HUGE TIP: Some Perhaps No So Obvious Online Tools I Found Helpful

In my journey setting up a photography business, I found many online tools that proved very useful.  Here are, perhaps, some of the not so well-known ones that I truly believe can help anyone, not just photographers:

If This Then That (www.IFTTT.com)
A FREE site that lets you create recipes for automating repetitive online tasks.  The principle is basically if this happens, then do that.

Here are my recipes, so far, to illustrate:

• Anytime my wife or brother-in-law post items for sale on eBay or Etsy, automatically pin them on a Pinterest board I created for vintage items.
• Anytime I post a photo to my 500px site, automatically:
• Pin it to a Pinterest board
• Post it to my Flickr site, and 
• E-mail it to my Mom

I set them up, each in a minute or less, and I'm done.
How cool is that?

YouTube (www.youtube.com) 
YouTube is not just for goofy or funny videos.  It contains serious tutorials, many FREE, on just about any subject.  Believe it or not, almost all of these folks, that I've seen, know their stuff.  When I find an excellent video, I subscribe to the contributor.  Now, I get e-mail notifications when they release a new video.  Here's a couple of FREE videos on my plate to watch:

• Anthony Morganti instructional videos Adobe Lightroom
• Social Media for Photographers

I have several others, and am always downloading more on my memory stick to watch on TV.

Android Smart Phone Emulator (www.bluestacks.com) 
Ever wanted to do things on your PC you THOUGHT you could only do on a smart phone, like posting Instagram photos, or using smart phone apps.  Check out this emulator.  It looks and functions just like an Android smart phone on your PC.  I use it to post Instagram photos from my laptop.

GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com)
There are many places to get your own web site.  I decided on GoDaddy simply for the cost.  For under $20 for the first year, I got:

• A domain: BrettOssman.com
• An email address: Brett@BrettOssman.com
• A quick and easy web site builder, no programming required

Check out my new site: Brett Ossman Photography

Hopefully, some of you will find the above useful.  If you need any help with any of them, let me know, but they are all very easy to use.