store 1000 photos online.”

“However, if it goes up from there, I'll ditch 'em.”

“I'll pay the $9.95 but will look for another locale.”

“Why don't we all just use Phil's Photopage. I don't think he or CSU Pomona should mind if we store thousands of pictures in their system. What do you think?”

“Let's look into using Phil's site, at least for backpacking pics.

While $9.95 by itself doesn't seem like much, when you start paying similar amounts to every good site, it adds up to a hefty sum to use the internet.”

“Phil, I suppose we really ought to be asking you, so here goes:
What do you think? Can your site handle it all?”

“whoa! I was just trying to be funny. I guess I wasn't funny enough if I'm being taken seriously. I don't think we should try to saddle something like this on Phil. He's already done more than enough for us with his photopage. I think we can find our own sites to post pictures.

(http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1314924 is mine for now)

On another note, how do you rate lizs? I haven't gotten a letter from the CEO of Photopoint yet. I guess your photos are better than mine.”

“LOL!!! (aw, c'mon......YOU won the mega-media event pass-around camera award!! So we know your shots are PRO!) hehehehee

I'm signed up for the NEWSLETTER!! Are you????????? That's what it was in. moooooooohahahaha”

“GIVE THEM NOTHING!!!”

“hmmmmmm... looks a lot like a Tarpy type comment......”

“Blow me B!tch”

“Sure sounds like Tarpy to me, too.”

“steve hiker, I couldn't agree more. After I write this, I will start downloading my pictures to my hard drive, and putting them on CD rom. I bet if everyone stopped using Photopoint, it would be free once again. Webshots seems to be a good site. I am going to do more research.”

“To Whom It May Concern:

Cancel your checks.”

“Tarpy when someone graciously breaks all your fingers, try to elbow me an email so that my day will be made much brighter, NAY my MONTH!

As for PhotoPoint, $10 ain't too bad for storing your photos I guess. I presently have few enough to just store or burn 'em myself to email ppl (uh, well I mean when we upgrade our system shortly and get us a scanner). No way whatsoever for more'n that.”

“Ok, I kind of hesitate to mention this site, cuz it's full of snotty professionals. LOL!! OK, us peons hang out there, too!

It's a great site if you are totally into photography.... and realize that any photo you submit typically is posted before it goes into your folder (although maybe you can mark them to keep them private)

There is what is called POW there -- "Photo of the Week." It usually amounts to the supreme godheads of artsy-fartsy photography arguing with the average joes......but it can be fun to participate in!!

It's not a site quite like Photopoint, but ya might want to consider it. It even has a chatroom!! (OHHHHHH MY!!) It seems like your more common people hang out in the chatroom... and while chat is often on photography, it can surely stray.

Here it is:

photo.net/

Don't say I didn't warn ya!!!!”

“What about Yahoo Photo's? Does anybody use that?”

“I may be trolling but I'm not tarpy!”

“Great site Liz, thanks for the link. And as far as paying for PhotoPoint, $9.95 for a year is not so bad.”

“I still say give them nothing”

“Look on "snapfish.com" for a alternate choice for photo needs.”

“I've been posting my pics on zing.com and it seems like an o.k. site.”

“I checked out Webshots and it's pretty similar to Photopoint. You can upload and share photos. It's also free. To use Webshots:

1. Go to www.webshots.com, download their "Webshots Desktop" software and sign in.

2. Then, download the "My Photos Assistant" software which you need to upload photos. To get to this software, click "help" at the top of the home page, then "FAQ," then "My Photos Assistant."

I just uploaded a set of photos I have in jpeg format on a floppy disk, and it works well.”

“Thanks for the links all. I'll be scopin' out a new place to hang my pics.

I just got my "walking papers" from photopoint today. It's the principal involved here. I feel like this is a shady deal and I am not about to fork over a cent, much less 10 bucks a year to this greedy.com. Bummer, cuz photopoint was awesome.

The new and "improved" site, since they redesigned it a few weeks ago, is sub-par IMHO anyway.

oh well, asta la vista photopimps! >;o)”

“I'm going to say Adios! to Photopoint. I've got all my photos on my hard drive anyway. The only reason I used photopoint was to share my PICs with others.
Steve Hiker is right. What if Matt and Gorp and Backpacker and Avalanche reports and weather all started to charge. Bad thing to let get started. Boycott!!”

“I've been using Yahoo so far wtih good success.

Yahooooooo!”

“EXPECT that a lot of places are going to start charging in the future. The Net and banner ads, etc., are not panning out the way companies hoped. Sites are laying off people, or going under, or they begin charging. It's a fact of life these days. Who knows?”

“I?ve been getting my film developed by a company called PhotoWorks (formally known as Seattle Film Works.) I think they do a good job at a fair price, and are convenient to my lifestyle, meaning I don?t have to go to the damn mall to get my pictures done. The catch is that if you use the free film they send you, nobody else will develop it because it?s different somehow from normal film. In that way they get your repeat business.

When I logged onto my account to view the latest roll I sent in, I noticed that they?ve still got pictures I took last year up there. I don?t pay them any extra for this, so maybe it could be an alternative to photopoint. Since I don?t use the online sharing, I couldn?t say exactly how it works, but check it out yourself at www.photoworks.com. A photographer friend of mine seemed to have some issues with the film/process, but I?ve never had a complaint.”

“Bye bye photopoop!
I just got my email too.
I did a quick search and I'm down to 2 new sites; picturetrail.com or snapfish.com. Both are very similar to photopoint with the full privacy option, now I need to check out storage.
Anyone have an idea on how to transfer 120 photos each with a description, in 10 seperate albums to a new site??????”

“I checked out ”

“Ya buncha tightwads!
$10.00? Give it up!

Like someone mentioned earlier -
get ready to start forking out the jack for all this heretofore free stuff.

Whatta bout email?
There's a rumor that the Feds wanna start charging $.05 per e...
true?”

“hahaaaaa...I just crack me up. uhhh, someone wanna gimme a tutorial on linking 101..again?

sorry...anyway, what my post should have read is that I checked out www.picturetrail.com and they seem like a very similar deal. The only problem is dowloading the hundred+ pics of mine and then having to re-up 'em somewhere else.
My computer may just give up.
=:0”

“Sorry for being so cheap gojo, but when you have less than $60 left after paying the bills for the month, $10 is a lot of money.”

“$60.00?!
Dude... lets PARTY!

LOL!”

“Gogo, that .o5/email thing is an urban legend that's been circulating for years. There are a number of urban legend sites that will tell you more...”

“I think I'm gonna pay the $10. It's worth it to me to not have to find another home for my pics and have to put em all back up and change my URL.
It's only $10.”

“Ken: That film you're using is BAD film. It might be OK for just snapshots (used to be you would get both snapshots and slides with it.) The quality is not very good. I can't specifiy how, but I do know it is. For one thing, I'm sure the grain is huge. It seems colors might be off too. It is a film used in the motion picture industry, I believe, and it's left over. Maybe someone else can elaborate on this. Maybe I'll find ya a link when I've got time to search for more info.

Wow, AmyG, I thought some pervert was posting!!!!! (and then gojo's post immediately followed, so...... ya know..... hehee.... BUT I WAS WRONG!)

Ken: As the US Post Office starts to talk about stopping its Saturday mail delivery due to such things as E-MAIL cutting into its profits, nothing would surprise me.

The one thing that will really suck -- and it only makes sense they'd do it after they get everyone so used to their services -- is that ICQ (or the instant messenger services) would start charging. How is ICQ making money these days, anyway????????????”

“Maybe our providers should share the wealth. Afterall many of us are still paying 21.95 for access.”

“I knew there was supposed to be something wrong with that film, but for a photohack like me it?s fine. I sure can?t tell the difference with a 4x6 print. Maybe if I needed a huge enlargement, or became a pro like you?I?ll keep your words in mind liz. Seems that those who should know what they?re talking about don?t like that film. You can still use that company?s developing and web service without using their film, but that means a trip to the damn mall to buy film?

About the email thing, I do know what I?m talking about there. Please don?t proliferate that silly years-old rumor about federal email tax.”

“i just deleted all of my albums.”

“I was just looking at snapfish.com, they have a limit of 60MB of storage. I couldn't find a storage limit for picturetrail.com though.”

“Seattle Film Works, now known as PhotoWorks? uses a 35 mm motion picture film that they purchase in bulk. (bulk rolls that is) 35mm motion picture film only has sprocket holes on one side of the film I believe, so they have to re-punch the film and load it in their cassettes. They pay no attention to aging or storage of this film, and most of it is sold to them because it failed to meet one or more standards for the motion picture industry. It isn't the typical E-6 process that most color transparency films require, and it isn't the K-14 process that the kodachrome emulsions require. It uses what is known as the ECN, or ECN II process, and from my own personal experience the results are varied. I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than snapshots because of the inconsistent color renditions and the lack of tight grain. Skin tones vary from not too bad to too green. Your average wedding photographer would not walk, but run from this emulsion. Personally, my smallest investment in the photos that I take is the film. If bought in bulk from the right mail-order house, you can get decent fresh film for a decent price. Just my 2 cents worth.”

“Some alternative sites for those jilted by PhotoPoint:

If you are seriously interested in prints, the most cost-effective choice is DotPhoto

If you are interested in your own photo sharing site, Opholio is a good choice.

If you would like to sell prints of your photos, DotPhoto lets you specify royalty rates.

If you are a professional photographer, PrintRoom is set up to partner photo sales.

If you want 35mm slides made from digital originals, PhotoAccess is the only place - but pricey.

If you can't stand ads, try Pbase

If you want to be able to download batches of photos as well as upload, try Fototime or Ememories ”

“That doofus who posted previously messed up the links. Let's try again...

Some alternative sites for those jilted by PhotoPoint:

If you are seriously interested in prints, the most cost-effective choice is DotPhoto

If you are interested in your own photo sharing site, Opholio is a good choice.

If you would like to sell prints of your photos, DotPhoto lets you specify royalty rates.

If you are a professional photographer, PrintRoom is set up to partner photo sales.

If you want 35mm slides made from digital originals, PhotoAccess is the only place - but pricey.

If you can't stand ads, try Pbase

If you want to be able to download batches of photos as well as upload, try Fototime or Ememories ”

“Why doesn't everyone just post all their pictures on Phil's university server! I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He's such a nice guy.”