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07-07-2018, 05:56 PM   #1
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Smug Mug vs Flickr

So my user experience of my Pro flickr accounts currently has been less than stella. Ever since Smugmug acquired flickr I have noticed a loss in performance and features, a short list of the troubles I have met (whereas previously before had none);

1) Spam, fake accounts, 40 accounts in 24hrs liking and commenting on my work, their About page would link to porn sites. Annoying but they did get on top of it within 48hrs.
2) Sharing Private photos was broken, still is I think. You used to be able to set a photo to Private, create a private Album, generate not only a share link but an actual download (zip file) link that the client could use (within 3 days) to get the work. This feature was (not sure if still is) broken for over a week.
3) Batch edit hanging and not finishing. Stuff like bulk tags or group adds would just hang, this for a mighty 11 files... :/

So yeah, thinking of moving off flickr now before I'm forced to or things get worse. I never heard of Smugmug tbh till they acquired flickr some months ago. I have started a trial and noticed their subscription account options;



I have circled red the things that matter to me. I would definitely want to private share ($50 flickr vs Smugmugs $71.88 for the same feature!), but I also see that you can set prices of your photos with the aim of selling your work! I wonder if anyone here has had success with selling any of their work in this manner?
I'm a little confused over the Portfolio and Business difference in 'Set Prices and sell for profit', because the Business also has 'Gallery and photo-specific pricing', how does that differ from the Portfolio 'Set prices and sell for profit'...?

Oh well, seems more expensive but with potential to be more like a real 'website' rather than flickr.

I also have a free Adobe Portfolio account that's bundled with my LR/PS subscription, I have to say its been a pretty poor experience, usual stuff again such as bulk uploading 10-15 files, then once complete trying to 'update Live site' and it would just hang, never been able to complete it... urgh.

Any Smugmug account holders here?

Cheers,

Bruce

07-07-2018, 06:11 PM - 1 Like   #2
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if your flickr experience was fine until the smugmug association, why do you think a smugmug membership will be better?

Have you tried zenfolio? I've been happy with zen for several years.

good luck
07-07-2018, 06:24 PM - 1 Like   #3
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This won't answer your question but I wanted to point out that a common marketing ploy is to have a range of options but highlight the one they really want you to buy, which in this case is 'Portfolio'.
07-07-2018, 06:34 PM   #4
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I was looking at SmugMug too, but I've not been happy with how they've handled the Flickr transition so far. Things have been better for the past week or two, but there was a period of time in June where the site was well-nigh broken for me. They're going to have to prove to me that they are up to snuff with Flickr before I give them any money for their other product.

07-07-2018, 06:58 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikeSF Quote
if your flickr experience was fine until the smugmug association, why do you think a smugmug membership will be better?

Have you tried zenfolio? I've been happy with zen for several years.

good luck
Good point! And no I haven't checked out zenfolio, will do ta!

QuoteOriginally posted by Tas Quote
This won't answer your question but I wanted to point out that a common marketing ploy is to have a range of options but highlight the one they really want you to buy, which in this case is 'Portfolio'.
True.

QuoteOriginally posted by babywriter Quote
I was looking at SmugMug too, but I've not been happy with how they've handled the Flickr transition so far. Things have been better for the past week or two, but there was a period of time in June where the site was well-nigh broken for me. They're going to have to prove to me that they are up to snuff with Flickr before I give them any money for their other product.
Yeah June was bad lol, and also good point.
07-07-2018, 07:12 PM   #6
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I agree with MikeSF, I had a Zenfolio account for several years, and it’s everything you would want from a photo site, especially on the business side. Most of my work was uploaded as full size tiff files, and they did a lot of printing for me, including table books several times.

They are a bit more expensive, but again, you get a choice of plans. If I ever decide to go back into the business full time, I’d probably go back with them.

On the other side of things, I haven’t had any issues or seen changes since smugmug took over Flickr. I still do batch uploads and edits just fine.
07-07-2018, 07:25 PM - 1 Like   #7
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First. I am NOT a professional photographer and so do not want to falsely project my needs as similar to the other posters.

My only reason to add a post is to share that as a consumer who has used the lowest tier of SmugMug for about 5 years I have been very happy with their product.

I may be an optimist or neive but I would assume that part of the technical problems may be on the sellers side (Yahoo) and not just the buyers side. It must be a lot of work to untangle Flikr from the Yahoo! Web.

Personally I have little at risk, unlike a pro photographer whose livelihood depends on their product, so I will stick out the merger for a year and see what it brings.

07-07-2018, 07:43 PM   #8
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I've been on flickr for a few years, not a pro account, but have had little trouble from them at all - the issues you brought up are non-issues for me...

1. the fake accounts did not bother me - I got a few extra likes, but did not care about their accounts being linked to porn sites, not really my issue and flickr reacted fairly quickly to it...

2. private photo sharing isn't a problem for me; I don't keep private photos on the cloud, as I don't believe that they are 'private' as soon as I place them in the care of somebody else's website...

3. I don't batch edit on-site, and batch uploads have never been a problem for me - I did not have any of the issues that many reported in June as far as service outages, etc...


I would be willing to buy into a 'pro' account if it actually did something positive for me, like additional storage space, etc... but so far, that has not changed, so still hanging to my 'amateur' status...
07-07-2018, 08:04 PM - 1 Like   #9
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As an IT guy involved in a lot of past mergers, my opinion is that the two companies have not unified their platforms. It is likely they are losing some of the best employees and maintaining things will be glitched on occasion.
07-08-2018, 12:33 AM   #10
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I haven't experienced any issues with Flickr since the change over. Neither with bots or privacy issues with uploads. Knock on wood...
07-08-2018, 01:45 AM   #11
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I can't comment about what happened to flickr user after the acquisition as I have been a satisfied long-time Smugmug user (the "power" plan offers anything I need).
The few times I needed support from Smugmug the response was exceptionally good! Very quick and personalized support that solved the issues I had, even on weekends.
Mind you I don't chase any "likes" or any comments from people I don't even know. And I have never had any of the issues with Spam or fake accounts you've mentioned. So there may be a difference between transferred accounts from flickr and "genuine" Smugmug accounts - just a wild guess.
Hopefully your issues will be solved soon.
07-08-2018, 02:38 AM   #12
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I have a free Flickr account. I rarely use it. I haven't noticed any changes in either operations or speed or response times.
07-08-2018, 03:55 AM   #13
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I have a free Flickr account and a Power SmugMug account. I used to have a Flickr pro account but dropped it because of their nonexistent support. I use my Flickr account for anyone to see and no ability to download photos. I have the SmugMug account for allowing people the ability to download or purchase prints for themselves. These people are limited to family and close friends that I provide with a password to access the gallery.

I don’t sell my photos so there is no need for the more expensive packages. Maybe in the future I will change my mind but I don’t know if I would use SmugMug as they want a cut of the profits even though they are charging you for the ability to sell.
07-08-2018, 05:34 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by david94903 Quote
I haven't experienced any issues with Flickr since the change over. Neither with bots or privacy issues with uploads. Knock on wood...
Ditto.
07-08-2018, 05:55 AM   #15
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Didn't experience any hiccups with flickr yet tbh.

I have a smugmug account. See below. I don't sell, it's mainly just to have my own site.
I recall when i was comparing smugmug and zenfolio, I found smugmug more customizable. At least, at the time..
Still very pleased with it.

---------- Post added 07-08-18 at 03:06 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by BruceBanner Quote
I wonder if anyone here has had success with selling any of their work in this manner?
I'm a little confused over the Portfolio and Business difference in 'Set Prices and sell for profit', because the Business also has 'Gallery and photo-specific pricing', how does that differ from the Portfolio 'Set prices and sell for profit'...?
As mentioned, i'm not really focused on selling. I think in order to sell, one really has to go out there in the real world. you know, business cards & build a customer base.

I recall the portfolio pricing is like a set price for similar sized prints. I think they even decide on it. Business means total freedom for every picture or set of pictures..
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