Firstly, if you haven't already, read our support post on what Access Control is, and how to use it, here.
Now you know how it works, but when should you use it?
Managing Photography Licences
If you are uploading images to BowerBird, you are acknowledging that you have the rights/permission to distribute those images to journalists through the platform. If your photographer requires payment/permission before photographs are published you must turn Access Control to 'ON' before activating your BowerKit.
If you don't know what your photographer's licence allows, you should ask them, and keep Access Control 'ON' in the meantime.
Managing Exclusives
An 'exclusive' is where a publication (usually magazines) will ask you not to publish your project for a set period of time, allowing them to have exclusive access to the project for their audience. You need to respect this arrangement if you have agreed to it. Make sure Access Control is turned 'ON' if a project is in an exclusive agreement with any publication.
Other journalists can still request access, and you can then give 'view only' access and only allow them to publish once the project is out of exclusive.
If you would like your project to appear in a magazine or other publication that requires exclusives, then turn Access Control 'ON' before activating your project and sending to select journalists.
If you leave your BowerKit Access Control 'OFF', any verified journalist can publish a story, which may preclude you from getting into magazines – not always, but most often.
So when should I turn it off?
If your photography licence allows publication without payment or permission, and a project has already been published (or turned down) for your top print magazines, then you may like to give open access (turn Access Control to 'OFF') to all verified journalists. This means editors can publish straight away, without any delays.
We generally recommend this for older projects that have already been in the media and have no restrictions on photography. Again, always check your photography licence before setting Access Control to 'OFF'.