I don' think it's a secret that CW has the smallest editorial teams amongst the English listings magazines. Small teams and scarce resources force us all to think creatively about how we should plan, edit and source our content. So lately it's been very refreshing to see how compatible Flickr is with CW's soon to be released China Traveler supplement (see image). Rather than rely on entirely on photobanks for photos and source articles that are traditional 1st person narratives, we're trying to create themes to our travel stories and use several sources for our photos. We start relatively "safe" with the 1st issue - a travel feature about some of China's best spas and surfing in Bali.

In this issue, we contacted over five Flickr members after viewing their photos online (It helps if you're using the new PicLens feature from Cooliris). We explained the story in a brief email, linked to their photos and indicated how they would be compensated and credited in the magazine and website. Three of them got back to us quickly. Thanks Made and Icarus!

There is no larger photobank w/ better travel photos than Flickr. If you are interested in CW commissioning or purchasing your photos (that you've already taken), then let us know. Leave me a note. We'll pay you for your work and depending on your experience commission a full feature or narrative sidebar feature about your awesome holiday.