Global Picture Sharing: Flickr

1. Why do you think Flickr has been so popular throughout the world?

Because of they developed unique features then. One of them where the “tag” option that Flickr introduced to the online photo sharing. The organization of the photos that make users easy to find them also was a unique feature. Also notes in images tell short stories about the person involved in the picture. Flickr integrated Facebook connect in 2010 and this allowed users to connect with Facebook from Flickr page. Also Flickr added Yahoo! maps and included geotagged photos. This feature helped users to utilize images uploaded by other users as references especially in places where “street views” were not available.

2. What lessons could a Web site for a local business learn from Flickr?

Even though Flickr and a business We site are totally different there are lessons that businesses can learn from Flickr. Some of the lessons that a business can learn are the constant improvement that Flickr did in order to satisfy their users. They realized that photo sharing already existed but they added new features that make the site unique and popular. So innovation combined with improvement are two main things that Flickr applied to their site and I think a business can apply to their Web Site too.

3. Where do you see the future of Flickr in the face of many competing photo sharing applications?

There are huge competition in the photo sharing applications and sites. A site that was considered to be the next social media giant is Pinterest. Pinterest also works with the photo sharing basis. Pinterest has been considered the third social media site with more impact behind Facebook and Twitter. This site works with a similar feature from Flickr, the tagging option is also available in Pinterest. Pinterest was developed after Flickr and also is being utilized in some businesses as a social media tool.

Digg.com: The Rise and Fall of a Social Media Giant

1. What are the positives and negatives to a news site that organizes its stories using user input?

The positive things are that users can place their preferences first so this attracts more users to see the news that many other users place as the trending. This gives users the freedom of choosing whatever they want and make everybody else watch it.

The negative side of this is the poor control of the site.Users had almost the entire control of the site. As the article says there were an issue where cyber criminals used Digg to spread a malware.

2. Can you imagine a similar fate happening to other social media sites such as Facebook? Why or why not?

Why not, everything can happen. The future is uncertain and in social media and technology I think is more unpredictable. Probably not as similar to Digg, but probably Facebook or Twitter can be overcome by another trending social media. There are many social sites that offer different services to users. I think the major threat that these big social media sites face are the users, if users stop using them or replace them for other ones then they will disappear. Also Facebook and Twitter nowadays are at the top of the trending social media and for now they seem to be very strong because of the support given by the users.

3. What may be the next social media giant?

Many people think that pinterest is becoming the next social media giant. Pinterest has become a popular social media in which their users can search for specific pictures according to the keywords that those images have. Pinterest was released in 2009 and since then has experienced a rapid growth. This social media site has over 10 million monthly visitors and is considered in the third position after Facebook and Twitter.