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Author Topic: Flickr sold to SmugMug  (Read 27154 times)

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« on: April 21, 2018, 03:17 »
0
I just got this email from Flickr:
Quote
Were excited to announce that Flickr has agreed to be acquired by SmugMug, the photography platform dedicated to visual storytellers.

.......you can choose to not have your Flickr account and data transferred to SmugMug until May 25, 2018. If you want to keep your Flickr account and data from being transferred, you must go to your Flickr account to download the photos and videos you want to keep, then delete your account from your Account Settings by May 25, 2018.

If you do not delete your account by May 25, 2018, your Flickr account and data will transfer to SmugMug and will be governed by SmugMugs Terms and Privacy Policy.

So, what are you guys and gals doing?


dpimborough

« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2018, 05:31 »
+4
I left flickr years ago I don't put photos anywhere they can get stolen or used for free

I'm glad it's gone

« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2018, 08:35 »
+3
I'm a Flickr member for many years now, and even had a Pro account in the past, but despite I keep my account open there I do not use it for a long time now. Even then I never uploaded nothing larger than 500px and with a small watermark. Their constant safety failures never assured me.

As a photographic community I also ended up detesting it. Everybody kissing each others ass, no real criticism made and accepted and small groups voting each other awful photos in the group contests, so they could get idiotic badges. I played this game successfully without having to be a member of a clique, but I detest these type of things that promote corruption over talent so after a while I stopped.

As for Smugmug I also had a paid account. Anyway, they decided to triple or quadruple (or more, can't remember) the annual fee so I left.

I can't predict what will happen by joining both of them but from my experience with both I'm not exactly thrilled.

PaulieWalnuts

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2018, 10:02 »
+3
Flickr seems to have been dying a slow death for years

« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2018, 10:32 »
+1
Just deleted my account after 13 years just before the $24.95 renewal! Thanks for reminding me it still existed.

« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2018, 14:01 »
+2
I've been hoping that something will eventually start to compete seriously with FAA for 'art' photo sales.   Neither Flickr nor Smugmug have done that, but maybe there's some hope for the combination.  FAA obviously feels threatened by this deal - someone started a thread on the FAA forum to disuss it, and the moderator immediately slammed it shut.

« Last Edit: April 21, 2018, 14:07 by stockastic »

Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2018, 14:56 »
+1
I just got this email from Flickr:
Quote
Were excited to announce that Flickr has agreed to be acquired by SmugMug, the photography platform dedicated to visual storytellers.

.......you can choose to not have your Flickr account and data transferred to SmugMug until May 25, 2018. If you want to keep your Flickr account and data from being transferred, you must go to your Flickr account to download the photos and videos you want to keep, then delete your account from your Account Settings by May 25, 2018.

If you do not delete your account by May 25, 2018, your Flickr account and data will transfer to SmugMug and will be governed by SmugMugs Terms and Privacy Policy.

So, what are you guys and gals doing?

Watching, I don't use either. Quote from Variety: "With Flickers acquisition by SmugMug, Flickr users have until May 25, 2018, to either accept SmugMugs terms of service and privacy policy or opt out."

I found my account, last upload was 2009.  ;D Tried to login to SmugMug apparently I don't have an account for any of my email addresses, which sounds like good news.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2018, 10:43 by Uncle Pete »

« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2018, 21:37 »
0
Haven't been using flickr for a while now. Just meed to know if deleting the account is better than it getting into smugmug hands

« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2018, 02:39 »
+1
I just got this email from Flickr:
Quote
Were excited to announce that Flickr has agreed to be acquired by SmugMug, the photography platform dedicated to visual storytellers.

.......you can choose to not have your Flickr account and data transferred to SmugMug until May 25, 2018. If you want to keep your Flickr account and data from being transferred, you must go to your Flickr account to download the photos and videos you want to keep, then delete your account from your Account Settings by May 25, 2018.

If you do not delete your account by May 25, 2018, your Flickr account and data will transfer to SmugMug and will be governed by SmugMugs Terms and Privacy Policy.

So, what are you guys and gals doing?

Watching, I don't use either. Quote from Variety: "With Flickers acquisition by SmugMug, Flickr users have until May 25, 2018, to either accept SmugMugs terms of service and privacy policy or opt out."
That is what Flickr says too in the text I quoted, except there is no opt out really.
I posted this mainly for those who already have a SmugMug account.

Some of you may remember how we ended up with double and triple accounts when Google acquired Youtube, Feedburner, ....


First they say you can opt out but at the end they say that you are either in or out.

From the FAQ: https://www.smugmug.com/together/faq
« Last Edit: April 23, 2018, 02:47 by Dodie »

PaulieWalnuts

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2018, 22:01 »
0
Ive been on Flickr for years adding some of my best work that sells very well elsewhere. Almost no activity and I cant tie one sale or even lead to Flickr. There are plenty of photo sharing communities. I realize its not intended for selling but since most of us are here to sell stock I dont see the point for sellers. Anyone get sales or even leads through it?

k_t_g

  • wheeeeeeeeee......
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2018, 22:17 »
0
The notice really doesen't mean much to me. Never used it for sales, just displaying life drawings. As far as I know, they as in SM will still have the settings I came to know and love for people who are just displaying images.  :)

PaulieWalnuts

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2018, 22:30 »
0
The notice really doesen't mean much to me. Never used it for sales, just displaying life drawings. As far as I know, they as in SM will still have the settings I came to know and love for people who are just displaying images.  :)

Smugmugs business model is to sign up photographers for paying accounts to sell stuff. The main value I see in them buying Flickr is to convert displayers into Smugmug paying seller accounts. Paid Flickr Pro accounts probably arent profitable otherwise Flickr wouldnt have been sold. Will be interesting to see what Smugmug does with it.

« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2018, 02:08 »
0
Ive been on Flickr for years adding some of my best work that sells very well elsewhere. Almost no activity and I cant tie one sale or even lead to Flickr. There are plenty of photo sharing communities. I realize its not intended for selling but since most of us are here to sell stock I dont see the point for sellers. Anyone get sales or even leads through it?
It's not about sales. Many people are using Flickr as "backup drive", keeping their HR images private in separate sets. I never saw this solution a safe one but many do.

Now imagine all those images landing on SmugMug.

I just have a few small images there and haven't visited Flickr for years but if I don't want to be enrolled to SmugMug automatically, I will have to delete them.

Btw. just got a second email today, no mention of opt out any more, just stay or leave. It made no sense anyway.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 02:17 by Dodie »

« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2018, 18:20 »
0
i had 909 files there some of them watermarked from stock sites like twenty20.i forgot about this site and if it wasnt for this thread i would lose my head.went im  and deleted all my files.I can see this site as a backup drive becouse unfo i almost lost many images  that i didnt back up till the last min when my computer crashed few months ago..but on the other hand this site is the perfect site to steal your content and use it without any credit to the artist.So i am not even gonna pay them for that.
flicr is like instagram just put your cat doing the justin bieber song and you will earn one  of those  idiotic badges lol like  i read above .

k_t_g

  • wheeeeeeeeee......
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2018, 22:29 »
0
The notice really doesen't mean much to me. Never used it for sales, just displaying life drawings. As far as I know, they as in SM will still have the settings I came to know and love for people who are just displaying images.  :)

Smugmugs business model is to sign up photographers for paying accounts to sell stuff. The main value I see in them buying Flickr is to convert displayers into Smugmug paying seller accounts. Paid Flickr Pro accounts probably arent profitable otherwise Flickr wouldnt have been sold. Will be interesting to see what Smugmug does with it.
Even if they decide to force a payed account on you, there are still plenty of free alternatives like a site just for artists I found last year. The have the exact settings I like except for one. But its no biggy. Best of all not covered with ads n stuff.  :)

PaulieWalnuts

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2018, 22:59 »
+1
Ive been on Flickr for years adding some of my best work that sells very well elsewhere. Almost no activity and I cant tie one sale or even lead to Flickr. There are plenty of photo sharing communities. I realize its not intended for selling but since most of us are here to sell stock I dont see the point for sellers. Anyone get sales or even leads through it?
It's not about sales. Many people are using Flickr as "backup drive", keeping their HR images private in separate sets. I never saw this solution a safe one but many do.

Now imagine all those images landing on SmugMug.

I just have a few small images there and haven't visited Flickr for years but if I don't want to be enrolled to SmugMug automatically, I will have to delete them.

Btw. just got a second email today, no mention of opt out any more, just stay or leave. It made no sense anyway.

Flickr free includes 1TB of data. Pro offers some fluffy extras like ad-free and then analytics seems to be the big benefit. If Flickr was making big profits on ads they wouldn't have been sold. Providing 1TB of free data probably isn't profitable and I have about 6TB of data so it's not an option for me. Smugmug is likely to try and convert most Flickr accounts into paying Smugmug accounts. Otherwise I don't see the benefit of buying Flickr. There are plenty of backup options including unlimited storage with Amazon Prime which includes a huge amount of other benefits. As a photographer I see zero benefits of Flickr and having used Smugmug I see little benefit with them over other seller platforms that offer more options with no commission fees. 

« Reply #16 on: April 25, 2018, 06:41 »
0
I thought my Flickr and SmugMug accounts were closed a long time ago.  Attack of the zombies.  They need to add a opt out button. 
« Last Edit: April 25, 2018, 06:53 by trek »

k_t_g

  • wheeeeeeeeee......
« Reply #17 on: April 25, 2018, 14:51 »
0
I thought my Flickr and SmugMug accounts were closed a long time ago.  Attack of the zombies.  They need to add a opt out button.
You mean you didn't just delete your account?
If not why not?

« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2018, 18:27 »
0
Thought I did close SmugMug.  Flickr... can't remember.  Doesn't matter.  Flickr will self destruct.  I'll deal with SmugMug when the dust settles. 

k_t_g

  • wheeeeeeeeee......
« Reply #19 on: April 25, 2018, 22:26 »
0
I think I'll probably do the same.  ;)

« Reply #20 on: April 26, 2018, 10:46 »
+3
I did have Smugmug years ago but it wasn't very international photographer friendly.  They charged a monthly fee as well as a cut on sales.  Prints shipped from the U.S. and then a few years back when the IRS got involved they were going to withhold taxes from non-residents.  These aren't royalties, so they were not exempt - they are photographer to client sales so the U.S. wanted their cut for doing business on a U.S. based platform - even if the buyer-seller were both doing the transaction in another country.

« Reply #21 on: April 28, 2018, 15:49 »
0
I often hear a lot of hate on Flickr and that it seems to be dying.  Maybe, I dunno.  Personally, I have a pretty good relationship with Flickr, and here's why I like it:
-photography focused and participatory crowd.  I'm posting 2-6 times weekly, and receive feedback, occasionally more than just "nice photo," even.
-well organized and navigable site.  Albums, groups, great tags/tagged locations, and findable EXIF make Flickr my favorite location scout accomplice.  I find it easier to scout spots I haven't seen on Flickr than Google, 500px, Shutterstock, or Instagram.
-1TB cloud storage.  Not that this is something hard to find, but it's another nice failsafe for final edits of .jpgs and .mp4s
-becoming more sales friendly! For awhile Flickr wouldn't even let you link to a Shutterstock page in descriptions, that's long gone.  And though I can't specifically attribute Flickr to sales, I have been messaged about images and clips and have shared ways in which to purchase my content.
-better exposure system than other landing pages for specifically photography based social media.  I've been "explored" a handful of times, and again, I'm not sure that attributes directly to sales, but it's better free promo for my work than Shutterstock, Pond5, Videoblocks, Society6, FineArtAmerica, ViewBug, Youtube, 500PX, Instagram, and Twitter (all my accounts) have ever done combined.  So there's that.
-It's super easy to share from Flickr to other sites.  I use Flickr as my base for sharing to Instagram and Twitter and it's easier going from Flickr than other sites I use.

Finally, I want to just want to respond to something else I hear about Flickr and share a different perspective than I often hear.  I hear complaints about Flickr because "people steal my images," and I know that Flickr does have a setting that will allow any user, even those without accounts I think, download an image.  First of all, there are ways to lock images from that feature.  Second of all (and I think this part of my argument is probably more important here), in any creative industry, people will find ways to steal your work.  And yes, sharing online does make theft easier, and yes, our image is our product and should be valued and protected.  However, I don't turn the download image feature on Flickr off because I think that everyone should have ready access to content.  I also think that like in the film and music industries, the compromise of putting my work in front of more people while losing out on a few small sales is worth it just for potential exposure and sharing of my work.  I got into the production of images because I'm passionate about it and if my work is resonating with others, I think that my work should be accessible!  Anyway, the advertisers, marketers, filmmakers, and newspapers who want your work will still be paying for the appropriate licenses through the correct channels.  I think photographers can take a lesson from musicians here.

Anyway, check out my work, and if you like it, you can download it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/samwagnerphotography/
or if you're the type who pays for albums, check me out here: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/samwagnerphotography?language=en

And I'll continue to be a faithful Flickrer!

dpimborough

« Reply #22 on: April 28, 2018, 22:19 »
+1
I often hear a lot of hate on Flickr and that it seems to be dying.  Maybe, I dunno.  Personally, I have a pretty good relationship with Flickr, and here's why I like it:
-photography focused and participatory crowd.  I'm posting 2-6 times weekly, and receive feedback, occasionally more than just "nice photo," even.
-well organized and navigable site.  Albums, groups, great tags/tagged locations, and findable EXIF make Flickr my favorite location scout accomplice.  I find it easier to scout spots I haven't seen on Flickr than Google, 500px, Shutterstock, or Instagram.
-1TB cloud storage.  Not that this is something hard to find, but it's another nice failsafe for final edits of .jpgs and .mp4s
-becoming more sales friendly! For awhile Flickr wouldn't even let you link to a Shutterstock page in descriptions, that's long gone.  And though I can't specifically attribute Flickr to sales, I have been messaged about images and clips and have shared ways in which to purchase my content.
-better exposure system than other landing pages for specifically photography based social media.  I've been "explored" a handful of times, and again, I'm not sure that attributes directly to sales, but it's better free promo for my work than Shutterstock, Pond5, Videoblocks, Society6, FineArtAmerica, ViewBug, Youtube, 500PX, Instagram, and Twitter (all my accounts) have ever done combined.  So there's that.
-It's super easy to share from Flickr to other sites.  I use Flickr as my base for sharing to Instagram and Twitter and it's easier going from Flickr than other sites I use.

Finally, I want to just want to respond to something else I hear about Flickr and share a different perspective than I often hear.  I hear complaints about Flickr because "people steal my images," and I know that Flickr does have a setting that will allow any user, even those without accounts I think, download an image.  First of all, there are ways to lock images from that feature.  Second of all (and I think this part of my argument is probably more important here), in any creative industry, people will find ways to steal your work.  And yes, sharing online does make theft easier, and yes, our image is our product and should be valued and protected.  However, I don't turn the download image feature on Flickr off because I think that everyone should have ready access to content.  I also think that like in the film and music industries, the compromise of putting my work in front of more people while losing out on a few small sales is worth it just for potential exposure and sharing of my work.  I got into the production of images because I'm passionate about it and if my work is resonating with others, I think that my work should be accessible!  Anyway, the advertisers, marketers, filmmakers, and newspapers who want your work will still be paying for the appropriate licenses through the correct channels.  I think photographers can take a lesson from musicians here.

Anyway, check out my work, and if you like it, you can download it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/samwagnerphotography/
or if you're the type who pays for albums, check me out here: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/samwagnerphotography?language=en

And I'll continue to be a faithful Flickrer!

I love it when in modern parlance "hate" is used to substitute for the word "criticism"

Sorry to say Sam but you won't be a faithful Flickrer you'll have to be a Smug Mugger :D

Plus any willingness to provide "access" (for that read free downloads) of images does not make you professional and merely continues down the often discussed route of free content which undercuts paid content

As to the "people steal my images," comment well I had the download option disabled when I had a Flickr account and it didn't stop people getting the image through linking or other means

I drew the line when I came across I photo I'd taken on a special day out with my daughter I'd put up on Flickr posted on a hard core homosexual porn site

Deleted all the images closed the account left all the dumb "Great capture" and "Woo Yay" wanna be pro photog BS never looked back

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #23 on: April 29, 2018, 06:45 »
0

I drew the line when I came across I photo I'd taken on a special day out with my daughter I'd put up on Flickr posted on a hard core homosexual porn site


Just FI, watermarked SS files on a porn site, which were still up over a year after I reported them here in 2015
http://www.microstockgroup.com/image-sleuth/nsfw-lots-of-ss-watermarked-images-on-this-porn-site/msg390456/#msg390456 but the particular page isn't findable now. (I didn't check other pages on the site).
Just this week I found a pic without watermarks, presumably lifted from a web use by a legitimate iS buyer, on a porn site in a similar context (you search on a species name and some results send you unwittingly to a porn site [i.e. it's not obvious from the site name that it's a porn site, at least not obvious to me ::)]).

So, of course, reducing the number of places your pics are available will reduce the number of places from which the files can be harvested (one reason I never wanted to spread my files around, but then the more sales a file has had for web use, the more it's out there, truism but sad), but it will still happen, stolen watermarked from stock sites.

« Reply #24 on: April 29, 2018, 09:05 »
0
I love it when in modern parlance "hate" is used to substitute for the word "criticism"

Sorry to say Sam but you won't be a faithful Flickrer you'll have to be a Smug Mugger :D
Yeah, in modern use, "hate" and "critique" can be synonyms: so what?  I feel like this quote was meant to disrespect my use of language, and notice how the first two things you mention were insignificant to the larger conversation here?  By discrediting my language skills and making these silly "corrections," I feel like anything you go on to say carries that lack of respect for my point of view (and I make 100% of my living in photo/video, so by no means am I not a "professional" as you seem to later suggest).  So I just want to point out how I took your response to my comment.  I felt invalidated and discredited without a thought for my well-explained opinion.

Also, to bring back my earlier point: image theft in the modern industry is not just common, it's to be expected!
it will still happen, [even] stolen watermarked from stock sites.

Obviously, SammyCat, what you came across that day is disgusting, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.  I feel for you, the internet is a largely disgusting place, and people stealing work with that sort of intention is reprehensible. 

Still, keep in mind, when someone posting an ad online or on a billboard next to the highway wants your image, they're going through the proper channels, and pay for it!

Why can't we photographers accept that the business is changing like artists in the film and music industries?  I think we can do better to just embrace the fact that our work is being stolen, used, and shared without credit and for free and be confident in the fact that when our work needs to be purchased and shown with context and the correct credit, it will be!

[...]closed the account left all the dumb "Great capture" and "Woo Yay" wanna be pro photog BS never looked back

Now, I understand that this is generally useless, but I've had conversations in comments on my work, and others, on Flickr about wide ranging things such as location access, client protocol, timelapse settings, all of which have benefited my work in ways outside of getting paid.

Of course, I'm not saying that anyone needs to be on Flickr, or any other sharing platform that doesn't do anything to explicitly sell content.  But, what I am saying, and I strongly feel valid about, is that these social media sites do offer other things to professional photo/videographers that we don't get elsewhere.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2018, 10:20 by samwagner10 »


 

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