A few short years ago, Flickr was unquestionably the largest and most popular image sharing site on the internet. It was clean, fast, easy, and social. In fact, it was one of the first websites to embrace the concept of social media. Flickr was on the cutting edge of the internet, and it was growing fast. But over the past couple of years, as websites like Tumblr, Facebook, 500px, smugmug, Instagram and Imgur have risen to fame and evolved to meet the needs of a more social internet, flickr has, for the most part, stayed entirely the same.
Flickr's decline, or rather, stagnation, can be in part attributed Yahoo purchasing flickr a few years ago. In a recent Gizmodo article, titled 'How Yahoo Killed Flickr and Almost Lost The Internet,' Gizmodo goes into detail about how Yahoo's poor corporate culture, lust for the almighty dollar, and bloated middle management led to the neglect of one of the internet's favorite websites. The article is well worth a read for anyone interested in a brief history lesson on social media and image sharing, but that's another topic for another day.
An unknown internet user and flickr lover recently created the website www.dearmarissamayer.com which contains nothing more than a plea for Yahoo's new CEO, the well-known Marissa Mayer, to 'Make Flickr Awesome Again:'
The website has quickly gone viral, garnering five figures worth of shares on Facebook and twitter, and enough reddit 'karma' to last a lifetime.
Much to everyone's surprise, flickr was quick to issue a reply on their own website. An equally simple message was created and posted at flickr.com/dearinternet:
I don't really love Flickr's reply here, though I am glad that they acknowledged the recent outcry. They have some of the brightest minds and engineers at their disposal (one need look no further than Marissa Mayer herself), yet urge people to apply for only a handful of jobs available on their website. It's also well-known that Yahoo's middle management and iffy corporate culture isn't going to be the most attractive option for new hires who could really improve flickr. Yahoo would be able to turn Flickr around pretty quickly if it felt it was worth investing in, but nothing has really changed over the last few years, which leaves me wondering.
Do you think Flickr will 'become awesome' again? Or has Yahoo's takeover started an irreversible change for the worse? Even though I have been a 'pro' user for six or seven years at this point, I have personally stopped using flickr for anything more than an extra hosting website for easy sharing on websites and blogs. Still, there are even more attractive options for that now, such as Imgur. Not to mention the sparkly gifs. Marissa, if you're reading this, I promise I'd come back to Flickr if you got rid of the sparkly gifs and group invites. Pinky swear!
![Israel No Longer Appears On Flickr Maps [UPDATE: Been Re-Added!]](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/small-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/fs-flickr-maps-israel21.jpg)
Well, I think it's just the way the giant Internet "eco system" works. A bright star is born, gets hyped, gets bought and slowly dies. And that repeats itself over and over and over again. No one seems to learn. In the long run, watch Instagram and Facebook walk the same path. In fact, the only thing saving Facebook at this time is it's huge user base (approaching 1 billion!).
I don't miss Flickr, the alternatives are better and there is no need to get nostalgic. Maybe Yahoo will be able to turn it around (probably they won't). Good luck to them.
anyone with a brain has moved onto 500px
http://tbarrett.500px.com
Same here, got sick of Flickr ... went to 500px :
http://500px.com/philippesiccardi
I've been "pro"user since 2007 or 08 but after this year superscription will expire I am out.
I wish I could do the same with Facebook but with this we are stuck...
Awesomenes belongs to the smaller, innovative companies, not the biggies. Look at how Google and Microsoft turn most of their aquisitions into dwarfs. I switched to 500px today too.
I think Flickr has become less interesting, but it's still amazing for looking up pictures with lens tags. For example, if I wanted to see how a Tamron 90mm macro lens works with a D7000, I can just search for that and it will bring up a whole library of real world examples. Personally for me, I always use it for that, to research lenses and also cameras.
The groups are also great for putting out questions and getting answers and suggestions...shame about the price though as so many of the others are free!
edpereira.com
They acknowledged the outcry, but not the lack of awesomeness (since the "awesomer" comment).
Only thing that could change Flickr, would be to delete 90% of its database, ie all the HDR photos.
but you can't make a site like to "awesome" just by deleting the photos, I mean there has to be a place for people to put their everyday photos. It's not really right to say that a site sucks because some photos suck.
Same here: my pro account will expire end of this year and unless nothing "awesome" happens won't be renewed. I wouldn't know what I an paying for.
i kinda like flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rafa_aguirra/
Why?
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Every day you can see another new community where you can but your pictures in or communicate with other people. But all this kind of sites are hyped and then they are gone, thats the way... the american way of internet. In america everything hyped so much and everybody puts money in it, that not means that is a great product behind that. Look at the german car industry, they are stable with well engineered products over decates. I dont want to say that everything from america is bad, but bad projects can earn so much money there. I dont wonder about flickr, there are so many other sites with similar offers out there ands the engineering is nearly stopped.
i forgot greets from germany :-)
So you're post is pretty much just bashing another country without anything concrete.
P.S. German cars are not as well engineered as they have brainwashed you to believe. Go look at reliability studies.
no im not bashing, i like so much things from america :D But sometimes some things are a little bit far out.
That's no different than many other modernized countries, Germany included. The fact is, it SEEMS more prevalent in the US simply because our population is so much larger, and our media outlets have more reach, so you simply hear about the cases more often coming from the US, when in reality, rates are pretty similar across modern first-world countries.
Yes maybe that is the reason, but here in germany many things need to be analysed many times before it goes public, this is sometimes annoying and sometimes good when its tested several times. In america, in my opinion it is easier to find somebody how is jumping on the train, I like that more open behavior but the risk that projects get pushed without consistend concept behind it is higher.
Sure Flickr is feeling a little old lately but I still love it and use it on a weekly basis:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davedugdale/
Sure I hope they give it a face lift but to me it is not as bad as everyone is crying about. I think people want the party to move some place else cool, but for me I follow so many amazing people on Flickr I have no desire to move.
My huge issue with Flickr is their billing system. I wasn't on the "auto-rebill" payment plan, but Flickr did charge me exactly one year after my initial "pro" purchase. Yet, my account is still "free". Contacting Flickr support or Yahoo! billing led to absolutely nothing - they saw no charges to my credit card number or name. After that, I disputed the charge with my credit card company and my company refunded the money.
Any company that does online billing has a thorough logging system for every single credit card processed. How the heck did they not find me - still puzzles me, but I am not touching Flickr with a 10 foot boom arm ever again.
What I like about flicker is the group support, there are some crappy and others really good. When in doubt about a purchase or you are just starting with photography great tips can be found there. Now they tried to make it a little bit "awesomemer" with the new picture viewing style thing but is by far way behind other social media sites. For me that is why I still have my flickr account and even if you are a pro there will always be someone who needs help with something. Just my 2 cents.
That's like the crazy chick saying, "I know I'm messed up but if you would go out with me I'd be a better person." You change first, nut job.
Flickr is nothing more than a popularity contest. The cool kids get all the comments and favorites. According to their contacts, every image they post "is the greatest image ever created". ZOMG, AMAZING!, YOU ARE AMAZING!, WOW!, AWESOME! Nothing can make that place awesome. Yahoo half assed it for years. In the past 5 years there are hardy any changes besides being able to post to social media networks. They have't added one drop of value for their paying customers. I won't be keeping my pro account once it expires.
Bro, you gotta understand the kind of website it is. Flickr is exactly as you described it. But it's not claiming to be a critique or professional review site. If you want honest critiques of your images, you need to find another site or forum, such as the critiquing forum of Fred Miranda.
• The interface looks outdated and doesn't make your photo's shine like 500px does.
• No super easy way to share photo's to other social media.
• They should separate the "ok" photo's from the "good" photo's more, like 500px is doing with their popular and editor's choice.
• Give people more rewards. For example like achievements Xbox360 or trophies like the PS3, when they liked more then 30 photo's or when a photo gets more then 50 views, etc. They can get creative with it. Oh and make the awards count. Give free stuff or add more functions
• Add new services, design your own portfolio/website, make micro communities and make flickr users responsible for updating it. And a lot of interviews and tutorials perhaps, maybe online magazine like?
• Maybe pro membership, not only gives you more options, but gives you also a Pro version of flickr, without the overload of snapshots or familyphoto's
• Add some level system. When you gain more popularity you get in a new circle of photographers on or just above your level, and also cuts off the snapshots and familyphoto's.
"Give people more rewards. For example like achievements Xbox360 or trophies like the PS3, when they liked more then 30 photo's or when a photo gets more then 50 views, etc. They can get creative with it. Oh and make the awards count. Give free stuff..."
You are kidding....
Right?
and you think you will get more popularity than teh nudity an dporn guys? Dream on. 500px way too much effort http://www.flickr.com/photos/beachdigital/7612984712/
Eh, all 500 is just Pinterest. Slop tossed together, hell like mentioned above, it too will go the way of Flickr just give it time.
Open up 500px.
Open Flicker.
Take a look at both.
Flicker is trapped in the 80's.
I am new to both, great back catalogue of discussions on flickr to learn from, sparkly look to 500px, BUT what am I actually missing, whats this awesome thats missing ? not just the bits you find lacking or bothersome.
didn't renew my subscription with Flickr. Went Smugmug all the way! No looking back! I'm able to showcase my photos and earning with photo/print purchases is a plus!
I am always open to alternatives - cant find you on 500px though.How many images do you sell a day - month - year?
Ok found you on smugmug. Same question about sales. I get the impression that most smugmug visitors are other photographers. Do they buy images from other photogs?
One reason to dislike Flickr is that it strips your copyright information from the EXIF data when people download a copy. Flickr is thus contributing to the likelihood that your image will lose your copyright through the orphan works laws that are now part of the US copyright landscape.
Still using both. Small thumbnails on 500px look great but that's about it. No full screen preview is a major disappointment for me. Paid for awesome feature and not astonished with portfolio options either. I'm not going to get rid of Flickr just because Scott Kelby said so.
Tumblr - a photo blogFacebook - share your photos with your friends, feed your ego senseless
500px - closed community of russian photographers and photoshoppers, nobody sees you
smugmug - its just that, smug
Instagram - collection of fake iPhonegraphers (they take pix w/ dSLR)
Imgur - until now, never even heard of it
Flickr - its not dead, its dead in the water
Daniil Sosonkin just gave us a reason why I THINK THAT FLICKR IS NOT DEAD!You gave an example of most popular photo sharing sites that are to be honest SUCKS (maybe beside 500px). Those sites will be forgotten soon and Flickr will be still there. Yes, I am guilty as well as I am not using it so often anymore (pro user for last 5 years) but lets be honest there is no other site with such a functionality.Nowadays, all the 'photographers' are only about social networking and sharing (WTF?!). Do it for yourself, built you network on the Flickr and you will be amazed how much good stuff is there.You are all too bored to quickly!
500px might be a little more slick in appearance but the concept is basically the same as Flickr. Upload a shot and wait for all the false praise of those hoping to get a comment or vote in return.
Despite this, I would have to agree that the absolute cream of 500px images are of a much higher quality than those of Flickr's 'Explore' which in recent times has become a celebration of the mediocre.