Category: Marketing

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South Baltimore Peninsula vs. Mastodon

I was looking to get involved in Mastodon, another social media platform, but…

I did open a Mastodon account but I am all-of-a-sudden too busy for anything new. Two days ago a major urban development project (the largest on the East Coast) announced a rebranding with a major media promotion in the local (Baltimore) market. I have a 23 year old website about the South Baltimore peninsula (that was our home for four+ decades). The project is on one small (235 acre) strip of land on the southern edge of the peninsula. The new name for the project is Baltimore Peninsula and, consequently, website traffic at South Baltimore Peninsula has spiked over 300% since the announcement on November 15, 2022.

rebradning of port covington to baltimore peninsula
This signage in this photograph has been “adjusted” to reflect the recent (11/15/22) rebranding of Port Covington urban development project to the new name of Baltimore Peninsula.

I am busy going through dozens of pages and making them a bit more SEO “attractive” for the many visitors who will be searching for Baltimore Peninsula – the name of my site is South Baltimore Peninsula at SouthBaltimore.com. The project is not too shabby and is valued at 5.5 BILLION dollars over the next several years.

The newly rebranded Baltimore Peninsula with the South Baltimore peninsula domain name.
This photograph of the newly rebranded Baltimore Peninsula shows the South Baltimore peninsula domain name from back in 1999.

Yes, I do have related Baltimore and Fort McHenry and Chesapeake Bay “collections” in my FAA gallery. I am not unhappy at having no spare time for the next couple of weeks. My main interests these day lies in my art photography. I enjoy shooting photographs of locations, both near and far, and also enjoy marketing and selling the wall art I create.

Use the links below to visit see more of my photography…

Link to: Baltimore Collection
Link to: Fort McHenry Collection
Link to: Chesapeake Bay & Bridge Collection

Link to: My full gallery at Fine Art America

Link to: My gallery at Pictorem (with Free Shipping throughout North America)

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Order New Calendars for the New Year

Created with Photographs by Bill Swartwout Photography

November and December are the months when most people order calendars for the new year. Plan for 2023. #ShopEarly
Assateague Ponies, Ocean City, Indian River Bridge and Fire Control Towers are what I have created from my photographs and offer for sale at the amazing “Zazzle.” Click the image or the link below the image to browse of shop…

Calendars for the New Year
Calendars for the New Year

Link to browse or shop: https://www.zazzle.com/mbr/238675969062853179?rf=238675969062853179

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Remote Pilot Small Unmanned Aircraft System

I can now fly a “drone” for commercial purposes to expand my photography reach and perspective.

pilot institute class of 2022 decal
Pilot Institute Class of 2022 Remote Pilot Graduate

The Part 107 Certificate, as it is called, provides me with an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) license as a Remote Pilot with the rating of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. This allows me to fly my “drone(s)” for commercial purposes. I can now capture photographs of my (our) favorite places – from a new perspective – and offer them for sale in my online galleries. The “commercial” designation deals with the actual intent of the flight – so I did not heretofore shoot any photographs with the intent of offering them as wall art. But Now I Will Begin…

I studied an online course provided by the Pilot Institute and, because of that preparation, was well-prepared to pass the FAA written exam and obtain my Part 107 Certificate. So you might say I am a successful graduate of the Pilot Institute Class of 2022. Seriously, it is a good program and I will write a review in a future article. BTW, I managed to score a 92% on the test. I’ll take it. And make use of it.

temporary airman certificate remote pilot
Remote Pilot Temporary Airman Certificate – the certificate is “temporary” until it is replaced by the actual (plastic) license itself. It will be similar in appearance to my Private Pilot license – but serves a different purpose.

It is permissible to fly a drone without a Part 107 license – for recreational purposes only. Those pilots/flyers must complete a training program and earn a TRUST Certificate. “The Recreational UAS Safety Test” is a free program and is offered through several sources. I did my TRUST training through the Pilot Institute’s TRUST Portal when I first got my drone.

However, please be aware that there are many unlicensed drone flyers out there performing commercial operations – doing things like real estate photography, inspection work, etc. – without a license. They are operating in the national airspace system without being properly trained and are, therefore, a safety hazard to others. The federal government has been monitoring, catching and (severely) fining perpetrators. Fines are even being levied against people (for example, real estate agents) who hire unlicensed drone operators.