Dear hive…
I have been in a spin cycle with SquareSpace “support” for about two months trying to figure out how to create a member site for my established photo archive behind a paywall on the SquareSpace site of my fiscal sponsor…a nonprofit umbrella.
I’m ready to throw in the towel and try this.
Here’s what I have now:
~5,000+ member private FaceBook group, 6 years old, very active members, at least half actually known FB friends.
~20,000K photos posted in that group with a trove of commentary containing anecdotal, biographical, historical, and relational context
~Subgroup of 200 most active members created as an advisory board
~Zenfolio galleries containing 20,000 photos divided into thematic galleries all accessible via one public portal.
~Published book
~steady market for prints
~500-800 name email list
Here’s what I have in mind:
~Project domain hosted on Ghost
~Blog/newsletter similar to FaceBook but owned and controlled by the project that can also offer subscriptions and email distribution
~links to selected Zenfolio galleries
~specially selected content posted in Ghost galleries
~a way to offer prints for sale on Ghost perhaps via custom order forms
~payment for subscriptions and print orders via Stripe
~orders fulfilled by private photo lab for pickup or mail delivery
~possible digital downloads
~organized process and workgroup for connecting, fact-checking, refining, publishing anecdotal context with individual and related images
~Ultimate goal being distribution of 300,000-500,000 image archive and narrative to public archives and private collectors
Thank you so much!