As Easy as Point, Shoot, Click, and Upload
The popularity of digital photography has spawned a new type of Web site that specializes in printing, storing, organizing, and sharing photos. And, although many of the sites charge a fee for services and are better known as places you can go to get your digital photos printed, they are becoming popular as places to store and share photos.
By creating online photo albums to which you can invite friends and family, these sites have eliminated the dread of having to email and view large photo attachments on a one-by-one basis. Snapfish allows you to group your photos into a story with captions and personalization. At Club Photo, you can post your photos as well as view those of others and sign their guest book with your comments.
ImageEvent makes it possible to personalize your entire online photo album so you can wow your friends when they come to view your photos. You can also use ImageEvent to easily uploaded images onto auction Web sites and message boards, and they maintain public galleries to which you can post your photos and view those of others. They even have their own "For Sale" area.
Like many of the other photo Web sites, Kodack's EasyShare Gallery also allows you to create, share, view, and comment on online photo albums, but they make it possible for your comments to be viewable only to the album's creator.
Picturetrail is a photo Web site that offers lots of personalization. Their photos areas, called clubs, include crafts, hobbies, autos and motorcycles, celebrity fans, travel photos, television shows, and many more. Each section has a forum where you can read and post messages.
Smugmug offers support for video clips and innovative features like RSS feeds, keyword tags, and a programming interface. You can even set your own print prices and make a profit if people order your photos. They also offer a forum to discuss photography and offer photography contests with prizes.
As photo Web sites offer more social networking features, they are becoming more like online communities than photo printing sites. So enjoy them to the fullest extent possible, but remember to always make a backup copy of any photos you upload to a photo Web site. Some sites retain the right to delete your photos at any time due to inactivity and other reasons.
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Additional Resources
In addtion to the photo Web sites mentioned in the article, you may want to visit the following:
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Author
Sandy Berger is a nationally-known author and has written several books on computers.
