A Scrapbook By Any Other Name…A Rant.

Yay Lain. I am a scrapbooker and I also make photobooks. In fact normally when I make a photo book it connsists of digital scrapbook pages I have made. Hopefully they will change the way they word this to be inclusive rather than exclusive.

You tell em Lain!

Hear, hear!!! I think they are doing themselves a HUGE disservice with that promotion. I know so many scrapbookers who make photobooks!!

They missed one important fact: scrapbooking is FUN!

Not only do many, many, many scrapbookers make photobooks, but many, many, many of us digi scrappers print all of our layouts in photobooks!!! I get they were trying to appeal to the people who gave up scrapbooking, or think it is too hard, but why alienate a big chunk of your audience???

I just saw that email too! I certainly did not believe photo books are cheaper and I would never ever quit the fun of using my scissors and adhesives!! That said I agree with every one of your points too Lain. And yes I have made photo books – for vacations where we had 100s of photos and I do one for the whole month of Dec each year. Photo books can be a great supplement for scrappers, bummer they are implying we should toss all our supplies out the window and just be like Julie.

It’s ALL scrapbooking! Photo albums, scrapbooks (paper and digi), photo books, blogs, slideshows, digital photo frames, journals are all forms of memory keeping and I like them all for different reasons.
Can’t we just all get along and include everyone/everything?

Let’s all just be memory-keepers and play nice!

I am so glad I wasn’t the only one to get my hackles up with that email. Sometimes I wonder if I overreact… but then I think “Me?? Never.”

I’m here to throw my weight behind the tactile pleasure of physical scrapbooking. I haven’t done a lot – only dabbled in it, really, but I know the pleasure of cropping, positioning, journaling, and embellishing. It’s the 3D things that appeal to me the most. I like capturing a single image out of a group shot, then using what’s left from the group shot and repurposing that, too. Digital scrapbooking just doesn’t allow that kind of shuffling things around. And, you’re right, Lain… Shutterfly missed the mark entirely in their sales page. It’s not either or, it’s both. Thanks for sharing this story with us! Love your insight.

Hi Lain, it’s Rachel from Shutterfly. I manage the Shutterfly community and wanted to leave a quick comment about your post. First of all, thanks for your feedback – we love hearing from customers (the good and bad), please keep it coming!

As you may know, our mission is to help people share life’s joy – whatever the format. Paper or digital, we love it all!

I just wanted to give you a few resources in response to your thought about enhancing the process of scrapbooking with photo books. If you have a minute, check out our digital scrapbooking solution page http://www.shutterfly.com/digital-scrapbooking and blog http://shutterfly.typepad.com. I’d love to know your thoughts!

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to send me a note here http://blog.shutterfly.com/feedback/.

Thanks,

Rachel B.
Shutterfly Community Manager

Hi Rachel-
Thanks for chiming in. Your ad today didn’t seem very inclusive of traditional paper/hybrid scrapbooking — that’s what we are all responding to.
I will check out those resources.
Thanks!

I’m a paper scrapper for many of the reasons already listed; I find peace in moving things around, touching the pieces and mixing the textures. I guess my question would be why did they have to “dis” scrapbooking? I know there are misconceptions about scrapbookers, but you don’t have to put down one to attract another – why not approach it from the, “Hey, looking for a quick and easy way to store or share your memories? Try photo books – make your own digital pages, use our tools or simply add your photos and have it printed and bound.” There are so many ways they could have gone to promote the industry, it’s a shame they went with this instead.

Exactly! I felt like it wasn’t very sensitive to their market.

Yes, yes, yes! When a new technology or product comes along, it’s not either/or. It’s and/also! I am a tactile paper scrapper. And I’ve made 4 photo books in the last 12 months or so, for various reasons. Mostly for situations where I’ve taken a considerable number of photos of the same subject — too many to scrap. I scrap the topic in my normal way, and then make the photo book because — hey — my photos are irresistable (to me) and it’s a quick way to showcase them. I would have felt nothing but bogged down by the 150+ photos I took of our Christmas trip, but voila! One afternoon and it’s a book. AND I scrapped the best 8 of them in the traditional way for my joyously *bulky* scrapbook. And/also. If that weren’t the scrapbooker’s way, my stash wouldn’t be so enormous!

Grrr… wow!!! I see I am not the only one who thought, ” What are they talking about??!!!” Bulky albums?? Too expensive??? Too time consuming??? Grrr!!! This just further distances some people from thinking they could ever scrapbook. Our pictures and stories are too precious to have those memories lost. Scrapbooking can be done very simply (and beautifully!!) without lots of props & time. But lots of us (from all the comments below) love getting lost in the extended creative process of safeguarding our memories. And way to go, Lain, sounds like Shutterfly heard you. Ee haa. Oh, the power of the people/consumer!!!

Such a good point- WE are the ones actually getting photos printed!

Lain – I couldn’t have put it better. You are a brilliant writer. Shutterfly has completely missed the mark…..the us vs. them was sooooo last year. Whether you are creating a traditional scrapbook, digital page, or photo book, we are all in this together. photo + memory = scrapbook

Don’t you feel sorry for her??

I love the comparison with sewing… So true!

The bulkiness is the best part…!!!

Sorry, had to add – anyone who shops smart with coupons can make very inexpensive traditional paper scrapbooks, cheaper than photobooks. Believe you me, I’ve done the math!

Pat, you are 100 percent right!

You are so funny!

Publisher… that’s a good one! Hey, I didn’t see the old Quiznos commercial… will have to look it up. But I HATE rodents. So maybe not…

go Lain! I totally agree on your math. I do both digital and paper scrapping. My “favorite” is hybrid more than anything else. Because sometimes, you need certain things from both.

And newsflash, it isn’t as “fast” to do it digitally as it is to do paper. Both require thought and creativity, even when you use a Shutterfly template. Plus the “bulky” books? They hold memorabilia. The REAL stuff of memories.

shutterfly needs to see this.

I think they saw it- see above comments.

Yes, bulky = fun!!!

Amen sister!!!! What were they thinking???

So agree, even as someone who has gone basically digital they are so off with what they say. There is no need to knock scrapbookers. I have also made photobooks as gifts and they are scrapbooks in my mind. Less creativity for me but the recents ones have been a book of digital layouts. Also what about the templates sold specifically for using their books. This was an email written by someone who had no understanding of Scrapbooking and they need to be fired!!

this reminds me of some of the division that occurs now and occured in past regarding scrapbooking with Creative Memories supplies and not. I had folks mention to me at my workshops or just casually that they used to do creative memories (verb phrase) but now they don’t ‘cuz it was too difficult, time-consuming, etc, etc. Now they just scrapbook or put their photos in a book or online or slip-in or whatever. It is ALL scrapbooking, ALL memory-keeping. No matter what brand, they format, whether the book is in your lap, your tablet or on the cloud, in a frame, in a binder ring, etc. Can you see it? Can you find a memory highlighted? Then it’s scrapbook! Scrap = pieces of our lifes saved. Book = shared so one can see it again, feel it again.

Well Said Lain!  I couldn’t agree more.  I have done photo books, and digital pages but I still have a room full of wonderful shiny, glittery, velvety scrapbooking supplies that I will never stop using.  Each form of expression is worthy in itself, and the total makes our storytelling that more interesting!

I love that you are so versatile. That’s such a great way to approach it — pluses and minuses to everything, and aren’t we lucky we have the choice!

Totally agree with your ‘rant’. Shutterfly’s marketing department have missed a trick with their potential target audience !!

When I was going through my old magnetic albums to remove the photos before they got anymore ruined, I saw that I had note paper stuck under each photo with names/dates/where/what/etc, the first thing I said was “OMG I was a scrapbooker and didn’t even know it!” YES they were not pretty pages, but it had a photo and it had journaling (even if it was on crapping note paper) in my own handwriting I might add! Scrapbooking to me = photo + story – everything else is just candy!!

Poor Julie, and shame on Shutterfly for advertising the way they have! I wonder if they realize that they are actually losing customers by advertising this way? I will not be using them, which is a shame, I have folders upon folder of digital scrapbooking pages that this kind of service would of made it super easy to make books for not only myself but family as well – I do paper scrapping too, I love to get my hands dirty, but recently in the last couple years I’ve been dabbling in digi and loving it, but I don’t think I could ever give up on the messy stuff!

Yes, yes you can!

I think the Shutterfly email was possibly sent by a committee made up of good people who may or may not scrapbook, but who market, design and sell digital photography to the masses. That’s fine and dandy. We need all the techno-digital help that’s out there…but let’s call it what it is: SCRAPBOOKING. Someone may need to tell them it’s not a dirty word. I love the tactile-ness of traditional scrapping and the gorgeous papers and textures. But I also love the fact that I can put a scrapbook/”photo book” together in an afternoon with the help of Shutterfly.
Thanks Lain for your oh-so-appropriate rant!

I use photo books when I need to update the in-laws with a long distance gift.  They are more “minimal” and while they love new pics of us, they don’t “feel the love” of a handmade book like my parents (and now my kids) do.  My parents expect a “scrapbook” with all of my personal comments and snippets. They appreciate the message I send with the layouts and they “get it”…i know because of the tears when they get one. In the past I have given my mom a quick digital book for a trip or a single event just so she could enjoy the pics right then, but she “expects” what she calls a “real book of memories” for Christmas and Mother’s Day every single year!  My dad also expects his own books for Christmas and Father’s Day…He gets heritage pages to add to a book we have been working on for years as a birthday present…and now he ask “how many pages do I get this time?…he is 75 and I have left many things from his childhood intact and have preserved them in a way that he can “touch” them when he wants to…when parents are gone a simple “smudged” fingerprint of your mom’s can mean a lot…it just isn’t the same on a digital page!

I am so with you! While photo books are wonderful and serve a very particular purpose, nothing can replace (for me) the tactile feel of leafing through pages I spent hours on.

Personally, I have no desire to digital memory make, because l WANT to use scraps of paper, fabric, trims to build the page… Im all about hands on, the cutting, gluing because its time I get to spend with that memory again, and time I get to spend with my girls…for me, it’s about the time I am spending making a memory, recording my memorys…
I am an avid genealogy researcher and each time I find another record, I feel like I have scored a touchdown in the Superbowl.
I see myself as a Memory Perserver, not a scrapbooker. I perserve memories in many ways, but when it comes to my photos, I prefer to use a hands on, rather than just stick them in a picture mover.

that’s corporate america for you!

If you check the comnens above, someone stopped by.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments! Scrapbooking is a wide umbrella indeed. And I loved the mixing bowl example.
Let’s hope people are listening!!

anything that is kept as a keepsake that can be used to restir your emotions, bring alive your memories, and for a brief moment, take you years back to a different place, a different time, and to let you, at least in your mind, be with people who you can’t be with physically anymore.

I didnt see this before Lain’s email – I dont use shutterfly so they wont be missing my business – I wouldnt ‘knock’ the way anybody chooses to be creative, but its a bit like my Grandma’s apple pie! Nobody made pie like my Grandma – when she died I asked for her apple pie plate – it might be the same size but my pie isnt like hers – nowhere near as good! I could buy pie, but thats not even as good as mine!!!
For me scrapbooking gives me pleasure over and over again, I enjoy doing it, my family, kids and my friends spend time enjoying remembering the times we have shared, looking for journalling in my bulky hidden pockets – I document my family’s life and our history – our values, what life is like here and now. I reflect I re remember as I scrap, and I enjoy and savour and give thanks for the many good things and wonderful people in my life, as I choose and arrange and stick and journal – I find it very cathartic!!!
Im not saying there isnt room in the inn for all creative types – traditional, hybrid (like me) digital and yes even photobookers – and each has a place and a time – that makes the way of keeping the memory perfect for the creator, moment or occasion!
There’s no right or wrong way – I admire and appreicate all styles and ways of memory keeping – but for me, the sound of a paper trimmer, or perfectly torn paper, the, satisfaction of completing a beautiful page to celebrate a special moment with handwritten journalling – made with love – is something not to be dismissed lightly – but to be enjoyed greatly! If your a tactile paper loving type like me!
The friends I have made both in real life and online who share this wonderful hobby enrich my life and are a big part of it too! Id miss them too much, so like others, I could never be an either or girl – but I could be an occasional photobooker – if it fit the occasion!
I have made and helped others make, albums and mini books for loved ones, that have without exception moved the recipient to tears – because it is handmade, with love just for them. So please add my name to the list for ex scrapbooker Julie’s unwanted stash!!!! Im sure I could squeeze it into my paper filled world!!!!

What KatieK said 2 years ago is so very true and well-put. I would like to talk about Shutterfly, though. I love that they actually print the very well-thought filename that I’ve given to my pictures on the back of them so that when I’m scrapping all I have to do is turn the picture over to find out the date and location and people in the pic! And yes, I’ve done photobooks and have enjoyed the fact that I can get something done relatively quickly (even with all the customizing that I do), but since I can’t feel the chipboard in my hand I’m not going to do a lot of photobooks because I need to get physical with supplies sometimes…

“Julie used to be a scrapbooker, but then she discovered photo books are less expensive, less time consuming and you get a beautiful book instead of a big, bulky album …”

Correction. Julie is still a scrapbooker. She has simply added versatility to preserving and sharing her memories. Photobooks are not always less expensive, less time consuming or beautiful (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) in comparison to a traditionally or digitally scrapped album. Not all albums are created equally and, certainly, not all albums are big or bulky! I love good marketing strategies, but there is nothing good about being dishonest in one’s advertising. This is not an honest statement and is very misleading to the reader who is none-the-wiser.

(I realize this was posted two years ago, however, I felt compelled to join in although it has all been said before me!)

Anything we do to encapsulate life’s indelible memories is a form of scrapbooking! Although my scrapbooking is, at the present time, accomplished predominantly in the digital realm, I refer to myself as a memory preservationist! The important thing is that I am collecting pieces of my family’s past and putting them together in the best way that I am able to, at any given time, so as to share moments and stories with my loved ones and know that they shall be carried forward for generations to come. Occasionally, this does include photo books printed by Shutterfly!

Hopefully, Shutterfly has received your message, and all of the attached comments, loud and clear! I did take note of Shutterfly’s reply; however in my opinion, she was sidestepping the issue. I wish to gently remind them that there are many of us who came to know of Shutterfly and their services by way of blog posts written by fellow scrapbookers (both traditional and digital) and scrapbook designers who have expanded their memory preservation to include photo books!

I love you Lain Ehmann! Your posts are always informative and thought provoking.