Keep one authoritative source for each asset, give the team a way to retrieve it, and record what must be checked before reuse. Somea adds semantic search to connected Drive or Dropbox folders. It helps with discovery; it does not make a search result approved, current, or licensed for a new campaign.
Explore a discovery and social-workflow layer for the asset library you already use.
A folder structure can explain who maintains the originals and where a shoot belongs. It cannot anticipate every future request: the same photo may be relevant by product, setting, season, composition, or campaign.
Keep the source structure that works. Index the folders the team is authorized to use, then search from the content need. Correct missing ownership or conflicting versions in the source rather than expecting semantic search to resolve them.
Imagine a small retail team with product shoots in Drive and event photos in Dropbox. The request is an Instagram post featuring the current green travel mug in an everyday setting, with room for a short headline.
Record the product, channel, intended use, and reviewer. In this example: current green travel mug, organic Instagram post, everyday setting, space for a headline. A visually similar old product is not an acceptable substitute.
In Somea, try a description such as 'green mug on a desk with space beside it'. Compare the returned assets with the request. Retrieval suggests candidates; a person still checks that the product, colour, and composition are correct.
Open the original source and check the product version with its owner. Confirm permission for this use, any expiry or credit requirements, and whether the planned crop works. Keep an unresolved candidate out of the ready-to-review selection.
Share two candidate source links with a short reason for each and the outstanding review decision. For example: 'A: clear product view; B: everyday setting. Product owner confirmed current model; campaign reviewer still to choose the image and approve the copy.' These are illustrative notes, not automatically generated approval records.
Maintain these fields in your existing brief, spreadsheet, or source-library process. This is a suggested human-maintained record, not a claim that Somea populates or enforces every field.
Scroll sideways to compare all columns.
| Field | Illustrative entry | Who verifies it |
|---|---|---|
| Original source | Link to the original mug photo in the product-shoot folder. | The library owner confirms the authoritative file and access. |
| Subject and version | Green travel mug, current product model. | The product owner checks the actual image, not just its filename. |
| Intended use | Organic Instagram post; headline beside the product. | The social manager checks the brief, crop, and channel requirements. |
| Usage rights | Pending: confirm permission, expiry, and credit with the owner. | A responsible person checks the relevant agreement before use. |
| Review decision | Shortlisted; image choice and copy still awaiting review. | The assigned reviewer records the decision for this specific post. |
Resolve ownership, duplicate versions, and access in the source library first. A better search result cannot establish which version the team should use.
Test semantic retrieval on a representative set of connected folders. Keep existing storage rather than migrating merely to try another way of finding material.
Improve the rights and review process. A previous campaign's approval is not automatically approval for this one; assess dedicated asset-governance tooling when those requirements demand it.
Use the selected assets and a brief as the starting point for an editorial direction. Review the visual, copy, and any outstanding restrictions before scheduling or connected publishing where configured.
For a wider folder and naming exercise, use the brand-photo organization guide below. For a storage or governance decision, use the Drive-versus-DAM comparison. Neither is a prerequisite for trying a more useful retrieval workflow.
Explore a discovery and social-workflow layer for the asset library you already use.
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