Jan/100
Optimizing your images for Google Image Search
Last year at Search Market Expo West, Peter Linsley from Google Image Search outlined how publishers can improve their ability to get images indexed by Google and other major search engines.
We've mentioned a few of the tips in a previous post like learning how to use alt tags and using plenty of descriptive text. Linsley covers the basics and more and breaks down image search behavior, which is very different from web search.
If you think about the paradigm when they do a query, it's not so much about what's the first result... users can consume images in a heartbeat, and if the image they happen to like is at the bottom left-and corner or the bottom right-hand corner, so be it. They'll see that, there's something about the image that attracts them, and they'll click through.
Since image searches are very subjective, there is no way for search engines to figure out what you are looking for. Sometimes users aren't just looking for a specific image but use the image search function as a tool for inspiration, research, and "sometimes they just use it to kill time, just for the fun of it."
I really enjoyed reading Linsley's best practices which include asking yourself how to make your images useful for users.
It's really about immersing the user into a very image-centric experience. These are the kinds of landing pages, these are the kind of images we've observed that our users tend to like.
For more tips keep reading here
Jan/100
WIN THIS CANON POWERSHOT!
| IMAGE SPACE MEDIA CONTEST
WIN THIS CAMERA! Fill out the short survey and give us your best suggestions for tagging images and you could win this Canon PowerShot! Just fill out this quick survey.
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Dec/090
Image Space Media Newsletter: December 2009
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IMAGE SPACE MEDIA News for December 2009 
Welcome to Image Space Media's newsletter for December 2009. HAPPY HOLIDAYS EDITION!! WIN THIS CAMERA! As usual, a big thank you to our publishers using Image Space Media's technology in beta, and for your feedback. Your input helps us identify what areas we need to improve upon. With your help and feedback we've been steadily working to improve our technology. If you have any comments or questions please send them to info@imagespacemedia.com. in this issue:
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Dec/091
Publisher of the Week: Dwell Blog
This week, Image Space Media would like to recognize Dwell Blog as Publisher of the Week. Dwell Blog's website is sleek and clean; each post only contains a title and photos of stunning modern homes and fixtures. These photos show the inside and outside of apartments, condos, single-family homes, and cool gadgets to add to your decor.
Click here to experience Dwell Blog - "Cool Modern Living | Get Inspired"
Click here to follow the Dwell Blog on twitter
Dec/090
Publisher of the Week: The Design Mag
This week, Image Space Media would like to recognize The Design Mag as Publisher of the Week. The Design Mag is perfect for all skill levels of web, graphic designers, and/or people interested in learning more about new design trends and techniques to the design community.
The site is updated several times per week, with helpful articles dealing with all different subjects in the web and design world. Archived posts are organized under the following subjects: CSS, Design, Featured Articles, Fonts, Freebies, Icons, Inspiration, Showcases, Tools, Tutorials, Typography, and Wordpress.
Click here to visit The Design Mag's website & here to follow them on twitter!
*Author and founder of The Design Mag, Thomson Chemmanoor, wrote an article on, "21 New and Fabulous Retro Style Photoshop Tutorials." Within this article was the topic, "Creating an Awesome Retro Collage", and the photo below was the finished collage.
Nov/090
Image Space Media Newsletter: November 2009
Welcome to Image Space Media's newsletter for November 2009.
As usual, we want to provide news about our services and answers to some frequently asked questions.
We genuinely appreciate your participation in Image Space Media's technology in beta, and for your feedback. Your input helps us identify what areas we need to improve upon. With your help and feedback we've been steadily working to improve our technology. If you have any comments or questions please send them to info@imagespacemedia.com.
in this issue:
- why the name change?
- what's a taxonomy engine?
- better ads and higher payouts
- publishers of the week
- giving thanks
Nov/090
Burberry: Art of the Trench
It's no surprise that luxury brands have been struggling this year. Economic malaise has shunned high-end spending and have greatly benefited discount retailers like Target. Luxury labels have been looking for ways to reinvent themselves to appeal to younger consumers and have sought exposure in numerous ways with mixed results.
Luxury brands have struggled to utilize the web where sites for knock-offs and deep discounts abound. Upholding the integrity of their brands is of utmost importance to keep their aging consumer base.
All eyes are on Burberry who has just launched Art of the Trench, a gallery of street photography of people wearing the iconic Burberry trench. They enlisted fashion photographers to begin the project and have invited the public to submit their own photos. The execution of the site is beautiful and has lead to a lot of buzz. It will be interesting to see how Burberry will ride this wave and if other luxury brands will follow suit.
Nov/090
Publisher of the Week: Post Your Food
This week, Image Space Media would like to recognize Postyourfood.com as Publisher of the Week. At Postyourfood, you can post pictures of your meals or rate others.
Using PYF is quick and easy, with no registration required! Simply upload a picture of your meal, title it, tag it, and select a related category. If you don't have an image to upload, you can browse through other pictures (which are categorized by breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, and bizarre foods.) You can rate each image you see by clicking a 'disgusted' or 'happy' emoticon.
Visit Postyourfood.com today!
Nov/090
ad:tech New York
This year's ad:tech New York expo was hosted at the Javits Center, and Image Space Media was there to partake in all the action (and free schwag!) With over 250 exhibitors, ad:tech is the largest gathering of online marketers and where "brands, agencies, publishers and service providers come together to share, network, and do business.". The expo was held here in New York City on November 4th & 5th, but if you missed the NYC show, it is also held yearly in: Sydney, Paris, San Francisco, Singapore, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Shanghi, and Beijing.
Many companies were very creative in making their booths, and were giving out all sorts of schwag like notebooks, pens, condoms, stickers, breathalyzers (I tested mine out later that night), and candy. Convert2Media had a bar with Amstel light on tap, Design Back Office was offering free logo designs, and Facebook gave out a code for free trial ads.
After all the fun at the expo, there were after parties all over town. Some of our team hit up the Roosevelt Hotel and the Providence Hotel to celebrate a successful day.
Overall, the expo was very interesting (thanks to the free beer and schwag) and the Image Space Media team gained a lot of valuable knowledge (along with sore feet.)
Oct/092
How Images Can Improve Your Blog
Every blogger experiences writer’s block once in a while. Sometimes it seems impossible to think of a unique story or write more than a few sentences about your topic. An effective way to enhance your post and capture your readers’ attention is using great artwork. Images draw readers’ eyes down the page, engaging their emotions and encouraging them to continue reading. Today, we’ll provide you with our top five tips for using images on your website.
- Make your photo relevant to your topic so readers understand what you’re writing about.
- Focus on size. If your image is too large, resize it so it will work on different platforms. Most sites like Wordpress and Blogger allow you to resize your image when you add it to your post. However, keep in mind that Image Space Media does not overlay ads on images smaller than 200x100, so make sure you choose a photo that is larger than those dimensions.
- Be careful about the placement of your image within your post. You can choose to align your image to the left, right, or center. If you choose to wrap your text around the image, you should always try to leave some space between the image and the text. Larger images that are too wide to wrap your text around typically work best aligned in the center.
- Stick with images that look professional. Check out last week's "Maximize Your Image Manager" post for some affordable online image resources.
- Always color-correct your photos. Adjusting the contrast and saturation levels using Adobe Photoshop or a less expensive program can beautify any image quickly and easily.
Since readers tend to scan blog posts, including artwork should one of your top priorities to help draw in your audience. What’s your strategy for using photos?