Photographs are an excellent way of visually preserving memories. Whether they record personal, professional or social histories, pictures are a great way to convey meaning to others.
The advent of digital cameras has brought an immediacy to photography; we can share images instantly with friends and family near and far. Many people print their own photos, and most slightly imperfect images never get printed and are simply deleted. Moreover, inkjet photographs can fade over time and images stored on your hard drive or disks are at risk of being permanently lost or being left behind by technological advances. Hard drives are mechanical devices, and like all such machines, they will fail at some point. Don't lose your images due to mechanical failure!
Sometimes photography isn’t about perfection; it’s about memories. Your friends at Fotofast remind you to Think Before You Delete and print everything, because our prints will outlast your hard drive by generations.
Here are some ways to help preserve those memories:
• Burn your Photos to CD: As soon as you download your images from your digital camera, burn them to a CD before you do anything else. Treat the images on this CD as your 'digital negatives'. Most CDs are rated as having a 100 year life span if properly stored. Be sure to use acid-free markers and labels with your discs. Test your CD afterwards, preferably on another computer to ensure that it works correctly.
• Order a CD: If you can't burn the CD yourself, Fotofast can do it for you.  You don't have to order any prints, just select 'Put all these photos on a CD'. It's that easy!
• Print your Photos: Inkjet prints are great, but many can't compare to the archival quality of real photographic prints. A picture is exposed with light onto light sensitive paper and processed through chemicals to make a real photograph. This technology creates an archival print that will last up to 200 years in a photo album and up to 125 years in home display situations according to Fuji.
• Treat Camera Cards with Care: Don't remove the memory card from your camera while the power is still on. When you turn the camera off, wait until it is completely off before removing the card. Some cameras take several seconds to complete their shutdown routine. Premature removal can result in loss of some or all of the data on the card.
• Watch your Battery Level: Don't shoot pictures or transfer images from the camera when your battery is low. Power loss at these critical times can damage the directory structure of the camera card and result in lost images.
• Use our Image Recovery Service: If you have lost images on a camera card, Fotofast may be able to recover them for you. We have experience in dealing with this situation. While recovery is not 100% guaranteed, you can help improve your chances by not shooting more photos on the card. Bring it into Fotofast as soon as possible.
• Use Acid-Free or Photo-Safe Albums: Use photo albums that are acid-free to prevent the premature aging and deterioration of your images. Fotofast carries a complete line of acid-free albums.
• Avoid Direct Sunlight: Ultraviolet light can fade images very rapidly. A photograph hanging in direct sunlight will change noticeably in a matter of months. Be careful where you place your prized images. Change their locations periodically if they have any sun exposure.
• Maintain Proper Environmental Conditions: Besides light, heat, humidity, pollutants and poor framing can damage prints. Very dry conditions cause prints to curl, and humid conditions result in mold and mildew. Improper framing techniques can cause problems: matting that is not acid- and lignin-free can damage photos; masking tape and adhesive tape can discolor and/or stain prints; unmatted photos can be damaged or get permanently stuck to the glass in frames, especially if the glass is sprayed with liquid cleaners, many of which are corrosive and may stain or fade photos.

Further interesting info http://www.savemymemories.org/