Only a couple of decades ago, getting a picture from your camera onto the internet required dropping off film at a photo center, waiting for the roll to be developed, paying for the services, scanning the photo, then uploading it to cyberspace. As technology advances, that lengthy process has been simplified, and we can now upload and share pictures to our social media accounts in seconds.
The digital landscape has evolved even faster to a point where creatives use their online presence to build a brand. Entrepreneur Tom Oswald saw an opportunity to revolutionize how digital photos are hosted and shared and created ClickASnap, a groundbreaking social media platform.
ClickASnap is an innovative, paid-per-view photo hosting and sharing platform. Not only does ClickASnap allow users to upload, post, and market their photos, it also lets them monetize the photos while maintaining ownership and licensing of their copyrighted material. The platform has a theft protection feature that disables other users from printing the screen or saving the images from the site.
"We are extremely strict on website rules," Oswald said. "Any content not uploaded by the owner is removed and the uploader banned."
How does it work? Users upload their images, and based on their subscription plan, they can earn money from ClickASnap when others view their photographs. They offer an online marketplace where you can sell digital downloads or physical prints. Once users reach $15 in their ClickASnap account, they can withdraw funds.
Oswald first got the idea for the site after developing Videscape, a video platform to compete with YouTube (News - Alert). He recognized the value of monetizing video and wanted to apply the same principles to photography. Noticing people were posting their photos on social media channels and not getting enough attention, he wanted to help them boost engagement and make money doing it.
"It can be very disheartening seeing your imagery receive little or no interaction," Oswald said.
This sentiment also influenced Oswald to eliminate algorithms used by leading social media sites like Instagram and Facebook (News - Alert) that throttles the organic reach of posts. ClickASnap lets its feed populate chronologically, with no reach restrictions, so all posts have equal opportunity to be seen.
Above all, Oswald wanted users to keep ownership of their artistic material instead of letting social media platforms have the right to profit from them. When you agree to the terms of use of the popular social media platforms, you're granting them the right to use anything you post however they want, even profiting from it. Some sites that allow you to profit from your content through sales add up to 30% for royalties. ClickASnap stands firm and will never collect royalties or claim the rights to your photos, posts, or anything on your account.
Protecting user data and personal information is vital to ClickASnap. When you sign up, they only ask for a small amount of personal information to open your account. Some features or upgrades require more information, but ClickASnap is transparent with their privacy policy, explaining the information they require and how they use it.
As an amateur photographer, Oswald created ClickASnap for everyone, from beginners to professional photographers. Their free account allows access to share, browse, and upload unlimited photos. Upgrading to an ad-free version is only £2.00/month, the seller account is £4/month, and the pro account is £6/month. Premium benefits include custom watermarks for artist photos, front page features of you and your art, unlimited uploads and cloud storage, and store credits to buy publicity.
Tom Oswald continues to make the ClickASnap better and improve the user experience. From pro photographers furthering their brand to casual users just having fun, anyone can make the site what they want it to be. By creating a platform that puts users' needs first, ClickASnap is changing the world of digital photo sharing, one picture at a time.
Try out the site for free by visiting ClickASnap.
