More Info on Photo Sites

As I was looking at the April edition of School Library Jounal (and yes, I'm definitely behind in my reading), I found an article by Steve Hargadon that suggests other photo sites. David Jakes has put together more information on using Flickr http://www.jakesonline.org/flickrsites.htm and has additional links, information, and presentations on Flickr. Another photo site that describes itself as "fast, easy, and fun" is Picnik http://www.picnik.com/. This looks like a good site to start with if you want to do some editing or add special effects. Then, if you just want something really cool, check out Cooliris http://www.cooliris.com/. I first saw this site at the CUE conference a year ago and it is truly amazing. The site states, "Meet Cooliris, the 3D Wall that speeds up search on Google Images, YouTube, Flickr, and more. Enjoy the richest way to view photos from Facebook, Picasa, and even your computer." I agree with Steve Hargadon's statement that this plugin "transforms searaching for photgraphs into an amazing visual experience." Have fun!

Flickr and Other Photo Sharing Sites

If you haven't yet organized your digital pictures online, this is a wonderful opportunity to explore what is available. There are lots of free sites as well as some that have a fee for more options. Most of these sites allow you to organize your photos in folders or albums and edit your photos as well as share them. Five years ago, Gary and I renewed our wedding vows at the Colorado Renaissance Faire, then headed to a family reunion in Pennsylvania. We were looking for some way to share our photographs with friends and family and discovered SmugMug http://smugmug.com/. Google's Picasa http://picasa.google.com/ is another site that you'll want to check out.

By far the largest and most famous photo sharing site is Flickr http://www.flickr.com/. There are tons of options on this site and you really just have to take some time to explore. The Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons is a great place to find copyright free photos. Be sure to take time to play around with Flickr Toys http://bighugelabs.com/. Tons of fun!

Enjoy!