Flickr video meets mixed reaction

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 9 Apr 2008 at 10:25

Flickr has unveiled a new video service with a novel twist, videos are restricted to clips of just 90 seconds.

In an attempt to placate its sceptical community, the company says it wants users to think of the videos as "long photos" and encourages users to upload authentic footage "capturing slices of life" rather than the television clips found on YouTube.

However, early reaction on the forums to the service has been mixed with most users espousing a "wait and see" approach and others lamenting the move.

"I think introducing videos here was absolutely a bad idea," says one poster. "We did not need videos here at all. This is a place for people to see photos and talk about photography. There are so many other places for people to share videos."

Posters have also raised concerns about the content which is likely to find a way onto the site.

"This is how I see the future of Flickr," says another poster. "For $25 a year I can upload tonnes of 90 second porn movies, under each movie I can get a link to a porn site and make lots of money."

However, other users have claimed the move represents the logical progression of the service.

"Great job Flickr. I've been waiting for video to be added, even though I shoot very little of it. The 90 second limit, which might be occasionally frustrating, is a great idea. It will force creativity and, hopefully, authentic moments. Constraints can be good!"

Those hoping to upload videos will require a "pro" account, though anybody will be able to watch them. The site will support AVI, MPEG, and MOV formats and the videos will be shown as thumbnails alongside photos, with users able to add comments, captions and geotags, just as they do with photographs.

Flickr also says the 90 second format will help limit the proliferation of copyrighted material, which was one of the major concerns of Flickr users when the service was first announced.