Internet enabled our success

When I going through how we can use internet for our success I have found some good article and good example on that. Read this and take what you get from that.

The great grandson of Sir Paul Getty, the founder of one of the most profitable media companies in the world, has declared the internet as the master key in turning his photography empire into a worldwide success.
Speaking to the Independent’s Media Weekly, Mark Getty explained that the internet has won the company subscription agreements with 55 of the top 100 US newspapers, compared to none three years ago.
Launched in London in 1995, Getty Images now boasts 40 million photographs dating back to 1860 and claims to provide coverage of a photographic event in greater depth than any single newspaper.
“The internet promised so much to so many businesses and has delivered so little to so many and an enormous amount to so few,” said Mark Getty, speaking alongside business partner, Jonathan Klein.
“We are one of the ultimate internet businesses. Our cost of distribution has gone from very high to virtually nothing.”
This transformation has left the two business partners with a media empire generating £355m a year, on the back of selling images to advertising campaigns, marketers, websites and leading newspapers.
Their agreement with the Mirror Group UK is a fitting example of how publications themselves market the Getty brand by being able to fill their publication with an endless stream of supplied images.
According to Mr Getty, this is a process that will expand in the future as newspapers and publications continue to reduce their dependency on staff photographers.
“We probably have more accredited photographers at the Olympic Games than the British media combined, so by definition we can cover an event in greater depth and breadth than a single newspaper.”
For all its said-volume and expectantly bright future, Getty Images only employs 120 photographers that manage to add 40,000 images every year.
Klein believes it is little wonder that the company’s photographers “absolutely love it because they have way more freedom than working for the Associated Press or Press Association.”
“Fundamentally their freedom derives from them being photo-journalists.
There’s no one writing the story” he added, “they are allowed to tell the story with pictures.”
And the difference between a photograph of Tiger Woods taken by AP, a PA snapper or an image captured by a Getty photographer?
Simple, says Klein. The GI photographer must “capture defining emotion around the moment, so they can literally be focusing on his wife or someone in the crowd and try and get a completely different shot.”
For the future, the company said it hopes to pre-empt the needs of publications, by creating a research team to identify trends, so that a portfolio is potentially available before it is requested by its network of global clients.

Management TIps

Fix the problem, not the blame. It is far more productive, and less expensive, to figure out what to do to fix a problem that has come up than it is to waste time trying to decide whose fault it was.

Tell people what you want, not how to do it. You will find people more responsive and less defensive if you can give them guidance not instructions. You will also see more initiative, more innovation, and more of an ownership attitude from them develops over time.

Manage the function, not the paperwork. Remember that your job is to manage a specific function within the company, whatever that may be. There is a lot of paperwork that goes with the job, but don't let that distract you from your real responsibility.

Don't DO Anything. Your job as a manager is to "plan, organize, control and direct." Don't let yourself waste valuable time by falling back on what you did before you became a manager. We know you enjoy it and you are good at it. That's why you were promoted. Now you need to concentrate your efforts on managing, not on "doing".

You never have to make up for a good start. If a project or a job gets off to a bad start it can be difficult to catch up. Do your planning up front so you get a good start and you won't regret it.

Get out of your office. Management by Walking around (MBWA) does work. You make yourself more approachable. You get information first-hand. You find out what's really happening.

Lead by example. If you ask your employees to work overtime, be there too. Just because company policy allows it, don't fly first-class if your associates are in coach on the same plane. Be a leader - it's tougher than being a manager, but it's worth it.

Delegate the easy stuff. The things you do well are the things to delegate. Hold on to those that are challenging and difficult. That is how you will grow.

Don't get caught up in 'looking good'. "Work happily together. Don't try to act big. Don't try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don't think you know it all. Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honest clear through."

'Quality' is just conformance to requirements. You get the behavior you critique for, so set your standards and then require conformance to them. Quality will come from that effort, not from slogans, posters, or even threats.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.