Overview

We’ve all dreamed of making history, of being a part of its creation, or of contributing in some memorable way. The phrase “history is written by the winners” no longer seems to apply, because now anyone can contribute through images shared on Flickr. These pictures shared through this social media platform can impact people’s lives, art, business, and even the way they remember or experience the world.


The Platform in Brief

Flickr has a photo sharing site that encourages users to upload, share, and comment on photos in an effort to connect its users and archive their experiences. These users range from aspiring young photographers to passionate freelance photographers, from business people to the casual internet browser. The site is for anyone wishing to contribute to, or vicariously experience, the world. As one user stated on a Marvelous Caves Gallery “I really enjoyed going underground while sitting on my couch!” (Flickr, 2014).

A user can post pictures in his/her general profile, or to a group. Each group is created by users for a general or specific theme and has its own rules on posting content on top of the Flickr Terms and Conditions. These rules are created and enforced by the creators of the group. There can be rules on anything from joining to posting to commenting. This is an innovative way to increase participation and loyalty from users by giving them a degree of control over their content.

Flickr also has a group called Creative Commons that partners with the Library of Congress to archive the posted photos and their accompanying comments in order to document the world as it is today. In this way users are able to be a part of history as it is happening. This is an innovative feature that promises permanence in the users work.

Flickr is meticulously supervised and maintained by 127 employees based in San Francisco, California. It was created in February 2004 by Stewart Butterfield who then latter sold Flickr to Yahoo in early 2005. While there was a lot of criticism from the users who already had Flickr accounts, Butterfield stands by his decision, saying that they did the best they could with the knowledge they had at the time (Geron, 2014).



The Platform in Operation

Flickr has already taken into account that businesses would want to partner with them in some way. So they have made their own “Integrations” for companies with similar interests or functions to get involved. They have High, Medium, and Low integrations for companies to interact with users on the Flickr platform. However, others have found ways to market without buying ad space. Matt Mcgee (2006) has found that if an employee creates a Flickr account for the purpose of promoting the company, then they can have some effective marketing for free. The clutch is that hard sells, spamming, and other obvious sell tactics are off limits because it is against the Flickr Terms and Conditions to use the platform for commercial purposes. To do this right, the focus has to be on the photos not necessarily the product.


The Platform’s Pros and Cons

Pros for companies: 
Let’s say Camera Dept. wanted to advertise on Flickr. They could buy ad space or indirectly plug the product through a company account by using pictures. This platform has the potential to supply companies with a demographic that is specifically interested in their product or service. This can be accomplished by Camera Dept. joining groups that pertain to the company or plugging a product that the whole of Flickr users would be interested in, such as high quality cameras.

Cons for companies: 
Unfortunately for companies, directly advertising a product is against the Terms and Conditions of Flickr if that company has decided not to buy ad space. If Camera Dept. decided to advertise through the company profile instead paid ads, they would not be able to openly plug the product. If they did they could risk being banned from Flickr all together.

Pros for users: 
One of the greatest benefits a user receives by joining Flickr is exposure. A photographer may have excellent pictures but may be confused or at a loss when trying to network or gain popularity. Flickr makes sharing photos with a wide demographic very easy and separates them by subject matter to make browsing and searching more user friendly.  Other benefits for individuals using Flickr include availability of feedback from other users, inspirational sources for future material, and advice from other photographers on current issues (5 Benefits, n.d.).

Cons for users: 
Yahoo began using photos on Flickr’s Creative Commons as wall art prints and selling them without consent or giving the photographers a cut of the money. Yahoo claimed it was within its rights to do this and was not in violation of the Terms and Conditions but because of the outrage it caused from users Yahoo eventually stopped. Yahoo has introduced several initiatives such as the wall art project in order to create monetary gain for the corporation and is likely to do so again. This is seen as short sighted and immoral, and is causing the exodus of some users from Flickr (Douglas MacMillan, 2014).



Analysis

Flickr is an innovative and inspirational platform that is likely to continue to improve and innovate, given the proper attention and resources. Because of its connections with the Library of Congress and the benefits it provides its users, it has become an indispensable portion of many people’s lives and businesses.



References

(n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2015, from https://www.flickr.com/

5 Benefits of Joining a Flickr Photography Group. (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/how-tos/online-sharing-social-networking/5-benefits-of-joining-a-flickr-photography-group.html#b

Competitive Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/flickr.com

Geron, T. (2014, August 23). A Look Back At Yahoo’s Flickr Acquisition For Lessons Today. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/23/flickrs-acquisition-9-years-later/

MacMillan, D. (2014, November 24). Fight Over Yahoo's Use of Flickr Photos. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/fight-over-flickrs-use-of-photos-1416875564

McGee, M. (2006, June 15). How to Market on Flickr. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/how-to-market-on-flickr/6031/

Contact Information

To contact the author of this article, “What You Need to Know About Flickr: An Executive Roadmap for Social Media Success,” please email the author at [email protected].     

The mission of the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University is to provide educational experiences for personal, professional and intellectual growth, enable the creation and sharing of knowledge to enhance learning and to advance the practice of business, and engage communities through service to positively impact their future. The Accounting and Business programs in the College of Business are accredited by the AACSB International.