Flickr, the photo-sharing web site where I store and display all my photography, made some drastic changes yesterday and users are up in arms. The site has been completely redesigned, and I have yet to see any favorable comments. I suppose a certain amount of backlash is to be expected when any web site makes changes, but this seems especially fierce.
I'm trying to adapt, but the new site seems to de-emphasize community activities like commenting on photos, sharing them in groups and tracking view counts, in favor of bigger photo displays. The site also has less negative space, which I don't like. I think every photo needs air around it to be appreciated. And it has endlessly scrolling pages similar to Tumblr, which deprives users of a handy navigation tool -- paging through others' photos. Now you have to scroll, scroll, scroll to get to older content.
So, yeah, not thrilled about that.
But I suppose it's a tiny, minor problem compared to what people face in Moore, Oklahoma or in Syria. I've been reading an especially chilling New Yorker piece about Syria, where people fish dead bodies out of the local river by the dozens and snipers pick off civilians trying to get to work or school. Seriously, we all ought to be thankful we wake up in a secure place every morning. (And who's to say that will always be the case?)
In any natural disaster, photos and stories that involve pets seem to resonate with many people, and that's been true in Oklahoma too. That video of a woman finding her dog in the wreckage during a TV interview went viral yesterday, and the New York Times had a heartbreaking photo of a woman comforting an injured dog. I suppose we feel like people can take care of themselves, but pets really need us.
On a happier note, speaking of pets, I got some requests for a photo of Olga with her Jolly Egg. Here she is, trying her best to fit it into her mouth. Fierce!
(Top Photo: Near the Royal Oak tube stop in Westbourne Park.)
Olga looks like she's grown a lot...Is the Jolly Egg still in one piece? If so, you may have found just the right toy.
ReplyDeleteI just can't even talk about the turmoil, the pain of the world. I just can't.
ReplyDeleteI will say, however, that your picture of Olga reminded me of our dog Pearl and how she used to try to play with a bowling ball. If Olga destroys the Giant Egg, you might want to consider getting her one.
I can see how it might take her a while to destroy that.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more about Flickr. What a mess. Now uploading and adding to groups takes twice as long and that home page is a nightmare. I still can't seem to find a way to only look at comments on my photos. Last night I wanted to add a photo I posted last year to a group and it took me 30 minutes to figure it out and then find the photo to post it. I'm not one of those people resistant to change but, this change doesn't seem to be beneficial to the user. But, it will make things easier for people who want to steal photos. I may have start watermarking my photos. Earlier this month, a photo of mine was used without permission by someone on Tumblr and it spread to over 200 sites before I figured it out and notified Tumblr. To their credit, they took it down within 24 hours. It will be interesting to see how Flickr reacts to all the negative comments.
ReplyDeleteyour dog is so cute! she does love to run, bite and play. she is a treasure.
ReplyDeleteOlga amuses me so!
ReplyDeleteThat Jolly Egg looks really cool .. much bigger than I had thought.
ReplyDeleteI haven't uploaded anything to Flickr for years. I took a look and it does seem not as inviting as it used to.
Now the Tumblr dude who looks like just a kid is a millionaire from selling to Yahoo. Who knew?
That Jolly Egg looks really cool! Thank you!
ReplyDelete