Today, I'm co-hosting an online event on TechSoup about Flickr with Heather Camp, Flickr Community Manager. I love online discussions with a mix of experience. I just learned something really important from colleague Michaela Hackner about uploading.
I think there is a benefit of uploading only 4-6 photos at a time because your followers only see the last 4 images you've posted anyway. Sharing a few photos at a time helps you be more thoughtful about captions, tags, and categorizing, and gives people a chance to catch up on your stream. When I was at the height of my Flickr obsession (and living overseas when I had a lot more time), I limited myself to posting no more than 4 images at a time for this reason.
This event will run today. Ask questions, share your learning, and learn from others. Click here participate.
I'm so glad you found this tip useful. Back when I was trying to "game" the Flickr system and land in Interestingness, I found this made a huge impact on whether my best images were seen and heavily commented upon. The days I uploaded only one photo with a powerful message were some of my biggest hits. I also found that the time of day I posted made a difference about whether my images were seen or not. I found that 8-10 am EST were the best times for my audience, so when I was living overseas I held my images until 5 pm in the afternoon so I could make the 8-9 am mark. Some people disagree that it doesn't work this way, but I feel confident that these things are factors....
Nowadays when I post a slew of images (or watch my contacts do this), I feel like I'm cheapening the potential of the medium and missing out on sharing some of my best work with folks and vice versa. I can see how these "theories" of mine could have a larger impact on using Flickr for online campaigns... Hmm, I smell a blog post.
Posted by: The Girl | March 25, 2008 at 11:52 AM
It smells like a good Michaela. I hope you'll spend some time reflecting your flickr practice and share it with us ...
Posted by: Beth Kanter | March 25, 2008 at 02:31 PM