INTERVIEW: FISHEYE CONNECT - A BETTER WAY TO FIND WORKSHOPS
/As a photographer, I know that finding solid educational resources about both photography - and business - can be difficult. That's one of the reasons I'm excited to share with you an interview with Kristy Dickerson, the founder of Fisheye Connect: Your Source for Photography Workshops.
I know Kristy personally, and I know she has a huge heart for helping photographers connect with the educational content and workshops that will help them grow their business. After the interview, be sure to checkout www.fisheyeconnect.com to see what they're up to!
What is Fisheye Connect?
For students that want to learn photography, we are free resource to search and find photography workshops, classes, and events by location, instructor/company, or interest. We also have a free subscription service that allows potential students to subscribe and be notified weekly of the new events released and the ones upcoming.
For instructors we are a Photography Workshop/Event Management and Marketing Software. It allows instructors to handle of the details of an event in less time and also have a bigger marketing reach.
Where did the idea for Fisheye Connect come from?
When the founder, Kristy Dickerson, started in photography, she wanted to learn more but had no idea where to start learning without having to get another formal education. By getting more immersed in the industry she realized professional photographers offer workshop and there are many other areas for education. Combining photography experts and professionals together with students that want to learn both the technical, art, and business side of photography was how Fisheye was born.
How is FEC helping photographers find valuable workshops?
Location is the biggest key. Finding education in your area and the answer to the valuable part is something we have been trying to figure out. Since day one, Fisheye put a system into place where students can rate and review their experience from a workshop. We recently made it public and realized for making it all public we had a few kinks to work out. As we are writing this, we are in the process of giving the instructors the option of posting reviews. We want instructors to have this sort of control but we also feel like this is the biggest part of finding valuable workshops. So instructors will have the option to publish or not publish reviews. And all or nothing review system like YouTube. Either way we will be collecting reviews for instructors to use for honing in on their teaching skills.
What is unique about Fisheye Connect?
The rating system and searching by location is what sets us apart. Becoming a trusted source to find, research, and register for photography workshops/events. Ebay sellers became a trusted source due to a third party rating and reviewing them. If photography instructors just collect reviews themselves and publish them, it doesn’t add that much extra creditability. By being able to see past attendees reviews it is a win/win. Instructors strive for their best and want their program to be worth every penny photographers spend purchasing a ticket. You can also only leave a ratings and review if you actually purchase and attend the event.
How do reviews help photographers?
Just like any other product/service that is reviewed you can see what other attendees thought about the program or classes. We are not trying to govern the market for photography instructors, but give everyone a place to connect for quality education. It brings an equilibrium to the market.
Anything else you want to tell us about what you're working on?
We are currently working on a tool for all photographers to be able to use. We want success and we want to help you achieve it. To receive weekly notification emails from Fisheye and to stay on top of what is going on, you can subscribe here for FREE! http://fisheyeconnect.com/newsletter.aspx
We have built Fisheye Connect by taking feedback from trusted advisors, leading instructors, and attendee. If you ever have any ideas or just want to reach out email Kristy@fisheyeconnect.com any time.
