I was recently at lunch with a friend and we were talking about our businesses when she asked me: "What is the number one thing you want to accomplish in your business?"
Of course, I immediately wanted to say: "I want to help more people fireproof their photos and family videos and digital memories. I want to help more people preserve the stories and memories that go with their photos by saving them in print."
But I thought, "That's so obvious!"
And so I told her:
"I want to educate people. There are so many things about photos and preserving them that people just don't know, even though they are things that really matter!"
They are things I didn't even know, either, until I dove deeper in 2021.
And since that lovely conversation, I organized the seven things I wish everyone knew about photos. I'll give you the short version here, so you'll probably want to watch the video version at the end of this post for more details.
And these are in no particular order because they're ALL so important!
#1: iCloud is Not a Backup. It's a Direct Sync.
A backup is a second copy of something. A direct sync means if you delete it from your iPhone or your iPad, it's also deleted from the cloud. Don't think you can "clean up" your device because it's all "saved in the cloud." Almost nobody I talk to knows this!
Check out the video to see the actual terms of service where Apple tells you they aren't responsible for anything in iCloud, so make sure you have a backup. Yeah, they really have the nerve to say that even though you're paying for iCloud.
#2: Today's phones are a great place to take photos, but they're a terrible place to store them.
Phones are not permanent! They are easily stolen, lost, or dropped. More importantly, Apple states (and you should check the terms of service if you have an Android) that your Apple accounts are terminated upon your death. Phones are not a safe place to keep photos. At all.
Check out the video for 2 sad, real life stories about this.
#3: Google Photos is Not Private or Permanent
This is not a newsflash, I know. It's pretty common knowledge that Google data mines (gathers data from our personal information to use or sell). They reserve rights to your photos and anything you put in Google (Gmail, Google Photos, etc.). But I think most people have never actually read Google's Terms of Service, and I think we should know what's in there.
In the video, I go over the Google Terms of Service, which include rights to "host, distribute, publicly communicate, use, publish, publicly perform, and display your content." I also talk about a CBS News article about a family whose photo had been sold and used without their knowledge on a political flyer.
So, yeah, another thing I definitely want people to know.
#4: Your Social Media is Not Yours
It can disappear in an instant. PLEASE DO NOT think it's a safe place to store your photos and videos! It's tricky because you feel like you have control over it, but it can be shut down without ANY warning. It happened to me, and I told that story here. It also happened to Cindy from the County Road 407 blog, and you can see a brief description of it at the beginning of her post here.
In the video, I also mention a couple more reasons social media is NOT for storing photos and videos. Please check it out if you count on Facebook or Instagram or even a blog for your photos, videos, and stories to be preserved.
#5: Photos are SO Good for You!
You may already know this if you've been here at the blog a time or two. Sometimes people treat photos like a chore, and I really wish everyone knew how incredibly good they are for the heart and soul. Sometimes we know this from experience, but there have actually been studies done that prove it! Spending time with photos decreases stress, increases happiness, increases gratitude, and increases relaxation. Among other things.
I talk about some more reasons to prioritize spending time with photos in the video, which you'll find below after #7.
#6: Saving, organizing and sharing photos (and videos) is doable! No overwhelm required.
I really wish people knew this. Some people don't believe it. But it's definitely true! I write about this all the time, I know. This is huge:
And you may remember my 10 Minutes Daily Plan as well as my own experience:
#7: Photo experts recommend storing them three ways.
You probably already know this from your time here at Photo & Story Treasures, but this is definitely one thing I wish everyone knew. I hear, "Oh, I'm set. All my photos are on an external hard drive." If it's the one and only place, they are still, most definitely, at risk. Photo experts say the safest way to keep photos is:
In the video below I explain why 2 digital ways are best and the difference between the two that photo experts suggest. I also talk about why print is still a recommended photo preservation way! I also talk about cloud options since Google and iCloud are obviously out of the question.
Was there anything in this Seven Things I Wish Everyone Knew list that you didn't know before? I'd love to know, so tell me in the comments.
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