phlow isn’t simply another social network for photographers
One of the criticism to phlow we have received since releasing phlow to the world, particularly from photographers was not having time for another social network.
It is clear we are not passing some key information well enough.
phlow is not social media!
What we stand for and have created in phlow is very different from existing platforms that you may be using such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram…
As a photographer, we know you don’t have time… We know you are not a networker… or a marketing expert… you are a photographer!
So where is the difference between a social media and phlow. More importantly, why in phlow you don’t need to be a networker to do marketing?
basis of social media for photographers
Social media is like meeting your friends for a chat perhaps even a gossip.
Imagine living in a space without distances, where you can just meet all your friends in the blink of an eye. You go there and you chat. With many you may need to shake hands, and remind them who you are.
Being… social. Networking, so people remember you.
As a photographer, your presence in this space is even more than that. More often than not you go to your meetings with your portfolio and try to compete with other photographers, trying to shout louder than anyone else, trying to attract attention to your portfolio.
We are all in the same boat, and in recent years we have started resorting to paying in order to access someone else’s party trying to showcase our work.
If like me, you have had to physically wave a portfolio under someone’s nose to get their attention, you know it is not the best way of doing it.
The issue is that we are limited to the people we know, to our existing social circles — and even if we pay to expand those circles, we are still fighting for attention. All this before we even consider having to trick the AI and algorithms that decides if our friends actually want to see our photographs.
This isn’t the matrix we are describing… It’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat…
It’s every social network you use.
ideal solution for a photographer
An easier way of being noticed is to be seen by someone who is already interested in what I am producing.
I don’t want to spend time shoving your portfolio under friends’ noses every day. More often than not I don’t even want to be seen by the people that know me already.
My ideal scenario as a photographer would be to be noticed by people interested in my photos, but that don’t yet know who I am.
phlow to the rescue!
phlow is not social media
Have I said that already? :)
In phlow, the idea that you focus on the themes you like and not on a circle of friends, breaks the chain of social media. You do not need go to virtual meetings with your friends for hours on end, you simply submit your photos to one or more virtual galleries.
From there, the gallery curator organises the photos received. But not by thinking she knows better or trying to second guess what people want to see. She listens to visitor feedback, understanding which photograph is most compelling, relevant and engaging for each virtual gallery.
As a photographer you don’t need to be in the gallery all day every day, promoting your work and networking. You simply send your photographs to the right one based on the context of the image, and then go on with your own life doing what you do best — taking more great images.
If you want you can ask the curator how your photos are performing. She will tell you who has seen your photographs and how they are being appreciated by specific segments of visitors.
What she certainly won’t expect however, is for you to go in front of another photo and leave a message to the photographer in the hope of boosting your own profile.
fire and forget!
To the photographers that have told me they do not have time for another social media, I say you don’t have to invest time in it.
phlow is the curator that listens to visitors and shows them the most relevant content for what they are passionate about and/or looking for. As a photographer you just need to select the right context or galleries to send your images to and let the crowd based relevance of phlow do it’s job.
The people that are interested in the exhibitions displayed in those galleries might be interested in simply admiring your work. They may want to buy it, or commission you for a private job. You won’t however need to waste time mingling with those who publish other images in the galleries, those stopping to look at your work, or those just passing by.
phlow reduces the time you need to invest to a mere fraction of what you currently spend on social media. You can upload a photo, tagging it and forget about it.
phlow Lightroom plugin
It’s even easier and faster using our Lightroom plugin. Upload dozens of images in less than a minute by reusing all the information you have already prepared as part of your existing workflow.
let phlow be your own curator
Of course if like me, you are an image lover as much as a photographer, and love looking at beautiful photographs created by others, then phlow will curate and show you great images for the things you are passionate about.
phlow is not social media, and you won’t need to spend time acting like it is!
No more endless hours of “follow4follow” or “like4like” games… Come and give phlow a try for yourself…
