Open Your Eyes to EyeEm

by Blake Jackson | @Blakestweet

Ever since cameras have been put on phones, everyone with one has considered themselves to be a photographer. With the evolution of smartphones and cell phone cameras, people have been able to actually take quality pictures right from their phones. Putting cameras on phones has also led to a rise in photo sharing apps for smartphones. There are hundreds of them out there fighting for our attention. One app, EyeEm, has come up with an interesting way to grab our attention and keep it!

EyeEm, which is a Berlin-based company, is not very old having only being founded in 2011. It is slowly becoming more and more popular in the United States and growing at a rate of 1 million new users per month. There are roughly 10 million users on it right now, which is small compared to the roughly 130 million users Instagram boasts. While both are photo sharing apps that connect people through pictures, that is where the similarities stop.

  EyeEm’s goal is to create a network for photographers to interact and educate each other on photographing. The app takes note of which pictures you like and then tailors your “Discovery Feed” to show you related images as they are taken.

The biggest problem or concern for social media companies right now is how to monetize on their popularity. Most of the time this can be achieved through ads. EyeEm has taken a different route to making money. At first they partnered with companies like Lufthansa and Red Bull to give users revenue shares for the licensing of their photos. Now, EyeEm is starting a marketplace for their users to sell their photos. Once a photo is sold, the user and EyeEm splits the revenues 50/50.

EyeEm could be on to something big with their marketplace idea. If it is successful it could change the way social media companies look at making money. It could eliminate the need for the abundance of ads that clog up news feeds and timelines.