New Flickr. Y No Pro?

I've been a Flickr member since Nov 2007, before converting into a Pro in 2009. I've never looked back ever since. I do host most of my photos on SmugMug though and I tried 500px and Picasa in the past. I've never trusted Facebook with my photos. I was keen on Google Plus but felt Flickr was still the clear winner.

So, I was glad to learn that Marissa Meyer made Flickr one of her main products when she took over Yahoo! Certainly Flickr is a good product, and the previous management neglected this diamond. So, which way did the new regime was taking Flickr?

I knew things were serious when the 3-months Pro account was given away before Xmas last year. I was waiting for them to implement a face-lift a lot earlier. So, when it finally came, I was actually very happy. Google probably caught wind of this change since they only updated their Plus experience only last. For the better.

I'm happy with the new interface. Definitely more modern. But the subscription model made me sit back. I felt that the company missed one important element here. Flickr was actually built on loyalty.

During the lean times, the user stood by the product. They wore their Pro badges with pride. I was one of them. By abolishing Pro - only allowing old timers to be grandfathered in if they have a recurring payment program - these hardcore band would wither away. I personally felt that the loyalty wasn't rewarded. In the days of social media, 6 years is a long time!

The jacked-up interface was a welcomed change. But I was hoping that there would be movement to recognise these Pro group of users who had stayed on through thick and thin. If there is one, I would sign up in a heartbeat. To have to pay extra just to have no advert is just plain lame.....

Free Flickr

There had been a few changes in Yahoo! since Marissa Meyer took over at the helm. The Yahoo! Mail had been upgraded. They still used Bing search, but at least they now realised the gem in their possession, Flickr! It could have been Instagram if Yahoo played their cards right five years ago. Certainly it needed fresh impetus and at least now Yahoo! is taking the brand more seriously.

I have had the Pro account for 4 years now at least. it forms one of my repositories - the main one was still SmugMug. It was kinda fun uploaded photos from my bobile on the go. It also had a very strong community driving it through. The fellow user were generally very supportive of each other, and often held meeting in real live. In fact, I had made plenty of friends through the local chapter, KLickr.

For Xmas - or possibly celebrating the apocalype - Yahoo! was offering its Pro users free 3-month extension to their subscription. All you had to do was sign in, look for the banner at the top of your home screen, and walla. After a couple of clicks, your account is extended. Enjoy!