Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Flickr Gets A New Look!

I got a surprise this morning when I went to my homepage on Flickr. Whoa! It has a whole new look!  Now, I haven't had time to play around extensively, but I have to say I like what I see.  It has a fresh, clean appearance.  With anything new, it takes a while to get adjusted, but I think it was about time for an update.  Apparently, I am in the minority based on the feedback they have been receiving.

Here is what the new homepage looks like:


One of the complaints I've read is you can't get to your profile preferences.  Do you really think Flickr would not allow you to access your profile information anymore?  If you hover your mouse on the three dots to the right of your screen, a drop down menu will appear.  There is an option for Profile.  Click it and it will bring up the profile screen (which looks like the old screen). I have circled in red below:


Also noted above is the option to change your cover photo.  If you move your mouse anywhere on the cover photo, an option to Edit Your Photo will appear.  Click on it and follow the prompt to change your picture.

Another complaint is you can't see your activity anymore.  Well you can.  Hover your mouse on YOU on the top of the menu bar.  A drop down menu will appear.  Click on Recent Activity as I have highlighted in red below:


Now does this look familiar?



One more thing people have been having trouble with, is finding how to add a photo to a group.  Click on the photo you would like to share.  It brings it up in a black screen (personally, I like the look of the photos on black).  Click on the 3 dots at the bottom right of the screen.  Note: hover will not work, you need to click it.  Now it brings up the options for the picture.  Notice I've circled Add to a Group in red:


So before you go on a rant about what you can and cannot do, explore the new site and try to get a feel for it.  Then offer some valid points about what you like and what you don't.  Having said that, I would like to see an option to customize my screen.  Not everyone likes to see the big pictures.  Some prefer smaller thumbnails.  Changing the backgrounds from black to white would be nice for some.  I would also like to see number of views and favorites on the pictures in my photostream.  Currently when you hover on a picture, you can only see number of comments.  To see the rest, you need to click on each picture to open it. 

Change is always inevitable, especially with all the social media sites.  Sometimes we like those changes, sometimes we don't.  But remember, you always have a choice.  If you don't like something, you don't have to participate.