Flickr Search

I wrote a while back about searching Flickr for some free publicity photos.  Well, searching just got easier.

CompFight does the dirty work of searching the Creative Commons licensed content for you and shows approximately 250 thumbnail results on the page.  Click an image to go to the Flickr page for that photo.  Remember to attribute the image to the source!

Photos for Publicity

Looking for some good photos for use in your brochure or poster?  Try searching on Flickr.  Flickr is a photo sharing site with some interesting features.  Now, not all the photos on Flickr are allowed to be used in your publications, but there’s an easy way to find the ones that are:

• Go to Flickr.com.
• Click the search button.  Don’t worry about filling in what to search for at this point.
• Click “Advanced Search” next to the blue Search button.  Here’s a quick link.
• Now you can customize your search.  Enter what you want to search for at the top, then scroll down to the bottom of the page.  Click the check box next to “Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content.”
• Click the search button and you’ll get lots of options.

By default, the most relevant show up.  However, you can also view the photos account to what Flickr deems the “Most Interesting.”  You can change the sort order at the top of the search results by clicking a different view.

Pictures for All

Everyone loves photos!  (Well, almost everyone…)  Why not post photos online and let people view and discuss them with each other.  You’re just a few clicks away from being able to do it with Google’s Picasa.  It’s easy to manage your photos locally, and you can put them on the web for people to view in a matter of minutes.  You’ll need a Google Account to do it.

Once your account is setup, you’ll want to download Picasa.  Go ahead and get Picasa 3 Beta.  Download the file to your computer, then run the installer.  After the installation is done, launch the program and have it search for all the pictures on your hard drive.  You’ll now be able to conveniently access pictures in one location.  You’ll also want to activate your PicasaWeb account.

So what all can you do with Picasa?  Here are some links to get you started:

• Here’s a 5-minute video overview of what Picasa can do.
• Lifehacker takes you through Picasa complete with screenshots.
• Make a photo CD for a friend.  Great for thank-yous and keepsakes from an event.
• Gil points out 5 features of Picasa 3 you may not know about.
• Gil also knows something about making collages.  And backing up pictures.  He’s a smart guy.

Here’s an idea for you: Use Picasa to build community in your church.  Check out this picture.  You’ll notice that Sue posted a comment underneath it.  When you post your albums online, others can visit the album and comment on them, sharing their thoughts on the photo.  They can also order copies of the photo from their favorite local photo store (check the “Prints” drop-down menu above the photo).

How are you using Picasa in your ministry?