Anti-Video Sentiment Among Flickr Users Growing
To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and
install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player .
[I'm CEO of Zooomr]
With less than 24 hours behind Flickr's announcement yesterday of adding video to their service, the early sentiment from existing Flickr users appears to be largely negative.
A new group started on Flickr called
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR!!! has already seen over 3,000 Flickr members join the group. The group already has a petition going
with over 900 users signing a petition opposing video on Flickr. The petition language is below.
"We the undersigned members of Flickr, free and pro, agree that video has no place on Flickr. Other sites on the web accept video already, but do not accept photos. We all joined Flickr because of it's dedication to photography and photographers, and we want Flickr to remain true to this dedication. It is our request that this feature and addition to Flickr be removed."
If you agree with this statement, type /signed followed by your username/full name in a reply to this thread."
While there are some advocates for video and some Flickr defenders in
the official feedback forum on Flickr Video, here too the comments by many of Flickr's most active users are largely negative.
Some typical comments from the Flickr Help Forum:
"It's frankly disgraceful that you have not allowed users the option of saying (by default) "I don't want to see videos". Especially in search results.
I know you've invested too much in this awful feature to turn it off, but PLEASE MAKE IT GO AWAY!! "
fofurasfelinas: "I just HATE having videos on flickr.
Flickr is a place for PHOTOS.
We pay for a photo service, if I want to see videos, I go to youtube.
I think Flickr is getting heavier everyday, and videos are going to make the connection busier."
skasper (off working on a project...be back soon): "Wow...check out all of the sentiment against this!!!! I too am opposed to video on Flickr....at least the Flickr that we currently know and usually love. While I acknowledge that many people use Flickr as a depository for their snapshots, many of us are here to improve our art. We are photographers! I also acknowledge that videography is an art....but give them their own space and don't muddy our waters!"
dadodedos: "Sorry, but i'm angry for this last news.......
I think this is a really bad move for Flickr, why video ??? there's a lot of sites that you can put video.......Please !! This is a photo site !!!
Put your video on youtube or others......
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR
NO VIDEO ON FLICKR "
Fighting the criticism in the official help forum mostly seems to be being done by long-term Flickr member
Striatic and Flickr Community Manager
Heather Champ.
It will be interesting to see if the anti-video sentiment on Flickr continues to grow and gain momentum and if Flickr will actually take action on its community's largely negative reaction to the service thus far.
About a year ago Flickr made a decision
to cap Flickr contacts at 3,000 for users. After a lot of protesting from Flickr users over this decision Flickr reversed their decision and allowed unlimited reciprocal contacts.
Personally I don't see Flickr reversing their decision on adding video to the site. Video is a fast growing service on the web and certainly Yahoo wants a piece of this pie. With the huge user base that Flickr represents, the opportunity to promote video to this group from a dollars/cents standpoint probably means more to Yahoo! than how a small but vocal group of hardcore Flickr photographers feel about the service.
What's more, prior to their Yahoo takeover announcement,
Microsoft had indicated that they would be launching a photo/video combo site to compete with Flickr. If/when Microsoft takes over Flickr, I would assume that they would rather the site contain both video and photos rather than a photo only site.
Perhaps the simplest answer in the short-term for Flickr would be to offer filtering technology to filter video out of your Flickr experience. They already have filtering technology that allows users to opt out of seeing screenshot images, for instance, on Flickr. They also have filtering technology allowing people to opt out of adult content on Flickr. By creating an option to allow users to opt out of video on Flickr this would alleviate some of the concern from some of the early critics of this service.
On the other hand, if too many people opted out of the video experience on Flickr, it might lose momentum and not achieve the success that promoting it to the entire Flickrverse might have.
Comments
it should be photos only its diluting the
service
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I'm not sure if the majority of (active)
Flickr users are against it or if those who
are against it like to make a lot of noise.
I've heard just as many enthousiastic
reactions from other Flickr contacts of mine.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
it was only a matter of time... i am
indifferent
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
This is what happen when Flickr being bought
over by big corporate entity (i.e. Yahoo)....
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I'm totally ok with it: I've seen a
smattering of the offerings and I really
think that the 90 sec limitation was
brilliant.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
www.flickr.com/groups/no_video_on_flickr/disc
uss/72157604...
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I wonder why they have decided to go down
this route ... they should at least allow
filtering (as has been said before) that way
I dont have to fill my screen up with babys
puking on themselves and semi-naked chicks ..
oh wait .. :)
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Who cares if it is video or photos when it is
all self-expression.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
At first I really didn't like the sound of
it, but, if they stick to the 90 second
format then I think it'll be interesting. But
that doesn't mean I'll be posting videos
anytime soon.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Yawn. It's a non-issue, and I think it's
ridiculous to conclude that reaction is
"largely negative" based on your
Contacts page and on some forum whining.yes .
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Thanks for raising awareness.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
we should have been asked how we felt about
it
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Non-issue. maybe a filter option. Let's
hear from the slient majority! ? !
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I'm not really 100% either direction. I'd
probably prefer flickr to be video free, but
at the same time, flickr isn't the
be-all-end-all of photography for me.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
personally, I don't mind the whole video
thing so long as it does not turn into a
youtube kind of environment... where it is
filled with all kinds of tv show clips etc...
if these are "made by me" kind of
videos... like how I think of vimeo then it
might be a nice feature.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
er, um, is the silent majority STILL
silent?!?!?!
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Indifferent. This feels no different than
the "uproar" over the acquisition
by Yahoo! I saw a lot of the same threads
back then as I'm seeing now: "Which
site should we jump to now that this ship is
sinking?" "When will you cancel
your pro membership?" etc.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Who needs just another video hosting site?
Don't know if it is good or bad yet. I still
find the possible hostile Microsoft takeover
more worrying and a reason to leave Flickr if
it happens.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
We obviously live in a "Me too"
world! You can hardly claim Yahoo!s
integration of video clips into Flickr is
pushing boundaries and whilst I can
understand that Yahoo! might want a
"piece of the pie" why does it have
to pollute what was, until this week, a great
photo sharing site.Seen on my Flickr home page. (? )
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I don't mind the videos, but I strongly agree
that if they remain, there should be various
filtering options so that members can screen
them out of searches, groups, sets, etc.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
People over react much. Months ago when I
heard people talk about video on flickr I
thought it was a bad idea, but I was going to
hold my judgment until it actually happened.
Now that is has happened, I think it is still
too early to judge.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
i wonder if all these people who are outraged
at the inclusion of video on flickr are the
same ones that climbed a tree when yahoo
bought flickr and threatened to leave?!? :-)
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
me again : ) [deleted] says:
i think its cool. ipernity allows it all...
music, video and photos. if you are not into
videos... do not watch them, but i bet their
will be some some great ones.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
In the Forum thread I suggested that they
make it a standalone site or give Flickr
photographers the ability to opt out of
video. On the other hand, one can simply
ignore them, provided that the Flickr
experience (download times, hiccups, etc.) is
not adversely affected by the additional
bandwidth required for the videos.Seen in my contacts' photos. (? )
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
there's already enough junk accounts on
flickr where people are posting porn, this is
going to make the problem *much* worse.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I'm WAY too busy not doing my job and surfing
Flickr to care about this.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I have no issue with people wanting to create
and share videos, or any other media type for
that matter. But what I do object to is that
I specifically joined and paid for my account
as it provides me with a forum to display my
photography and to look at others
photographic work. If I want to see video
content then I use my uTube account to do
that. I also feel that as a collective group
of paying individuals we should have some
consultation in to how Flickr works and
operates.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I say no... if you want video go to youtube..
Flickr hhas always been about photos... !Seen in my contacts' photos. (? )
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
No videos on Flickr!!this bad news!
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Video fits in nicely so far. I'll be making
use of it. The 90 sec limit and pro only
restriction ensures that Flickr won't turn
into YouTube.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
One more step closer to Flickr becoming like
any other website...
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Heh, my daughter agrees!
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
With the recent drops in views and comments
over the last months, who cares about
video....photos barely get hits! By not
renewing pro accounts, perhaps they may feel
something, but they'll do whatever the hell
they want.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I think it's very nice to be able to put a video about making my synthetic focus photos in same set with the photos in question It'll make
commenting and things a lot easer.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I my opinion the photography can really
represent a shape of art expression and not
simply a technical process. In Flickr we have
many examples of authors who realize with
technical means true art works. I think that
something of similar can be obtained also
with a video but the two "artistic
products", even if artistic, are
however extremely different and it is
inopportune to accommodate them in the same
atmosphere. Why not launch a new site with
the same characteristics (evidently winning
on the economic plan) of Flickr that could
call VideoFlickr or something of similar? I
suspect the actual operation reflect a
precise economic calculation fruit exclusive
of the concept "business is business”.
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Article and group now on CNET ! Great article and post again Thomas!www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9915424-39.html?par
t=rss&su...
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Seldon72 [deleted] says:
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
"the early sentiment from existing
Flickr users appears to be largely
negative"
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
i agree with you jon...
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
if it doesn't effect the site's performance,
i really don't care -- I'll still be here for
photos (i've weathered the Yahoo transition
and the labeling of my account unsafe -- it's
a great community here) and I'll still use
my youtube account for videos (which are few
and far between)..... do we really need
another way to waste our time.... go
outside.... spend some time in the sun....
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
I don't feel 'threatened' by videos but if
allowed to freely mix (and not isolated as a
totally separate option / subsite at the very
start of a navigation tree) will
significantly dilute the value most true
flickerites receive here, which will drive
many of us away from the platform.at all .
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
okay, so i got some scoop:money.cnn.com/2008/04/09/technology/moritz_ya
hoo_google.f...
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Εσείς θέλετε βιντεο στο Flickr;
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called we say YES and NO to video! , and we'd love to have this added to the
group!
Posted 4 months ago.
( permalink
)
Posted 3 months ago.
( permalink
)
Would you like to comment?
Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).
This photo also belongs to:
Additional Information
Some rights reserved
Flickr Blog |
About Flickr |
Terms of Use |
Your Privacy |
Copyright/IP Policy | Report Abuse
|
Deutsch
|
English
|
Español
|
Français
|
|
Italiano
|
Português
Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Show machine tags (
Hide machine tags (
Anyone can see this photo 
Send to a friend
Save to del.icio.us