Thing 4: Flickr

How might you use Flickr in your library or media center?
My sister did an original mural in my library. I will post photos of the mural to promote her status as an independent graphic artist. As fun as it would be to upload photos of students during library celebrations, I think that I'm going to skip that at this time. While I could make the group private, I am not sure how I could communicate with 870 families how to access the private group.
Do you use Flickr or another photo hosting service? Which one? How does it compare to Flickr?
I have used the creative commons portion of Flickr before when needing real photos of something to share during a lesson. For ex., when the first grade musical was about a zoo, I used photos from Flickr's Creative commons and gave them credit. It was a wonderful resource; however, when I use my digital camera in my personal life as a traveler, I post my photos on Shutterfly for the ease of printing and picking them up from Target. Also, I have made wonderful digital "scapbook-like" albums. There is some disadvantage to Shutterfly as other members of my family use SnapFish and I have to login separately to view their photos.

How do you feel about having your photos public (note that you can mark your Flickr photos private, too)--any concerns?
I am a very private person and don't want to put photos of family events out on Flickr. At this time, I don't have very many photos of just landscapes or objects. I wonder about identity theft, I wonder about personal safety and want to be cautious. In some ways I feel guilty because I have benefited from other altruism in sharing (see post above), but unwilling to serve in this way. I guess I'll leave it to those with a passion for photography.