A Digital (camera) Snapshot of the Future

Before I discuss the business use of digital cameras, I owe readers a few comments and clarifications. First, Marian Lupu, executive director of the Pima Council on Aging, said my column on recycling technology was amusing but seriously, instead of giving your used cell phones to your kids to use as pretend walkie-talkies, please give them PCOA, and they'll be put to good use.

Next, I need to clarify a column in which I made predictions about a Chinese company I called "ChinaSoft." At least one reader took me literally and sort of wondered in his e-mail how I'd managed to scoop major news organizations on such a major story.

To set the record straight, let me say here that I was just making up ChinaSoft as an example of a possible Chinese threat to Microsoft. In the future, when I am just making something up, I will immediately preface my remarks by saying, "I am making this up."

Finally, I want to address the leader of Microsoft directly with this heartfelt message, "Dear Bill Gates, my column about ChinaSoft was no reason for you to resign from Microsoft. Please, go back to work and let professionals run your foundation for you."

Now, on to digital cameras. While you are reading some examples that may inspire you to use digital cameras in new ways in your organization, I also know that many of you have other, ingenious business uses for digital cameras. Please e-mail me with your uses.

John Howard, a CPA and partner in the Albuquerque firm of Koval & Howard, uses a whiteboard to map out, for some visiting clients, their tax planning strategies. When he finishes, the charts and its details are worth saving, but instead of using a high-tech piece of equipment to scan the file to computer, he just takes a snapshot with his digital camera and copies the file to his PC. A hard copy goes into the client file and as needed to the clients.

Attend any Tucson Sidewinders baseball game this summer, pay attention and you'll see management using a digital camera down at home plate just about every night. Rick Parr, general manager of the Sidewinders, said, "Digital cameras are a major part of what we do because of the proof of performance we generate for every client."

David Overturf, local sales manager for Imagic, a digital retouching and large format digital printing company headquartered in Burbank , Calif. , reported that, "On movie and television sets, advertising art directors contact on-set photographers to get stars to pose for specific layouts. Digital cameras allow these images to be immediately incorporated into layouts for approval and production, dramatically shortening the time from concept to production."

These examples show how digital photography is impacting business today. Digital video will shortly explode on the business scene as another use of inexpensive technology.

In the future, we'll receive digital videos via e-mail that we'll want to view for business purposes and both prospective and current customers will expect not just product or service photos on a Web site, but video as well. Right now, in major markets, consulting firms and others already have their key people in digital videos talking about what they do and how they can help businesses.

The price of digital cameras and the cards most of them use make both highly affordable. So what are you waiting for? And remember to e-mail me with your digital camera uses at the address below.

Lastly, (I am just making this up), Gates did not ask Microsoft to sell his compound near Tubac because he needs the money for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation is receiving, well, billions and billions lately.

Gates did say that his own digital camera came in handy when he had his wife take a picture of Warren Buffett handing him that check made out to the Gates Foundation for $32,000,000,000. At the bank, Bill produced the camera and pointed to its screen, saying, "Look, here's my photograph of Warren handing me the check. That really is Warren Buffet, and this check really is good for $32 billion."

If Bill Gates can report handy uses for a digital camera on the job, so can you. Now it's your turn, so e-mail me. And if Bill e-mails me, I'll be sure to let you know.

This article first appeared as a column written by Dave Tedlock, NetOutcomes' president, for Tucson Business Edge, a monthly magazine published by the daily newspaper, the Tucson Citizen.

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