I've been following the latest hate war against David Jay and PASS with interest. Here's the post that started it all, and here's what it's all about. I like my commercial messages straight, so I wish David didn't come on to you like a TV evangelist, but that aside, he's not wrong about everything. So because we hate hate speech of every kind I thought I'd explain what he's right about before I get into where we part company... David is promoting what he calls Shoot & Share, which in practice means a photographer shoots an event and hosts the images on David's service, PASS, where the customers have access to the high-res files and are invited to share them with their friends as well. If you were a courtroom attorney and demanding a Yes-No answer to, "Do you agree with Shoot and Share?" I'd have to say, "Yes I do." Why? For three reasons. First, because social sharing is a reality, whether we like it or not. Even if you think people passing your images around is a form of piracy, that's better than being ignored, which is what happens to most of us. Second, because social sharing is a powerful new form of word of mouth, the most authentic kind of marketing - if it's "marketing" at all. You post images on your website. Your customers share them with their friends. Their friends tell their friends, and that's where your next bookings come from. Third, because Shoot & Share is a big step up the social scale from Shoot & Burn, the loser's way to sell wedding photography. (Isn't it ironic that Shoot and Burners are delivering their pictures on thumb drives now, just as PCs are going the way of DVD players, and everything's going wireless? And isn't it tragic that their customers have spent good money on photos that will almost certainly disappear without trace?) So we don't disagree entirely with David Jay, but if the prosecuting attorney will allow us a more nuanced response than yes or no, in my next post I'll explain why, despite everything I've said, if you're thinking of building a career in social photography, David Jay's Shoot & Share model might be bad for your health. Might. We have people doing it on Workspace right now. As I say, it's not all bad, it just might not be enough. For some at least it won't be enough. Cheers, Ian