Sunday, May 10, 2009

Photo Hosting Service

Digital photography is all the rage these days. We take photos with digital cameras or mobile phones with camera function, and share them with our family or friends. We may e-mail our photos or upload them to photo hosting sites. Some of the most popular photo hosting sites are PBase, SmugMug, PhotoBucket and Flickr.

I upload my photos to Flickr. (See here.) I like Flickr’s clean, minimalist design. But Flickr offers more than photo hosting service. It is also a social networking site, where shutterbugs form groups and share their works.


Popular it is, I suspect that Flickr is being challenged by Facebook. (Well, as an MBA student, I am trying to compare them from business perspective.) Facebook users can create photo albums on the site. Better still, it is free. By comparison, a free Flickr account only displays a maximum of 200 pictures. If we wish to display more than that amount, we need to upgrade to a pro account by paying a fee.


How should we choose between Flickr and Facebook? If you are a casual snap shooter who merely want to share your pictures with your friends, the choice is a no-brainer. For professionals or serious amateurs who wish to showcase their works to the world, Flickr still has some advantages. Still, I notice that many advanced photographers have formed their groups in Facebook.

Which photo hosting services are you using?

13 comments:

  1. If we talk about photo hosting only, then I feel that a number of them do the job well enough, maybe better than flickr and picasa. I like photobucket and imageshack. But like you say flickr has the social network thing which they don't have.

    Personally I think Slide is the best if you like to arrange your pics in a slideshow format, or you want to add glitters to your portrait pics.

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  2. You can continue using free Flickr account displays more than 200 pictures.

    Visit here

    http://wongsk.blogspot.com/2009/03/hack-flickr-free-account-browse-exceed.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. JL
    I use Photobucket too, but find it too cluttered.

    keeyit
    Haha... Facebook is popular.

    Wongsk
    Thanks. Already read the trick ;)

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  4. i have been using flickr since about 3 years ago, and really liking it :)

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  5. I love Flickr, I even have a pro-account! It also have nice little plugin which enable us, WordPress lovers, to display our pictures on our websites directly.

    Facebook... nah, don't like it. Waste of time for me, whereas Flickr is more about a passion.

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  6. i use flikr cos window live writer enables us to upload pic straight to flikr acc <3
    hassle free :)

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  7. I prefer Flickr too... I guess it gives the flexibility for resizing as well. :)

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  8. Flickr is the best, no question about it.

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  9. I use Flickr. Does Facebook allow you to hotlink pictures?

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  10. I used...photobucket and imageshack! But mainly for my blogs lar. :D

    I believe Facebook could rival Flickr. But Flickr still has its very own users. :D

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  11. neo
    Not sure if Facebook allows hotlink.

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  12. blogspot is link to picasa for photo uploading...
    any idea if we used up the space what would happen ? >.<"
    mine is 89% d ~

    ReplyDelete