It’s unanimous… Kodak hasn’t handled this well

I had a great opportunity to talk about Twitter Customer Service and Brand Experience at the expertedly organized and amazing BarCampNYC 4, and I found a captive audience for my Kodak story. What’s remarkable to me is that the room was filled with many of NY’s tech elite, the core audience of what Kodak would aim to reach with products like the Zi6 and Zx1, and savvy web consumers, of which the number will only grow. The days of transparency have arrived for good now, and the room agreed that Kodak’s actions were a total fail.   The session was lively and had a lot of great dialogue about brands that are getting it RIGHT, and what consumers are expecting to see going forward from brands on Twitter and in social media.  Many, many thanks to the 20-30 people who took time to be a part of the discussion, and to Frederic Guarino for playing Qik cameraman with his phone.

Note: After this video, I learned that Kodak had indeed deleted all 3000 of my photos from storage. Classy move, Kodak. I don’t think you’ve heard the last of this.

Dear Kodak…. Stop holding my pictures hostage

Update: 8/13/2009 - Posterous‘ co-founder Garry Tan had a similar experience to mine and as a result created a Ruby script to download all Kodak photos in bulk.  See his comment with the script here (use at your own risk! )
Update: 6/16/2009 - Read my summary post of the results and final observations.
Update: 6/15/2009 - I wrote a piece about my experience for Advertising Age’s DigitalNext blog.
Update: 6/15/2009 - My photos have been restored! Kodak PR rep says Kodak is “still working” on the bulk storage problem and recommends this as a way to grab my photos.
Update: 6/2/2009 - This story has been featured in a Consumerist blog post, which I have to say, has the best feedback and comments about the issue so far.
Update: 6/1/2009 - My story has new been featured in a post on a econsultancy.com called “Kodak risks major PR fail after purge of the free” - read it here.
Update: 5/31/2009 - Kodak has deleted all 3000 of my photos. See reactions from my story from people gathered at BarCampNYC4 here.

Once upon a time, we were buds. Back when I first had a digital camera in the late 1990s (an Olympus 360L, with a whopping 1.3MP picture depth, that cost me $299) I, like everyone else with a digital camera, needed somewhere to store them.  On the recommendation of my brother, I tried out a little photo sharing site called Ofoto, which had the novel idea printing your digital prints on good old-fashioned photo paper for just 29 cents each.  No longer would I have to develop dozens of meaningless prints to find the ones that I wanted (I was also sporting an Kodak Advantix camera at the time, and the ability to do “HD” style prints was exciting enough, but the One Hour Photo bills ran to $19-24 dollars - for a bunch of pictures that I didn’t really want), I could just pick the prints I wanted, and they were delivered to me in record time (I seem to remember Ofoto’s penchant for delivering photos in record time - usually no more than 2 days after I ordered them with standard shipping).  And the best part, I could store as many photos as I wanted for as long as I needed to - indexed, put into sets, and shareable with friends who sometimes even bought prints of their own.   This was well before I was aware of Flickr, and before web storage was cheap and flexible.   But I figured it was a good compromise.  I begged off flirtations with Snapfish (later bought by HP) and didn’t really care much for any of the other alternatives.

Fast forward a year or two, and Kodak purchases Ofoto, and I figured, well, this is great, because it means my little Ofoto shop won’t go out of business.  And so it went.  More photos uploaded, more sets created, more memories shared.    I built up a library of nearly 3,000 pictures there.  All sorts of occasions - weddings, parties, softball games, vacations - the usual sorts of stuff that builds up over 5 or 6 years especially when digital images are easy and cheap to create.

Around 2006, I found the now “Kodak Picture Gallery” to be behind the times in it’s abilities to share and show my photos - and I weighed Flickr (bought by Yahoo) and Picasa (bought by Google) against each other in the battle for the place to store my photos, and finally last year, I upgraded to a Flickr pro account.   But I never worried about my “Ofoto” pictures - they were still there, and I’d have time to start to migrate them later.

And then I got this e-mail.  Let’s break down my favorite marketing speak from the e-mail:

“It’s long been our policy that Gallery customers make an annual purchase in exchange for unlimited photo storage and sharing. However, without a minimum defined purchase amount, some customers have ended up spending as little as 15¢. The result: Our loyal customers who regularly shop the Gallery have essentially been subsidizing those who don’t.”

Really? Then how come as a customer since 1999, I’d never once heard of this policy.  It had never been communicated to me once - until I got this nastygram with big red letters about how you were going to delete my photos.   I’m a loyal customer, recommended you to friends, and the fact that my photos were still there should TELL you that.  Loyalty isn’t always the amount of purchases I make in a given year - it’s also that fact that I’ve bothered to stick around so long. (Also, I’m happy to return the Kodak Zi6 that I’ve raved about for months, in the backwash of the Flip MinoHD launch, which I got as a birthday present, and got at least two other people to buy as a result. I thought it was a game changer for Kodak, a product that finally got it right. Guess I’m not loyal, huh?. But I digress.)

Fine. If the “problem” that Kodak is trying to address is the fact that I’m a cheapskate and “loyal” people who use the service more than I do, I’m happy to move my photos off your service and give the space back to “loyal” people.

So, now, my thoughts are, “My pictures may be deleted? Seriously? Why? Ok. Well, obviously, I don’t want that. So what are my options?”.

I did a little digging. I discovered that there are three options to get my full-resolution photos back:

• I can download full-resolution photos for all of my pictures for free. I do enjoy the marketing spin, dripping with irony, on the help item for this:
  

  “Get FREE high-resolution downloads of all your digitized photos—anytime, anywhere—a benefit no other company offers for free. Because your photos are yours, you can trust us to stay out of the way of you using them however you see fit.”

  Oh really? Whew. Well, I’ve only got about 25 sets of photos, this seems like a few hours of work tops. So how do I download albums of high-res photos. Well, apparently, you can’t.

  “Currently, you cannot download an entire album of your original high-resolution images at once. You can only download original high-resolution images, one photo at a time.”

  The bold face is quoted from the help item. Ok. I have 3000 pictures stored there. There’s no way I’m doing this one at a time. That could literally be days of effort. What are my other options?

• I can buy an archive CD. Ok, fine. Just to be done with this, I’m debating actually PAYING for my photos held hostage. How much could the CD possibly be? Well, it turns out, a lot.

$70 BUCKS? You can’t be serious. So, again, you’re charging me $70 to allow me to archive my photos that I’ve stored with you.

• I can pay the $19.99 storage fee for another year out of fear of losing my photos. Which, frankly, after the options you’ve offered for me before, just isn’t a viable option now. I’ve build definite brand disillusionment after this whole experience, and I’m not going to give you any of my money.

So, Kodak, are you serious? I have 3000 photos and now you’re telling me the only out I have for free is to download them all ONE AT A TIME? This is bush league. I’d be perfectly content to give your storage back and never give you another penny of my money if you gave me a legitimate option. But now I’m left to wonder, is this the example you want to set in a world powered by user-generated content? For a company trying hard to reinvent themselves in the digital age? In an environment where you’re losing market share to newer, nimbler and smarter companies? To be the one to put doubt in customers’ minds about storing things in the “cloud”?

The choice is yours, Kodak. And I know, with this issue, I’m not alone.

Update: Some selected tweets of people who are as frustrated as I am….

“kodak (ofoto gallery) deleted photos of my life I had for the last 15 years. They win biggest online asshole award.” - @jaztuck
“Kodak Gallery (ofoto) wants $19.99 or its going to erase all of my images. Nice welcome back. Fail.” - @gillee
“hey kodak gallery…suck it. I’ve deleted you before you can delete me. My photos now live on Picasa, I’m sure I’ve ruined your day.” - @RoseBirdLA
“Is Extortion good for customer service? Kodak seems to think so. They have threatened to delete my photos unless I spend some $$$ soon!” - @jrork
“Just paid ransom to keep old digital photos alive in Kodak Gallery after their threat to delete. They really suck now.” - @prmolly
“Amazing in a world that’s approaching free storage that Kodak Gallery is telling me I have to spend $ w them or they’ll delete my photos.” - @jonbischke
“#Kodak new policy: must spend $20/yr or they delete online photos. Not customer-oriented policy. #Fail pls RT” - @christinepilch

Updated (6/2/2009): More feedback driven by the Consumerist article:

“@terilg I had film fotos on kodak gallery w no other digi copy. Paid $30+ 4 archival disks when I got deletion email and am done with kodak” - @manamica
“What can go wrong when a company abandons freemium business model? Kodak is feeling the backlash. http://budurl.com/2zv5 - @daveyarmon
“Warning: Kodak Photogallery (formerly Ofoto) deleting photos if no recent purchases. They deleted several thousand of mine without warning” - @mchesner
“Unbelievable. RT @consumerist Kodak Gallery Holds Photos Hostage, Then Deletes Them [Online Photo Sites] http://tinyurl.com/mubqtm” - @terlig
“Kodak pr fail - alienation of users” - @jennibeattie
“this would irk not at all if I hadn’t written a paper on how Kodak should be more like Flickr: http://bit.ly/LrJMt from @econsultancy” - @sabina_vs_world
“RT @Econsultancy Kodak risks major PR fail after purge of free http://bit.ly/LrJMtThe end of free love? (my blog 4/20) http://bit.ly/157xh0 - @ddudgeon

And a fast growing list of unhappy consumers feeling cheated

And the Kodak response to date (updated on 5/29/2009):
From @jeffreyhayzlett, Kodak Chief Marketing Officer
From @kodakCB, Jennifer Cisney, Kodak’s Chief Blogger

My Tweets to the Kodak Twitterers:
To @kodakCB and @jeffreyhayzlett
To @kodakCB only
To @jeffreyhayzlett

My TED(x) Talk

Recently, thanks to the great folks at New Work City, I was able to speak at their first TEDx event. The topic was “Being an Agent of Change”, and I was happy to represent myself and Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC). Posted here for you, loyal viewers, is my TED talk. Hope you enjoy!

Let’s Go Camping

BarCampNYC 4 is coming up in just under two weeks, and I’d just like to take this opportunity to encourage people to go check it out. I had a great time at my first BarCamp in Philadelphia last year, and got to meet a bunch of amazing Philly friends who taught me a lot, shared their experience, and rocked out with!

For those who BarCamp’s are “unconferences” with agendas organized the day of the event by the attendees which allows for the agenda to offer something for just about everyone in attendance. Plus, it’s a great place to network and meet new friends who share the same passions that you do. To learn more about the structure of a BarCamp, check out this primer from the BarCamp wiki.

This year’s BarCamp NYC will be at NYU’s ITP, itself an amazing venue for innovation, and will take place on May 30 and 31st. Admission is FREE, but with admission comes the responsibilty of presenting or participating in a session. Tickets are running out fast, so to sign up, check out their Eventbrite page. If you’ve got a few extra dollars around to help make the event awesome, feel free to donate as much as you can!

I will be there on the second day, and I’m working out a couple of ideas to share with everyone. I sincerely hope to see you all there.

Internet Week Picks

Yes, as the calendar turns from May to June, a whole wealth of talented Internet professionals are now making plans to gather in New York City for what’s becoming a yearly tradition called Internet Week NY.   I ended a bunch of events last year at the first one, and had a great time and met countless amazing people many of whom I consider to be good friends and confidants today.

So, I’d like to share with you events that I’d recommend attending based on the people presenting, and the topic and audiences, and cost (with an emphasis on free or cheap).  All are a great chance to get out and see people, and take your online social media experience offline.

Monday June 1

If you’re looking to party and network, check out The TechSet Bubbles Up Innovation with PepsiCo at the Bubble Lounge. The event is FREE.

If you’re looking for awesome and cool technology, check out Ignite NYC 4 at New World Stages. This event is also FREE.

Tuesday June 2

Check out a wide array of amazing NY-based tech startups demoing their wares at the NY Tech Meetup Showcase at FIT. This event is FREE for exhibitors and guests.

After the Showcase, drop by the NY Tech Meetup all-star edition, where more than 700 of NY’s best and brightest Tech Professionals gather for demos, and networking in the largest public event during Internet Week. This event is also at FIT and is $10 (payable at time of registration).

If you’re a Facebook fan or app developer, or interested in the OpenStream API or adding Facebook Connect to your site, check the Facebook Developer Garage event at the Sullivan Room downtown.  This event is FREE.

Wednesday June 3

Just getting started in Social Media? Start your day with GreaterThanOne’s Social Media Seminar (FREE) and then check out Steve Rubel of Edelman and Pete Cashmore of Mashable at Mashable’s Next Up: Social Media Marketing 101.  Tickets are $20/$25.

After the Mashable event there’s chatter about a TechKaraoke event - honestly, never a better way to meet stranger than singing rock music … often badly.  Good times. These things happen last minute, so follow @techkaraoke on Twitter for details.

Thursday June 4

Social Media Club spreads the gospel with their all day Social Media Camp all-day at the home of our good friends at the Roger Smith Hotel.  If you’ve been to a BarCamp before, it’ll have the same sort of format.  It’s an unconference, and the knowledge shared and gained is priceless.  This event is $25.

I’m humbled to be appearing on a roundtable with Allison Palmer, Rachel Sklar and Soraya Dorabi at NY Social Media Roundtable’s first event, Social Media for Non-Profits. This event is FREE.

If you’re into the music scene, check out the SoundCtrl launch party at the Rock and Roll Annex downtown.  Tickets are $10.

Friday June 5 and Saturday June 6

I’m sure there are a whole bunch of parties I’m not aware of, but among the parties on the Internet Week NY schedule is the Iconoclast Media Open House in Brooklyn.  DJs, beer and networking served with style.

Sunday, June 7

I’m part of a team working on putting together a Wiffle ball tournament for some teams and players in NYC.  I’m finalizing details now, but if you’d like to be involved, pop over to http://twiffleball.pbworks.com. UPDATE: We’re confirmed to play Wiffleball all day on Sunday June 7 on the west side of Manhattan. Sign up here!

This by all means is not a comprehensive list of events, so if you know of more that I haven’t called out here, leave them in the comments! I hope to see you all at many of these events!