June 5, 2009

Using Flickr to add value, traffic


(This picture was taken by Rachel Sian.)

Having a Flickr account is good for promoting your community events and company awards, but it can be used in ways you never thought about.

For example: Say you're putting together a theme issue or a special section or a microsite and your budget is nil. Flickr to the rescue. Get free photo of the location you're writing about, the product you're trying to sell or special events you're promoting. Not only that, but if you post the photo on your website (and link back to Flickr) and notify the owner of the photo that you featured them, you get a little traffic from them sending their peeps over to you to check out the photo.

Flickr is a free service, but there are many advantages to upgrading to the "pro", plus it's a cheap $25/year to upgrade. You'll want to search for Creative Commons-licensed content that is available for commercial use.

Read Getting Links and Content From Flickr for some really great ideas on how to use Flickr to your advantage.


For more information on copyright and Creative Commons, check out these links:

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Might want to mention a bit about copyright on Flickr. It isn't all just free for the taking.

There are specific licenses that different photos on Flickr have.

I'm sure the ANA would not like it if Flickr just took and posted the work of all the photographers from your member papers.

Arizona Newspapers Association said...

Dear Anonymous,

In the penultimate paragraph of this post, it mentions searching for Creative Commons-licensed content.

The purpose of this blog is a forum for new ideas. If you have questions regarding legal issues such as copyrights and what content you can and cannot use, please call our legal hotline at (602) 296-0955.