CitizenSide.com - In Which You Become the Media

The French based CitizenSide, formerly ScoopLive, gives citizen journalists their shot for the spotlight. The site acts as a marketplace for news photos whereby anyone can sell their headlining snapshots for up to 75% of the final price. All CitizenSide members will make 65% commission if their picture is sold on their national market; the best sellers can earn 10% more depending on their annual turnover. As news happens right before our eyes all the time, and given the ubiquity of cameras, CitizenSide lets us all enter the paparazzi wagon. Media buyers bid on photos which are sold with a 90 day exclusivity clause. Amateur photographers, if they happen to be in the right place at the right time could net thousands of dollars.

“CitizenSide aims at creating the world's largest amateur and/or independent reporters community with a commercial goal, thanks to an easy to use and transparent system, and a commission rate much more important than traditional agencies.



CitizenSide was created in 2006 in Paris, France, by three founders with a common passion for information and a complementary experience to offer the best service.”

CitizenSide is well executed. The site design clearly and elegantly showcases the best citizen photos, which would make any buyer drool. This is a prime marketplace for your amateur news hound/photog. Participatory news, crowdsourcing—these are the future of news and media outlets.

Couldn’t citizens just as easily try to broker an exclusive deal with a magazine/paper, getting more cash in the process? What sorts of numbers are people seeing for their photos? How well has this site performed vs its competitors?