Publish Your Photos: Ipernity

Some time ago I posted an entry about Flickr (see below). I am still a Flickr fan and use the site on a daily basis. However, I have recently been introduced to ipernity. I initially looked at it reluctantly thinking, "Oh no, not yet another photo sharing site!" However, once I had signed up, I was glad I did.

Although it lacks something that Flickr has (and I will come to that in a minute), at present it surpasses it in so many ways. Not only can you publish and comment on photographs, but you can also upload videos and music, keep blog entries, have a guestbook, and have live online chat with other members. In other words, there is more scope, more variety, and more ways of interacting with other members. At the time of writing, it doesn't have the Groups facility that Flickr has, but I understand that this is currently being coded and will be available soon.

The thing that ipernity lacks at the moment is the massive sense of online community. I don't know how many members it has, but clearly not the millions that Flickr has gathered over the years. However, I personally know several Flickrites who have migrated, and suspect it won't be long before it is a serious rival to the Yahoo Thoroughbred.

You can see my ipernity site HERE.

Publish Your Photos: Flickr

If you take photographs and you haven't yet discovered Flickr, you're missing out on something good. I really feel enthusiastic about this site. Having got to know it on a daily basis over the three months or so, I feel it is one of those services that is genuinely adding something good to my life.

I think that taking photographs and writing have at least two things in common. First, they can both be functional, mundane, and occasionally creative. Secondly, it helps both the photographer and writer to have an audience to display their creations to. An audience can provide appreciation and 'constructive' feedback.

Although there are many photoblog sites about, Flickr seemed to have so many facilities and was so easy to use. You can upload your photos, determine the level of secrecy you want (for public display, for friends and family only, or for your eyes only) and then organise them into groups. Flickr will also let you decide on the right level of copyright protection for your work. However, there is MUCH more.



In addition to the above you can tag and describe your photos with key words so that anyone searching the Flickr database for photos on, say Brides, for example, can more easily find and view your work. It becomes really interesting if you post your photos to specialist groups on Flickr. People interested in the group topic are likely to see your work and leave you feedback. You can also keep track of how many times your photos have been viewed and get a sense of what others think of your work.

For me, it has added a whole new dimension to my photography. I no longer have to beg family and friends to look at them. I can post them on Flickr and get feedback from other interested indivividuals. Of course, I could join a camera club, but getting a free Flcikr account suits my needs better and gets a wider exposure (Flickr is a worldwide community of photographers) for my amateur work.