Comments on: MIcrosoft Building Photo Sharing Service to Compete With Flickr, Smugmug and Other Photo Web Sites

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:04:00 +0000

I also have it on good authority that Adobe is working on a photo sharing service as well. All these places to share photos and no good way to manage your photos…

By: opuntia

opuntia — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:37:00 +0000

I wouldn’t hold my breath hoping that MS might integrate Media Center with the photo sharing project. My personal rant right now is with the new Zune and Media Center. Basically, the new Zune software is getting rid of 5-star ratings for the heart/broken heart (like/don’t like) system and they’re also getting rid of smart(auto) playlists. This makes the Zune useless for me and, ironically, makes the ipod better suited for MCE.

By: Ulrich

Ulrich — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:40:00 +0000

@Jonester

I said 'in the style of flickr and Zooomr'

To me photo sharing in the style of flickr and Zooomr is a hype. It is good for people who do not want to go through the hassle of maintaining their own web space which of course is the majority of people.

I was on flickr (no account there anymore) and still have an account at Zooomr and Ipernity but I prefer to operate my own little online gallery meanwhile. I maintain a personal blog in addition where I post about photography among other topics too.

I like that better than photo sharing at flickr or Zooomr, don't know, I guess it is just me but I think there is nothing in it for me with photo sharing as part of an online community.

By: Tam

Tam — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:32:00 +0000

I use both Flickr and Zooomr and both have their unique quirks which keep me coming back. Especially the "start a dialogue" function of Zooomr. That part is the best thing since sliced bread, IMHO.

As for Microsoft building a killer competitor? Not likely. While they've succeeded in the past by buying out businesses and developing them such as Facebook and Hotmail, I'm not sure that they have the ability to develop something which will take off in a highly competitive market.

While I hope for your sake (Thomas) that Zooomr takes off, as it is a great alternative to Filckr, I honestly can't see Flickr losing much in the way of market share anytime soon. Flickr has developed a strategy to snare serious photographers and non-photographers alike, while my experience with Zooomr so far has meant that I've only encountered serious photographers rather than the spam uploading public.

Certainly this could be attributed to the circles I float in, and I'm sure someone could show me an exception to my experiences thus far.

End result? I really don't think many people are going to shy away from their current loyalties unless Microsoft brings out a service that beats the free offerings of the current big names. With Microsoft's seemingly hunger for money I can't see that happening.

By: Gary Denness

Gary Denness — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 15:58:00 +0000

I know you’ll probably hate me for suggesting heresy….but the problem with Zooomr seems to me to be a lack of resources. I like Zooomr, but I just can’t bring myself to entrust my snaps to such a small outfit with obvious limitations.

I don’t have the absolute hatred for Microsoft that others have either, although only Windows Live Writer really rings my bell. So far. But Microsoft Zooomr? Done right, that could work for me.

By: Jonester

Jonester — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:29:00 +0000

@Ulrich

If Zooomr is a hype, Flickr is hype. There both the same, but Zooomr offers much better features. How could 2 things under the same category (photo sharing), one be ‘cool’, and one be a ‘hype’? Doesn’t happen. Zooomr has more style because of its cool features.

By: Ulrich

Ulrich — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:56:00 +0000

Photo sharing in the style of flickr and – sorry – Zooomr to me is just another hype that I for myself left behind again, so I could not care less.

By: Dawson Jones

Dawson Jones — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:13:00 +0000

Great ‘logo’ for Microsoft! Nice article also. And thanks for the link!