Category Archives: tagging
Week 4: Flickr & YouTube
If you own a digital camera or even a cell phone with a built-in camera, you probably already know how easy it has become for the average person to create and share digital photos and videos. Many social media websites are capitalizing on this by offering people a place to upload, store, and share their photos and videos. The “social” aspect is key here, as these sites allow people to interact and connect with others online.
Flickr.com and YouTube.com are two great examples of these types of web applications and they just happen to be two of the most popular websites on the planet. They offer easy-to-use, slick, and powerful features for anyone who’s interested in working with digital photos and videos. Plus, they both enable people to build their own online communities centered around the creative work of individuals.
Flickr
There are a number of spaces on the Internet that allow people to upload and share their favorite photos. While sites like Webshots, PhotoBucket, and Picasa have attracted significant audiences of their own, it’s Flickr that has really become the most popular online photo management and sharing tool.
Here’s how Flickr works. First, you upload photos to your Flickr account from your computer, your phone, or via email. Then, you organize them into sets (think albums) and tag them using the best keywords that come to mind. You can give each photo a title, description, tags, and even annotate specific areas with notes. Then you share your Flickr account url or the url of a specific set with your friends, family, and co-workers so they can see all the great photos you’ve been taking. The basic Flickr account is free or you can pay $25 per year for a Pro account, which basically gives you unlimited everything!
For more on how Flickr works, take the tour or look at these three articles:
- The Newbie’s Guide to Flickr
- 31 Flavors – Things to Do With Flickr in Libraries
- Wikipedia article about Flickr
And, of course, there’s a Common Craft video on sharing photos online:
YouTube
Flickr recently added a video uploading and sharing option, but the clear leader in video sharing websites is YouTube. The website allows anyone to visit the website and view videos uploaded by others. Registered users (accounts are free) are allowed to upload and share videos. Like Flickr, users can leave comments and/or add video replies on other people’s videos. Each registered user also has the option of marking their favorites videos and subscribe to their favorite video-creators. Both Flickr and YouTube allow people to search by keyword, tag, or user.
For more on YouTube, take a look at some of these articles and websites:
- Wikipedia article about the Social Impact of YouTube
- Wikipedia article about YouTube
- ACRL – YouTube and Libraries
- YouTube & Libraries on Tame the Web
Also, take a look at this Common Craft video demonstrating how Social Media works:
Activity #1
Visit Flickr and have a look around. Take a look at the Flickr Libraries and Librarians group pool. The Explore page also has some of the most interesting photos uploaded in the past week. You can also browse using the tag, map, or search by keyword. Keep an eye out to see how tags, comments, annotations, and sets are used.
Like what you see? Then take the next step and create a free Flickr account so you can upload and share your own photos. For a bonus challenge, add photos to your blog!
Keep in mind that Flickr is owned by Yahoo, so you can use an existing Yahoo username and password if you have a Yahoo email account. It should be very easy to set up an account, but if you need help with anything, the help center is a great resource and the FAQ is especially helpful for beginners.
Activity #2
Visit YouTube and have a look around. Do a search for library-related videos (there are a lot out there!). You can also browse the main video start page, exploring and sorting using the various options on the top and left-hand side menus. You can also browse by the most popular video-creators. They’re called channels because each registered user gets his or her own channel (i.e., profile page).
If you like what you see, create an account of your own. Since Google owns YouTube, you can use an existing Gmail or Blogger account to do this. Even if you don’t plan on uploading any videos of your own (btw, most digital cameras and cell phones have a movie option), you can use your account to subscribe to other people’s channels and save your favorite videos to look at in one place.
A bonus challenge: embed a favorite video on your blog. Remember, the YouTube Help Page is a great place to find answers to all your YouTube questions.
Activity #3
Write a blog entry (or two) sharing your thoughts on Flickr, YouTube, and Social Media websites in general. What are some ways the Library can use these two tools to serve the Oakton CC community?
Further Reading (optional)
- 7 Things You Should Know About Flickr (pdf), Educause Learning Initiative
- 7 Things You Should Know About YouTube (pdf), Educause Learning Intiative