How We Use & Manage Our Growing Photo Collections Survey (Shoebox Photo Scans LLC)

The purpose of this survey is to find out: (1) the current state of people's photo collections in this digital age; (2) the challenges faced in dealing with and managing the increasing number of photos we have and take; and (3) the solutions you and others need to overcome these challenges so you can interact with and enjoy your photos in a more satsifying and stress-free way.

Based on the results, I can then create and offer the best services, products, how-tos, tips, ideas, etc., to make photos a more pleasurable and managable experience for you and others! I will also be sharing the results with hundreds of other Personal Photo Organizers around the world so we can all better serve the photo-loving community.

PRIVACY: Your responses are completely anonymous. Your identity is NOT revealed. You can answer each question with the confidence it can never be tracked back to you.

If you have issues completing the survey, please send a description of the problem to info@shoeboxphotoscans.com. If you would like to know the results of the survey, sign up for my email list. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your thoughts and feelings are valued and very much appreciated!

Question Title

* 1. Are you male or female?

Male

Female

Question Title

* 2. What is your age?

Under 18

18 - 29

30 - 44

45 - 59

60+

Question Title

* 3. How much total combined money did all members of your HOUSEHOLD earn last year?

$0 to $9,999

$10,000 to $24,999

$25,000 to $49,999

$50,000 to $74,999

$75,000 to $99,999

$100,000 to $124,999

$125,000 to $149,999

$150,000 to $174,999

$175,000 to $199,999

$200,000 and up

Question Title

* 4. If you have printed photos (e.g., old family photos, your childhood photos or those of your kids) you know you should get scanned before they get lost or damaged, what are the reasons you haven't done it yet? (Select as many as apply.)

Doesn't apply to me. I don't have any printed photos to be scanned.

Not enough time.

I think I'll get to it when life gets back to "normal."

I think it will cost too much money.

The photos are scattered everywhere and I don't know how many I even have.

I feel overwhelmed by the whole process of organizing and purging them first.

I didn't know that there are personal photo organizers that can help me sort through them for me or with me.

Don't feel any urgency to get it done.

Lack of motivation.

I'm intimidated by the scanning process because I don't understand it.

I plan on leaving my printed photos for my kids to deal with.

I don't really care about preserving my printed photos.

Other (feel free to add a reason not covered or additional details about why you haven't gotten them scanned yet)

Question Title

* 5. Imagine you decided to get your printed photos scanned so they'd be safely archived and ready to enjoy. Rate how you would consider each factor in your decision to move forward with the project . 1 = Not important. 3 = Somewhat important. 5 = Extremely important.

	1	2	3	4	5
Time investment. I would want to organize and purge my photos on my own first.	Time investment. I would want to organize and purge my photos on my own first. 1	Time investment. I would want to organize and purge my photos on my own first. 2	Time investment. I would want to organize and purge my photos on my own first. 3	Time investment. I would want to organize and purge my photos on my own first. 4	Time investment. I would want to organize and purge my photos on my own first. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Attend a local photo organizing class for hands-on help.	Attend a local photo organizing class for hands-on help. 1	Attend a local photo organizing class for hands-on help. 2	Attend a local photo organizing class for hands-on help. 3	Attend a local photo organizing class for hands-on help. 4	Attend a local photo organizing class for hands-on help. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Hire a photo organizing expert to organize my photos FOR ME first.	Hire a photo organizing expert to organize my photos FOR ME first. 1	Hire a photo organizing expert to organize my photos FOR ME first. 2	Hire a photo organizing expert to organize my photos FOR ME first. 3	Hire a photo organizing expert to organize my photos FOR ME first. 4	Hire a photo organizing expert to organize my photos FOR ME first. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Hire a photo organizing expert to HELP ME organize and purge my photos first.	Hire a photo organizing expert to HELP ME organize and purge my photos first. 1	Hire a photo organizing expert to HELP ME organize and purge my photos first. 2	Hire a photo organizing expert to HELP ME organize and purge my photos first. 3	Hire a photo organizing expert to HELP ME organize and purge my photos first. 4	Hire a photo organizing expert to HELP ME organize and purge my photos first. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Cost involved to get them scanned.	Cost involved to get them scanned. 1	Cost involved to get them scanned. 2	Cost involved to get them scanned. 3	Cost involved to get them scanned. 4	Cost involved to get them scanned. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Scanning business must be local. I WILL NOT send my photos through the mail.	Scanning business must be local. I WILL NOT send my photos through the mail. 1	Scanning business must be local. I WILL NOT send my photos through the mail. 2	Scanning business must be local. I WILL NOT send my photos through the mail. 3	Scanning business must be local. I WILL NOT send my photos through the mail. 4	Scanning business must be local. I WILL NOT send my photos through the mail. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
I prefer to entrust my photos to a person that cares about them as much as I do and can accomodate my needs. I enjoy doing business with a person, not a company.	I prefer to entrust my photos to a person that cares about them as much as I do and can accomodate my needs. I enjoy doing business with a person, not a company. 1	I prefer to entrust my photos to a person that cares about them as much as I do and can accomodate my needs. I enjoy doing business with a person, not a company. 2	I prefer to entrust my photos to a person that cares about them as much as I do and can accomodate my needs. I enjoy doing business with a person, not a company. 3	I prefer to entrust my photos to a person that cares about them as much as I do and can accomodate my needs. I enjoy doing business with a person, not a company. 4	I prefer to entrust my photos to a person that cares about them as much as I do and can accomodate my needs. I enjoy doing business with a person, not a company. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Options available such as: different scanning resolutions (300 dpi and 600 dpi); color correction; grouping photos into folders for easier organizing later; available for downloading from the Web.	Options available such as: different scanning resolutions (300 dpi and 600 dpi); color correction; grouping photos into folders for easier organizing later; available for downloading from the Web. 1	Options available such as: different scanning resolutions (300 dpi and 600 dpi); color correction; grouping photos into folders for easier organizing later; available for downloading from the Web. 2	Options available such as: different scanning resolutions (300 dpi and 600 dpi); color correction; grouping photos into folders for easier organizing later; available for downloading from the Web. 3	Options available such as: different scanning resolutions (300 dpi and 600 dpi); color correction; grouping photos into folders for easier organizing later; available for downloading from the Web. 4	Options available such as: different scanning resolutions (300 dpi and 600 dpi); color correction; grouping photos into folders for easier organizing later; available for downloading from the Web. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
How long the person/company has been in business.	How long the person/company has been in business. 1	How long the person/company has been in business. 2	How long the person/company has been in business. 3	How long the person/company has been in business. 4	How long the person/company has been in business. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
I prefer to work with and support local, small business owners over big box stores.	I prefer to work with and support local, small business owners over big box stores. 1	I prefer to work with and support local, small business owners over big box stores. 2	I prefer to work with and support local, small business owners over big box stores. 3	I prefer to work with and support local, small business owners over big box stores. 4	I prefer to work with and support local, small business owners over big box stores. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.
Needs to be a store-front (retail) business.	Needs to be a store-front (retail) business. 1	Needs to be a store-front (retail) business. 2	Needs to be a store-front (retail) business. 3	Needs to be a store-front (retail) business. 4	Needs to be a store-front (retail) business. 5
Any additional details about why you chose this rating will be appreciated.

Question Title

* 6. How well do you manage your digital photo collection? (Select as many as apply.)

I seldom do anything with the photos I take. I don't have a management system in place.

My pictures are stored across many devices and I'm not sure how to get them all in one place.

Running out of storage space for pictures on my camera, phone and/or iPad happens more often than I'd like.

I have thousands of photos on my computer or with a cloud service and I have little or no organization to them.

My photos are so disorganized I can never find a specific picture when I need it.

I back up my photos to three (3) places on a regular basis: (1) computer, (2) external drive, flash drive or DVD, and (3) cloud service.

I back up my photos to two (2) of the following places on a regular basis: (1) computer, (2) external drive, flash drive or DVD, and/or (3) cloud service.

I own and use a photo organzing program such as Lightroom or Photoshop Elements. ("Program" does not include free software such as iPhotos, Photos or Google Photos whether computer or web based.)

I have a nicely organized photo collection that I maintain and backup regularly and I can find what I need quickly.

Other (any additional details about how you manage your photos--or don't manage them--will be appreciated)

Question Title

* 7. How does your ever-growing digital photo collection make you feel? (Select as many as apply.)

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of photos I have.

Stressed! I know I haven't done what I should with them and the disorganization is getting to me.

Insecure about my ability to deal with all the technology involved such as backing them up, organizing them and even just getting them printed.

Worried about losing my photos. (For example, camera, iPad or phone is lost, stolen or damaged; computer hard drive crashing; result of water damage, fire or natural disaster such as a tornado.)

Guilty. I want to do more with my photos such as creating photo books, albums and photo gifts, but my photos are too disorganized and I don't have the time, motivation or knowledge to fix it.

Sad. I have lots of great family photos that others and I could enjoy but they're just sitting there enjoyed by no one.

Fine. I haven't given it much thought.

Great. I keep on top of it all and have everything organized and backed up. I can find what I need and enjoy creating things with my photos. I share my photos with others every chance I get.

Please include any other feelings or obstacles that are preventing you from more fully enjoying your photos.

Question Title

* 8. You decide to get your digital photos organized. Based on the options below, rank them in the order in which would want to accomplish the task. For example, "1" would be your first choice, "2" would be your second choice, etc., with "8" being the last method you would want to use to get your photos organized.

Have a personal photo organizing expert do it for me.

Have a a personal photo organizing expert come to my home, training, motivating and guiding me through the process. Once the system is in place and I'm confident with it, then I can maintain it on my own.

Have a consultation with a personal photo organizing expert who provides me with a personalized, step-by-step plan for how I can get my collection organized on my own with occasional follow-up help as needed.

Attend a local digital photo organizing class.

Enroll in an online digital photo organizing course.

Buy tutorials that walk me through the process step by step.

Invest in buying photo organizing software such as Lightroom, Photoshop Elements or a cloud-based program to help me do it right.

Organize them on my own using my computer's filing system.

Question Title

* 9. In a perfect world in which all your photos are magically scanned and organized for you and are ready to enjoy, what do you see yourself doing or creating with them? (Select all that apply.)

Create photo books as gifts or as a remembrance of special events such as a vacation or wedding.

Hire someone to create photo books for me.

Use the photos to create or add to a family tree. Share with relatives so they can enjoy them as well.

Create photo albums for myself, my kids or loved ones.

Create fun photo gifts such as puzzles, mugs, shirts, blankets, pillows, etc.

Enjoy viewing them on a digital photo frame or a TV

Create slideshows for events such as birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, memorials.

Hire someone to create slideshows for me.

Print or enlarge some heritage photos so I can proudly display them alongside my other family photos.

Create a legacy DVD for each of my kids that has their childhood photos, as well as heritage photos for them to enjoy and pass down to their children.

Invest in a pay photo-sharing service where I can store my photos and create digital albums, giving family and friends access to it so they can view and/or download the photos for their enjoyment.

Buy a photo organizing program (either computer or web-based) that gives me more or faster organizing and sharing capabilities, even across multiple devices.

Other (please describe anything else you'd like to do with your photos, or provide a comment)

Question Title

* 10. In a few words, share your feelings as they relate to the questions below.

How do photos enrich your life?

How do you most often share photos?

If you lost all your photos, describe the impact it would have on you.

What would motivate you to take action to preserve or organize your photos? For example, threat of loss, help getting it done, a fantastic sale price, etc?

What is your major frustration with managing your digital photos?

Before doing this survey, had you ever heard of a Personal Photo Organizer?

Would you consider getting help from a Personal Photo Organizer?