Week Three: February 16-20
Class Session 1: February 17, 3-4pm - Room 774
Class Session 2: February 18, 3-4pm - Room 774
"What is Flickr?"
http://www.Flickr.com is a web site that thousands of people all around the world use to share and get feedback about their photographs. Many of the images are licensed under the Creative Commons copyright license. A Creative Commons license means the author of the work will allow other people to use their photographs in other works, whether that is in a PowerPoint presentation or for a craft project. Flickr is very easy to use and share many of your own photographs on your Flickr account.
Selling the Goods
Or rather ... why I know you are going to like this. There are more reasons to use Flickr than are reasons not too. Here is Michael Stephens' Top Ten reasons for libraries to use Flickr, and top ten again. Here are mine:
- Easy to use.
- Good way to backup your favorite photos in case you lose them or your computer crashes. Nothing is less fun than losing that ONE family photo in a fire.
- Show off for your friends, family and strangers! You can show your happiest moments or your photography skills!
- Free!
- Social networking. MySpace and Facebook are the thing right now, but what about pictures? Flickr lets you comment other people’s public photos, search for photos tagged to match your interests, and just share things with the world. Chances are this is going to make you feel connected with everyone on Flickr with a simple picture.
- Locate a group you could contribute to like maybe the Libraries and Librarians Group, Water Polo Group, Kitty Wigs, or Zombies , Zombies, Zombies. Join them! (Hint: maybe join the UNCG Librarians group?)
- Figure stuff out with easy searches. Interesting in visiting the Botanic Hotel in Glasgow? Check to see if there are pics online.
- Help get professional ideas and look at what other libraries are doing in their special collections, ILL, or after hour fun.
- Make cheap and personal gifts – like e-cards, calendars, and memory books.
- Track statistics about who’s viewing your photos and how they got there. (A Pro Account is needed to activate this service, costs $24.95/year.)
What you need to get started
Flickr is simple to use and simple to get started. You'll need a computer (duh) and access to the internet (duh), as well as: a Yahoo email address, a Flickr account (free basic account or $24.95 for a pro membership), and a digital photograph. Let's try it out.....
- After creating your account, you can personalize it with as little or as much information as you want.
- Try uploading your picture(s) to Flickr. Add titles, descriptions, and tags. Organize them into neat sets. You can also edit your photo in Flickr.
- You can also send your photo right to your blog, or edit your photo by cropping it, changing the size, or editing the colors. You'll learn more about how to edit your photos in Week 5. There is a nifty edit bar above your photo; try playing with it!
Get a (social) lifeFind friends. Create groups and join them. Visit faraway places and talk about it with strangers. Research at the Library of Congress. Look at your tag clouds. Check your Flickr mail. Add Flickr and flickr badges to your blog. Get ideas from the Flickr blog. Make rss feeds of your favorite photographer. Check out what cameras are the most popular.
The wonderful world of Creative Commons
But, you say, what is the purpose of this wealth of information if someone else has copyrights on it? Ah, good question copyright-nazis! Creative Commons (cc) is an alternative to traditional copyright, developed by a nonprofit organization of the same name. Flickr offers different types of licensing that you choose to put on your photos – on how you want your photos shared. Creative Commons licenses are offered free of charge to the public and allows you to Share, Remix, Reuse — Legally! There is no registration required to use a CC license. You can choose different levels depending on how much credit you want to have for the photos that you take.
- Attribution: People can copy, distribute and display your photos if they give you credit as the photographer.
- Noncommercial: Other people can copy, distribute and display your photos, but only for non-commercial purposes.
- No Derivative Works: Others can copy and freely distribute and display your photos but only as they appear; no derivative works (i.e. altering a pic, using part of a pic) are allowed.
- Share Alike: Allows others to do just about anything they want with the photo provided you distribute derivative works under the same license.
Similar websites
Picasa (Google version)
Shutterfly
Snapfish
Photobucket
Scanning Information
- Digital Media Lab: *appointment only; ask Lynda Kellam
- Special Collections: *request only
- Two scanners in the Super Lab: Faculty, staff, and students may sign up to scan materials in the Superlab in Jackson Library whenever the building is open. There is no charge.
- TLC
- Commercial scanners: CVS, Walmart, Kinkos, online: scanmyphotos.com
