What does Flickr offer?

Users can create accounts and upload photographs (and video) into their own photostream’. Public photographs can be seen by anyone with internet access. Private photographs can be shared with other registered Flickr users. Once loaded on to Flickr the owner and any other registered users can add comments about a picture. They can mark a picture with tags, which can then be used to search the public photographs on Flickr. Users can create groups where they and other users can place photographs, which they want to share for any purpose. Groups can be public or private with membership either open to any registered user or by invitation only.

So why use Flickr? A colleague suggests that Flickr gives him the flexibility to take photos and video clips on his phone and upload them to site to shared with friends and family. Well this feature is also available on Facebook and Twitter so why use flickr? Well I guess the advantage here is that many photos are placed in the public domain so others can view and make use. The benefits of Flickr are very apparent for students studying digital media courses as identified by in Stockport College case study: Using Flickr is very popular with the students, both as a personal tool and for their course. One student said: ‘As far as I’m concerned the more people that [see my work] the better’. Flickr gives students a way of exposing their work both to people within the college and to the world. It can provide a showcase for them to promote themselves and their work. Minocha (2009, p.75).

Outside of this topic area I struggle to see the educational or learning opportunities for this service but I am receptive to suggestions. Perhaps Flickr could be used by a distributed community of chefs learning to improve their dish presentation skills. Each group member could upload how they would present a set menu option with a view to receive feedback from others to help grow their ability to make a better impression.

Minocha, Shailey (2009). A study of the effective use of social software to support student learning and engagement.JISC, University of Bristol. Available online http://oro.open.ac.uk/16141/3/Effective-use-of-Social-Software-in-Education-CaseStudies.pdf (Accessed 28 May 10)