[Ohiodig] FW: George Oates Returns to Revitalize the Flickr Commons | Flickr Blog

[Carleton, Janet]

Interesting!

h/t to Library News This Week<https://www.getrevue.co/profile/libcolleen> - Issue #9 (March 27- April 3)
By Colleen Theisen * Issue #9
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https://blog.flickr.net/en/2021/03/23/george-oates-returns-to-revitalize-the-flickr-commons/<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.flickr.net%2Fen%2F2021%2F03%2F23%2Fgeorge-oates-returns-to-revitalize-the-flickr-commons%2F%3Futm_campaign%3DLibrary%2520News%2520This%2520Week%2520%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3DRevue%2520newsletter&data=04%7C01%7Ccarleton%40ohio.edu%7Cce52ffc5af694d22798b08d8f6eb8bd3%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637530838805939481%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=7YixdByJKP%2FKPJV%2B1R8hbYh%2Bc5p6UkUT4TgppOrof0k%3D&reserved=0>

George Oates Returns to Revitalize the Flickr Commons | Flickr Blog
Late last year, I was surprised and intrigued to get an email from Ben MacAskill, COO of SmugMug and Flickr. I knew Flickr had been acquired by SmugMug and was happy to hear it, too, because I had been quietly worried about what might happen to this unique and brilliant archive of our lives under the brutal megacorp axe. I had read various press<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Ftech%2F2018%2F04%2F20%2Fsmugmug-buys-flickr-verizon-oath%2F537377002%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ccarleton%40ohio.edu%7Cce52ffc5af694d22798b08d8f6eb8bd3%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637530838805949478%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=tH2d19RXZ3U8KR4jXxxAYu4%2Bs44%2BW%2BSHnIEKrst9ndY%3D&reserved=0> about the acquisition and appreciated the independence and tone of the SmugMug brothers, and felt the same relief I'm sure many other 'old skool' members did at the news. While I'll freely admit I haven't used Flickr as regularly as I once did, my pride and joy for Flickr has never changed.
It turns out Ben was writing to ask me if I would like to help reinvigorate The Commons on Flickr<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fcommons&data=04%7C01%7Ccarleton%40ohio.edu%7Cce52ffc5af694d22798b08d8f6eb8bd3%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637530838805949478%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=7LFP1Mv4vd1rBiv2X6lQyMSlJjTmxoOwEAkII0v0rqg%3D&reserved=0>. (That's the program run by Flickr since 2008 designed to help the world's cultural institutions share their photography collections.) "What does a bright future for the Commons look like," he asked, "and how do we build something that has value to the member organizations, and the open culture ecosystem?" As I was reading his email, I thought, "Well, indeed." I replied to Ben, "When do we start??"
Turns out we're starting now, and it feels good to be back. I used to work here<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fgeorge%2F8597%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ccarleton%40ohio.edu%7Cce52ffc5af694d22798b08d8f6eb8bd3%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637530838805959474%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=IzzwOxlCzW68S0Vn2iOY%2BfeUsYUPFzvptUN4Q6VIxaQ%3D&reserved=0>, at the very beginning when we first switched Flickr on back in the naughties. I created and launched the Commons<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.flickr.net%2Fen%2F2008%2F01%2F16%2Fmany-hands-make-light-work%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ccarleton%40ohio.edu%7Cce52ffc5af694d22798b08d8f6eb8bd3%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637530838805959474%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ZtDnvhJc%2BgjVYSBL4jw8%2B5EWCq8KnLpSynX81HwmMvY%3D&reserved=0> in 2008, and left at the end of that same year. What a strange, unexpected delight to be asked to return with the express goal of researching what the Commons has become and understanding how cultural institutions around the world have evolved through being a part of it. We want to design a stronger future for the program, with enduring longevity at its heart.... [more<https://blog.flickr.net/en/2021/03/23/george-oates-returns-to-revitalize-the-flickr-commons/>]
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Janet Carleton | Working from home
Digital Initiatives Coordinator | Preservation and Digital Initiatives | OHIO University Libraries | 1 Ohio University | Alden 333 | Athens, Ohio | 740.597.2527 | carleton at ohio.edu<mailto:carleton at ohio.edu> | https://media.library.ohio.edu<https://media.library.ohio.edu/> | @AldenLibDigital<https://twitter.com/AldenLibDigital>


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