Help / The Help Forum

thomask    says:

i'll be waiting till the last possible second to merge.

i tried once, months ago, and became fed up with the whole process - too much personal info, too much time, too many clicks, and in the end it just didn't work for me. not exactly the "web 2.0" experience i'd become accustomed to at flickr.

I also want to echo the flickrite (page 1??) who said that, but for the requirement to create a yahoo ID, many of their friends and family would also join flickr in a jiffy. not because they don't trust yahoo (they wouldn't know a yahoo from a google from a youtube from a myspace), but b/c they simply can't be arsed clicking through all that real estate.

so, stew, best of luck in your push to get to get the process of yahooID creation simplified. i've got my fingers crossed for you, but to be honest i'm not holding out much hope.

*edit for typo
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
thomask edited this topic 65 months ago.

striatic says:

mroth, i don't think that puts and fuel on the fire and i DO believe that you're doing this for primarily technical reasons and so that you can better integrate into the whole yahoo technical infrastructure.

but your job is, in part, to take things that are good for you as developers and make them directly and obviously positive for us as users.

yahoo has had two years to ease the 'sense of nervousness' that a lot of us have. i'm telling you right now that this sense of nervousness is of vital importance. the issue isn't logins at its heart, that's just a symptom.

in these two years, yahoo ought to have won us all over. okay sure, there are always hold outs but i've been around flickr for a long time and i've NEVER seen such a one sided thrashing of a flickr decision EVER.

and yet this shouldn't be an issue at all. it really, really shouldn't. but it is.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

> Is there anyway we can get our money back?

no

> as per the information listed before purchase, pro account fees are non-refundable.

see flickr.com/forums/help/26557/

or search with flickr.com/search/forums/?w=help&q=refund
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Dave Ward Photography    says:

So, having two login systems requires a lot of extra work for Flickr staff. Therefore, they need to be consolidated so there is only one login system.

Well, there's an obvious solution that will make everybody happy:

Eliminate the Yahoo! login and just let everybody login with their normal Flickr login.

Seriously, is there some reason why people can't login with their Flickr login instead of tying everything to the privacy-trashing, rights-abusing corporate behemoth that is Yahoo?

If there's an honest reason why Flickr HAS to force people to login via Yahoo! instead of just letting everybody stay with their existing Flickr accounts, I'd love to know what that honest reason is.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

the reason is very simple: yahoo wants to "own" flick users so that they can feed them ads and services, and, indirectly increase their revenues. the more yahoo users, the more money for yahoo.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Eric Hunt.    says:

In the end, I completely understand all of the technical issues and agree with them.

I just don't trust Yahoo! and do not want their marketing droids using my personal info.

Sorry, Stewart, but my love (platonic!) and admiration for you and the team is just not enough to compensate for my feelings towards Yahoo!
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

wyrosdick    says:

What if I have 2 flickr accounts but don't want 2 yahoo accounts? Especially since I already tide my yahoo account to the flickr account I don't use much (it was as a company account) ... can I dissassociate it?
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

heather, i don't think anyone buys that. if the idea was to have a single system, then this could be the old-skool system, not tied to a particular brand of email for log-in.

the real reason is that it is better for yahoo to have a single system that forces all users to have a yahoo-ID, rather than to have a single system that is not tied to yahoo. that's quite obvious to everyone here. this will lead to more integration of flickr with yahoo, and benefit yahoo (for sure) and hopefully, it will benefit flickr users, or at least not be too painful.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
loupiote (Old Skool) edited this topic 65 months ago.

@stills says:

i'm more and more disappointed in flickr these days... i'm pretty sure i won't be renewing my pro account this year.

instead of forcing all its oldest (and most loyal) users to create a new screenname (nothing_is_available_anymore12345), why can't the staff spend their time implementing basic, much-requested features like, i don't know, captions in slideshows?

i haven't seen any worthwhile additions to the site since the yahoo takeover. "interestingness" isn't enough to get me to keep paying for pro.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk    says:

yahoo has had two years to ease the 'sense of nervousness' that a lot of us have. i'm telling you right now that this sense of nervousness is of vital importance. the issue isn't logins at its heart, that's just a symptom.

Maybe people are nervous because Yahoo wants to send you to places like Broadway photo as the low price provider with the "awesome" new flickr camera finder feature who has had hundreds of complaints and an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB.

The nervousness is because people joined flickr not to be marketed too and Yahoo is all about marketing shit to us.

So to use my four flickr accounts now I'm going to have to have four seperate Yahoo IDs, forcing me to log out of my main Yahoo ID all the time and having the rest of what I use that one for (calendar, mail, myyahoo, etc. not work). Great.

There are lots of better ways to monetize flickr.

This is a terrible idea.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk    says:

the real reason is that it is better for yahoo to have a single system that forces all users to have a yahoo-ID, rather than to have a single system that is not tied to yahoo. that's quite obvious to everyone here. this will lead to more integration of flickr with yahoo, and benefit yahoo (for sure) and hopefully, it will benefit flickr users, or at least not be too painful.

This is in fact the truth. Why not just admit it? What's the point with the smokescreen about how this is somehow better for us?
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

heather, i don't think anyone buys that. if the idea was to have a single system, then this could be the old-skool system, not tied to a particular brand of email for log-in.

although that would have made things more difficult for the millions of people who already have yahoo IDs from before flickr existed.

from a purely selfish perspective, yeah i wish the old school login was the system for the unified core .. but i do understand how using yahoo id makes life easier for a lot of people.

the problem is yahoo. if people liked yahoo, they'd be glad to switch. they don't so they aren't, and that's a far larger problem than 5% of flickr users.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

shining example says:

I find myself idly wondering whether yahoo are aware of this massive image problem they have, and if so, whether they care, and what they intend to do about it...
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

i think yahoo bought flickr to improve their image :)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

wyrosdick    says:

I don't think they care ... they are making money regardless of image
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Jon Kneller    says:

I think that, aside from the natural resistance to change, the only real issue here is the negative perception of Yahoo. I wonder if flickr were aware quite how tainted the brand is when they signed on the dotted line.

I don't mind Yahoo being involved with flickr, so long as it is understood that I am here for the flickr brand alone. I do not want to be exposed to the Yahoo brand any more than necessary, and I am far from convinced that this move was anything more than opportunism... but I love flickr, and that's why I just merged.

So I guess now all I have to do is get annoyed with Yahoo once more, and they will take my flickr account down with them.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
Jon Kneller edited this topic 65 months ago.

shining example says:

i think yahoo bought flickr to improve their image :)

well, that's going well then, isn't it? ;o)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Jonobeirne    says:

I fully expect a wave of new spam to accompany this switch over. Frankly,
I'm more than a little tempted to look elsewhere...
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

davebushe    says:

In reply to Heather on Yahoo TOS...

info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/utos-173.html

With respect to photos, graphics, audio or video you submit or make available for inclusion on publicly accessible areas of the Service other than Yahoo! Groups, the license to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publicly perform and publicly display such Content on the Service solely for the purpose for which such Content was submitted or made available. This license exists only for as long as you elect to continue to include such Content on the Service and will terminate at the time you remove or Yahoo! removes such Content from the Service.

So Yahoo now gets a license to my photos overriding/aside from any CC choice I might make? Can someone from staff clarify what this actually means. Can Yahoo News suddenly start sourcing news pictures here for free with no credit even required?

It's quite different from Flickr TOS, I don't give Flickr a license to my photos...
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

FlyButtafly    says:

dave - "solely for the purpose for which such Content was submitted or made available."

Such as displaying on your flickr site, displaying thumbnails in groups, etc.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

The Jaundiced Eye    says:

Here, just in case people missed what they are signing up for when they create a Yahoo ID. It appears that by merging the Flickr account with a Yahoo ID that Yahoo is not responsible for the deleting of any of your stuff...including all of Our photos. It also says that if you falsely fill out the Yahoo Account info (fake name, fake year of birth, fake sex) that you are violating their terms of service and ALL services can be cut. Additionally, if your photos are considered offensive to someone, Yahoo WILL shut you down. Gee, does that cover all of those political photos I see ALL OVER THE PLACE?


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Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbox says:

Big mistake, flickr overlords. Big mistake. But then bad decisions and Yahoo have a tendency of sticking together.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Eric Hunt.    says:

Dave - this has been covered before - that TOS you just read simply says that you give Yahoo! the legal right to display your IP on their site solely for the purpose for which such Content was submitted or made available and that right terminates whenever you remove your IP.

Without that, people could conceivably sue Yahoo! for displaying the IP they uploaded to Yahoo!

(IP == Intellectual Property)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

I wonder if flickr were aware quite how tainted the brand is when they signed on the dotted line.

i suspect that they were aware of this, but assumed that yahoo's reputation would really improve in the following two years.

they were wrong.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

yahoo has had two years to ease the 'sense of nervousness' that a lot of us have. i'm telling you right now that this sense of nervousness is of vital importance. the issue isn't logins at its heart, that's just a symptom.

in these two years, yahoo ought to have won us all over. okay sure, there are always hold outs but i've been around flickr for a long time and i've NEVER seen such a one sided thrashing of a flickr decision EVER.

Striatic got it bang on.

I signed up to flickr because it was not 'from xyz big momma's' company. It was cool, small and way better than any other services around.

I've had a yahoo account for gazzillion years, but hardly ever bother using it - and am not going to change that. I don't hate Yahoo - worse - I am indifferent. I wish it didn't have to exist.

But suddenly - this merging thing. I am afraid that after the 15th, I might have to look out for other places to post photos to. I will be sad to lose my flickr friends and my flickr communities, but I don't want to see them replaced by a Yahoo community.

Bad move, staff of flickr
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

i suspect that they were aware of this, but assumed that yahoo's reputation would really improve in the following two years.

If anything, it's gotten worse
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

davebushe    says:

FlyButtafly & Eric in SF. ETA and to Heather!

Ta kindly for the astoundingly quick answers!
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
davebushe edited this topic 65 months ago.

jimheid    says:

Setting aside the political, moral, and sexual ramifications of all this, there is a potential technical ramification to merging an account—and it isn't mentioned at flickr.com/help/signin/ or flickr.com/account/associate/.

[ Edit: Hey, I now see it at the former URL. If it was there all along, I stand corrected (orthopedic shoes). ]

From the final, are-you-sure page that appears during the merging process:

Any Flickry applications you've downloaded (like the Flickr uploaders or some of the kewl API applications other Flickr members have built) may not work anymore because your account details have changed. If that's the case, you will need to get fresh copies and set them up again. (It may be that your favorite applications haven't updated yet, so check with the developers before you merge.)

Dave Ward Photography    says:

Heather, I don't think you quite understood my question.

So, having two login systems requires a lot of extra work for Flickr staff. Therefore, they need to be consolidated so there is only one login system.

Well, there's an obvious solution that will make everybody happy:

Eliminate the Yahoo! login and just let everybody login with their normal Flickr login.

Seriously, is there some reason why people can't login with their Flickr login instead of tying everything to the privacy-trashing, rights-abusing corporate behemoth that is Yahoo?

If there's an honest reason why Flickr HAS to force people to login via Yahoo! instead of just letting everybody stay with their existing Flickr accounts, I'd love to know what that honest reason is.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Brenda Anderson    says:

Eliminate the Yahoo! login and just let everybody login with their normal Flickr login.

So what do the 95% of Flickr users who currently use Yahoo IDs do? The Yahoo login IS their normal Flickr login.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

AMDM - photography says:

Bummer,

I love flickr , Sorry guys I won't merge after reading all that others had to say about merging yahoo account with flickr account.

I been reading way before this how so many have had problems after they merged.

I'm payed up till 2008 enjoy the rest of the money Flickr I will truly miss you.

You were a fantastic photo shairing site.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

Is there a way I can export my entire photostream, with the comments and stuff - on a CD/blog/somewhere? Just in case, you know...
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

thomas hawk also makes a good point [did i really just type that?] about managing multiple flickr accounts while still running a single yahoo account being more difficult now.

i think the answer to this would be allowing people to slave multiple flickr accounts to a single yahoo account, so you could login and select the account you wanted from a drop down menu somewhere on flickr.

that could actually improve multiple account management on flickr.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Dave Ward Photography    says:

Brenda Anderson wrote:

So what do the 95% of Flickr users who currently use Yahoo IDs do? The Yahoo login IS their normal Flickr login.

Dave Ward Photography    says:

striatic wrote:

that could actually improve multiple account management on flickr.

Thomas Hawk    says:

Try this.

Go to Flickr's "awesome" new camera finder feature for the Fuji FinePix S9100.

www.flickr.com/cameras/fujifilm/finepix_s9100/

Now click on the compare new prices link that coincidently links to Yahoo Shopping.

shopping.yahoo.com/p:Fujifilm FinePix S9100 Digital Camera:1994306972:page=compare

Now sort by lowest price.

shopping.yahoo.com/p:Fujifilm FinePix S9100 Digital Camera:1994306972:page=compare;_ylt=AlhanxnEk5oh1TS2OYNoze_nSHAD;_ylu=X3oDMTBvOHU0bDI1BF9zAzU3NjkwMzQzBHNlYwNncmlkc29ydA--?sort=price&used=

Now check out this article that includes a BBB report on Yahoo Shopping's low price provider (I'll save you the trouble, unsatisfactory with hundreds of registered complains):

consumerist.com/consumer/broadway-photo/broadway-photos-s...

Bamm! Buy that camera and Yahoo just got paid.

Take my advice though, do NOT buy this camera from Broadway Photo. In fact avoid all Flickr Camera Finder recommendations and stick with a reputable retailer like B&H.

The point is that this is all about marketing to you. And what better way for you to experience Yahoo Shopping than if you are already logged into Yahoo through Flickr.

This is the real reason why Yahoo gets to do this. Yahoo did not buy flickr to leave it alone. They bought it for one simple reason. To make money. Leveraging and marketing to Flickr users is a big part of this. Unfortunately, this is not what a community based photo sharing site should be about.

On the Q3 earnings call, before he was canned, Yahoo COO Dan Rosenweig talked about the "monetization" of Flickr. This is exactly what you are seeing.

But it still is not right.

This is the honest truth and being told that it's being done because it's too difficult to translate alternative log on pages, etc. etc. is just pure doublespeak. Translation is easy and a log on page the easiest of all. I know, we've done it with 17 different languages with two people. Yahoo has how many engineers now?

This is what bothers me the most. It's an insult to our intelligence and a mark against transparency.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
Thomas Hawk edited this topic 65 months ago.

striatic says:

dave, in all honesty if flickr actually did do that they'd anger a hell of a lot more flickr users than they are by doing what they're doing now - which is saying a lot considering the people they're upsetting with this.

also, flickr isn't a 'company' it is a service owned by yahoo. we're all using yahoo servers right now, and have a flavour of yahoo account.

it is just a blue and pink flavoured yahoo account instead of a red flavoured one.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

blue and pink tastes a lot better than red, but we're still paying the same cashier either way.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk    says:

also, flickr isn't a 'company' it is a service owned by yahoo. we're all using yahoo servers right now

This is the truth. [did i really just type that?]
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

The Jaundiced Eye    says:

Ever see how they run Yahoo answers? Posts that are political are removed. I am really now looking at the "services" offered by Yahoo and it is quite chilling. They can dissapear all of Our photos the same way they can dissapear political points of view that their advertisers find offensive. This MUST be what they meant by WEB 2.0!!!
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

Striatic: I am not paying the same cashier - Thus far, I was paying an attendant I really liked, though the money was going to the same company. Now, I might have to meet the company's top boss and fall at his feet. Which may not be something I want to do.

But what the heck - I merged just now. Might as well get used to it, see if there are any hiccups along the way - and if there are - close it down and move elsewhere.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

perthpete    says:

Not a real problem with this, except for the fact(s) that:
1. I could not keep my login name
2. Too much privacy data that seem to be mandatory. NOt sure if that is really legally acceptable
3. The fact that signing in just to Flickr means you are automatically signed in to other Yahoo stuff even though you do not use it... I would think that is probably an extra security risk.

Hmmm, looking at the point I do seem to have an issue here ;-)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Vidiot    says:

What worries me isn't that Flickr is changing. I trust Stewart and Caterina and Heather and everyone on this, because they've invested so much in this place and have worked so hard on it to make it the wonderful place that it is. I agree with those who think that, not long after 3/15, that most people won't think about it any more.

What worries me isn't my having to use a Y! ID to sign in, or see an ugly login page. (As others have noted at length, I've known that was coming for a while now.) It's feeling like I'm just a little less than a valued member of a true community and just a little more like a resource/customer/target market.

I can't put my finger on any one specific thing (and Stewart, that was a useful question to ask) but I guess what I find jarring is the shift in tone, even if it is but an infinitesimal one. Today marks the first time that to me, Flickr has ever felt like something less than that community I bought into (literally), and more like a service I pay for. And that's a sad realization.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Dave Ward Photography    says:

striatic wrote:

dave, in all honesty if flickr actually did do that they'd anger a hell of a lot more flickr users than they are by doing what they're doing now - which is saying a lot considering the people they're upsetting with this.

FlyButtafly    says:

So what do the 95% of Flickr users who currently use Yahoo IDs do? The Yahoo login IS their normal Flickr login.

Just for the sake of argument...

How hard would it be for those used to using their YahooIDs for log in, o instead use their email address to log in with the same password they use for their YahooID? I mean, that's all we old skoolers do (as you obviously know, Brenda :) - just enter our email address and password. You have to have an email address somehow associated with a YahooID, be it a Yahoo or alternate one. They could just use that. Heck, how many Yahoo users have gotten screwed up trying to do that in the old skool login anyway?

edit: Today marks the first time that to me, Flickr has ever felt like something less than that community I bought into (literally), and more like a service I pay for.

Well, for me it's not today, I've felt it coming on for a while now. But it's completely true. :(
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
FlyButtafly edited this topic 65 months ago.

Troy McClure SF    says:

I think what this comes down to is that, even after Yahoo! bought Flickr, Flickr has been independent from Yahoo in day-to-day operation, aside from a small Yahoo! badge or the page, and the Target photo printing (though I have my own issues with Target). This was comforting, and as someone who dislikes Yahoo, I had hoped that there would be no more intrusion by Yahoo!, no matter how trivial it would seem to the companies in question. (And I admit that as naïve of me.)

In short, I don't want a Yahoo! account. I've been there, been burned, and I'm done with the company. Whether that rational of me or not, it's the truth. I don't want Yahoo, and that should be my choice.

While this login thing alone may not be worthy of a thread like this, it's the fact (and let's face it, this is a fact) that Yahoo! will be reaching further and further into the Flickr community. Some of this will no doubt be beneficial to Flickr users, but as many people in this thread have experienced, Yahoo! is bound to mess up more than they fix. Basically, our trust in Flickr is vastly outweighed by the bad experiences we all seem to have had at Yahoo!'s hands.

That sucks for us as users, but also as Flickr evangelists, as I'm sure many of us have been. I've brought maybe a dozen people to Flickr, about half of whom are now Pro Users, and when I order prints, I apply the Flickr Stickrs liberally to my camera, bag and other things. I have been happy to support Flickr well beyond linking and Pro Accounts, but if Yahoo! integrates itself more and more into Flickr (which this current issue would indicate), I will be much less likely to support Flickr even myself, much less recommend it to others.

All that said, I do appreciate that Stanley and other staffers are sticking around and responding to what's surely a scary amount of ugliness to sift through.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

I am not paying the same cashier

well you are in the sense that stewart and the rest of the team are still here. for now.

this is just a strong reminder that this may not be the case forever, so in that sense it is rather disconcerting.

it wouldn't be if yahoo was doing more to impress and gain trust, because you're right .. that's who we'll have to deal with in the long term.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Dave Ward Photography    says:

"for now?"
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

justj    says:

'What worries me isn't my having to use a Y! ID to sign in, or see an ugly login page. (As others have noted at length, I've known that was coming for a while now.) It's feeling like I'm just a little less than a valued member of a true community and just a little more like a resource/customer/target market.

I can't put my finger on any one specific thing (and Stewart, that was a useful question to ask) but I guess what I find jarring is the shift in tone, even if it is but an infinitesimal one. Today marks the first time that to me, Flickr has ever felt like something less than that community I bought into (literally), and more like a service I pay for. And that's a sad realization'

I think after being here all night, this is really close to how I'm feeling... The shift in 'tone' really hit home, that this will never again be the flickr we joined in the beginning
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

Yeah. That 'for now' bit gets me really reaching out for the monster under the bed.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

i'm a bit afraid that the next step will be that Flickr will only send notifications to the yahoo email.

then if you want to get them forwarded to another address, you will have to purchase the "yahoo Mail Plus" package. clever.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

bkusler    says:

how differently would this have played out if the letter this morning had said:

" ... but we know you oldskoolers were there for us from the get-go. so bkusler -- we've created a "FlickrEmerittusSooperGenuisWeLoveBkusler" id for you on yahoo in case you don't already have one. it has the same ole flickr TOS (not that pesky yahoo one), it even has your current password, it requires NO personal information, and just cuz yer cool and this is a hassle, we're giving you 5 years free"
... "

seriously. this wasn't rocket science. you guys just fucked this up.

the early adopters are all "key influencers" -- how many of the "nuskool" ppl do you think we signed up? duhh...

let the marketing pukes run things from now on, they understand objection handling and buying people out. you got your fat check from yahoo for being early to market with flickr, why'd u feel it necessary to "veto" ours, Mr. Principles?
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

SantaRosa OLD SKOOL    says:

Sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

"for now?"

well, i should hope that they are not contractually obligated to work at flickr until they die.

maybe stewart will keep working on flickr until it goes kaput. maybe he won't. i'm sure part of the aggreement when they were acquired was that he'd stay on for a certain period of time and then have the option to leave.

i'm not trying to imply that the flickr staff will all jump ship tomorrow, since that's obviously not true, but things change and people leave over the long term. when that happens we will increasingly deal with yahoo instead of the original core team.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

heather wrote:
> Um.... Not so much.

yeah, hopefully google will have completed its acquisition of yahoo before then - and with gmail, forwarding is free :)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

cheetah100 says:

Simple question: Where do I sign up to get a refund? I'm not going to stop using an account that has been paid for. If Flickr chooses to deny access to users that have paid for the service they might see a class action suit.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

Am afraid so, too, Striatic.
When I signed up 2 years ago, Caterina added me a contact, and some staff comment on my photos too. I got to meet a lot of really cool folks. I've seen flickr change, and mostly for the better these last two years. That's never happened to me anywhere else. And that's why, I will contine to hang around here, inspite of this bomb on my lap this morning. But, I will be damned if I will do it as happily as I did before
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Titanfan    says:

Ok...I've screwed it up. Somehow I created another flickr account when I tried to connect my yahoo account to this one. So now I can't connect my yahoo account to this one. Help!
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

: LOL @ google buying Yahoo
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

zellybeanie says:

I was disappointed when I got the email, to be honest. I absolutely LOVE Flickr but I really don't like the idea of having to sign into Yahoo! to access it. I don't mind other Yahoo! services, I use Yahoo! Movies all the time.

Ugh. I guess I never thought my Old Skool status would be taken away. I really don't mind being part of the 5%, especially as a pro member.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

loupiote (Old Skool)    says:

> LOL @ google buying Yahoo

it would be better than the oposit, don't you think. and also more likely.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk    says:

i'm sure part of the aggreement when they were acquired was that he'd stay on for a certain period of time and then have the option to leave.

Three years. 22 months down, 14 to go.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

striatic says:

When I signed up 2 years ago, Caterina added me a contact, and some staff comment on my photos too.

caterina's role in the early community is something that stewart and caterina have mentioned in a bunch of interviews now.

maybe the next time they mention it in an interview they can also mention how doing so can set up completely unrealistic expectations.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

: Yup. Very much so.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

vidarara says:

so why did you call us Old Skool? No we are just flickr users because of you. It's like give a boy a candy and then snatch his candy, so he cries.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

: Yup! Exactly. Unrealistic expectations.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

ctb    says:

:(

it sucks, but I completely understand why this needs to happen. you guys aren't the 'bad guys' (i mean, you know that), it's just just the nature of the situation. even if you were still INDIE AS FSCK and had to change to a new system like OpenID or something it would suck just as bad, but people would be less upset because there's no large corporation to blame. so yeah, totally sucks, you guys are awesome, and i am rambling. gnight! :)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

blue_j says:

(Thanks for the links Heather!)

So, it looks like the first announcement of impending required Yahoo! accounts was the following:

Q: OK, fine. New users can use Yahoo! IDs, but I don't have one and don't want one — why should I have to merge?

A: You don't for now. Some time in 2006 you will. Why? Because it is an incredible pain in the butt to run both systems in parallel and it wastes a huge amount of effort and attention that could otherwise go into making new features, improving performance, and all the things we'd rather be doing than gumming around with this stuff. Granted, it is a little inconvenient to create an account if you don't have one, but the whole process takes minutes and then you're done and never have to do anything again..

Do I have to have a Yahoo ID to use Flickr?

No. In the future, you'll be able to log into Flickr using your Yahoo account, but you can continue logging on as before.

Thomas Hawk    says:

It's like give a boy a candy and then snatch his candy, so he cries.

Man, do not get me going on on that. I could go off on that for hours. OMG, is Flickr turning into Jill Greenberg?
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
Thomas Hawk edited this topic 65 months ago.

striatic says:

Unrealistic expectations.

but that's as much our fault as theirs, really.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

kidjay says:

I've merged finally...but under extreme protest. I love flickr, but I don't know if I want to continue my pro membership.

I don't have anything agains yahoo persay, I just don't use their services and I don't want to use them.

I know flickr's still a great service...but its upsetting to be forced to sign up for something else. Yet another e-mail account I'm not gonna check. I know its for technical reasons, but I think yahoo should have handled it differently. Its like "hey old school people who made this community what it is so that it could be flipped in the first place, screw you guys"
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

@stills says:

looked for yahoo/flickr on technorati.... found this interesting article:

gigaom.com/2007/01/30/has-yahoo-picked-marketing-as-its-g...

key paragraph: "The most obvious example of Yahoo’s increasing bent towards marketing is its new “Brand Universe” initiative, announced2 in November. The company will tie together its disjointed properties — such as search, groups, Flickr, Answers, avatars — to lead back to pages about a certain pop culture topic — for instance, Nintendo’s Wii3."
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

vidarara says:

@ kidjay : I totally agree with you.

"hey old school people who made this community what it is so that it could be flipped in the first place, screw you guys"
This is very clever.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Ravages    says:

: Yeah - as much as it is my fault as theirs, I do think the whole 'first buyer-in' feeling, the evangelising I di, the plugging flickr photos and people I did on my blog and more made flickr a great place to hang out in. Not so any more.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

hogepodge    says:

I'm sure that the Flickr staff love their creation. But they love the big fat check that Yahoo gave to them much more. They didn't make Flickr as a labor of love, they made it hit the startup lottery (which they did, admirably I might add). That doesn't mean that they don't care about their creation, but don't kid yourselves into thinking that because you helped build it by being early adopters and advocates that they really care about you. This is clearly about money; saving money on maintenance, and making money off of advertising. Stomping your feet won't change their decision. At the end of the day they are loyal to their families and their employer, just as you would be were the positions reversed.

You can enjoy Flickr for what it is, and make it what you want (warts and all), or you can try to create that community somewhere else.

To help put things in perspective for you: if you want to see a community that was really killed by its founder, go check out the remnants of photo.net.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbox says:

"hey old school people who made this community what it is so that it could be flipped in the first place, screw you guys"

And hey...we're also apparently only 5% of the community. We can't matter much.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
shadowbox edited this topic 65 months ago.

FlyButtafly    says:

Um... so was the issue of commercial vs. non-commercial use ever cleared up, in relation to thumbnails of our photos showing up on the camera-finder page with the link to Yahoo! Shopping? Because I'd really hate to see things keep going down that road, with our photos (or even just links to them!) starting to show up in other places on Yahoo! (or even flickr) that are solely for marketing purposes. (referencing this comment)
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

shadowbox says:

if you want to see a community that was really killed by its founder, go check out the remnants of photo.net.

And if you want to see what happens to a photo-sharing site that doesn't listen to its hardcore members, have a gander at fotolog.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

ectomorfo    says:

There might only be a subset of 5% represented here, but it seems to me, looking at some of the names included in here, that it must be a very influential 5%.

I'm also very disappointed as I don't like being forced to align myself with Yahoo, albeit some way down the line.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

FlyButtafly    says:

By the way, I do want to say thanks to the staff who are staying up late at night (or early in the morning, as Stewart was) to answer all this and deal with all of our "hate Yahoo! Love Flickr" stuff.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

hogepodge    says:

They are influential, but there are probably thousands of users who don't know who they are. That number will continue to grow.

Flickr is a victim of its own success. It's still a great site, though. Eventually, like everything else, its shine will fade.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )
hogepodge edited this topic 65 months ago.

vasu42    says:

I'm very apprehensive about this switch. The last time I gave Yahoo personal information, they sold it to telemarketers. For months after that, I got people calling me on my cell phone trying to sell me stuff. I don't want that to happen again :(
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

urbandiscount says:

just leave out the "flickreenies" sign off in official flickr mail. it doesn't ring true anymore.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

RonAlmog    says:

Flickr signup: From human to droid in a Yahoo moment?
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Mike Lutz    says:

I'm very un-thrilled with the idea of switching to a yahoo-id for my login for one specific reason: All of my standard user-names are already taken as Yahoo-ids.

I have to keep far too many different passwords in my brain, and the only way I can fit them all in there is by not having to worry about what my user name is. For every computer resource I use my user name is either one of three different base names or 3 different email address.

Now, because I'm late to the yahoo party I can't get any of my base user names and by definition a yahoo-id can't be one of my normal email addresses.

I'm sure I'll be fine for a while right after I switch because my login will be stored via a cookie, but sooner or later I'll have a browser reset and have to try and remember the username and password for my (otherwise unused) yahoo-id. That process will likely waste a sizable amount of my time (as I try and search through emails to find my username).

I'm not hyperbolic enough to claim that I will quit flickr over this, but I know trying to remember a yahoo-id will cause me pain, and I use services like flickr to reduce my computing pain, not increase it. If the pain of use gets too high you will eventually burn me out.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Josh Mishell    says:

I'm sort of a slacker and wouldn't change unless you absolutely made me. That being said, a fair trade would be to bring back FlickrLive for those of us who actually used it*. Out of the kindness of your hearts. Otherwise, watch out for the /ene command at some point.

And as long as you don't erase my photos without letting me know, good luck to you and this Yahoo of which you speak.

* I would also consider trading copious amounts of beer for the aforementioned FlickrLive.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Werner Wattenbergh    says:

I merged only minutes ago with a strange feeling - I was proud to be an old skool member but I don't feel an old skool member anymore.

Towards yahoo I don't feel anything, I haven't even noticed them the last two years on Flickr and I hope they stay far, far away.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

bosquetango    says:

Brenda Anderson says:

"So what do the 95% of Flickr users who currently use Yahoo IDs do? The Yahoo login IS their normal Flickr login."

Brenda, If you want to be a shill for Yahoo at least try to get them to pay you for your sad, blind support for the mega uncaring corporation.
Despite the bulging pockets of those who sold out, unless your blind devotion to Mcflickr earns you some dinero, you're backing the wrong horse.

hey, there is a slogan I can get behind: Mcflickr! It says so much to the corporatization of a once beautiful site. It is only because I, and many others, felt such kinship with the little boat that could float once known as flickr has sold its soul to a marketing mess that we bother to waste our time tilting at windmills hoping the tide can be reversed and we can return to the wonderful, truly great entity that was our flickr.

I've tried, oh how I've tried, to be as optimistic as emdot. I've failed at that miserably. I likely will be one who quits and restarts at another, yet unknown photo and social sharing site. I think it's highly unlikely that I'll put another penny (or any more dollars towards gifting pro accounts) to Mcflickr.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

FrogStarB says:

hey what do I do if ive lost the yahoo account I had when i first started out with flickr ( phishing scam) and ive been stuck as a old skool member ever since cause i dunn if i want to merge my flickr account to a yahoo ID which isnt even in my control!!
ive changed the password to my flickr account and the email address to make sure i can still use it!! but now with this damn compulsory merge coming up i dunno what is going to happen!!
this sucks!!... haaaallppp!!!!!!!!!

okiee im not going thru 395 replies to find it my question has been asked before!! so if it has been please do lemme know!!
thanks
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

fallsroad    says:

Yahoo blows.

Flickr is awesome.

I got here before Yahoo did, but they have more money than I do.

Hence, I'll merge, and I'll do it reluctantly because I do not use any Yahoo services at all after a bad experience with a vanishing email account. I have an old Yahoo ID I used to use for Messenger that is apparently still active, and it will become my associated Yahoo Flickr ID.

Once I figure out how to force the log in to remain persistent so I'm not fucking around with signing in/out, I'll ignore Yahoo and continue to use Flickr. If/when Yahoo intrudes into my daily use of Flickr in an unacceptable manner, I will reclaim all of my photos and delete my account.

Yeah, I'm "Old Skool" or whatever, but this merge has been coming for a very long time, and I knew sooner or later I'd get an email setting a deadline for those of us who have dragged our feet. I admit to some surprise over just how virulent the feelings are about this, but like so many things Flickrish, passion is part of the mix.

If I have any real coherent objection, it is to the level of personal information Yahoo demands. For the purposes of this merge it is entirely unnecessary, and you FlickrPeeps should have had a say in that, as a tip of the hat to those of us who went to bat for you by putting up real cash for a great idea that was still in the middle stages of realization.

Peace..
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Brenda Anderson    says:

/
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Thomas Hawk    says:

Announcement on the Flickrblog announcing Yahoo's acquistion, March 2005. Being a "pioneer" doesn't seem quite so promising today.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )

Music is my coffee says:

If Flickr offered subsets by switching to the Yahoo! sign-in, I bet it would have generated enthusiasm. But since finding an available Yahoo ID is hard enough (unfortunately all I can say is good luck), most people would have been frustrated anyway. I know I have.
Posted 65 months ago. ( permalink )