Flicker or Photobucket- Which is better?

[photog1107]

Hey Chetters, I also have been checking out Zenfolio on a 14 day trial, and so far it's got a lot going for it as well... Smug can take a while to work with, if you are really trying to get a gallery tweaked like you want it... I've give you that. But I haven't used Zen enough yet to know if it's got the edge. I hate to pay for two different services (as well as Flickr) so I may just stick with Smug for now. The only thing I have noticed that i really LIKE about Zen is that you can send a group email because it connects to your email system and sends a link to share. With Smug, you have to enter everyone's email address separately which is a pain. Hope they change that soon.

[daddyoproductions]

I tried Photobucket briefly (I didn't read the terms of service agreement either) before we really got into seriously posting photos and it didn't seem very user friendly or attractive looking to me. I was glad I found Flickr, though I did look into Smugmug...sometimes it's nice to be a sheep though and just follow the big guy with all the resources

I love Flickr because I can have private and public, my non computer savvy relatives can use it for seeing photos of the kids, and it's fairly simple to use (wish Picnic was faster, though I don't use it often). It's also nice and plain, so focus is on the photos, not the interface or advertising. I do have a pro account because we use it to share photos with relatives.

Here's a Flickr story:
I got a notification in Flickr that someone had added a photo of ours to their gallery (specifically one that got mentioned as a final in the Best of 2009 assignment here on DPS This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (16-30 Dec ‘09)). I always check out people's streams who comment or fave or whatever so I checked this one...the person had no photostream of their own, and had only created 7 galleries of photos. All of girls, and that's what they were called...girls 1, girls 2, etc. The photos ranged from small girls to women, dressed in bathing suits or dresses, and some of the adult photos were provacative. I was suspicious (and worried and disgusted) right away. So I changed the preference of the photo to not be added to a gallery (it is of my child) removed it from that gallery and reported that user. Flickr quickly notified me that their account was removed, but I'm sure they'll pop up under another user name.

Just everyone be aware of who's linking to your photos

~C

[Striking-Photography]

Just a note and my thoughts on Flickr. You can control the license you offer if any, downloading to let or not, commenting let or not and as someone else has said controls seems to grow all the time. ( I apologize if I repeat anything.)

Flickr is watched by and I believe owned now Getty Images, One of the most exclusive largest stock agencies in the world. You can even get an invite from them if they like your work. American Photographer Magazine, Popular Photography Magazine as well as many others have groups you can submit to and even get published in the hard copy magazine if they like your work.

Flickr does well in the Search engines. I keep things small with my web site on everything. I am amazed at the quality of work that is on there with High Res Images and no watermarks. (The problem I see is people that this is only a hobby for ( please no offense to anyone) and don't care if their images are stolen and are happy to see it published. But I also see some pro's do it as well. This is something I would like to do more research on. (There is a guy here in Boulder that won a million dollar law suite because Microsoft stole one of his images. Not Flickr) After you get published it is a thrill... but after many times the thrill wears off and you want to get paid for your work if you do this for a living. And if you do get published.... always always ask to have your webs site with the photo credit or in the article. Trust me they will if you ask, they won't if you don't. I have done this many many times.

One of the best ways to go on Flickr is to put a low res file and do a non-commercial license. Flickr is a really big database place for people to look for Images under that license. If you do this you might get picked up on a blog or web page with your name and link back ( part of the license requirement). This give you great Exposure and can lead to some great sales.

To get exposure there are great groups to join and submit to. To get comments on your work just comment on others and they will comment back. You can even get awards for your work... it is a thrill at first but takes work commenting and giving out to others. Tip, want to get an award? Look for people that give out awards and comment on their work. If they like yours they will give you an award.

One last thing on commenting. When you comment, now a link is on that page back to yours. if you have a really cool looking avatar ( one of your best images, not an image of you) when people see it they will click on it to your page. This is something you should get in the habit of doing. Some sites if it is NOT a "No Follow Link" this really helps you in the search engines. Blogs, YouTube, Forums and more.

That's my story and I'm Sticking to it! Hope this helps.

[davidrimages]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post. I will probably use photobucket less and start moving into Flicker more. I always see more sites pushing Flicker along with the numerous photo groups on Flicker.
Thanks again.
davidR

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by Striking-Photography

Flickr is watched by and I believe owned now Getty Images

Nope, they have a partnership with Getty Images, but they are still owned by Yahoo. You can choose to opt out if you have no interest in Getty contacting you about your images, or you can let it be. Just thought I'd clarify.

[budat]

I have been using a free Flickr account for just about a year and had tried Photobucket, but liked Flickr more.

Now, I am using BlueMelon, which is the best of all that I have ever tried. Try it and see, I think that you too will like it.

Also, if you have got a google account, you should definitely give a try to Picasa - it is somewhat lacking in customization, but it is - in my opinion - still much better than Flickr or Photobucket.

[davidrimages]

Thanks for the info, I'll look at BlueMelon.

[Dangelica]

Originally Posted by Nicole

You can choose to opt out if you have no interest in Getty contacting you about your images, or you can let it be. Just thought I'd clarify.

Opting out of getty.... thats like saying "I'll pass" when the lotteries commission tells you that you took out the jackpot.

Anyone know if there is anywhere that National Geographic keeps an eye on?

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by Dangelica

Opting out of getty.... thats like saying "I'll pass" when the lotteries commission tells you that you took out the jackpot.

True enough I definitely wouldn't pass it up. However, if you are interested in getting Getty's attention... Flickr: Getty Images Call for Artists

[cheryl_bain]

I am a big fan of Picasa....I don't use their editing program. I just use the web albums for some of my shots..mainly for when I'm posting on DPS. I tried Flickr and disliked it immediately. Everyone has their likes and dislikes....and its just a matter of finding what works best for you. For me...it is Picasa.