Thing 16: Flickr'ing in and out of focus

A suitably reflective AND classical image,
from Flickr. Who could ask for more?
Photo by nerissa's ring

Yes, yet again, I'm using reflection week to catch up on all the Things that just keep coming...but at least this promises to be a very pretty post, peppered with the pickings from this week's tool: Flickr.

The idea of Flickr is an excellent one, and to have access to the work of so many enthusiastic artists, both amateur and professional, in one place is a boon for would-be library marketers and bloggers alike.

Practically, however, I have to admit that I didn't find Flickr immediately easy to use. I find it cumbersome to have to go onto advanced search to find CC images, when another little drop-down box next to a simple search box would be so easy. In fact, something like that appears when you initially click on "search", allowing you to limit your search to "The Commons", which turns out not to be anything to do with Creative Commons, as far as I can tell (The Commons is very limited and has very little modern material in it...I'm still yet to discover what it actually is!)

Best. Bookend. Ever. Photo by Enokson

In any case, the lovely Annie helped me via Twitter, and I've been liberally splattering Flickr images on my blog since. I also like the way that some people use Flickr as a kind of photo blog, particularly some librarians such as Enokson, whose cheerful and incredibly creative library displays have probably inspired many a school (or even academic) librarian. The advantages of using Flickr rather than a photo blog are that you can set clear restrictions and stipulations on your creations, and that you can organise the photos into "sets" and "collections" in a more coherent manner. Admittedly you could tag images in a photo blog, but the way in which Flickr more closely resembles a photo album feels somehow more professional.

I shall leave you, not with any kind of reflection by myself whatsoever, but with something far more eloquent; a scene taken in the city of Nagasaki by my very talented, Japan-loving, Assam-drinking friend, Moe.

An eye-catching reflection in Nagasaki.
Image (reproduced with permission) by Zebra Love 79