I'm in a protection program so no photographs, please!

Are you storing your priceless photos on your computer? If your answer is no, that's good, otherwise, continue reading. Unless you run a photography studio, the only photos you should store on your device are a few of the kids, g-kids, a friend or spouse and maybe some from a recent travel adventure. The remainder of your precious photo library should be stored elsewhere and not on your computer. Back up your photos to CDs, DVDs or a detachable hard drive and store them in a lock box off site or somewhere safe.

A great way to store your photos is on the Internet by using a picture service. Photo services are starting to disappear, but there are still a few to choose. Listed below are a few of the majors services. It is safer to store your photos on at least two sites. Some sites will allow you free storage for an unlimited number of photos. Are these sites safe? Yes, for the most part. Recently the premier photo site operated by Kodak announced that they would cease their on-line photo services and transfer their clients' photos to Shutterfly. If whatever major photo service you choose happens to change its course and shut down, they should give you advanced notice. If they do not, you will already have your photos on another site or copied to your own storage media and kept somewhere safe. Right?

The other storage opportunities on the Internet are 'cloud' services that we'll explore in a later post. For now, use CDs or DVDs and store them safely and use an on-line photo service. The bottom line here is how important are your photos today and how important will they be 10, 20 or 30 years from now. OK, you can really save me some time here and re-read the whole article substituting the word 'video' for 'photo.'

Now smile and say, "CHEESE."

Shutterfly
Walmart Photo (must make one purchase per year)
Picassa by Google (1GB Free)
Flikr by Yahoo (limitations)
Snapfish by HP (slow uploads)

All of these services are subject to change so keep a watchful eye on the ones you choose.

Cloudy today with a chance of no clouds tomorrow!

You may be hearing a lot about this 'cloud' thing; cloud services this and cloud services that. So, what is this 'cloud?' The 'cloud' is the Internet. Using cloud services is another way of saying, "I lease software or space from some company (service provider) on the Internet."
With software cloud services, you do not possess the program (software); you rent or lease it from the service provider. Each time you need the program it is delivered or run from a provider's location on the Internet. The program is not resident on your computer.
Cloud services for backup means that you are leasing space for your data on the service provider's hard drives. Your data is backed-up and safe— somewhere. You do not have it but somebody does and they are supposedly keeping it safe for you. It's just like those big storage facilities you see along the road from time to time. When your attic and basement is full, "Use Lock & Pay Storage Centers." We'll keep it safe and secure; we promise.
Whether or not to use cloud services can be a complex decision. There are just as many good reasons as bad. It all depends on your specific needs. Weigh your decision carefully and always seek independent advice.