Flickriver - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Flickriver?

See the About Flickriver page - it explains what Flickriver is, why it was created etc.

Why am I seeing my photos on Flickriver?

Flickriver is simply an alternative Flickr viewer, and as such it displays Flickr photos using the official Flickr API - similarly to hundreds of other alternative Flickr viewers and tools.

Photos that appear in a Flickriver steam are not hosted by Flickriver - it is merely a viewer that reflects whatever Flickr provides it when our visitors ask it to.

Flickr have specific guidelines for viewers such as Flickriver and other applications that use their API - for example, once a viewer displays a Flickr photo, the photo must link back to its original Flickr page - so there can be no misunderstanding about the image origin, author or copyright. As you can see, Flickriver is absolutely compliant with this guideline. You can read the official Flickr FAQ about this here and here.

Flickr allows you to opt out from third party services having access to your photos using Flickr API. You can opt out on this page by selecting both:

1. Hide your photostream from searches on 3rd party sites that use the API
2. Your profile - hide me from searches

Once you opt out on Flickr, your photos should no longer be viewable through Flickriver. Please allow up to 24 hours for this change to take place.

How can I view my own photos using Flickriver?

There are several ways to find your photo stream on Flickriver - you can use the "My Flickriver" menu to login and get convenient links to all your views. You can also use the Flickriver search box to search for your username. Alternatively, you can browse to your photostream on flickr.com, then go to your browser's address bar and change flickr.com to flickriver.com. Because Flickriver follows Flickr's URL structure, you'll see the same view on Flickriver. Same techniques also work for finding your friends photostreams, your groups etc.

Does Flickriver allow other people to see my private photos?

No - Flickriver only displays public Flickr photos to the public. If you login to Flickriver (authorize Flickriver to access your Flickr), you'll be able to see your own private photos, and also photos your contacts shared with you, but for everyone else these photos are not visible on Flickriver, exactly as they are not visible to them on Flickr.com.

I disabled the display of my large photos on Flickr, how come I can still zoom my photos on Flickriver?

Flickriver absolutely respects your Flickr setting. If you disabled large photos, Flickriver will use the medium version of the photo when the user asks to zoom a photo. Also, in this case Flickriver displays a special zoom button and tooltip to indicate that the large photo is not available.

How can I stay updated on the latest Flickriver features?

You can follow @flickriver on Twitter, or join the Flickriver Group on Flickr.

What are the keyboard shortcuts I can use on Flickriver?

• space or j - next photo
• k - previous photo
• v - opens the original Flickr page for the currently visible photo
• z - zooms the currently visible photo

How do I enter the slideshow mode on Flickriver?

Yes, just click space to start the slideshow mode, then click space again to go to the next photo or k to go to the previous photo. Using your mouse to scroll the page or pressing Esc exits the slideshow mode.

How can I get to the top of the page after scrolling for a while?

After you scroll down in any Flickriver view, you'll see the "jump to top" button in the top left corner of your page.

How can I get the photo description and additional info about the photo?

When you hover over any photo on Flickriver you'll see several icons. Click on the Info Panel icon to open a panel below the photo with some additional info - photo description, copyright information, when it was taken, its tags, how many times the photo was commented on and viewed, and, if available, the location where the photo was taken. Whenever the location of the photo is available, you can click on the "show map" link to show that location on a map.

How can I find out where a photo was taken?

Some photos have location associated with them. To see where the photo was taken, open the info panel and look for the "Taken in" line. You'll get links to Flickriver views of the country, region and city where the photo was taken. Also, you'll see a "show map" link that will open a small map with the location where the photo was taken.

How can I view large versions of the photos on Flickriver?

Flickriver provides three photo size options - medium, large and "fit screen" - you can use the options menu on top left to switch between the modes. Zooming a photo by clicking on its 'Zoom' icon also turns on the 'Fit Screen' mode, click on the 'Zoom Out' icon to cancel.

Tips:

• Try zooming one photo and paging forward using the 'Space' key
• Try resizing your browser window in Fit Screen mode to see it in action

Important comment: if your Flickr settings don't allow viewing your large photos, Flickriver will respect that setting and will only use the medium version to zoom the photo when needed.

How can I quickly open Flickriver view for a particular photographer while viewing photos on Flickriver?

When viewing Flickriver pages that have photos from several users (group views, search results etc.), you'll see a link to each photo's author under every photo. Clicking on this link opens the author's page on Flickriver and allows quickly seeing their best (or "most interesting") photos.

How can I link to a specific photo on Flickriver or open it on a separate page?

Beyond "river" views, each photo also has its own page on Flickriver. To open this single photo page, you can click on the photo title, that is always located under the photo. You can then easily share, link to or view single photos on Flickriver. Single photo pages show you the photo description, location etc. right there on the page, without having to open the info panel.

How can I switch between black and white background on Flickriver?

Click on the "switch black/white" icon at the top to toggle between black and white background and to save your preference.

How can I comment on a photo or add it to my favorites?

When you hover over any photo on Flickriver you'll see several icons. Click on the Fave icon to add the photo to your Flickr favorites, or the Comment icon to comment on any photo. You'll need to login to Flickr and authorize Flickriver in order to perform these operations.

Tip: you can drag the comment panel so it doesn't obscure some interesting portions of the photo you're commenting on.

Why would I want to 'login' to Flickriver?

There's a "login" link at the top right corner of the Flickriver page. When you "login" to Flickriver, you're actually making a connection between Flickriver and your Flickr account. This allows you (and only you!) to view your own private photos on Flickriver, or, similarly, this allows you to view additional photos, such as photos your contacts shared only with you, 'restricted' photos etc. Basically, because Flickriver is just a viewer that allows viewing photos that are always hosted on Flickr, logging in to Flickriver allows you to see the same photos you would see on Flickr.com after you log in.

Also, when you are logged in you get a convenient "My Flickriver" menu with all your links - your photo stream, your favorites, your contacts, your groups etc.

Tip: You can use the Switch User icon to login to Flickriver as a different user.

Beyond getting access to additional photos, when you comment on a photo or add it to your favorites on Flickriver, you will be asked to login as well, in order for your actions to be saved on Flickr.

Does Flickriver support video?

Yes, any time a video appears in any of the streams it will have a little play button in the bottom left corner of the image. Clicking on "Play" will play the video inline.

How can I quickly open various Flickr views on Flickriver?

Flickriver provides several tools to quickly open any Flickr view on Flickriver:

1. Manually - perhaps the simplest method - when on any page on flickr.com, go to your browser's address bar and change flickr.com to flickriver.com. Flickriver has the same URL structure as Flickr, so this will open the same view on Flickriver.
2. Firefox and Chrome addons - Adds a 'Flickriver' button to your browser. While viewing any Flickr photos page, click on this button to open the same view on Flickriver. Install in Firefox or install in Chrome
3. Bookmarklet - this is a little button you install in your browser's "links" toolbar - while viewing any Flickr photos page, click on the bookmarklet button to open the same view on Flickriver. To install: drag and drop the following link to your Bookmarks toolbar (Internet Explorer users - add the link to your Favorites under the Links folder)
   • View on Flickriver (open on same page)
   • View on Flickriver (open on new page)
4. Greasemonkey script - you can install a Greasemonkey script in Firefox and Chrome that adds Flickriver links to various Flickr photo pages - user photos, favorites, pools etc, allowing to quickly open the corresponding Flickriver view. Install "View on Flickriver" script

How can I install Flickriver Search into my browser's search box?

If you're using Firefox or Internet Explorer, you can add Flickriver as a search provider to your browser and search for photos on Flickriver right from your browser's search box. Click here to install search plugin.

Why would I want to link to Flickriver to showcase my photos?

There are a few main reasons and several smaller ones :)

• First, Flickriver displays your photos using an "infinite river view", so whoever is viewing your work will probably have a chance to see more of your photos, as they will never need to click on "next" and wait for the next page to load. With Flickriver, it's easy to quickly go over hundreds of photos.
• With Flickriver, you have an option to showcase not only your recent work, but also your most interesting photos. If a visitor is introduced to your most awesome photos first, there's a good chance they will keep on scrolling and see many, if not all of your photos. Flickriver allows sorting by 'most interesting' for individual photo streams and group pools.
• Flickriver focuses on the most important thing - your photos. It displays large photos and keeps additional information, like metadata, fave or comment links etc. hidden, but only one click or hover away.
• See the Flickriver about page and the rest of this FAQ page for additioanal features that make Flickriver a great tool for showcasing your photos.

How can I create links to my photos on Flickriver?

Follow the following simple steps:

1. Navigate to your photostream on Flickriver - you most interesting or recent photos etc
2. Click on the "link here" link at the top of the page
3. Grab either a plain text link, a small/large Flickriver button that links to your photos, or click through to Flickriver Badge Creator to create a dynamic graphical badge linking to your photographs. Once you have the badge HTML code, grab it and paste it into your Flickr profile page, or your blog sidebar etc.

What is the Flickriver Badge Creator?

Badge Creator can be found here. It allows you to create a dynamic graphical badge with a selection of your photographs. You can then place that badge on your Flickr profile, or your personal blog, webpage etc. to allow your visitors to experience your photos using the infinite river Flickriver view. You can also use the Badge Creator to create a badge for your Flickr group, your tag etc.

How do I embed the Flickriver badge on my Flickr profile?

Copy the HTML code that the Badge Creator generated, open your Flickr profile and paste the HTML code anywhere in the Describe Yourself... box

How do I share the Flickriver view of my photos on Twitter, Facebook etc.?

On any Flickriver page, you can use the Twitter, Facebook and other icons located on top right to share the Flickriver view of your photos with your friends. Of course, beyond your own photos, you can also share any Flickriver view you discovered.

How can I embed a mini Flickriver view on my site?

On any Flickriver view, open the "Tools" window and locate the "Embed on your Web site" panel. You can click on the two "preview" links to see how the embedded view looks, and then grab the associated HTML and paste it anywhere on your website. Note: your website environment should support embedding iframes for this to work.

Does Flickriver supports mobile phones?

Yes! Flickriver has a special mobile version for the iPhone/iPod Touch and Android phones. So, when you share Flickriver links to your photos and your friends open these links on their mobile phones, they will be able to conveniently browse through your photos using the compact mobile-river view.

How can I view photos taken near my current position on Flickriver?

When using the mobile Flickriver version on your iPhone or Android phone, click on the "crosshair" icon on the top menu to find photos taken nearby your current positions. You can also use the options drop-down to fine tune the search radius etc.

How can I add Flickriver to my iPhone Home Screen?

Open Flickriver on your iPhone, click on the + icon and tap "Add to Home Screen".

Does Flickriver support the iPad?

Yes, you can view the regular Flickriver website on an iPad and it looks quite nicely. We'll be improving the Flickriver experience on an iPad further in the future.