Flickr
- A constantly expanding worldwide searchable database of images
- Uses 'tags' to keep track of photos
- Images can be shared publicly or with small groups
- Images can be searched and sorted in many ways
Overview
Flickr is an online photo management and sharing application. Registered users can upload digital photographs and make them accessible just to themselves, to a group of family and friends, or publicly. Basic accounts are free and limit you to 100 MB of uploads each month and 5 MB for each individual image. Pro accounts are available for an annual fee (currently $25) that allow unlimited uploads, ad-free browsing at the site, and other features.
Examples
Recently uploaded photos permitting public access
Popular tags of photos at Flickr
A map tool that shows geographic distributions of Flickr images
Things to Consider
- Flickr officially supports the following image file formats: JPEG, non-animated GIF, PNG.
- Each uploaded photo must be less than 5 MB in size with a free account (10 MB with a Pro Account).
- Users with free accounts are limited to 100 MB total uploads each month (unlimited with Pro Accounts).
- Uploaded photos are compressed and resized. Unless you have a Pro account, Flickr does not store the original high-resolution image that you uploaded.
- Assigning students to create, upload or share images with Flickr may fall under Federal student privacy regulations, since the work can be shared with the general public and is not stored on Duke University servers.
- Use of Flickr images may be restricted by the copyright owners of individual images.
How does it work?
Flickr provides an online form for selecting image files from your computer for uploading or you can use a desktop application (available at the site) for uploading a large number of images. You can apply keywords and privacy settings to your photos as you upload them or by editing them later. Once your photo is uploaded, you can also add a description. In addition, depending on the privacy settings you choose, you and others can add comments about a photo.
It is also possible to add "hot spots" (or "notes", as they are called by Flickr) to the photo image by selecting a portion of the image and typing in a word or brief phrase. This could be used to identify persons or features in the photo.
The keyword tags that you add to each photo can be used for searching. You can search for photos uploaded by other persons based on the keyword tags they assigned to their images. Photos can also be "geotagged" at Flickr, allowing the user to include latitude and longitude information obtained from a GPS system or a digital camera that includes a GPS attachment.
Flickr permits you to group your photos into sets, which can then be viewed as a slideshow, thereby enabling you to create "virtual slide carousels."
What do I need in order to use it?
- A web browser
- Your photos in JPEG, non-animated GIF, or PNG format
Uses as an Instructional Technology
Flickr can be used by faculty in a number of ways. Students can search through image tags to find images that are pertinent to current course content or they might research aspects of how Flickr is used or trends in the types and subject matter of images that users are uploading at particular times. Often, images of places, people or objects in the news can be found at Flickr and some artists and researchers use the service to share some of their work.
Students could use Flickr to post original images they create as part of a course assignment, particularly for engagement of the local community. Photos at the site can even be "geotagged" to include information about the location where the image was taken.
Faculty should closely examine the site's policies and account privileges to design the activity so that students' rights to copyright on their own work and Federal regulations on student privacy are respected.
