Flickr's Inclusion of Video Ignites Rebellion

Here’s something fun from the last couple days: Flickr launched a new video feature this week. It’s the first time the site has deviated from its focus on photographs, and the change has sparked a mini-rebellion:

 

But actually, the rebellion isn’t that small. The We Say No to Videos on Flickr group has grown to over 22,000 members in the past two days, and another similar group has over 8,000 members.

 

 

 

A small percentage of Flickr’s community, to be sure, but these are also the most hard-core Flickr fans. So far I haven't seen any response from the Flickr folks, but I'm sure it's forthcoming, and I also expect it'll reflect their typically thoughtful and sophisticated approach. Can't wait to see.

So a couple things are interesting here:

1. What happens when your hard-core community members get mad at you?
2. How will the Flickr team respond?
3. Is the addition of video a benefit to users, or is it a loss of focus that dilutes the meaning and identity of the site and community?

The moral of the story, for me, is that for communities, doing one thing well, being about one thing people care about, is in some situations more important than adding capabilities or features, even useful ones. To the extent Flickr benefits from its character as a community of photographers, the video feature is a mistake.

Still, there's clear value in a high-quality platform integrating photo and video content. Nobody likes having separate accounts to manage on separate platforms hosting content that's functionally very similar. What's the benefit to me of having to use both Flickr and Vimeo? Flickr's clearly creating value here. And folks on this side of the issue are even spoofing the anti-video crowd!

And still, the uproar. However you slice it, the sheer passion of the debate is a great sign for Flickr. Choose fury over apathy any day! And another benefit to Flickr is the coverage of the debate. Earned media anyone?

It’ll be interesting to see whether the needs of casual users who might appreciate the ability to share photos and videos in one integrated setting will outweigh the sense of community Flickr has created among its tier of hard core community members.

What do you think?

Comments

[Jay Fienberg]

Glad you picked-up on some of the "No Photos on Flickr" frenzy--this thread is one of my favorites:

http://flickr.com/photos/dorkmaster/2401700341/

[Carlos M.]

Let's see what is the end of the story... I am very curios to know how flickr's team reacts to this rebellion...
Thanks
Carlos M.

[Weston T.]

I am not a "hard core" Flickr user, but I am a paying member and have been using it for over 2 years. I remember when I naively tried to upload a video over a year ago. I am not the type to bother going to YouTube or elsewhere to post videos. When I saw I couldn't put them on Flickr, I just put them on my little used personal web site. But that was a bad solution, since they were separated from my photos. I love being able to intermingle the two: it makes sense for the people I'm sharing with (grandparents want to see photos AND videos of grandkids).