As the summer dwindles down to the last couple of weeks (sorry to point that out) and kids everywhere get ready to head back to school, the inevitable school photos will be taken.

Earlier this year at a photo trade show I met Eric Ellis. He has a great software company that makes a piece of software for professional photographers for asset management and simplified ways for their customers to view and order prints.

As a new parent he saw a way to use his knowledge to help parents everywhere. It’s a free service that he offers to school photographers and parents for making emergency cards that are coded and can be made available to authorities in case of an emergency.

Now I know that some people feel that we are “tracked” enough. Why would I assign my child a tracking number and photo? Read this press release, and perhaps it will be made clearer.

Photinduced.com applauds Eric Elis and his company for making this available. Check it out.

Web-Based Photo Company Puts a Positive Spin
on the Internet and Child Safety

“ATLANTA, GA – Atlanta-based SimplePhoto.comâ„¢ has combined the efforts of school photographers with internet technology to produce the unique child safety program, Click-and-Safeâ„¢. This web-based program provides parents and law enforcement officials with instant access to an online, password-protected school photo in the case of an abducted, lost, or runaway child.
[photopress:Click_And_Safe_webx.jpg,full,centered]
SimplePhoto.com, founded in 1999 by Atlanta photographer/web developer Eric J. Ellis, provides professional photographers with a forum for storing large quantities of images online. The online system allows customers to view, select, and purchase prints easily. Ellis was inspired to create Click-and-Safe when he realized there was an opportunity to use his company’s internet savvy in a new way.

“After seeing so many stories of child disappearances in the news, and knowing that SimplePhoto already stores thousands of current school photos online for purchasing, it made sense to make the photos readily available, free of charge, to parents in cases of child endangerment,” said Ellis.

In an emergency, when time is critical, Click-and-Safe allows parents to instantly access their child’s photo with a complex, random password only the parent has been given. The low-resolution web image can then be quickly downloaded and widely broadcast to local and national media and law enforcement. No personal information about the child is available online, just the photo. Click-and-Safe is free to parents who choose to participate, and is a free option for photographers who use the SimplePhoto.com service.

A recent example of a Click-and-Safe success story took place March 2006 outside of Phoenix Arizona. A missing 13-year old girl was safely located within 48 hours by local police who recognized her after seeing the Click-and-Safe photo posted on the state Amber Alert System.

“When the unthinkable happens and a child is either missing or abducted, the first thing police departments need is a current photo to distribute to their officers and to the various media outlets to assist in finding the child,” according to Officer Brandon Banks of the Tempe, Arizona Police Department. “As a police officer with the City of Tempe Police Department for nearly six years, I would like to express how important it is for parents to have current pictures of each of their children. It is also important for these pictures to be available to give to various law enforcement and media groups.”

Said CEO Ellis, “We are elated to know our technology works to help parents and law enforcement assist in child safety efforts in this most unique manner.”

Click-and-Safe and SimplePhoto.com services are available to photographers and parents across the United States and Canada. Visit www.ClickandSafe.com or www.SimplePhoto.com for more information.”
[photopress:ClickAndSafe_Logox.jpg,full,centered]

This is information is intended as a public service announcement from photinduced.com.

If you are a parent, ask your school if the photographer offers this. If you are a school photographer, please incorporate ClickandSafe as an option.

Cheers!
Damon Webster

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 17th, 2006 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Photo News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.