Safety tips for selfie sticks
Some people see the ubiquitous selfie stick as a scourge, especially the theme parks and museums who placed a ban on them recently. But there’s no getting away from just how popular they are. Labeled as one of the 25 best inventions of 2014 by Time magazine, the smartphone and camera holder appears here to stay.
Wayne Fromm’s invention is still taking the world by storm, according to Inc. magazine.
With that said, entrepreneurs and startups are embracing the selfie stick as a promotional item due to the rod’s growing popularity or infamy, depending on your opinion. The Chicago Tribune reported new businesses are using branded sticks as giveaways to get their name out to the public.
Growing popularity
The product was also a hot item at this year’s Promotional Products Trade Show in Las Vegas, according to The Arizona Daily Star.
“You can’t channel-surf promotional products,” Joe Hanley, managing editor of Advertising Specialty Institute’s magazines, told The Chicago Tribune during a recent ASI meeting.
If you’re company wants to get noticed via these smartphone add-ons make sure you and your customers follow some essential guidelines to keep your selfie stick manners in check and everyone else safe and happy.
“Stay smart, polite and safe by learning some selfie stick etiquette.
Look around you
There’s just something about using a pole to take a picture that can disorient people. So, before you and your group of friends or colleagues get snap happy, check your surroundings. Avoid taking any photos in crowded or small locations. You wouldn’t want to poke anyone on the bus or subway or in a restaurant.
However, it’s not just little spaces that you’ll need to watch out for. Selfie sticks are great at capturing people posing in front of vast landscapes, and because of that you’ll need to keep your bearings there, too. So, watch out if you plan to shoot any photos in mountains or canyons.
Check out the view
Besides watching out for the your own safety and those of others, the other key in selfie stick etiquette is to not block anyone else’s view. Whether you’re taking photos or video of the sunset, your favorite painting in a museum or of a concert, always remember that your smartphone rod might be blocking someone’s sight line.
Always ask the people in close vicinity to you if it’s alright to use a selfie stick if you’re attending a sports or cultural event. You wouldn’t want your picture taking to be the cause of a fellow fan missing a key play or scene.
Don’t walk and shoot
Whatever you do, though, never use the stick while moving. You already have uneven pavement, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to look out for. Stay safe and only use it when you need to capture a static pose.
Your safety is more important than a moving snapshot.
When in doubt
Sometimes you don’t even need a selfie stick. So put it down and engage others by asking them if they’d take a photo of you and your friends and family just like the average tourist did before Fromm invented it in 2006.