Flickr Users Consider Their Potential Microsoft Overlords

By David F. Gallagher
Yahoo RIPOne user of the Flickr photo-sharing service, which is owned by Yahoo, expressed his
distaste for Microsoft’s offer visually. (Image: Anthony Sigalas)

The hard-core users of Flickr, the photo-sharing Web site owned by Yahoo, have this to say about a potential Microsoft takeover: “Oh no, not again!”

When Yahoo bought Flickr in 2005, it was one of the most promising of the so-called Web 2.0 start-ups. While online communities are notoriously susceptible to tempests in teapots, the Flickr crowd has always been an especially prickly bunch, lashing out at any whiff of censorship or corporate heavy-handedness. Something as minor as switching longtime Flickr users over to Yahoo’s log-in system prompted protests from people who resisted being sucked into the evil Yahoo machine.

Despite the fears of Flickr users, Yahoo has managed not to destroy the site, which has turned into one of its most attractive assets, if not a huge money-maker. But a Microsoft takeover is bringing up all the old fears again. Most Flickr users in this discussion are against the idea. The Searcher writes: “I can’t think of one thing that Microsoft hasn’t absorbed that hasn’t been subsumed and leeched of all function after a year or two.” André Elias says: “I REALLY, REALLY hope they leave Flickr alone.”

A new user-created group on the site is called “Microsoft, keep your evil grubby hands off our Flickr.” And dr_lopbot imagines a rebranding effort:

MsftFlickr

Others are more sanguine: “As long as Flickr continues to be reliable, and I can still post photos, look at my contacts’ and friends’ photos, participate in discussions and hone my craft I’m happy.”

Microsoft may be hoping that by buying Yahoo it can pick up some of the playful, friendly, startup-ish vibe that Yahoo’s brand has managed to hold onto for all these years. But as the Flickr grumbling demonstrates, Microsoft’s own image as the guy who sucks all the life out of the party is going to continue to hurt it as the online world gets more and more social.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

coolrepublica February 1, 2008 · 4:47 pm

I have nothing to say, but I had to say that the graphic that goes with this blog is so awesome.

RIP Yahoo. Everybody at Yahoo should make a Jerry Yang pinata with a sensor that say “I’m sorry” every time you hit it. In secret of course. A secret ” beat the Jerry Yang pinata” party. Can I join?

KL February 1, 2008 · 6:23 pm

It’s hardly “tempest in a teapot.” I don’t understand why Saul always uses such a condescending attitude towards online communities.

Flickr is quirky and unorthodox, but its users and management are deep lovers of freedom. During the time when Yahoo cooperated with the Chinese government, for example, Flickr refused to have anything to do with China.

To this day, Flickr refuses to offer a localized version of its interface in Simplified Chinese, which is used in China. Instead, Flickr offers a version of its interface in Traditional Chinese, which is used in Taiwan. By defiantly thumbing its nose at China (after all, many more Chinese users are users of Simplified Chinese than Traditional Chinese), Flickr is striking a blow for Taiwan independence and against China (Chinese users are made to feel unwelcome by the very fact that the interface isn’t localized for them). In an age when every corporation sees fit to bow down to China, the fact that Flickr refuses to even acknowledge their existence and instead appeals to Taiwan is a welcome strike for freedom.

It’s hardly a “tempest in a teapot” when Flickr users are obsessing over freedom. Would Microsoft require a Simplified Chinese version of Flickr to be put up? How horrible!

David Dugan February 1, 2008 · 6:27 pm

One thing that particularly worries me about Microsoft’s impending ownership of Flickr is the possibility that they could see this as an opportunity to strong-arm their nascent “HD Photo” format onto the world. Just imagine Microsoft converting the entire Flickr repository to HDP (formerly Windows Media Photo) and then ending support for JPEG and PNG. I certainly wouldn’t put it past them…

//www.daviddugan.com

Happy Tinfoil Cat February 1, 2008 · 7:22 pm

Microsoft hasn’t really done so well with online ventures so far, so I don’t know if they could improve things. Probably not, because if they could, they would have no need to buy Yahoo. Anyone with a great idea and a lot of work can build a website, and that is all Yahoo or Google is. The internet is nearly a level playing field and that is the way it should be. Those that can’t do, buy. Those that can’t buy, 404.

squaccs February 1, 2008 · 7:38 pm

dr_lobot’s image carries a sober message for us all. The vibrant-hearted community spirit that beats so strongly in the flickr postings will surely be crushed by bill gates’s big sausage fingered paw as the murky shawl of corporate rebranding envelopes all those weak enough to be left at the scene. be afeared. be very afeared.

L8o February 2, 2008 · 2:12 am

*/me shuddddders with fear!*

js3000 February 2, 2008 · 3:45 am

The myth that web 2.0 is about community and activism is dead….again. I saw it die once Yahoo purchased flickr. Started to see people like Thomas Hawke complain that the “establishment” at Yahoo was beginning to become too confining..Hawke went on to found his own photo sharing site. A previous post mentioned Flickr in China …yet it was it’s involvement with censorship in the German government which will need greater scrutiny to see how it operates in the future…Web 2.0 is about market share and cash flow…and business plans that work.

CoolTibetanMonk February 2, 2008 · 8:54 am

Memo to myself: 1) Close Flickr account. 2) Close all Yahho mail accounts.

Perk February 2, 2008 · 9:17 am

In today’s world, a start-up, say FlickOff.com, can create a Flickr import utility and with servers on Amazon EC2, pretty much suck the life out of Flickr in a matter of weeks, if the users become horribly dissatisfied.

Andrew Flickr Novak February 2, 2008 · 10:53 am

Flickr is our Home No Money In World That Microsoft Throws At Us Or At Flickr Will Ever Be Enoghf!Flickr To Us Is Priceless It’s Our Home!

All we as Flickr Members are asking for is one thing and that is that Microsoft Leaves our Flickr Site\Home Alone!

Flickr is not Broken so why Fix It?

We all love Flickr Here and I will say this one more time No Money in the world that Microsoft could ever give us could ever make us Give Up something We Love and That Is Dear to our Hearts!

If They Close What We all Love Here At Flickr Im going to Cry……

wes February 2, 2008 · 11:08 am

I hate M$ with a passion how long till they cripple Flickr with DRM or make it I.E only, as it stands now flickr is a grate site as one of the “old skool” members i can honestly say the worst thing yahoo did was make us change log in names, now whether that was because we made enough noise to make them realise they needed a hands off approach to flickr or they had all ways planned it that way we will never know.

But i doubt any thing any of us could do sort of leaving flickr and stop paying for it would ever get M$ to listen to any thing we said.

The end is Nigh…

Schoschie February 2, 2008 · 3:05 pm

Now that I’m thinking of leaving Flickr, I’m realizing how much the Flickr community means to me. It’s really sad.

Taran Rampersad February 2, 2008 · 5:55 pm

When I posted my blog entry (//www.knowprose.com/node/18418 ), I really thought I would be alone in thinking these things. But here we are, looking over the side of the waterfall and wondering…

I’ve already been exploring options, and a few of Flickr’s competitors have contacted me directly. Without the threat of Microsoft on the horizon, I would not have looked. But now?

I’m looking. And I’m seeing some things already that are pretty attractive.

Meee February 2, 2008 · 6:02 pm

To tell you the truth, I’m still annoyed at the way Flickr was “integrated into Yahoo, because its operations completely screwed up the way “I” used to use Yahoo quite successfully. Even today, I still can’t adjust or even add a picture file to my yahoo profile, because the issues caused by bringing Flickr into their space has crashed that functionality. I wish to hell the corporate types would stay OUT of it all, and leave each entity to do what it does. As if THAT will ever happen.

Russell Davis February 2, 2008 · 10:18 pm

I’ve enjoyed both flickr and Yahoo. But, if Microsoft waters down what I like I won’t hesitate to go somewhere else.

If that happens there will be a niche just waiting for someone else to fill it.

flonehotmamacal / Flickrholic February 3, 2008 · 1:41 am

I guess all good things will eventually come to an end.
I believe once Microsoft takes over the freedom of flickr will be no more.
:(

Daily Tech Impressions February 3, 2008 · 2:12 am

Microsoft likes to dabble into every niche it can get it’s hands on, however they are a technology giant that have the capability of improving existing products and services for the benefit of their users. Not all take-overs are bad!
//www.dailyimpressions.blogspot.com

Jasmic February 3, 2008 · 3:25 am

Suddenly Ipernity or Zoomr are looking a whole lot more attractive. As a UK based German resident I was heavily involved with the whole ridiculous argument of being censored. The only reason I stayed then, and indeed renewed my pro account, was because of the amazing Flickr community, the friends I have made over the last few years. But this really would be the final straw.

Karen February 3, 2008 · 4:42 pm

I’d be glad to someone step in with a new perspective at Flickr. Those of us who were auto-converted from Yahoo! to Flickr have faced an uphill battle when it comes to getting comparable function and I’d welcome a response other than “it’s our way or the highway”.

Jeremy February 3, 2008 · 9:18 pm

Hotmail was the biggest of the free email providers. Microsoft bought it. Now it is completely irrelevant.

So it goes with everything they touch. If this deal succeeds, it is the end of Yahoo. Flickr will either need to be sold or spun off, or it is over for Flickr.

There is nothing so great that large corporations can’t destroy it.

Remiss63 February 4, 2008 · 1:39 am

I was unhappy when Flickr was bought out by Yahoo! However, the ultimate result seems to have worked out to the Flickr community’s benefit. Yahoo! has been smart enough to allow Stewart Butterfield and the other originators of Flickr continue to make it the best online photo community today.

The worst things that have resulted from Yahoo’s decision to close it’s own photo sharing services and merge them into Flickr is what appears to be a substantial influx of homegrown amateur porn. Fortunately Flickr has been intelligent in their set up of the filtering system which is not perfect, but has addressed a very difficult, contentious issue and resolved it in a way that generally allows Flickr members to use the site and interact with others as they wish to and to avoid people and images they’d prefer not to see.

So many things about a Microsoft takeover make me very concerned. Bill Gates has invested a great deal of money in the acquisition and development of Corbis photography licensing site. I believe the company has not turned a profit.

I suspect Microsoft may believe they could gain a majority share in the online photo content market by acquiring Flickr (along with Yahoo) and possibly acquring Getty Images and iStockPhoto as well. See this article:

//www.alleyinsider.com/2008/01/getty-for-sale-another-webravaged-business.html

By controlling a major segment of still image online content, Microsoft could put a lock on many of the open-source development going on in the Flickr community taking advantage of Flickr’s API, the Greasemonkey scripts, and other individual contributions toward creating a vital, living community.

Microsoft could easily take it’s control over this segment of the online industry (like Apple has with music using iTunes and like Google has with video through YouTube).

MS could easily limit the ability of outside developers to increase the site’s functionality while not directly adding to their bottom line. Their short-sightedness won’t let them see that be stopping open-source development of a successful, dynamic social networking site and its features that they would be killing their golden goose.

I’m not sure Microsoft as an organization is prepared to work within the wild, creative empowering world the internet has become. Their business model is so focused on market share domination and milking consumers for every penny possible. They mistakenly believe their would be no PC’s and no internet without Microsoft’s software advances. The truth is that most every advantage they’ve developed in the internet space has been through buyout or poaching of other’s revolutionary ideas.

The profits Microsoft has reaped from the Windows operating system are obscene. It seems their only accepted methods involve winning through domination, monopoly, extortion, and threats of force against anyone not playing their game.

Perhaps Yahoo! would be kind (and smart) enough to sell Flickr off to Google, Apple, or another interested group that could be formed to bring back its entrepreneurial / free speech spunk back.

//www.flickr.com/photos/raimist

VF February 4, 2008 · 4:12 am

If Microsoft buys Yahoo, I quit using it. That’s it.

Douglas Schwab February 4, 2008 · 6:12 am

I have been with Yahoo since starting to use the internet. They have not had much direction but have left acquisitions alone. The MS machine is not evil, just plodding and life-sucking. So much of MS energy is about the market that their purpose seems to be to destroy competition rather than make anything. I moved to Flickr when Textamerica lost the plot. Now is the time to jump ship if the MS machine grips a trusted friend. At the end of the day it is a business, and we are the dissatisfied customers who take our business elsewhere.
PS-The graphics with this blog are great.

fixedgear February 4, 2008 · 10:50 am

Meh. Long time Flickr user (yay, I’m old school, whatever that means). I’ma ‘pro’ which is to say I pay for hosting. As long as the site is relaible, reasonably priced and relatively censorship free I’m fine. Yahoo’s takeover was largely uneventful. This merger doesn’t even seem viable, so getting this worked up this early on seems kind of alarmist.

Brian Rice February 4, 2008 · 11:37 am

Add me to the list of those who will simply quit using it, and find a better solution. I will spend exactly zero time waiting to see what happens if Microsoft brings their reverse midas touch into the equation: RIP, Yahoo!. RIP, Flickr.