Comments on: Flickr: 10 things we love and hate

What's good and bad with Flickr.

[BillyWarhol]

Some Good Points!

Especially on being able to BACKUP YOUR Content!

I did just try an Awesome new Solution FlickrEdit by SunkenCity.org + it looks Great!

Cheers! Billy ;))

p.s. They may wanna add Music capability + get with the Social Networking Program!! Even tho Flickr is still the Shining Light of the Web2.0 Universe especially compared to Overrated Billion Dollar Jokes like MySpace + Facebook + YouTube* - they don't even Register a Blip on the Social Network Scene - they are still operating under the $35 Million Dollar Illusion that they are a "Photo Site"!!

[Familyresource4u]

Very good post! Flickr is getting so high these days that it gave many people the impression that it is prefect. Well I like many features Flickr offers but it is just too simple. At this time, I keep Flickr as a way to share with my friends and smugmug as online back up albums.
http://web500.us

[tekwrite]

I have the Pro version and like it. I do agree it is too hard to share photos with others, I have to invite them to join. I don't have much trouble with photography uploads as I look at the untagged ones and those are the ones I put in a new set. or the ones I upload on a specific day.

[schellack]

Another "hate" (really more a of a dislike) is that many of my family members and friends appreciate some simple editing tools that Flickr lacks, other than the ability to rotate photos. I don't really look for that additional functionality, as if I'm going to edit a photo, I'm going to use Photoshop. However, it would be nice, when on the go, to have the ability to crop photos.

[jeremy128]

I actually like sets. It's nice (for me) that I don't have to put the pictures I upload in a specific folder, I can just have them 'there'.

[ghaff]

Data portability is one beef (though I'm not quite sure what that means beyond mass FTP download).

Ability to upload Raw files for backup purposes would be nice (even if they're not displayed).

Related would be the ability to selectively decide what resolution of JPEG gets seen by different groups. i.e. upload full-sized JPEGs but only display up yo 800x600 to the general public.

[davehm]

i'm not sure what the complaint is about hotlinking. a number of folks i know use flickr as a host for a weekly photo contest and have no trouble hotlinking their images. and without any link love or blue boxes. in fact i haven't seen the blue box you're writing about.

while i do have a pro account i only use it for sharing photos. and when i do that it's as a link not a hotlinked image. all my contest entries are hosted on my own site for better control of them. and permanency, such as it is.

the sets are ok, haven't tried collections but the photo stream part doesn't really work for me. then again for $25 i don't expect much more than a stable host for stuff that i want to share publicly. and i'd rather point the teeming masses at flickr than have to edit my web pages for the occasional image.

[Josh.Lowensohn]

You can hotlink all you like, but it's against the TOS and community guidelines. If Flickr catches you doing it, they'll either suspend, or disable your account.

[kemorr]

It's not as cool or sexy, etc as some of the other services, but picasa web albums is easy to get photos on the web (essentially one click), easy to share photos w/ anyone without requiring them to sign up and you can allow others to download your photos or order prints from online, and you can upload full resolution files so it is viable as an online backup service if you're willing to pay for the storage.

I was able to upload maybe 100 photos in the time it took me to sign up for and briefly read about another online photo site. I guess I'd rather have functional and easy to use over cool, hip, trendy, etc...

[kellergraham]

Flickr just recently changed the way Geotagged images appear on its map. You're limited to seeing the most recent 19 pictures, it used to be 200. And when you move the map, it doesn't update. The old maps were a lot better. The new maps miss the point of Geotagging.

[Kosh III]

I tried flickr and did not like the confusing navigation scheme. There just doesn't seem to be an easy way to go from one pic to the next or back etc.

I use Phanfare which, though pricey, allows big video files and has a very nice full screen slideshow feature.

[jonester]

ZOOOMR.COM ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!! Way more awsomer than Flickr, you get much more comments and faves, and with their chat feature (Zipline) people know when you talk, they can respond, they can see every photo you just uploaded.

(Username: Jonester)

[i5bala]

Although Flickr is a great app, it still lacks in some of the key Usability stuffs missing. Checkout my big list of Flickr usability review at :

http://i5bala.blogspot.com/2006/11/hello-yahoo-simple-features-or-changes.html

[Philscbx]

Well Done I must say.
But to do the basic moves from any image your looking at, and wanting to go to say 'Home Page', or back to the beginning of search, is done when I hold down browser back up button down and pick the page I want to go to. If that helps some of you. One thing you might not want to do is save other members images to your favorites at your home page for others to view.
Flickr may need to use your review to show members how to use their service.

[HAM5732]

Good article. An extremely important feature to me - that I haven't been able to find in an onsite photo service or Flickr - is the ability to search the uploaded files based upon characters in the filename. For example, I'd like to search for all photos containing "-15" in the filename WITHOUT having to tag each file after uploading. It doesn't appear Flickr allows for that. Are there any services that do?

[Themisive]

Have you tried Webshots?

[Themisive]

I think I can see your point, however have you tried Webshots?

[Josh.Lowensohn]

That's a fairly tall order for filenames alone. On a camera level, with some models you can tweak the default file name to include such a prefix to the shots. The same can be done in post-process, although it sounds like you're trying to skip that step entirely.

Have you given http://flickr.com/search/advanced/ a try?

[danielgree]

Great post!!
Flickr is one of my favorites web services,
despite all those true things you've mentioned to hate.
I use this social aggregator called 8hands, and it notifies me whenever one of my Flickr friends uploads new photos, so I never miss a single shot.
It's awesome. (their "photos from your contacts" feature kinda suck- it's too messy!)

[fluffycreature]

I think Flickr is well done but the one thing preventing me from a pro Account is Flickr is Yahoo owned. Yahoo gave information to Chinese officials and people are now in prison.

Quite simply it is a moral issue, not a technical issue. I wish it were not the case.

t.

[Philscbx]

If it's to solve a crime, then so be it.
Your family is looking for your missing body.

[Themisive]

I don't want (or need) my photos on the web, I basically have 3 choices, 1) either put them on one of the 2 flash drives I have, keeping them independent of the computer, 2) using a website facility my ISP has given me or 3) use my own website.

the only time I can see any good use for photos on the 'net is if they are ones you generally want to share with others. However, as mine are all only really relevant to me, keeping them private is the best option - I tend to use my camera for photographing progress of electronic builds and similar.

[car4dave]

Flikr shmikr.. When Yahoo closed its photo's I moved mine to photobucket.com.

[Philscbx]

What I do not like about a lot of photo sites is a linked image in a forum presents at max a 200 x 100 image, and poor quality.
As a pro member at Flickr, I can link a full screen view beyond 1200x if I want or down to thumb nail size. Most people have wide screen laptops and this works to their advantage to view a specific subject.
Linking people to view albums by permission is not that big a deal.
I let people do that if I shoot a Halloween event when 200 plus kids come for Trick or Treat in some of the best costumes. I give the parent the link in email to enjoy the moment. Simple as that.
Geo Tagging is still a work in progress and not used by many, but is a major hit for the tourist going to Europe for the first time. Until cameras come standard with the feature, I use my own software mapping, mousing over any spot shows coordinates in real time with altitude.