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Viral Marketing - What Can It Do For You?

I am contemplating getting my own Epson 7900. I haven't settled on that one yet, but I hear great things about it. The question is - what do I do with it? Print my own photos as art, perhaps? But can I do more? And, what can you do with it?

Enter Cameron Davidson. Cameron (a friend), who has taken not only his printer, but, the PhotoShelter Viral Marketing tool, to a whole new level. When the internet was invented by DARPA, the purpose for it was for communications between universities and the military. Sometimes, what you plan for the use of the product is just the beginning. So too, with the PhotoShelter tool. Cameron is using the tool to make the world a better place, selling aerial prints via his blog - Aerial Prints for Community Coalition for Haiti - to make a difference in the world. Below are over 150 of his images he's selling, and not making a penny from:


Cameron's blog notes - "The money will be used in two ways: to purchase seeds for farmers who lost their crops last fall when Haiti was walloped by three hurricanes in a row and for a feeding program for a small orphanage in the Central Highlands."

Hats off to Cameron for the difference he's making with this project!

What other things could you do to make a difference?


Back when the viral marketing tool was in it's infancy - in November of last year - Vincent Laforet (also a friend) decided to make a difference with a scholarship, and noted on his blog here - "all of the profits from these print sales for the next 30 days to a student internship/scholarship…Yep - all of the income (minus the cost of printing, labor, and shipping) will be put towards a student internship/scholarship that I set up. "

Here is Vincent's gallery:


Vincent's effort was so successful, that he posted - Internship Update - it’s on! - a month later, so one can only hope that Cameron's efforts will be as successful - if not more so - than Vincent's!

Hats off to both Cameron and Vincent for using their talents to make a difference in the world, and in the photo community. I think I've found my justification for getting a sweet printer to follow their lead, now if I could only get a few printers to try out.... :-)

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