What is Flickr?

Flickr is one of the largest photo hosting and sharing sites on the web, with more than five billion images uploaded to its servers. Registration is free, but there are limits to the file size and number of photos and videos you can upload. A pro membership can be purchased which includes unlimited uploads and file size.

Why should I use Flickr?

If your CSU organization or department has photos that you want to host online to share, Flickr can be a great host website for those photos. You can link photos from your Flickr albums to other websites that may not have server space for allof your photo uploads. Upload, share and organize your photos and browse the billions of photos other Flickr users have uploaded.

How do I use Flickr?

Start by creating a Flickr account here. Sign in with a Yahoo! account or create one now and agree to the Yahoo! and Flickr Terms of Service. By agreeing to Flickr’s Terms of Use, you must:

  • Comply with all applicable laws
  • Provide accurate information and update as necessary
  • Review and comply with Yahoo’s policies including their Spam Policy and Privacy Policy
  • Maintain the confidentiality of your password and account
  • Use the services in a professional manner

You must not:

  • Post content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, and invasive or another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethically or otherwise objectionable.
  • Impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a Yahoo! official, forum leader, guide or host, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity.
  • Disrupt the normal flow of dialogue, cause a screen to “scroll” faster than other users of the Yahoo! services are able to type, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users’ ability to engage in real time exchanges.

Start uploading photos

Tag photos: Tags are like keywords or labels that you add to a photo to make it easier to find in searches. Be sure to include “CSU” and “Colorado State University” as tags.

Titling an image: Be sure to give a title and description to every image posted to Flickr; image titles and descriptions can be used as search criteria by other users of Flickr.

Copyright: Indicate posted photos to be copyright protected “© Colorado State University.”

Create sets and collections: Consider creating Flickr collections and sets with your posted images. A set contains individual photos and collections contain different sets (collections are only available for pro accounts). Both sets and collections can be searched slowing users to find a specific collection or set of images that interest them. This keeps users from finding and viewing only one image and then moving on to another account.

Encourage the use of tags, notes and comments on pictures as the key to any good use of a website is interaction.

Downloadable images: Be mindful of the photos that you allow for download and the ones that you don’t. Be aware of the default settings that are set up so you control what is and isn’t being downloaded.

Consider allowing the use of images by allowing and tagging images with the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons License. This license allows the download and use of your image provided the images are attributed to you, but it does not allow the image to be used in or as part of an illustration.

Capture events: Take photos at events and let guests know to check out your Flickr account to see photos from the event.