In introduction to the university of spring of Fing, we wished to benefit from one of the examples constitutive of Entrenet, in order to better determine the stakes, the assets and the limits of this concept. It is on FlickR, this formidable service of division and exchange of photographs on line, that we stopped, by more precisely interesting us in his operation and its specificities. Discovered by the menu of the tool which “revolutionizes” photography.

FlickR is one of the many services of division of photographs on line, to date more known and more used in its function of division. This service, officially born on February 10,2004 - to see Wikipédia -, exceeded last February the 100 million lodged photographs. According to Steven Levy and Brad Stone, 3 million recorded users shared 130 million photographs in May 2006 (via Time). What compared to other platforms is not so astounding: Yahoo! Photograph or Photobucket respectively counts 30 and 16 million members, points out Tara Hunt.

While benefitting as its competitors from the very fast passage to numerical of the park of cameras (more than one French hearth out of two has a numerical camera), FlickR exceeded the problems of the storage and the impression of the numerical photographs, which obnubilated the majority of the competitors to take - and gain - a daring bet: to privilege the division and the exchange. FlickR holds the top of the paving stone today, in particular vis-a-vis the “ancestors” like Webshots, while at the same time those developed Community functions, explains Thomas Hawk. With what is due the difference of FlickR? Which new uses it made emerge? How FlickR does it support these new uses technically? Such are some of the questions to which we wish to seek brief replies.

The passage of silver to the numerical exchange deeply the practice and the statute of the photograph, shows Jean-François Nadeau in the Duty. But “the FlickR effect” goes much further, because it renews the social practices associated with photography. “FlickR constitutes in my opinion one of the most important things which arrived recently at photography”, entrusts to us André Gunthert, lecturer to the EHESS, researcher at the Laboratory of contemporary visual history (Lhivic), originator of Current events of research in visual history and writer in chief of photographic the Etudes review. By giving the access to the most imposing catalogue living of photography and photographers, and especially by allowing a multitude of interactions between the images, their authors and those which discover them or use them, FlickR regenerates the photographic practices, which, if they were always partly founded on the exchange, find there a new fashion of expression.

The FlickR difference
FlickR is distinguished from the other services of numerical storage of photograph on line by three essential characteristics:
- by defect, the photographs put on line are public;
- the user can index by key words (tags) each photograph which it downloads on the waiters of FlickR;
- the service proposes a whole of social functions which make it possible to the users to be discovered, to find themselves, exchange, gather in communities, etc

Thus, 80% of the photographs downloaded on FlickR are public; half is marked out keywords and several tens of thousands of users take part of a group or a community.

The public character of the photographs is essential in the organization of the site: whereas in the majority of the services of photograph on line, the accounts users are closed a priori with the public, here, essence is to show the photographs. It is besides the principal activity of the banner page, the blog and FlickR Updates: to present the best or most recent downloaded photographs. FlickR is thus initially an incredible catalogue of catches of sights, accessible to all, as there is not any different. This opening does not mean however that the photographs are free rights: the main part of the photographs published are it under copyright of their authors, and only a few 10 million is under licence Creative Commons.

Many however does not see in FlickR that an easily accessible bank of photography. A first impression which very often mask real uses of the tool.

You can thus associate one or more keywords (tags) to characterize the photographs which you store. These keywords make it possible to make regroupings of photographs: they make it possible each user to consult his images at the same time as those of all the users who use the same keyword. A specific wire RSS to each tag makes it possible to be alerted appearance of new images or to post them as good seems to you on a site external in FlickR. There still, FlickR puts systematically proposed the most popular tags or those, among most recent, which record a strong activity. The system of “folksnomy” (taxonomy emerging of the same words of the users, without preliminary hierarchy nor organization) is obviously imperfect, as we already announced, but it is at the same time sufficiently simple of use to see itself massively adopted by the users, and sufficiently effective to give direction and to emphasize groupings sets of themes or current events starting from the mass of images available on the site. By the tags, the users create value for the others, without same being aware of it. Like still Tim O' Reilly says it: “The “tagging” lends itself to multiple and redundant associations, more similar to those which our brain carries out than rigid categories. Typical example: photo D ’ a pup in FlickR can be taguée by the terms “pup” and “nice” - thus making it possible to find the photograph according to a natural advance grace, once more, with L ’ activity of the users. […] L ’ attention N ’ is reciprocal that in an accidental way.”

By a particular use of these tags, FlickR makes it possible to the users to gather in communities (groups) of all kinds, which go from the marks of the camera used to take its images, with regroupings by family, by subject, by style… These regroupings, like the tags, make the force of FlickR. A photograph of a flower, even very pretty, inevitably does not have a value in oneself. Tens of thousands of photographs of flowers, aggregate, give a new or additional direction to each one of them. Users amateurs of this type of stereotypes find themselves, discuss, exchange. Collective practices are born. Practices that Caterina Fake, the Co-founder of FlickR, indicates under the term of “culture of generosity”: “People feel the need D ’ to attract L ’ attention of the others and to pay attention in return to them; they like that. J ’ calls that the “culture of generosity”.”

The flexibility of the “taggage” gives place to the many ones and interesting forms of interaction, practical or provocative. When users identify a tag which seems to them interesting, they seek to employ it by taking photographs which could enter this category or while associating this keyword their old photographs. The advanced users think on their tags and the ways in which they can help them to leave the batch or to be connected at certain communities, using small tricks. Thus, you do not touch the same communities if you mark out your photograph of tag B&W (black and white, community of amateurs of the black and white, generally proposing worked enough images) or France (community of the tourists which travel to France made up of photographs often very simple and not very required). The tags take care of a direction which one includes/understands by exploring them. According to key words' which you use, your photographs meet of new visitors and take part of new interactions: what is a manner of making them live unceasingly, but also to restrict their interaction with a particular group.

Contacts which are woven through FlickR, between friends or between people who are discovered and recognized affinities, as this small tool shows it well which makes it possible to dynamically visualize the declared contacts. Each user creates for itself lists of contacts thus at the same time social tools and marks of their relative influence or goes down for hearing in this play of social recognition.

FlickR remains finally an incredible eye on the world which allows, like no one other, to look at the last events of the world under various angles, to discover how life a Brazilian family of today or, to throw an eye on your daily newspaper such as the others see it. Like says it Patricia Bergeron, “these photographs are not more only of the personal photographs, they S ’ register from now on in time, like elements necessary to the documentation of our time.”

The tool facilitates an incredible number of practices and interactions, making it possible to unceasingly renew its contacts, its desire, its desires and thus its personal implication. As Thomas Hawk summarizes it well, an attentive observer which animates numerical Connection and FlickrNation, two blogs devoted to photography: “The tags, the contacts and the groups have an equivalent importance. The tags have a relationship with the future of the search for image. Tagguer something means to identify it. The contacts, them, are the social side of FlickR. Without contacts, FlickR could not go. For much of people, to add you to their list of contact means that they appreciate your work and wish to continue to look it in the future. It is the sign of an admiration but also a means to discover other courses. As for the groups, they are a natural extension of the forums which one finds elsewhere on the Web: many of those of course have as a matter photography, but it is not the case of all the groups. There are also groups on the policy, the religion, the voyage… Subjects which pose besides sometimes some preoccupations with a moderation, as on any forum”.

The force of the opened, simple and ludic interfaces
The force of FlickR also comes from its interface favourable with the simplest interactions. By proposing a multitude of flow RSS, FlickR thus accompanied the flight by the personal agrégateurs, allowing the most set users to be held with the current of the innovations, by topics, group, keyword, contacts…

www.flickr.com More Flickr photographs tagged with Paris

Other gadgets were essential: the “badge”, on the one hand, which decorates more and more blogs and which by its automatic cooling makes it possible to create a direct bond towards the gallery of photograph of its choice, that it is his or that which deals with topic close to the subject of its site. And of course, the button “blog this” which makes it possible to immediately republish any photograph on its blog.

Through these small more, FlickR encouraged multiple forms of circulation of the images and exchange, where the other sites of storage of photographs were satisfied with forms of divisions more restricted, as that which consists in sending an e-mail to announce its photographs to his/her friends.

In this constant interaction with the users, some pages deserve the attention for better including/understanding the extent of the phenomenon. That of the last photographs or that of the most popular tags makes it possible to keep an eye on what it occurs in FlickR. The most popular tags thus emphasize each day of the events of topicality, but they outline also a sociology of the uses which obviously make pass the birthdays, the children, the holidays, the marriages, the friends and the evenings far in front of all the others. An interaction cultivated even by the drafting of FlickR, which encourages the users to announce all interesting photographs to him.

Among the most advanced uses and most technical, many developers exploit the API ones (open interfaces of programming) of FlickR to create new functionalities, or extensions. The “mashups” (these composite services “ ” created while exploiting and while arranging in an original way of the programs, the services and the contents created by D ’ others, thanks to open interfaces) using FlickR are numerous (see the census of ProgrammableWeb, that of FlickR Bits or the 10 better mashups announced by Michael Calore de Webmonkey). FlickR also gave rise to many plays, as the blog of FlickR and AEIOU announce it. All these applications function like as many services returning to the contents and aiming at supporting the exchange and the discovery. Their success is less than that of the site itself, but they contribute to the visibility of the service by multiplying the access paths to the catalogue.

And practices?
FlickR is a formidable window on the practices of personal photography. A field which research however studies rather little. However, “virtually, everyone is touched by personal photography. The photographs are formidably practical and have a strong emotional value: like the recording of the important events of the life, children who grow. From now on, in the numerical and connected age that we know, this technology ubiquitaire changes radically until in its process even”, explains the banner page of the Laboratory of the social uses of the personal photography directed by Nancy Van House of the School of the information of the University of California in Berkeley. The goal of this laboratory is to include/understand the social uses of personal photography at the same time to analyze how people use and will use technologies of the numerical imagery and to draw the new technologies adapted to these practices. By the means of broad investigations, the researchers of this laboratory proposed the social uses of photography in order to better include/understand the factors which will condition the migration of the users towards new tools. They thus proposed some obviousnesses (.pdf), like the role of time and space in the classification of the numerical photographs: the place where they are taken and dates it, are, very often, their first even their only characteristics, which it is in the albums papers as in the numerical albums. But they also inquired into the methods of filings, annotation and division of the users. On this last point, the investigation shows the strong relation that maintenance impression and the division: many users still divide photographs printed rather than of the files, being photographic object a true present. The investigation put forward the practices which justify and work our ways of making photography: images having a role of object of personal and collective memory, creation and maintenance of the relations, and also of personal expression.

If one believes of them the researchers of Nokia who were interested, they, to the practices of the personal networks of exchanges of digital images (.pdf), the photographs taken since mobile telephones are included in 5 main categories of use:
- the creation and the maintenance of the social relations (the photograph of group);
- the construction of a personal or social memory;
- the personal expression;
- personal presentation;
- communication functions with oneself and the others.

Whereas more and more of amateurs already rocked in the era of numerical photography, one notes that the observation of the practices is still stammering. It starts to describe them, but does not explain them. From where the need for turning to the users, for better including/understanding their use and more still the fabric of social relations than they weave between them.

Social uses of photography
These interactions can take, for certain users, a great importance. Many stresses that FlickR has a real effect on their photographic practice. Alain Bachelier, journalist, explains as follows: “My practice with changed much since the use of this service. I to some extent tried to play the game of the initial spirit of division and I take many stereotypes by thinking at the same time of information that they could transmit. The fact that they can be commented on stimulates me in the scan for subjects. In fact, the possibility of reaching an immense gallery, even if it is virtual, is a formidable point of satisfaction for a photographer, whether he is amateur or pro.” The relations are simple: “One enters FlickR by a kind of co-optation, I love you well, I put to you in contact… The return is possible but not systematic. On the other hand, I will see your contacts, I find some who correspond to me well and I add them to my own contacts. All that creates a kind of community with permeabilities, very interesting outgrowths… A recognition of the centers of interest and affinities develop. It also grows rich by formal contacts and appointments, because the comments make it possible “to be discovered” and to consider relations extra FlickR. I met several members and we since became friendly. One is now able to recognize oneself on the photographs of the events which we cover together, without the knowledge a priori.”

For Rebecca Blood, who quotes in example the photographs of the French riots of November 2005, these practices could mark the birth certificate of a “collaboratif photojournalism”. Attention, answers Emily Turretini, the automatic regrouping which the tags authorize does without any validation, of any checking: does such photograph return counts of a riot or another violent demonstration? Several regroupings, initiated by several different actors, can thus produce a very different overall picture. Known as differently, the fact of publishing on the same platform, with close tags or headings, does not indicate necessarily a collaboration.

For Christine Lebrasseur, intensive user of FlickR and photographer amateure for hardly a year, FlickR has been a source of inspiration and inexhaustible training. “If you compare my the first five photographs and my five last, you immediately will include/understand how much the community influenced me, in quality, in the way of seeing the things. Initially, I visited many galleries, I left traces at those which moved me and which were for me source of inspiration. Gradually by publishing your photographs, a virtual community is created around what you do and makes you evolve/move. This exchange is developing, even if it does not have any lucrative goal, just the pleasure of sharing an emotion, to create a catch, even if the person does not see in your photographs the same thing as what you put at it or written, the important one is to cause something.” There still, in fact the meetings prevail: “There are people whom I knew via FlickR, virtually, and that I could regard as friends. It sometimes happened to me several times to receive splendid books on Man Ray or Sieff via my Whislist Amazon, on behalf of people of FlickR which I never saw, simply to thank me for the emotion that their got my photographs. FlickR is only one means. If bad photographs are published, if one does not speak to people, have can remain all alone a long time. Of course, the virtual side does not go for everyone For some, the relation remains too impalpable: they prefer to rather show their photographs with customers of the coffee of the corner than to thousands of unknown virtual.”

“FlickR is technically well thought, as well as any application Web 2.0, but it is especially a tool “intensely social”. I met many people on FlickR. FlickR allows people who share a passion for photography to meet easily. In very many cities, there are meetings organized, even if the most meetings are abstract, between people who share same passion. FlickR nourishes this passion by providing one of the objects most useful to any photographer: feedback. It is this “feedback” which acts like an encouragement and encourages the best authors besides to take even more stereotypes”, explains Tomas Hawk.

If meetings between users (“parts” which is organized regularly a little everywhere in the world), or exposures, as that who was held in Bristol last March, remain the most concrete formalizations of the social relations which make it possible to weave the service, essence remains in these “abstract exchanges around sets of themes of catches of sight”, like says it very simply Anne, who takes part in particular in the group FlickR I of shades.

Limits of the model
FlickR is still far from convincing everyone, in particular the professionals. If their reserves are explained for legal or technical questions (the compression of the stereotypes sied not to all the professionals), the true reserve comes at the same time from an ignorance of the tool and a feeling of being dispossessed. Without counting that the visibility and the quality of the photographs amateurs that one finds installation of the questions to the professionals there, can inclined divide “free” (or rather freely should one say, but confusion is frequent) whereas they draw their resources from the publication (which is despite everything one of the first functions of the tool).

For Luc Pérénom, professional photographer, the opinion is rather sliced, even if there remains impressed by the fantastic diversity of the box with image which FlickR constitutes: “Considering the profusion of digital images today, I do not think only one professional, who must know to show the added value of his work, must use the same tools as the amateurs. FlickR proposes a relatively poor interface, little dedicated to the professional use. The space of exchange is quickly limited: the comments quickly turn in round to congratuler the ones the others. Without counting that photography is a personal step, independent by definition. It is its vision which one has need to lead to the end, not the opinions of the ones and others.”

“I think that the professionals do not use FlickR for at least two reasons”, Thomas Hawk adds: “FlickR is typically “not-commercial” and prohibits the professional uses as underlines it the conditions of use. FlickR is initially a service of division of personal photographs. As opposed to what one thinks sometimes, there are many professionals or semi-professionals on this platform. I am not considered myself as a pro whereas I sold a good number of my photographs in San Francisco Magazine. Many professionals are skeptics on the division. Without counting that FlickR only makes it possible to show photographs with low resolution what is contradictory with a work pro. Moreover, your popularity climbs when you offer images to high definition on FlickR. But as long as no matter who will be able to download your photographs high definition, as long as they will not be able to control the exit of this type of photographs, I think that the professionals will not come. For my part, I do not have a remorse to share my work for a personal use and I make fun of who make use of it. But it is not always the case of people who try to live of their photography.”

As much to say that if the success of FlickR does not rest on technical functions, but of course the power of the interaction between its users, it remains with the start-up to be convinced of the demanding users. The platform has a certain delay in the development of commercial applications that it will be necessary for him to catch up with to convince the greatest number. It is to be bet that it will be on this field there that much its efforts in the next months will be dedicated. But, in so far as the company is able to be reinvented, the most outstanding innovations will relate to the addition of social functions, which will make it possible to the members to more easily exchange, to meet with more facility. And perhaps to succeed in transforming technical applications which are announced (automatic géo-marking of the photographs that more and more of cameras can make, automatic recognition of the people and places photographed as Riya proposes it…) in social interactions. It is all the bet of FlickR.

Hubert Guillaud