Flickr, in case you have not heard, is a photo sharing website which is backed by Yahoo. Flickr is a popular online application for photo sharing despite the fact that online photo sharing space is crowded. The reason is that Flickr is one of the oldest photo sharing service with exclusive features. Flickr has undergone a huge revamp recently making it more usable. Some of the features that have been added are:
- Free storage plan now has 1 terabyte of space. To help you understand how much a terabyte of space is you can take a photo every hour for forty years without filling one terabyte of space.
- Better photo browsing experience with facial recognition.
- You can upload videos as well. The free plan allows you to upload videos of 1080 HD quality with a maximum running time of 3 minutes.
- Access and upload photos and video from your smart phones using the new Flickr app.
Using Flickr for wedding photos with guest participation
Apart form setting up personal photo sharing accounts on Flickr, you can setup photo sharing accounts for groups as well. Flickr groups are quite often used to collect photos for events including weddings. Using the same principle, a Flickr group can be setup for collecting, viewing and sharing wedding photos. Here is a step by step guide on how to setup and share a Flickr group with wedding guests.
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Signup
If you do not have a Flickr account create a new account by visiting this page. You can also login with your existing Facebook, Google or Yahoo account.
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Create a Flickr group
Once you are logged, click on the community menu and a drop down will appear which will have a “create group” menu which you need to click. There are three types of groups that can be created. A public group is available for the general public and anyone can join the group. An invitation only Flickr group is viewable to the general public but only those members who have been invited to the group can post content. A private Flickr group is one which cannot be viewed by the public. Only those members who have been invited to the group can view the photos or post content for which separate permission has to be granted.
In case of a Flickr group for a wedding, private group is the most favored type of Flickr group. Once you hit the create button you will need to add details of the group on the next page. Add the required details and click on save. On the next page you can define custom names to the 3 different types of membership. Make the changes if needed and then click the “All Done” button.
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Customize the Flickr group
On the next page you can customize the group. You can edit the group name, customize the group logo and address, set rules for moderation of any posts made by members and other minor configurations.
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Invite friends and wedding guests
In the main navigation menu you will have the option to invite friends (refer to the screenshot). Clicking the invite friends link will take you to a page where you can invite either existing Flickr members or you can invite friends who do not have a Flickr account.
You can find your friends on Flickr by linking and granting access to Flickr to view your contacts in your email account (Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo are supported).
You can customize the invitation message and this would be the right time to explain the purpose of the group as well as instructions on how to upload photos to the group. After adding the details to the invites, click on send and the invitations will be sent. When the invitees accept the invitation you will be informed via the Flickr group page and an email notification. Members roles can be changed at any point of time.
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Upload the pictures
To upload the photo in the main navigation, click on the upload menu in the main navigation.
In the next window either select the photos you want to upload or drag and drop the photos which you want to upload. Add the photos to the group you created (the option is there in the left sidebar) and set the visibility of the photo as desired and click upload. 
With a Flickr group for your wedding photos not only do you get the guests more involved in the wedding by adding photos they took during the wedding but the photos are available for a lifetime. If you want more information and ideas on how to use social media for your wedding get in touch with the experts at Tower Studios. You can also signup for the Tower Studios Newsletter that includes special deals and information on the latest trends in wedding photography.
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