Flickr: Contacts
Flickr is a social photo sharing community, and what community could call itself social without some person-to-person interaction? When I first joined Flickr I wasn’t too sure if I’d use the Contacts feature very much. I knew a few other people on there… maybe half a dozen. I didn’t understand why I’d care too much about Contacts. (for the rest of this article, when I use Contacts with a capital C, I mean the Flickr Contacts feature, as opposed to people in general)
I misunderstood. I didn’t realize the power of Contacts.
How to Add Interesting Flickr Contacts
There are millions of photographers on Flickr. A bunch of them are really good. As you browse the website and come across interesting photos, it makes sense to take a look at the rest of that member’s portfolio. When I find someone who routinely takes interesting photos, I add them as a contact. To add someone as a contact:
- If you’re viewing a photo, click their username in the upper right side. This will take you to their recent photo stream.
- From their photo stream, click on “Profile” near the top middle of the screen.
- Finally, click on “Add *username* as a contact” in the upper right. You can optionally mark someone as a Friend or Family member, but usually you’ll just want to leave them as a regular contact so you’ll just click the OK button.
That’s it. Now they’re on your contact list. So what does that get you?
Using Your Contacts to Keep Up with Great Photos
Presumably you added someone as a contact because they take great pictures. Flickr provides an easy way to keep up with the newest photos posted by your contacts. There’s a couple ways to access the Contacts view: either click on “Contacts” in the top menu (next to Home, You, and Organize) or from the home screen click on the “Photos from your Contacts” link in the middle on the right side.
From there, you’ll see a page with thumbnails of photos recently uploaded by your contacts. By default, it will show you up to 5 recent photos for each Contact, in reverse chronological order (newest first). At the bottom of the screen (right under the numbered screen (previous/next) links) you will find a link to only show one photo per contact. This can be useful if you have an extremely large number of contacts, but the tradeoff is that you’ll only see one of each contact’s photos.
Important Tip: Best Photos Last
So… if your contacts screen only shows the most recent five (or one) photos, what does that mean when you upload your own photos? Make sure that your best photos are the five (or one) newest. When folks view their contacts page, that will guarantee they will see your best work.
Reciprocation: More Eyes
When you find people who consistently present good photographs, add them as a contact so you can enjoy their work. Often you’ll find they reciprocate the gesture, which means you’ll now have more eyes on your work. Contacts can be powerful, but only if you use them.
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