Allowing users to post photos online, without the need for a personal Web site, photo sharing Web sites have become a popular form of social media. Most photo sharing sites have free memberships, with the options to upgrade to a paid membership which offer more photo editing and management tools.
Photobucket
Founded in 2003, Photobucket is one of the most popular photo sharing website. Claiming over 1,000,000 users, Photobucket is a U.S. based company, having offices in Denver, Colorado and San Francisco, California.
Photobucket offers many higher-end features that some other sharing sites charge for. Photobucket allows you to upload unlimited photos and up to 500 videos for personal, non-commercial use. A fully integrated photo editor that allows you to easily edit, add effects, insert captions and manage your pictures and video directly online. Photobucket has a one-click link sharing function that allows you to easily share your photos with family and friends on all the social media sites and also link your files directly to any Web site. Additionally, Photobucket allows you to track photos and video statistics to see how many times you files have been viewed by other users. Using Photobucket’s advanced photo editor, you can print photos directly from the web and use them to create gifts, such as coffee cups and calendars. Visit Photobucket’s Web site at www.photobucket.com.
SlickPic
Founded by digital photographers who wanted to create a site that went a step beyond the others, SlickPic has some of the best sharing and display features of any photo sharing site on the web. Simple enough for amateurs while being sophisticated enough for professionals, SlickPic is a site dedicated to making photo sharing a user-friendly experience.
Offering members unlimited uploads, SlickPic is designed around a server-side hosting platform that gives the user total control of file sharing and security options. SlickPic automatically backs of all your files up on multiple servers, so no matter what happens on your end or theirs, your flies are safe and secure. SlickPic provides full user interface options for posting your files to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts. A complete Help Page gives users guidance, suggestions and detailed instruction that make even the most complex sharing and editing functions a breeze. Find SlickPic at www.slickpic.com.
Flickr
Part of the Yahoo! network, Flickr photo sharing is perhaps the most well-known photo sharing platform on the web. Designed with the photo hobbyist in mind, Flickr is simple and intuitive to use.
Having one of the easier file management systems of on the web, Flickr lets users categorize files into easy to index, fully searchable folders. In addition to uploading photos from your computer, Flickr allows you to load photos from your mobile phone, so you can shoot, upload, manage and post photos in seconds. Flickr allows you to post photos directly to you blog or website and send real-time updates to your Facebook page and Twitter account. A unique concept to Flickr, while most photo sharing Web sites requires users to sign up for an account, Flickr members can send a guest pass to family and friends so they can view files without having to sign up for a Flickr account themselves. Visit Flickr at www.flickr.com