Join smugmug or flikr

jnsuffolk

Can anyone give me arguments for either side. I'm gonna joing one of them I was just wondering what every ones take was on them

thanx

DonRicklin

You do realize that though there are Flikr and Zenfolia and other site users on this forum, it is the Support Forum for SmugMug.



Don

jnsuffolk

Yes I do. So whats your point. Isn't it smart to ask somebody uses something why its they think its better than something else than to ask somebody who hasn't got a clue?

Andy

Hi! I'm from SmugMug - if you've got some specific questions, or can tell us more about your hosting / photography needs & wants... I'll do my best!

DonRicklin

jnsuffolk wrote:

Yes I do. So whats your point. Isn't it smart to ask somebody uses something why its they think its better than something else than to ask somebody who hasn't got a clue?

Yeah, for SmugMug info, but some might think in-politic to ask of Flikr at a SmugMug site . That's why I asked.

Don

jnsuffolk

yep thats is true. Anyway. I'm gonna join one of them so I'm just asking what ppl think of both of them

Thanx

Erick L

I don't think much of Flickr. I doubt it would that succesful without their free account. Photos are too small, navigation is a pain and it's just ugly an unpersonal. It may good for "photo sharing" and getting comments but that's not what I was looking for.

To be honest, I think Zenfolio 40$ plan looks better than Smugmug's 40$ plan. But Smugmug's Power account at 60$ combined with a domain name (~10$) is where the fun begins. You get near-limitless customization so your site is your home on the web and not "some place to dump your photos".

Some reasons I joined and still use Smugmug:

- No limit on upload and bandwidth.
- Upload your largest jpeg and Smugmug will make smaller sizes for web display. You control the largest size available so people don't download your originals.
- Keyboard navigation. I wanted this since I built my first site on geocities. I love going through photos in the lightbox using the arrow keys.
- HTML in header, footer, bio box, descriptions and captions. You can make pages without photos, embed things within pages.

I could add a lot more by going into details. Depending on the level of customization you want, it can add some work but support or Dgrin is here to answer.

Betz

Are you looking to merely share your photographs or are you promoting a photography business and using the sites for commercial use? Flickr allows a member to have a link to their website in their profile only. You can not offer the sale of photos in your stream, can't watermark them with your URL and can not add a link to your website where your photos are for sale if you're with Flickr.

So if you just want to share your photos and be part of a community Flickr isn't horrible. I have family members who use it to share recent photos of kids etc. with other family.

For me SmugMug is the solution whether you're running a business or just sharing your love of photography. If you start with the standard subscription here you get all of the great resources SmugMug offers. If you decide you want to sell your prints and even make a profit you can easily upgrade without the hassle of moving your files. Customer service here is top notch and for me that's what sealed the deal. Great CS from both SM and the labs makes for a very happy customer.

ebwest

In some respects, Don is right. This is the SmugMug support forum so you'll mostly get positive comments here about SM, not the others. I looked at Flikr and didn't like the layout and navigation, if I remember right (it's been a while). I didn't know about Zenfolio when I started with SM but I don't see anything that would make me want to re-invent a site there.

My son, who does everything opposite of me (I'm Canon, he's Nikon) went with Zenfolio, after I suggested SM, for about 6 months and then changed to SM because it's easier, for him, to use.

If you haven't already, ask the same question on the Flikr forums and see what they say.

For the record, I have a power account that the only thing I've done to it is to create a banner. Just knowing that I can do more customizing is worth the extra fee, even if I don't do anything else to it.

Plus, Zenfolio doesn't have Andy to harass.

jnsuffolk

I don't think of myself as much of a photographer. I get a few good pics here and there. I do love it thought. I guess what I'm looking for is comments on my pics Although to date I havn't posted any. I've been lurking around dgrin for a long time. So I figured I'd ask the question and see what you all had to say. so far I think you guys have helped out quite a bit. Thanx

jfriend

Here's some info I wrote up about why I like Smugmug. It is not a comparison with Flickr, but might be useful info about what you get with Smugmug.

The only two reasons I know of to prefer Flickr are:

1) Free version (with ads)
2) Social discussion of photos (Smugmug has some features in this direction, but not to the extent of Flickr)

When you delve into the features, there are many, many reasons to prefer Smugmug including rich, large photo display and full site customization.

Andy

ebwest wrote:

Plus, Zenfolio doesn't have Andy to harass.