Let's Use Those Family Photographs & Our Collections

Promoting our digital presence in the real world has long been the province of business cards and T-shirts.

Letterpress Business Card

Does this tell you what Shades is all about? No, I don't think it does.

This is an example of a letterpress business card. The cost is very expensive (it was a gift) - several hundred dollars. It's lovely, but it isn't very creative. And we are, after all, creative people.

As family historians and collectors we have a wonderful resource in our photographs. So, let's use them.

Today we will wander the web and discuss using photographs for promotion ~ promotion of our virtual presence, our family research, an event, a reunion, a lecture, or anything else that needs a dose of creativity.

The place to go for creativity with photographs is Moo. Moo is a London based printing company and home of the Moo Mini.

Moo Mini

Of its business Moo writes:

There's virtual communication like email, instant message or video. People belong to virtual communities like social networks, image sharing or interest groups. And in these communities they use virtual identities to share virtual content: writing, photography, design, music, video... Sometimes, we think life is just a little too virtual.

I agree! When I teach a class on blogging I would like to hand the participants something really creative that represents my virtual presence. Something tangible. When I go to a research library I'd like to leave the Librarian with something she will instantly remember. When I discuss my book with a publisher I want them to see my vision. You get the picture!

Let's look at how the Mini could be used to promote. Here are a few of the images that represent Shades and that I've used as Moo Minis.



Now turn the Mini over. Moo allows six lines of printing and a choice of fonts and colors to be placed on the back. Below is the written information for Shades.

I am also using the Mini for my family history research. Below are my grandparents with a childhood photo of my father in the center.

On the back I wrote my email address and listed the surnames I'm researching. A Chicago based children's photographer, Dawn Mikulich, has created four Photoshop templates for Moo Minis. My family, above, uses one of the templates. They can be found here on Dawn's blog, "fresh!" If you have some time, take a moment to enjoy her beautiful portraits and you just might see a famous face.

And for those of you who thought Wordle was all play, think again. (See Let Me Get A Wordle In Edgewise on footnoteMaven.) It makes a fantastic representation of what you're all about - blog, website, family reunion, lecture, occupation, etc. Use it on a Moo Mini.

Moo offers many creative uses for the Mini on their website. My favorite use of the Mini is as a bookmark. Punch a hole, add some ribbon and it's a bookmark.

Minis come in packages of 100. The best feature of the Moo Mini is that you can use up to 100 full color photos or designs on your mini calling-cards. So, I can use 100 of the images from my collection (or fewer and have multiples) plus my Wordle.

The Mini is an odd size (28mm X 70mm), but I think that's one of the reasons people will remember you. Moo also sells a low cost ($4.99) Mini Card Holder for your cards.


The cost for the 100 images is $19.99 plus approximately $6.99 for shipping.

If you don't like the Mini's size, Moo now makes a regular business card size. Choose up to 50 different images to display on your Business Cards. (Same cost and shipping as the Mini.)



Visit Moo! They have some tremendous ideas and many more products. The possibilities are endless.

Have an idea for using family photographs and collections in Moo products? Share it with Shades in the comments section below.

And, join Shades tomorrow as a rather unique calendar gift, using photographs, is discussed.