Last week, Flickr unveiled an overhaul that gives individual and organizational users more storage, more statistics, and a user-friendly interface that puts pictures front and center. Flickr’s new features create exciting (and free!) possibilities for connecting with supporters.
One of the biggest benefits of the new Flickr is that users receive a free terabyte of storage; allowing practically unlimited high quality picture uploads. The site also allows longer full resolution video uploads, up to three minutes apiece. Photos stored on Flickr can be easily shared via social media, embedded in a website or blog, and found through Google image search.
Flickr’s user profiles got a makeover. They now include a cover photo and showcase images in a modern, tiled photostream that will be familiar to users of websites like Facebook and Pinterest. You can organize photos into sets and collections that so your supporters can keep up with current or past projects.
While Flickr is a photo management platform first and foremost, it does have social features. Savvy nonprofits create or join public groups to connect with people that share an interest in their region or issue. Members can participate in discussion boards and upload photos, making them a great way to crowdsource images (just be careful to ask for permission and give the photographer due credit!). Photo contests like this one from the Puget Sound Partnership are a good way to encourage engagement.
This is only the beginning of Flickr’s revamp. Apple users are buzzing about the probable integration of Flickr and Vimeo on the next iPad/iPhone operating system, and Flickr already has an Android app that makes it possible to upload photos and videos from mobile devices to the web, giving organizations another way to instantly share visual updates from the field.
In other words, the new Flickr makes it easier than ever for nonprofits to access, store and share photos and videos. Wondering what kind of images your organization should be gathering? Check out our Visual Storytelling Guide for tips from cognitive research and marketing experts. And if you don’t have a photo library of your own, Flickr search is a great way to find Creative Commons licensed photos you can use.
Want more Flickr tips? Check out our tipsheet on 10 ways to maximize visibility on Flickr.
–Avery Haller, Project Specialist, and Nicole Lampe
