The Stock Artists Alliance reports that the first two months of its getMETAsmart program have seen nearly 800 picture professionals attend seven free seminars across the U.S. In addition to SAA-sponsored sessions on metadata, five events included presentations on search-engine optimization by online-archive company Photoshelter.
Additional events are planned for the fall, and the getMETAsmart Web site is expanding resources as the program moves along. In addition to a metadata glossary and field guide—which help navigate the language associated with image origins, rights and descriptions—SAA plans to add video and printable tutorials on using leading software tools, such as those manufactured by Adobe and Microsoft, to manage metadata.
The program is funded by an award from the Library of Congress. Additional supporters include Adobe, Microsoft, Camera Bits, Photoshelter, PicScout and the IPTC.