FLICKR

After discussion with Paula last week, I have decided to switch to different research which is more obtainable than secondlife which seems to have trouble accessing from the computer lab at university. The software downloaded at home does not have enough speed and memory to run properly and therefore the better option will be switching to Flickr.

Flickr is a photo-sharing website which runs under Web 2.0. Photo sharing activity has been practiced since the invention of portable camera. I remember flipping through photo albums that belongs to my grandmother since I was young enough to identify pictures. More photographs are developed, spreading to other family members as a mean of sharing. It is an expensive way to share but we can always pore over photos during every school holidays in grandma’s place. Flickr uses the same concept… sharing photographs, but has more advantages than the old way.

Cost – Compared to the cost of developing film in photographs, Flickr gives a a much cheaper option of sharing photographs digitally.
Instant – Instead of waiting to develop photographs, or waiting for a gathering to share photographs with family and friends, Flickr gives the option to upload to their website and make them available as soon as we take them. So, in 5 minutes taking the photographs on a digital camera, they can be uploaded to the Flickr website giving access to a family member from the other side of the world to view it. Not just one photograph but your entire album.
Control – You as the account holder or owner has the control over who sees which photo. It can be done for public or private view.
Accessibility – You have the access to your album without having to think where have you placed the photographs quite instantly.
Spreadability – Photographs for public viewing are spreadable. Those interested in the photographs that you have taken might subscribe to your account and the process continues, spreading the photographs worldwide.

Flickr gives you option not only to upload pictures to share but also allows you to blog. I have opened an account last year for ‘Digital Perspective’ unit which has given me some exposure on how to open an account and upload pictures that has been download from any input devices like a digital camera or scanner onto the computer. The next vital thing is registering… having your own account to store your photographs.

Youtube video by jutecht gives some tips on Flickr and how to use it. Added on March 14, 2006

Registering

Creating account for Flickr is very easy.

Go to www.flickr.com and click on “Sign Up!” button
If you have a Yahoo! ID, just sign in using Yahoo! where you can use the same username and password to create a new flickr account. If not, create an account with Yahoo!
Once that is created, then sign in to Flickr and start uploading pictures.

Brief History

Flickr was setup by a couple, Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield who was actually working in a ‘massively multi-player online game ‘ in year 2002. As a part of the game, the programmers were creating photo-sharing software, when Fake and Butterfield decided that this software might be a good business prospect and yes, barely a year of launching, they reportedly sold it to Yahoo! for £30million.

Article extracted from – http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1939084,00.html

The Goal

Flickr has two goals. One is to make photos available to other people and secondly opportunity to organize photos in new ways. In both cases Flickr has succeeded in their goal as this photo-sharing is done worldwide and secondly we can organize the photos in much easier and simpler way. Detailed information regarding their goal can be found here.