Calgary’s iStockphoto.com Pays $1 Million Per Week to Contributors
iStockphoto is a Calgary-based online, royalty free, international microstock photography, video and audio provider operating with the micropayment business model. Images cost between 1 and 150 credits, depending on size and image collection with credits ranging from $.95 to $1.50 USD each. Each approved image is added to the searchable online database, where it can be found by purchasers. Depending on the original size of an image, it can be bought in XSmall, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge, XXLarge and XXXLarge sizes. These cost 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 22 or 28 credits. Vector and Flash files also cost 1 to 25 credits, based on complexity. Files can be downloaded immediately, and used in almost anything. The basic license agreement prohibits only a few uses, such as web templates, print on demand, adult materials, etc. Any print runs over 500,000 must pay additional royalties. Extended licenses are available for purchase to cover certain needs not met by the basic license agreement. Read more 
Edmonton’s Social Networking Site Nexopia an Internet Success Story
A true internet success story, Nexopia was born in the dark of a cold Edmonton winter only to rise to become Canada’s largest social networking site for youth. With over 1.5 million members, and hundreds of new accounts created every day, Nexopia is quickly solidifying its reputation as the online place for teens to connect and express themselves. Today the site is registering 35,265,275,383 hits by 1,515,433 users and there were 7, 497 users online at the time I was researching this article. Read more
Step Up and Step In Website for Youth
Step Up and Step In is a campaign that was created for youth by youth in 2010. Step Up and Step In is designed to address the issue of youth violence by building on the City of Edmonton’s Fight Violence campaign launched in 2007 under the leadership of Mayor Stephen Mandel and Police Chief Mike Boyd. (www.fightviolence.net).
With support directed to YOUCAN Edmonton by REACH Edmonton Council for Safe Communities (www.reachedmonton.ca) Step Up and Step In has aimed to be a grass-roots initiative that focuses on youth engagement, youth resiliency and youth empowerment as a means to create a homegrown model for change. Through this support, the Step Up and Step In project was officially launched with a free music festival in Churchill Square on the International Day of Peace (September 21, 2010).
Interested people are invited to voice their views on their blog, view the photo galleries and participate in this project aimed to inform youth and reduce violence at school, at home and in our communities. See www.stepupandstepin.ca
Marilyn
Jones is a corporate and social media advocate for individuals, small businesses
and nonprofit organizations in Alberta. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada and is the proprietor of RiverCity Productions. You can contact her
by phone at 780-695-5675 or by email at marilyn@mediamag.ca.