Alternatives to Panoramio???

[fred089]

Hi, 

since the end of Panoramio is decided: Does anyone know a viable alternative? 

It would be important, in my view, that the alternative website offers geo-tagging and respects the copyright of the photos. 

An automated transfer of Panoramoi data into the alternative platform would be the icing on the cake. 

Any suggestions?

Cioa, 

Fred

[davidcmc58]

I dusted off my old Flickr account 9 months ago and have been enjoying it since. There is a geo-tagged feature but it is totally manual ( no coordinates input ) and not as detailed as Panoramio. Copy right protection is no better than Pano. However, I feel the display quality and the overall appearance / feel of the site is far better than Panoramio. One can also edit gallery photos with its built-in editor for minor changes as well as a complete photo switching with all other data ( comments, favorites, etc. ) unaltered. Since it belongs to Yahoo!, easy transfer of Pano photos are not possible. Flickr community also contains all types of photography, not just landscapes. For me that's actually a plus at this point of my photography because the world is far far more than just Views ( pun intended ). Great site if you ask me and I actually bumped into a few Pro California photographers who also belong to  Panoramio. They are much more active in Flickr than in Pano. Photography is what Flickr is all about, not that social media garbage! Here is my Flickr gallery for you to get a feel of the site - https://www.flickr.com/photos/22851550@N03/

[Tucky5]

I agree with David.

I also will go to Flickr, because this is a good alternative.
Especially the photographic claim and the good copyright protection are really interesting points.

[Diane]

I'll have to return to Flickr for geo-tagging, which is OK even though the last time I was there it had become more complex to upload and navigate.  Others I use are Natn'l Geographic Your Shot (friendly and fun like Pano, but lacks some of the bells and whistles of Pano), 500px (pretty, more oriented toward pros, lacks community feel)  and a BBS travel forum called Any Port in a Storm.  Not photo-sharing, per se, but post about your travels and upload your photos to illustrate (fun people, still a smallish enterprise).  I use Photobucket quite a bit, you'll  need an account there to upload your pix to most BBS formats.  They have a simple, nifty editing tool built in.  I think they're just recently getting on the community bandwagon, worth investigating.  Lots of sites come up in a search, but I think what was unique about Pano was the dedicated and interesting community.  Exactly why it's been my favorite.

YourShot and 500px have rock-solid copyright policies.  Both also have a limit for uploads (Yourshot 15/week, 500px 20/wk or mo, not sure).  Kind of a bummer, but keeps the quality up.  Here is my gallery on Yourshot:  http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/311047/

Honestly, I don't trust G+ and View to "oversee" my photos.  I also don't trust Google to care about maintaining stable, loyal users for any of their products, anymore.  So, why just passively migrate when we might be doing it again when they have another scheme?  Anyone who is heavily invested in appearing on Google Earth (I'm not, hence my very low Selected count) probably won't enjoy any of the above except Flickr.  I like and use all the above, each for different purposes.

Any of my Pano buddies who want to keep in touch - I want to! - just PM me via Panoramio with your e-mail address (can we still do that?).  Otherwise, I'll miss you too much!

[RainoL]

Hi,

Davidcmc58:

It is possible to add latitude and longitude values to photos in Flickr: select "Organizer", add the desired photos, double click one of them, choose the "Location" tab, and enter the latitude and longitude values. Then do the same for the next photo, etc. This works at least with decimal degrees (I didn't try with other coordinate formats).

Other alternatives discussed here https://www.flickr.com/help/forum/en-us/72157625213458512/

[c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!]

For me Flickr is no-go because they want your mobile number to open the mandatory Yahoo account. And it looks just like Google+!

I consider moving to ipernity which looks a bit like a better designed Panoramio. Geotagging, groups, all there. And you can have albums! The social interaction could be better but the tools are there. It would be up to new users to make use of them. 

The downside is, only 200 pics are free, for more you have to pay. BTW- a lot of former Flickr users with pay accounts have moved to ipernity.

[Daniela Brocca]

I don't see any forum. Did someone find it?  is not very different from Panoramio as it was. Exif data are not complete.

[c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!]

Am Donnerstag, 18. September 2014 17:19:10 UTC+2 schrieb Daniela Brocca:

I don't see any forum. Did someone find it?  is not very different from Panoramio as it was. Exif data are not complete.

I don't think there is one. But there is a function called article where you can open a thread and everyone can join in. Your contacts get to see it if you have written an article.

[davidcmc58]

RainoL, thank you very much for the tip to input longitude & latitude onto Flickr photos. That will help quite a bit. I also joined PX500 a while back. PX500 is geared more toward Pro photographers who wants to sell their work. While I do not have the skills to go to that level,  I do plan to make my PX500 album the "selected" collection. The best way to improve my own photography skills seems to be hanging around with people that are far better than me. Flickr has a max free storage of 1 tera bite and PX500 gives members 20 free uploads per week. 

[hvbemmel]

In you quest for a new site, please don´t forget to compare it to what will be, not what Panoramio is now.

Views now: comments go over G+ . If you want comments you have to actively put your photos there. Ok. it can be that will change, however I don´t believe in a separate comment section not attached to G+

The forum certainly will be a productforum. It´s part of the GM forum now but I gather it will get a forum on its own, I don´t see language fora coming up, either you speak English or use "translate Google not understand". In that productforum will be TC´s (top contributors). Adam did some PR in the Maps forum, but I´m not under the impression the TC´s get much support (nothing new). 

So if your looking for a community, you will have to make one, Google offers you G+, many went to Facebook it seems, but for me that is G+ only worse. I only can hope an other site steps in to the vacuum PA will leave behind. I´m sure many of us will volunteer to give advise, they can count me in. We very well know what can go wrong, we only have to look around us in Panoramio. The poor environment Panoramio offers will be only magnified in Views, it does already. So enough to learn how it shouldn´t be.

[Wim Constant]

I have to contradict you here.

I never gave my mobile number. Not to Flickr nor to Yahoo.

The only minus on Flickr for me is that you cannot pinpoint your photos on the exact spot.

If you place a photo on a certain spot and you want to place another photo, say 5 metres further, Flickr uses the same spot.

Op donderdag 18 september 2014 14:40:50 UTC+2 schreef c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!:

[Peter won't go to VIEWS]

I don't know if people go over to FB. I just revived an old account in order to have a possibility to keep in touch with my PA friends. As for g+; here i Norway it is not popular at all. The young use FB. g+ as a photo site is a joke. All the copyright abusers which have been deleted from PA are still going strong on g+.  This is no alternative for me. I had an account and was very pleased that I did not link it to my PA account. As for Googles credibility to create a good photo site with VIEWS as base..... Well, past experience how Google listens/gives feedback to its (PA)users shows that that is a joke too.  

I honour you for your patience Herman.

kl. 17:47:10 UTC+2 torsdag 18. september 2014 skrev hvbemmel følgende:

In you quest for a new site, please don´t forget to compare it to what will be, not what Panoramio is now.

Views now: comments go over G+ . If you want comments you have to actively put your photos there. Ok. it can be that will change, however I don´t believe in a separate comment section not attached to G+

The forum certainly will be a productforum. It´s part of the GM forum now but I gather it will get a forum on its own, I don´t see language fora coming up, either you speak English or use "translate Google not understand". In that productforum will be TC´s (top contributors). Adam did some PR in the Maps forum, but I´m not under the impression the TC´s get much support (nothing new). 

So if your looking for a community, you will have to make one, Google offers you G+, many went to Facebook it seems, but for me that is G+ only worse. I only can hope an other site steps in to the vacuum PA will leave behind. I´m sure many of us will volunteer to give advise, they can count me in. We very well know what can go wrong, we only have to look around us in Panoramio. The poor environment Panoramio offers will be only magnified in Views, it does already. So enough to learn how it shouldn´t be.

On Wednesday, 17 September 2014 23:34:49 UTC+2, fred089 wrote:

[~Marlene~]

Why don't you start a new FB page, Peter, for users of Panoramio where we can, at least, stay in touch and share our latest work? Then maybe we can all migrate to another service if we find one we like or still have FB to keep in touch if we go our separate ways. It would be something to do in the "meantime"!

[c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!]

I take it you joined Flickr before April 2014? If you know a way to avoid giving a mobile number joining Flickr now I'd be grateful!

[Pierre M.]

Test : I write 00000000000 and it seems to work.

[~Marlene~]

You can open a "members only" Facebook page, Peter, just for former Pano users. In that way, you don't have to deal with the other FB stuff. I belong to a couple of private groups and it is private & works quite well. It is, at least, a place to visit or post pictures.

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 12:53:27 PM UTC-5, Peter won't go to VIEWS wrote:

[hvbemmel]

There are a few groups out there already like https://www.facebook.com/groups/panoramiogroup/?fref=ts

[~Marlene~]

That appears to be Public Group, Herman… the Private, "Invitation Only" ones are much nicer! :-)

[c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!]

Thanks, I might try that;-) But did you actually manage to open an account? It says they send you the key via that mobile number???

[Diane - No Views]

Yeah, I want to be in a clique, like in high school!  Maybe it could be called the No Views Panoramio Group.  Well, someone who knows what he/she is doing on Facebook should start it.  I have no idea how FB really works, even though I have an account.  (For that matter, same goes for G+!)

[papkassen]

Marlene, there is a group in FB, Panoramio- freinds all over the world, 220 members, been there over a gear, I think

[Peter NO VIEWS]

Good Idea, but I'm like Diane.. I can't really find out all the possibilities in FB. G+is not an option for me. As for the altenatives to PA. I don't think there is an real alternative. PÅ is quite unique. I use other photo sites, but they serve an other need.

[Diane - No Views]

Papkassen, I'll check that out tomorrow and see what it's like.  I guess 220 is an acceptable number of members, but I don't know...

[Wim Constant]

Indeed, I joined Flickr in september 2013. My Yahoo account is much older.

But can't you use a fictitious mobile number?

Or do you get an answer or password on that particular number?

BTW, where did you find the 200 free pics limit on Ipernity?

Op vrijdag 19 september 2014 06:20:08 UTC+2 schreef c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!:

[c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!]

Flickr/ Yahoo: You have to use an active number because you get the code to activate your account that way.

From ipernity FAQ:

What are the limits of free accounts?

With a free account you can use most of the services offered by ipernity with the following restrictions:

• no more than 200 MB of added content per month
• 30 MB max per file added
• only your 200 latest photos and videos are accessible (your older content disappears but is not deleted. They reappear again if you become a member of the ipernity Club) as of June, 3 2014
• some ads may appear on your pages
• no color customization of your pages
• no possibility of downloading: you cannot download your content to your computer nor offer this possibility to your visitors.
• you can join up to 100 groups
• no priority support

[Wim Constant]

Thank you c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!

This makes Ipernity not suitable for me.

Pity!!

Op vrijdag 19 september 2014 11:59:25 UTC+2 schreef c0l0gne1-Views, no thanks!:

[skida]

I have been using Flikr for some time now, although lots left last year when Yahoo made some unpopular changes (sound familiar?)

I am here if anyone wants to keep in touch:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/16818095@N08/

[fred089]

Thanks a lot for the replies and suggestions. It seems to me that the only suitable alternative is Flickr. But it appears to me to be a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. 

Chio,

Fred

[Martin Podt]

Today I joined 500px and so far, I love it. Quite nice to see that I just created the account a view hours ago, uploaded only 7 photos and now I already have more than 1100 views, 143 likes and 55 favs. People just view your photo without 'asking'... For some reason having new photos viewed works much better than for Panoramio. So I will try to convince some friends to join me there. ;) And actually, I already found quite some galleries over there from (former) Panoramio users.

People who know me and what to follow me on 500px, this is my site: http://500px.com/martinpodt

Op donderdag 18 september 2014 03:14:40 UTC+2 schreef Diane - No Views:

I'll have to return to Flickr for geo-tagging, which is OK even though the last time I was there it had become more complex to upload and navigate.  Others I use are Natn'l Geographic Your Shot (friendly and fun like Pano, but lacks some of the bells and whistles of Pano), 500px (pretty, more oriented toward pros, lacks community feel)  and a BBS travel forum called Any Port in a Storm.  Not photo-sharing, per se, but post about your travels and upload your photos to illustrate (fun people, still a smallish enterprise).  I use Photobucket quite a bit, you'll  need an account there to upload your pix to most BBS formats.  They have a simple, nifty editing tool built in.  I think they're just recently getting on the community bandwagon, worth investigating.  Lots of sites come up in a search, but I think what was unique about Pano was the dedicated and interesting community.  Exactly why it's been my favorite.

YourShot and 500px have rock-solid copyright policies.  Both also have a limit for uploads (Yourshot 15/week, 500px 20/wk or mo, not sure).  Kind of a bummer, but keeps the quality up.  Here is my gallery on Yourshot:  http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/311047/

Honestly, I don't trust G+ and View to "oversee" my photos.  I also don't trust Google to care about maintaining stable, loyal users for any of their products, anymore.  So, why just passively migrate when we might be doing it again when they have another scheme?  Anyone who is heavily invested in appearing on Google Earth (I'm not, hence my very low Selected count) probably won't enjoy any of the above except Flickr.  I like and use all the above, each for different purposes.

Any of my Pano buddies who want to keep in touch - I want to! - just PM me via Panoramio with your e-mail address (can we still do that?).  Otherwise, I'll miss you too much!

[Diane - No Views]

Glad to hear you like it, Martin!  Now, get busy and upload more.  I'm still figuring out how to use their groups, have joined two so far.  :  )

http://500px.com/diane9247

http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/311047/

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

And I have also joined! I am in the process of going through my pics. Do you know what the maximum per month is?

On Friday, September 19, 2014 11:01:47 PM UTC-5, Diane - No Views wrote:

Glad to hear you like it, Martin!  Now, get busy and upload more.  I'm still figuring out how to use their groups, have joined two so far.  :  )

[Diane - No Views]

"Free accounts are limited to a maximum of 20 new photographs/images per week and 2,000 photographs/images in total (approximately 60Gb of storage)"

My plan is to keep it at 2,000 by deleting older or less popular ones, just to keep it free.  I may change to Premium later.

"Premium accounts are limited to maximum of 1,000 new photographs/images per week 100,000 photographs/ images in total (approximately 3,000Gb of storage) "

http://500px.com/terms

[fred089]

I have just stumbled across this wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photo-sharing_websites 

It gives a pretty good overview of the available photo-sharing websites.

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

My New home… http://500px.com/mabel65 Come & see me sometime! :-)

On Friday, September 19, 2014 11:01:47 PM UTC-5, Diane - No Views wrote:

Glad to hear you like it, Martin!  Now, get busy and upload more.  I'm still figuring out how to use their groups, have joined two so far.  :  )

http://500px.com/diane9247

http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/311047/

[Martin Podt]

I found you there... ;)

Op zaterdag 20 september 2014 07:14:08 UTC+2 schreef ~Marlene~ No Views!:

[Peter NO VIEWS]

I think I welcomed you all on 500px by now. I hope you like it. 500px is not a substitude to PA, the community feeling is less. We don't get an Email when a fav photographer (follow) uploads a picture but have to look in the flow/follow actively. But now that we are more, perhaps it gets better!!

[MikeFromholt]

500px does seem pretty easy, I've my first photo posted. Although I'm just a beginner in photography, I will probably use it for my better pictures.

Mike

http://500px.com/michaelfromholt

[Peter NO VIEWS]

Hi Mike, me too, look me up here; http://500px.com/nordicscapes
and we'll meet.

[Pierre M.]

Hello !

What about Wikimedia ?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

And for people who like contest : there's an annual contest XD    :  http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org/

Pierre

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

Yes & I actually took 3rd place in that contest last year, with a monetary prize! It's a fine group, but I now see my photo everywhere!

[© Tom Cooper not going to Views]

The biggest issue with Wikimedia is the need for a CC license.  You can't retain "All rights reserved" if you choose to contribute there.

On Saturday, September 20, 2014 1:04:23 PM UTC-5, Pierre M. wrote:

[Pierre M.]

It is a choice: photos with copyright to Google which makes money on your back or give photos to wikimedia (but without copyright).

[Wim Constant]

So everybody, exept you, makes money with your photos.

Op zaterdag 20 september 2014 21:27:40 UTC+2 schreef Pierre M.:

[Pierre M.]

No Wim....................
I talk about google...........

[Peter NO VIEWS]

No site is perfect, so I took the liberty to suggest some improvements to 500px.

https://support.500px.com/customer/portal/questions/8521117-suggestions

kl. 23:34:49 UTC+2 onsdag 17. september 2014 skrev fred089 følgende:

Hi, 

since the end of Panoramio is decided: Does anyone know a viable alternative? 

It would be important, in my view, that the alternative website offers geo-tagging and respects the copyright of the photos. 

An automated transfer of Panoramoi data into the alternative platform would be the icing on the cake. 

Any suggestions?

Cioa, 

Fred

[crina.stanciu]

I found you too there,   Marlene. 

I am so sad about what is happend with Panoramio.
I read all you all write here, even I don't comment.

sâmbătă, 20 septembrie 2014, 08:14:08 UTC+3, ~Marlene~ No Views! a scris:

My New home… http://500px.com/mabel65 Come & see me sometime! :-)

On Friday, September 19, 2014 11:01:47 PM UTC-5, Diane - No Views wrote:

Glad to hear you like it, Martin!  Now, get busy and upload more.  I'm still figuring out how to use their groups, have joined two so far.  :  )

http://500px.com/diane9247

http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/311047/

On Friday, September 19, 2014 3:10:29 PM UTC-7, Martin Podt wrote:

[Wim Constant]

You say:  give photos to wikimedia (but without copyright).

My answer to THAT: "So everybody, exept you, makes money with your photos."

If you place your photos for free on Google, THAN only Google makes money

Op zondag 21 september 2014 08:18:50 UTC+2 schreef Pierre M.:

[Wim Constant]

I have a general remark for that:

Before killing Google and all of its employees, can't we wait and see what "Views" really will bring?

In any case make a back-up of Panoramio with Google Takeout.

If you don't like "Views" (AT THE MOMENT I DO NOT LIKE IT!!!!) there is plenty of time to switch.

I don't judge, before all the facts are known, so let's not blow up things before.

Op woensdag 17 september 2014 23:34:49 UTC+2 schreef fred089:

[Martin Podt]

Well, since all the problems with Panoramio lately, I was already looking for an alternative for some time. But next to problems not being solved, there are more things that I do not really like about Panoramio. For example, the way the photos are presented. I have been using 500px for just a few days now and I must say that I really like the way photos are presented over there. People have been complaining for a long time about the Panoramio looks and features, but in my opinion, Google never did a serious try to really improve it.

But going back to your point: you don't have to switch. I mean, you can use an account on a more premium site for only your best photos and you can use Views for the same photos and more (or just to fill Views with smartphone snapshots). My feeling is that Views won't be a premium photo sharing site. I mean, when the focus is so much on smartphone photos, that means that you will find a lot of rubbish. And that means that Views will get a certain name. It won't be a place for serious photographers. So instead of going down, I prefer to go up. I want to increase my quality of photos and a site with a lot of inspiring photos helps to do so. A site with a lot of snapshots won't help at all and makes people lazy. Why bother about quality when it is about snapshots? I feel that Views isn't and won't be what I am looking for.

By the way: we are not killing Google and all of its employees. I would say, it is the other way around. There is no discussion with Google possible. Announcements cannot be commented for example. Maybe Google is slightly interested in our view, but if that would be the case, their actions give a wrong sign...

Op zondag 21 september 2014 11:42:45 UTC+2 schreef Wim Constant:

[Wim Constant]

I meant switching to another site like 500px or Flickr with all of your photos, including EXIF.

THAT's why I made a back-up with Google Takeout.

I found one little problem transferring my photos to Flickr.

Photos that are mapped, but not selected for GE/GM are NOT mapped on Flickr.

As far as it Google and it's employees concerns, I meant: wait and see what it brings, before WE are going to kill THEM.

I don't have a smartphone and I don't want one. 

I have a simple phone with pre-paid, which I almost don't use. Just in case of an emergency it's handy to have one.

I have to pay € 10,00 a year, to keep my number and credit, but I even don't use that amount.

Op zondag 21 september 2014 12:51:38 UTC+2 schreef Martin Podt:

[Martin Podt]

So, you geotag your photos with Panoramio? I never do that such that I do not have the problem of missing GPS positions in the EXIF data (and that also means that I do not have to use Takeout). In case you are interested in alternatives: ;) You could use other tools for that for your future photos. You can use Picasa for example to do geotagging manually using Google Earth or if you do buy a smartphone in the future, you can use a great app called Geotag Photos Pro. The app allows you to record your gps locations and later you can use these to update the EXIF data with the GPS locations. I also have GPS in one of my cameras but I never use it and always use Geotag Photos Pro as it is faster and doesn't drain the battery of my camera.

By the way, I won't switch fully to 500px. I don't see the point of uploading all my photos there. The same would hold if I would open a Flickr account: I don't see the point of uploading all my photos there. So in my case, I am quite sure that in the future I will use Views (e.g. to get photos in GM and GE) and I will use 500px to build a kind of a portfolio with my better photos.

Anyhow: I won't wait to see what Google Views will bring us. The don't like the concept and I am glad I tried 500px. I should have done that before. And I really like seeing other Panoramio friends over there...

Op zondag 21 september 2014 13:06:48 UTC+2 schreef Wim Constant:

[MikeFromholt]

Martin,

 I agree with you, 500px is wonderful, but I will not load all of my photo's from pano/views to it. Mainly because not all of my photos are high enough quality, and the reason I was on pano to begin with was to record the scenery for GE and GM(although Google has totally screwed up GM). I've mainly tried to post photos there of areas of the world that have limited amount of photo's(such as rural areas and towns), and have kept away from adding photos major tourist sites like Niagara Falls and main sights in major urban areas.

  So for now, I will no upload to Pano until everything is switched to Views, but I will go and add my better shots to 500px. I've looked at flickr, but still not sure about going there.

Mike fromholt

[davidcmc58]

I have 1937 photos in Panoramio gallery, it will stay at that number all the way til I have to delete them all ( one day before the closure of Panoramio ). The photo count for my Flickr gallery is 573. The higher photo quality in my Flickr account are due to 1. Gallery is more selective. 2. I am only active in Flickr for 9 months and my post processing software and skills are much better than 6 years ago. 3. Flickr allows photo editing and photo replacement, therefore any unintended mistakes can be fixed easily after upload. As for my 500PX account (currently empty), I intent to make it my show account of probably about 200 photos. 

[Wim Constant]

You're very good at drawing the wrong conclusions!!

I use an i-gotU GT-120, an i-gotU GT-800 AND an ATP GPS Photo Finder Mini (NOT at the same time) to geotag my photos. 

But non of these are always exact.

Of course you can leave them as they are, but I want them placed within a metre of the exact spot.

So often I have to move them a little in Panoramio.

This proble occurs with every GPS device!

But as I said before: ONLY THE NOT FOR GE / GM SELECTED PHOTOS are not mapped on Flickr.

So, please, don't give me advise I don't need.

And why, oh, why should I buy a smartphone in the future???

I have a normal phone and I am smart enough myself NOT to use it.


Op zondag 21 september 2014 13:34:42 UTC+2 schreef Martin Podt:

[Martin Podt]

Sorry, Wim, but if this is the way you want to discuss, I'm gone. 

Op zondag 21 september 2014 16:33:24 UTC+2 schreef Wim Constant:

You're very good at drawing the wrong conclusions!!

I use an i-gotU GT-120, an i-gotU GT-800 AND an ATP GPS Photo Finder Mini (NOT at the same time) to geotag my photos. 

But non of these are always exact.

Of course you can leave them as they are, but I want them placed within a metre of the exact spot.

So often I have to move them a little in Panoramio.

This proble occurs with every GPS device!

But as I said before: ONLY THE NOT FOR GE / GM SELECTED PHOTOS are not mapped on Flickr.

So, please, don't give me advise I don't need.

And why, oh, why should I buy a smartphone in the future???

I have a normal phone and I am smart enough myself NOT to use it.


Op zondag 21 september 2014 13:34:42 UTC+2 schreef Martin Podt:

So, you geotag your photos with Panoramio? I never do that such that I do not have the problem of missing GPS positions in the EXIF data (and that also means that I do not have to use Takeout). In case you are interested in alternatives: ;) You could use other tools for that for your future photos. You can use Picasa for example to do geotagging manually using Google Earth or if you do buy a smartphone in the future, you can use a great app called Geotag Photos Pro. The app allows you to record your gps locations and later you can use these to update the EXIF data with the GPS locations. I also have GPS in one of my cameras but I never use it and always use Geotag Photos Pro as it is faster and doesn't drain the battery of my camera.

By the way, I won't switch fully to 500px. I don't see the point of uploading all my photos there. The same would hold if I would open a Flickr account: I don't see the point of uploading all my photos there. So in my case, I am quite sure that in the future I will use Views (e.g. to get photos in GM and GE) and I will use 500px to build a kind of a portfolio with my better photos.

Anyhow: I won't wait to see what Google Views will bring us. The don't like the concept and I am glad I tried 500px. I should have done that before. And I really like seeing other Panoramio friends over there...

Op zondag 21 september 2014 13:06:48 UTC+2 schreef Wim Constant:

I meant switching to another site like 500px or Flickr with all of your photos, including EXIF.

THAT's why I made a back-up with Google Takeout.

I found one little problem transferring my photos to Flickr.

Photos that are mapped, but not selected for GE/GM are NOT mapped on Flickr.

As far as it Google and it's employees concerns, I meant: wait and see what it brings, before WE are going to kill THEM.

I don't have a smartphone and I don't want one. 

I have a simple phone with pre-paid, which I almost don't use. Just in case of an emergency it's handy to have one.

I have to pay € 10,00 a year, to keep my number and credit, but I even don't use that amount.

Op zondag 21 september 2014 12:51:38 UTC+2 schreef Martin Podt:

Well, since all the problems with Panoramio lately, I was already looking for an alternative for some time. But next to problems not being solved, there are more things that I do not really like about Panoramio. For example, the way the photos are presented. I have been using 500px for just a few days now and I must say that I really like the way photos are presented over there. People have been complaining for a long time about the Panoramio looks and features, but in my opinion, Google never did a serious try to really improve it.

[Wim Constant]

I didn't even know we were discussing.

YOU wrote: So, you geotag your photos with Panoramio? 

I told you that was a wrong conclusion!!



Op zondag 21 september 2014 16:47:44 UTC+2 schreef Martin Podt:

[Peter NO VIEWS]

Please stay on topic; Alternatives to Panoramio. 

Thanks.

[davidcmc58]

Just uploaded my first 8 photos in 500PX in the last couple of hours. Not much of community but lots of views and visits. I got 58 affection (like or fav) 350 views and 2 followers in no time for the 8 photos. There is also a "pulse rating" for each photo that's essentially "popularity rating". Nice site with lots of "pinball style action". There are however two short comings - 1. Thumbnails are chopped to square format. 2. Mapping is extremely crude and imprecise. Here is my 500PX gallery for reference -   www.500px.com/davidcmc58

[Martin Podt]

Hi David, actually the first shortcoming you mentioned, I see as an advantage. ;) I like the cropped thumbnails. The presentation of the photos is very nice because of it, I would say. Although that is a matter of taste. Maybe you already know but just in case: you can crop the thumbnails yourself, which is often better than the automatic cropping. 

I do have to get used to the site, but after two days, I really dig its features. Community feeling is i.m.h.o. not bad at all with features like following and flow. I think it will improve once there are more people you know or when you get to know new people. And: the app of 500px is really great. At least the Android one. And I always geotag my photos before uploading them, so I cannot comment on how that works on 500px. So, now I will stop further promoting 500px in this thread. ;) But I do hope to see more people from Panoramio over there. If you want to follow me, you can go to http://500px.com/martinpodt

Another community I am on since a few weeks is the National Geographic one. Well, the Dutch/Belgium one but I guess other ones are similar(?). It is nice, but there I miss a lot. For me it is too different from Panoramio. Therefore, I only uploaded 4 photos. However, if you like competitions, it could be nice. The local site I am on has a Top 3 of the week. From the Top 3's of one month, two are selected for publication in the magazine. So that could be nice if you are interested in that. It reminds me a bit of the old Panoramio competitions. By the way, I was really surprised to see that when I joined NG and upload two photos, one of them was in the Top 3 of the week. 

Op zondag 21 september 2014 18:41:47 UTC+2 schreef davidcmc58:

[Peter NO VIEWS]

The PULSE is a big problem, and there is much critique of the algorithm used. It is often discussed and perceived unfair. It is seen as a quality score, but infact it is some kind of popularity score. However the Pulse is important for the visibility of the picture. The Pulse algorithm is changed once in a while......

The map is slow and I suggested improvements.

[Aperturix]

Thanks to Martin Podt and others I'm now a fresh member of 500px - and it's just amazing. I only posted one photo yet and I've seen more feedback in two hours than I've had in Panoramio for all my photos in a few days. You can find me here: http://500px.com/Aperturix
I really like to contribute to GE and probably would like to do so in the future but otherwise I'm not afraid of the closing of Panoramio anymore.

[davidcmc58]

Martin, thank you for your tip on changing the thumbnail crop. I can also feel the "community" now as more and more folks are putting comments under my photos. I actually like the pulse feature a lot. Both Flickr and Panoramio use total likes, fav, comments, etc. to determine popularity which is totally biasing toward older shots. 500PX pulse rating measures the frequency of likes, favs, comments not the total number! I have been suggesting this type of rating in Pano for years and now I found it in 500PX. Nice........ 500PX and Flickr are both keepers for me. I will consider the National Geographic site at some later point but Flickr & 500PX should keep me busy for now. As for Panoramio / Views? Who cares??? I would stick around just to see how this ugly bait N' switch develops. No more photography fun for me from Google for sure.  

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

Peter you are quite correct! I can't even get into 500px tonight, using every link I have. The one time it opened, I got a blank page. They must be overloaded with PA users! :-)

[Peter NO VIEWS]

The site is pehaps more unstable as we are used too. But bugs are picked up and feebback is answered both by community and service. Discussions like here..

[racibo]

Sorry, but for me, there is no alternative for Panoramio. I'll have to use 'Views'. I have more than 11 000 photos and for me the best part of Panoramio is maps. On panoramio maps i see all photos I did, and i can search them from the map.

Flickr/500xp doesn't have this kind of map.

[Sleipnir's Master]

Hold on, Isn't this why people are looking for new sites?!  I mean cause we don't want to use G+

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 4:47:10 PM UTC+1, hvbemmel wrote:

In you quest for a new site, please don´t forget to compare it to what will be, not what Panoramio is now.

Views now: comments go over G+ . If you want comments you have to actively put your photos there. Ok. it can be that will change, however I don´t believe in a separate comment section not attached to G+

The forum certainly will be a productforum. It´s part of the GM forum now but I gather it will get a forum on its own, I don´t see language fora coming up, either you speak English or use "translate Google not understand". In that productforum will be TC´s (top contributors). Adam did some PR in the Maps forum, but I´m not under the impression the TC´s get much support (nothing new). 

So if your looking for a community, you will have to make one, Google offers you G+, many went to Facebook it seems, but for me that is G+ only worse. I only can hope an other site steps in to the vacuum PA will leave behind. I´m sure many of us will volunteer to give advise, they can count me in. We very well know what can go wrong, we only have to look around us in Panoramio. The poor environment Panoramio offers will be only magnified in Views, it does already. So enough to learn how it shouldn´t be.

[Peter NO VIEWS]

Yes racibo, you are quite right there is no real alternative to Panoramio. That's the problem, Panoramio as we know it, will disappear. For me it is the combination PA and GE and the community feeling that does the trick.

I'm not interested to be absorbed by G+, I'm not really interested in GM and Views is not even finished. So if the finished result of Views is not exceptional great, there is no way I  can accept to migrate to G+.

For now no more uploads from me.

[Sleipnir's Master]

I agree! Maps is awesome but why do we have to use G+ :\ .  G+ Flopped so badly that google had to start integrating it into all there services to get people to use it. It is only because of Android that google was able to do this due the phone market being 60% android based. Given that anyone with android need a Googlemail account.

[skida]

I have joined 500px     http://500px.com/skidathebiker

[Herb Riddle]

Hi, a very interesting discussion here. I have now been with Panoramio for six years and enjoyed every moment of it. It completely revitalised my photography hobby and I now also feel that I have hundreds of close photo sharing friends that I can share my thoughts and ideas with.  With 1480 photos, 3.5million views and 519 favs one might say that I have been an active member here. The news of Panoramio moving over to Views is very disappointing and like most of you here, I will NOT be making the transfer. I have had a Flickr account for some years too, https://www.flickr.com/photos/42716516@N08/  and have always found that to be a good alternative to dear old Panoramio but quite different. For one thing, one must pay a bi-annual fee for a pro-account  in order to hold over a certain amount of photo memory etc. Like Pano there are individual photo discussions, loads of groups with lots having internal competitions too. If Pano goes then I shall certainly become more active on Flickr but after seeing some of you join 500px and also inspecting  that, it  has its attractions, so maybe I shall join that too? In the end, there are NO real Panoramio alternatives with its great geo-tagging, community spirit and site-wide friendly competitions. As such I will mourn its demise more than many. Hopefully I shall still be able to follow some of my Panoramio friend’s exploits on the alternative sites.   Cheers, Herb

[Tomas K☼h☼ut]

Hi Herb,

AFAIK, Flickr now gives 1 TB storage space and access to original versions of photos (no downscaling and resampling) for free (basic membership). Do you really need to have a pro account?

There are other alternatives with unlimited storage space, e.g Zonerama.

On 500px I don't like square presentation of thumbnails.

I don't like  on all of these sites (Flickr, 500px, Zonerama and... G+) "endless scrolling" of the gallery page. Yes, it's possible to use albums to make "pages" shorter. But some of my albums are huge by its nature (2 - 3 months travels and expeditions) and it makes difficult to navigate within them or to indicate certain sequence of photos within album (using link with specific URL). 

:(

I am still undecided.

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

Tomas… On 500px, you can crop your thumbnails so they look their best. I like the way the square thumbnail does not then favor any one photo on my page and encourages others to open the pic to see it… The page itself has a modern, but organized appearance. Come and visit at https://500px.com/mabel65!

[Sleipnir's Master]

Herb good to see someone I have in my favs making there views known.
"In the end, there are NO real Panoramio alternatives with its great geo-tagging, community spirit and site-wide friendly competitions. As such I will mourn its demise more than many" Hear hear.

On Wednesday, October 1, 2014 11:22:07 AM UTC+1, Herb Riddle wrote:

[Peter NO VIEWS]

One always can choose to have accounts to different type of photo sites. They all have a different focus. I'm quite like you Herb. My main focus has been on PA/GE(600+ pictures) and that revitalised my hobby. Next to that I use 500px (100+ pictures) for my better pictures, as a show case so to say. I like the square thumbnails because they make the viewers curious, so that they actually look to the full size version. The falling viewcount on PA has IMO to do with a to good quality thumbnail. The  viewers don't need to look at the full size anymore. Beside those sites I use 1X for my (20+, what I think ) best pictures. This side is perfect if you want to get meaningful critique from (really good) photogrpahers.

[Herb Riddle]

Ah, so now I see another advantage to dear old Panoramio. As stated above, I also hold a Flickr Pro account and now thanks to Tomas K (above), I find out that I really do not need to pay forthe pro account, as the only advantage now  is that I never see adverts. The bad thing is, that Yahoo’s Flickr did not let me know about the scrapping of their Pro account. Since I am paid up to May 2016, maybe there is still time for them to advise me!  Never had this trouble on Panoramio!  - I have now joined 500px too, (https://500px.com/herbriddle ), again a payment procures a more professional service? (or at least more than 20 photos a month!) I also have slight concerns re their square thumbnails but as Marlene says, can live with it.  I have already seen some of my Pano friends there too but don’t worry, I am not about to abandon Pano.

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

Herb… I think it's 20 photos a week or 2000 a year on 500px!

[JeffSullivanPhotography]

My activity on Panoramio decreased with the release of G+, and I like the implementation of G+, but success in the G+ Photos community is severely manipulated by Google, so I've been more active on Flickr lately (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreysullivan/).  I've tried 500px many times, but that appears to be rigged in favor of partners such as Lytro and perhaps personal friends of 500px employees, just like G+.

Flickr has geotagging, and geotagged photos can get many thousands of views if you add them to the Project Weather group, so they are seen by users of the Yahoo! Weather app (like Panoramio photos could be discovered in Google Maps).

Although 500px has recently started a beta on rudimentary group functionality, there is a bizarre bias on the site favoring discussions in groups and not pooling of photos for the sake of using or browsing photos.  That is one way 500px group functionality is many years behind Flickr, as my notes here describe:

That interaction around photos in a group doesn't accrue to the photo and photographer seems like a temporary but major flaw to overcome, not a desirable feature. Most photographers really like assurance that their efforts and creations are appreciated, and that helps reward use of the site. Without that positive interaction, many photographers won't stick around.

On the positive side of pooling photos in groups, other sites such as Flickr have shown that there are a lot of potential uses and benefits:

- Photographers getting exposed to new work, new contacts. You can find photographers by theme (landscapes), technique (long exposure) or by geography (Colorado Photographers). Meeting other photographers online, learning to respect their work, and eventually meeting them is one of the best things that has come out of my 10 years participating in photo sharing online. Photographs are the catalyst for interaction.

- On some sites a group photo pool can be linked via API to an app. One weather app can deliver hundreds of thousands of views, with a link for every one of those views back to the original photo.

- On some sites a group photo pool can be linked to a Web site. Web sites have developed interfaces to display the latest Flickr photos in their groups on their Web Page. See the Mono Lake Committee for an example. I put a photo in their Mono Lake group roughly once every week.

- Some sites use group pools to run photo contests. The annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest run by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich (home of the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time) requires all entries to start in an online photo-sharing group. I was paid several hundred dollars for one of my entries, and it's cool to see my photo and the awarded entries of my kids in the coffee table book they created.

- On some sites hashtags auto-add a photo to a group, and the pool is used to select photos to highlight on the site's blog. You need the group however to

- Major organizations such as National Geographic staff positions to maintain official online photo-sharing groups. But who wants to be discovered by a stuffy old organization like them? I do! They licensed one of my photos represented by Getty (submitted through a photo-sharing site).

- Major media organizations like the Huffington Post use photo-sharing pools to request photo nominations for publishing. Some people like having their photo published, not just with worthless name credit, but with links back to the original photo on a photo sharing site. While the original share pays nothing, people are paid thousands of dollars to post on some sites (the top example I've heard is $20,000 per post).

None of those features are implemented for text-based groups. Text-centric photography forums such as http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ are useful, but they're not exactly going viral with growth. It would be a mistake for 500px to limit groups to a narrow and primarily non-visual model.

To characterize photo pooling in groups as "dumping" ignores the immediate benefit of a new interaction model for making new friends, and the vast potential for future features (including revenue for photographers and 500px).

Social media research confirms that different people have different ways or approaching a site, and that's entirely normal. Some people post content, as a way of contributing to the site, and other people may like to simply to see or read that content. The proposition that one type of participation is better than the other, or that all participation should follow narrow guidelines, is misguided and counterproductive.

There certainly is merit to separating discussions from group pool contributions. The two shouldn't conflict or compete. That doesn't mean at all that photographers contributing photos to groups should be vilified. You have 17,792 Followers so virtually every decent photo you post will ave a great shot at going viral on the site. Newer photographers on the site have trouble getting their photos seen at all, so many find the site boring and leave. Grouping photos is a way to find other photographers with similar interests, and you can recognize the ones of most interest quickly by their photos. And yes, they way they notice you and the conversation starts is through comments associated with the photo.

The posting of photos can serve as an excellent catalyst to start a conversation, and after a few conversations, you may find that you have a new friend. Isn't that what interaction is all about? It happens all day long all over the Internet over shared photos, and I sincerely hope that the odd negativity on 500px will subside and such friendly sharing and interaction can happen around similarly-themed groups of photos here as well.

[Herb Riddle]

Well Jeff, your comment above sure goes a long way into summarising the pros and cons of  what we do with our photos and time. It makes for great reading and must be a great help for people trying to decide what is best.  What is more, all of it is very valid.    Thanks a lot.

Thanks too, Marlene, you are right, 500px free, is limited to 20 uploads a week but as a bonus for new members, is totally unlimited for the first 14 days! ( I must read the small print better on these things.) I think that probably all these sites are quite exciting at first, a new design, new people and new exposure (pun intended) but I wonder just how many members will get the same kick out of them after six years or more, as I do on Panoramio.

Cheers, Herb

[steve111]

 i Think it rather sad that i have found what WAS the perfect site for my photos and i even had to rethink my photos to suit that format which i duly did. the news was almost tragic to think its all about to end thanks to big brother Google. yes as a DSLR user view is a real no go, where to.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/33814724@N03/

https://500px.com/steclapax

yes i am on both but can they match the friendship we had on pano . NO. i have more friends that have never seen me but know a lot more about me than the people who see me.i wish i knew where to go but i do see the very distinct loss of the world wide friendship that stood panoramio head and shoulder above the rest. i am kind of lucky i have no time so i am mostly in limbo but i think we are all going to loose a huge world wide friendship to the very narrow alternatives. lets not even mention the games base about panoramio.

 i am a person who loves to take photos for my self but like to share the results with those who would enjoy. nothing SO FAR matches what we are about to loose and loose we will to Google no matter how many sign big brother just dont care.  tell me there is just such a site to mimic panoramio you would find me and a huge percentage going with it.

i have to once again rethink my photos all over again as what suites one site does not suit another. after all these years of enjoy taking photos i have to admit i am in almost photo limbo i dont know which way to go shoot for panoramio or the other impersonal sites.i all the years i have been on here nothing has come close and i still believe there is nothing out there still. am i still going to take photos, yes, am i still going to enjoy those photos yes am i still willing to help others you bet front and center.

like Herb, we are just happy to share, money is not the pursuit but find the best place for this is not going to be both quick or easy. thank goodness we can still private message and catch up. this is why i am here and why this is going to be such a huge lose. right place for us. i just dont see one that fits the bill at this moment but i hope we see one soon.


i morn the lose of more than friend ship but a huge photo site.

Steve

[davidcmc58]

JeffSullivan wrote -  "thousands of views if you add them to the Project Weather group, so they are seen by users of the Yahoo! Weather app (like Panoramio photos could be discovered in Google Maps)."

Thank you Jeff for this Flickr tip. My Flickr gallery can benefit quite a bit from this as most of my photos have "sky" in them and thus qualified as weather related.

David

[Diane - No Views]

Jeff, great summary of pros and cons.  

After months of using both 500px and Nat Geo, I've found that 500px has a cold social feel and I can't make any sense out of their groups. They don't seem to serve much purpose, so I haven't posted in the two I've joined since my initial introductory one.  Your summary of Groups on 500px puts into words what I've felt.  From the perspective of an amateur, 500px is for professionals, or at least the technically advanced.  It's not about the social aspect, instead about marking faves and moving on.  On the other hand (for better or worse!), views of new uploads is overwhelmingly large. It's impossible to even keep up with it, so I've dropped attempts to act like I have to.  I pare it down to those who either (1) make an actual comment (very rare), or (2) do multiple Favorite ratings (less rare). You can follow photogs, though I keep forgetting how to find that list, since is hidden in a few layers of folders. (Why?)

Nat Geo has a much more friendly, informal feel, if that's what you're after.  They have a "new uploads" category, like 500px, so response is nearly immediate, but way more manageable. There is a welcoming feel for amateur photographers even though there are plenty of real pros. Mostly themes of nature, culture and society.  (Almost no glamour posing, boobs or fantasy; less X-treme HDR.)  I miss the ability to follow or have a fave photographers list, but I've developed my little circle of pals without much effort.  Good thing they have an Inbox where you can see all responses in one place, because I can easily see which names keep appearing.  In general, NatGeo suits me better than 500px.

The consensus seems to be that Panoramio has combined the best of both worlds - photos + socializing - for those of us who love both, and Groups that make sense.  Nothing else like it. As many have stated, that's the tragedy of its demise.  

 

[Peter NO VIEWS]

You are quite right Diane, PA is best for photos + socializing. But what would happen if,  on PA, the cut and paste function for comments would disappear. That is what happened on 500px. The comments almost disappeared. Different sites have different focus. And the users can have different focus on those pages. 500px I only use to showcase my better  pictures, to look at and learn of  photographers and now meeting exile PA friends. Anything else is not interestings for me. If I want to raise a question or discusion I post it under support, just if I would on PA (forum). I haven't looked at the groups, but I don't use those on PA either.
Perhaps we meet on NatGeo later...

[Heidiho (Views? No,thanks !)]

.... WE all are looking for alternatives, in the end knowing: there are NO alternatives ! 

 

       ..... but everybody of us should have a look for something like a "MAILBOX", not to loose his/her Pano-friends, when it`s reached the rock-bottom of OUR Panoramio.

            I myself HATE facebook, but I opened an account there. 

             Because there already are 2 groups:

 

 

                1. "I love Photo (PANORAMIO)" ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/panoramio.community) ---- just 700 members joined, all Panoramios 

                 2. "Associate to my photo"(by Johan Hoflund)  ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/1464844487136246)   ---- just 41 members joined, all Panoramios     

     And also I had a look to IPERNITY, found a lot Panoramios there.  

..... this all is NOT a solution.

 

     The solution must be: to reach  Google to keep OUR Panoramio alive .... with COMMENTS, GROUPS, FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHERS ....   

 

[Martin Podt]

The social aspect of Panoramio is many times mentioned as a positive thing. Well I have to mention that the social aspect is for others a negative thing. One member once said: "to like or not to be liked"... That is very true I think. And that is the reason why several people (especially good photographers) I got to know on Panoramio actually left or are almost not active anymore. Panoramio is much more a social site than a site for quality photos. Visibility/popularity of a photo indicates how social active the uploader is. Not how good the photo is. And some do not like that. Maybe that is part of the reason why we still have not even 8000 people signing the petition while there is many, many more users?

500px is indeed much more pro-oriented. Indeed much less about socializing and much more about quality. I can understand that several Panoramio users do not like this. But after being for just over two weeks on 500px, I really like it. For example: I uploaded a photo last evening. It has been viewed more than 1600 times now, >160 likes and >70 favs, shared more than 15 times via Facebook and Twitter. I love it! That was never possible on Panoramio. And this kind of experience is i.m.o. so nice, that I won't leave 500px anymore. And I get many comments on 500px, mostly on my better photos, and many people that like/fave multiple photos. True, Panoramio has strictly speaking no alternative, e.g. due to the coupling with GE. But still, as a photo sharing site, 500px seems for me personally more and more a great alternative for sharing my photos. Flickr for example, I don't like at all because of the bad preview quality. For me that spoils all.

Some final remarks: as the future of Panoramio is unclear, I decided to stop uploading photos for now. I don't want to support Google with more of my photos. I signed the petition, but even if Panoramio stays, it has to improve. Keeping Panoramio alive without solving current problems and having a vision (of Google) for the future is for me not an option. For me it feels like Panoramio is already in a coma for a long time now and if the situation is not improving, I think it is better to let it die. And for several other reasons I was not that active on Panoramio for about 3 weeks. That has costed me about 10 'friends' (fav. photographers)... I have seen this before: if you stop commenting, liking, favoriting for some time, you immediately lose 'friends'. True friends will find other ways to stay in contact... Many friends have found me on Facebook, 500px or via e-mail. True friends are not limited by an online platform...

Op zaterdag 4 oktober 2014 03:47:57 UTC+2 schreef Diane - No Views:

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

I agree with your assessment of 500px, Martin, and I like the response I'm getting there also. At least, I feel it's a more honest response! People have been leaving comments and I find when I leave a comment, it is replied to. I also like the fact that this site will help me "up my game"! I feel I can be a little more artistic with my shots here because I don't fear getting rejected by Google Earth. That's a plus for me since it is the kind of photography I like anyway. All in all, if PA goes, I think I've found my new home.

[Matthew Walters]

I will probably give 500px a go. I've just signed up to National Geographic http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/810585/ 

Oddly though, I couldn't record 'Hong Kong' as the city against my first uploads and I had to choose London as my home as my actual town, and the nearest city were both missing from their list. So far I quite like the presentaion - square thumbs, but then my uploads are square too!

Matthew

[RudiPo]

Hi, 

your asked-for alternative with geo-tagging, copyright respect and automated transfer of (most of the) Panoramio data is Google+ with Google Views :=)

Because their is such a strong resentment against G+/Views I want to express my personal thoughts about the Panoramio -> GViews transfer here. 

I am managing my photos (curr. appr. 58,000) on my PC hard disk with Picasa (/ Windows Explorer). This is my primary storage, all other storage places on SD cards, my mobile phone, tablet and web spaces are only copies.

After the release of Picasa Web albums some years ago I duplicated some of my photos to private and public albums there (curr. 205 albums).

2010  I joined Panoramio and have now over 1 million views (read also this). Panoramio was one of the first sites with emphasis on geo-tagging and I liked to find my photos in Google Earth!

Later Google released Google+/Photos and integrated in some way (not fully) Picasa Web Albums. Google also urged me to give up my extra Panoramio account and incorporate it into my "central" Google account.

Further on Google recommended me to export my Panoramio photos to Google+ which I did. There are now two albums in Google+  "Panoramio photos"and  "Panoramio photos(1)" (two albums because Google+ has a limit of 750 photos for one album). Google said and did synchronize (upload new Panoramio photos to the album -in my case- Panoramio photos(1)).

So currently I have my photos at Google scattered in the different Google products Panoramio and Google+ ("and" Picasa Web Albums).

For some months now new Panoramio photos were not duplicated (synchronized)  to Google+ . It seems Google has stopped synchronizing Panoramio to Google+ and has removed the recommendation and settings for installing this feature for new users.

Also for some weeks my latest uploaded photos in Panoramio have collected no view counts. Is this an error or already connected with the planned Panoramio stopping?  There are discrepancies in the view counts of Panoramio and the "Panoramio photos" albums and I have the impression the whole Google Photo products are in a unsynchronized mess in the moment.

After reading about the planned Panoramio -> G+/Views transposition I studied G+/ Views and compared it with other photo sites. I  have accounts" at other photo sharing web sites like Flickr, 500px, facebook and more.

In my opinion Google+/Maps/Views is the best, the only alternative is Flickr. I like the home page of (Google+-Map)-Views (what is the proper name?) .The photos and photo spheres are displayed with newest Google technology, very smooth and good arranged. The Google+/Views  map display is also better than the Panoramio world map.

I do understand also that Google does not want to keep alive the historically grown 3 photo sharing sites and technologies parallel and concentrate on one Google+/Maps-Views site.

The problem lies now in the detail. It looks like groups, comments, favorite photographers  and some other features are not planned for transfer to Google+.  I personally wish myself a better management of photo "tags". Tags are supported  in Panoramio and Picasa, but with weaknesses, and not supported (on the GUI) in Google+ .

Maybe the current outcry  leads to the implementation of some features in Google+. But one thing is sure. The decision to migrate Panoramio to Google+/Views has already fallen at Goggle. So we should not to long fight against vans (Windflügel) and start to study all the features of G+/Views to find how we can best use it in the future.

 

Every change gives new opportunities and destroys some good old habits. I hope that the  Panoramio community will survive and live forth in a new surrounding!

[Hans Sterkendries]

Rudi, it's your right to defend Views as a possible alternative to Panoramio but this sentence of yours kind of sums it up for me: "So we should [...] start to study all the features of G+/Views to find how we can best use it in the future."

I personally feel Views has very little functionalities and only serves Google's needs: they get a hold of a massive amount of pictures and in the process they get more interaction on Google+. But from a photographer's point of view Views simply sucks. There is no exif information, quality picture are treated in the exact same was as automical screenshot uploads, you cannot organise your pictures in any way etc. etc.... You are free to think otherwise but I have a hard time thinking of Views as a worthy alternative to Panoramio.

Op maandag 6 oktober 2014 20:39:57 UTC+2 schreef RudiPo:

[RudiPo]

Hi, 

a) my impression is that Google+/Photos and Google-Maps/Views have more  functionalities compared to Panoramio. As already said the G+ GUIs  look for me more modern, the photos inherit all  features from the G+ functionality (sharing, +1,........). But some features are missing or different. Panoramio groups could maybe mapped to G+ Communities, look e.g. to the G+ community HDR Photography with curr. 373.000 members. Other features like Favorite photographer may be solved differently in G+ (e.g. by "following" the  fav photographer or invite  in a common circle).

b) There IS EXIF information stored in G+photos, see e.g."Photo details" in  my photo   

c) Organizing photos: Photos in Panoramio are organized  chronological (Id), by Users,by Tags and Location(/recent/place/...) (in views).  In G+Photos you have G+User, Location/... analogue to Panoramio, NO(?) Tags (I have read somewhere that tags are stored in G+ but there is in the moment no GUI) and ALBUMS (!)  (there are no albums in Panoramio, which is very weak!!!!???). You can do all things with albums in G+, but it is not possible to select an album for display in Google-Maps/Views!!!! (I think this would be a nice much used feature).
BTW existing tags from photos in Picasa are seemingly  not transferred at uploading to G+ (or as mentioned above stored but not used).

This is what I tried to say in my previous posting: Do we look into G+/Views thoroughly  to find solutions how we can map best our Panoramio tasks there. AND MAYBE Google decides to implement really missing often used features soon.

d) I agree with you that in G+ there will be much more photos, many not selected for GE/ Maps (many photos with persons, inside buildings, animals etc), more low quality snapshots etc.)  How to find then quality photos?  Probably you have to browse and mark your fav photographers.

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

Why in the world would a photographer want to go through all that just to show & map his photos with a like-minded group of people? Google has proved itself inept at just about everything it does. They should just stick to their search engine & whatever else they do fairly well and leave photo sharing to people who do it in an efficient, workable and attractive way that is photographer friendly. All the rest just gets in the way and takes the joy out of something we all love!

[Diane - No Views]

Marlene, I completely agree.  It seems that untangling and navigating Google products has to be a time consuming part-time career for users.  If you're involved in all things computer/web design/code writing/computer engineering, well, lucky you!  The rest of us need intuitive, streamlined, trustworthy products that are updated for improved usability, not dumped every couple of years.  Add to that the doctrine "Change is Good" carried to the nth degree, and you've got lots of fun for engineers and chaos for the rest of us.  How do you keep the best engineers around?  Let 'em design and Beta-ize new ideas so there is a constant churning of products.  They like it and we don't, but in this way Google keeps creative engineers happy and housed at the Googleplex rather than striking out on their own. 

Please understand, when I say "we" I mean ordinary, some level of proficient, web users who also have other things to do each day. Don't call us resistant to change, because many of us are old enough to have adapted to plenty of that.  You can, however, call us resistant to - and tired of - incessant churning.  (It has become a serious issue with not only Google, though they probably lead the pack in this, but in many aspects of modern life.  In fact, there is much research and writing about this very thing - even in tech publications.)    This leads to mistrust of all things new, because we know that just as things are running fairly well, we will get another announcement... 

 

[~Marlene~ No Views!]

Well said, Diane!

[hvbemmel]

+1 from me Diane !

[Roger Heath]

"Why in the world would a photographer want to go through all that just to show & map his photos with a like-minded group of people?"

Marlene - I agree with your comment. I've been reading comments on  workarounds to show images on Google+ and occasionally code that must be used,etc, etc. All to compete with phone uploads. I liked to think my Panoramio images were well thought out, or of under imaged locations before I uploaded. Sounds like Google is going for images that will become commercial "spots" rather than all the "landscapes and sunsets" that apparently is despised by Managers. If that's the case many of my flower shots should have been accepted by the reviewers. LOL I have withdrawn my images from Panoramio since I have no idea og Googles intentions for using them. And it seems it could ver very difficult to delete them after the "migration" instead of before.

[Peter NO VIEWS]

@RudiPo; You are entitled to have your own opinion. But you seem to forget that many of us (as I) tried out G+ and found out that G+ is not the way we want to go. As have part of us connected their PA account to a G+ account and found out that this, unfortunately, was irreversible. Many have contributed for years with ideas and participated in the forum to make PA a better site. All that engagement got a shot in the neck. So do you really think that Google has our best in mind?

[BritPlom]

@RudiPo, All this is in Flick, and groups do work there!

Flickr is evolding every day in the right direction .

[papkassen]

I am exploring G+ and Views, they are no good alternative to Panoramio

[LutzP]

+1 from me as well, Diane. Very well stated. Thanks for this post!

Greets Lutz