
Here at Download Squad, we're all about software — including wares you don't necessarily download, like web services. And one of our favorite things to do with web services is share photos. But with so many photo sharing services out there — and with so many of them changing hands recently (i.e., flickr bought by Yahoo!, Snapfish bought by HP) — it's hard to decide which one is really the best. So, we're turning things over to you: Which photo sharing service do you like best, and why? Post your answer in the Comments section below. And, if you'd like to have your question included here, send it to us
using this form. We'll post one question each week.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Marc Perton said 1:28PM on 9-30-2005
Since I posted the question, I'll take a shot at posting the first answer. I've used just about all the photo services out there, including the ones that focus mainly on printing (i.e., Snapfish, Shutterfly) and the ones that are almost entirely sharing related (flickr). Right now, I'm using smugmug, and while it's not perfect (the customization options are way too limited), it strikes a nice balance between the print-related services (it has a lot of printing options, mostly through third-parties) and the sharing services (it has a range of sharing options, including completely private galleries). It also has cross-platform tools that let you batch upload files at full resolution — and store an unlimited number at full rez as well, which makes smugmug a decent backup service. The biggest downside: no free version. You have to pay to play here. At the very least, there should be a free version that lets you post smaller images and get a feel for the service. However, at $29.95 a year, smugmug is competitive with other unlimited-storage services, and there's a 7-day trial so you can check it out. Is it the best? Depends on your needs. But if you're looking to share full-rez images, it's definitely worth a try.
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Barb Dybwad said 4:41PM on 10-07-2005
My choices in order of priority would be:
1) Flickr
2) Flickr
3) to round out the list... Flickr. ;)
Given -- no photo printing services here -- as Marc said, it's all about sharing. But if you want to jump into an instant creative community -- Flickr is the place.
(No, they don't pay me to say these things. And why not, I might add... hello -- Flickr referral program? ;))
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Brian Pipa said 3:53PM on 7-15-2005
Gallery: http://gallery.sf.net running on your own server. Although Flickr *is* nice. I tried Buzznet also but I didn't like the interace.
Brian
http://myvogonpoetry.com
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Leo Zelevinsky said 4:10PM on 7-15-2005
I am using http://www.pixvillage.com
because it is so easy to share a lot of files at once.
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John Beeler said 11:34PM on 7-15-2005
Flickr. Since the Yahoo acquisition, they have lined up a couple of deals with photo printing houses and so it's only a matter of time.
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C.K. Sample, III said 6:40PM on 7-15-2005
Flickr... although before a friend gave me a pro-account, I never used Flickr. I never used any photo service. I just uploaded them to my .Mac space or my server space and shared them that way.
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Victor Agreda, Jr. said 8:01PM on 7-15-2005
Looks like Johnny-come-lately is going to have to chime in with the chorus and say Flickr as well. However, I don't have a pro account and only use it so often (mostly for blogging).
.Mac is how we primarily share family photos.
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Myria said 9:42PM on 7-15-2005
Exhibit Engine on your own server space. Easy to set up, handles Exif and workflow data, multiple resolutions, and is highly configurable.
http://photography-on-the.net/ee/beta/
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Jason Clarke said 12:50AM on 7-16-2005
Add me to the Flickr fan list. I wish they'd been bought by Google rather than Yahoo though - the Flickr/Picasa combo could have been killer. To be fair, I haven't tried Hello for photo sharing, but only because I can't see any good reason to use anything other than Flickr.
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Andy Todd said 1:40AM on 7-17-2005
Printing services are all well and good if you live in the US. Which, last time I looked, the vast majority of the citizens of the planet don't. Therefore it has to be flickr, flickr, or flickr.
If you're across the pond photobox.co.uk does reasonable printing in the UK but you should still keep your photos at flickr.
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Steve said 2:34AM on 7-16-2005
Winkflash - unlimited storage at NO COST, prints are cheap at 12 cents each for 4x6, shipping is only 99 cents no matter how many you order and you can share the hi-res version at no cost so your friends and family can print their own if they have the capability.
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particle said 11:32AM on 7-17-2005
Smugmug. Get the windows shell extension written by Omar Shahine and you have easiest way to upload photos to the net, period!
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Mike said 12:58AM on 7-18-2005
http://www.fotki.com -- unlimited storage, cheap prints, excellent online community.
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Jalansutera said 9:03PM on 7-20-2005
Flickr is above all. But, if you want an alternative, try snapfish.com from HP.
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Anthony Rudgick said 2:09PM on 7-21-2005
hello + picasa... pain free image sharing & organization.
c'mon! join the google revolution! err...
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Scott Klettke said 12:36PM on 7-29-2005
I have a pretty detailed review of Smugmug, Flickr, Zoto on my site: http://www.illiteratewithdrawal.com/2005/05/smugmug-vs-flickr/
Everyone knows of Smugmug and Flickr, but Zoto is a newcomer that offers a very powerful interface and 2G of storage for free.
However, I would recommend Smugmug, Flickr, and finally Zoto in that order. Reasons why are on my site.
However, the Picasa/Gmail/Blogger integration is now quite nice too.
Scott
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Andrew Stewart said 6:24PM on 8-22-2005
I use flickr and the front page of my website myself, really have to post more regularly tho.
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