ipernity vs. Flickr: Why You Should Move (LONG POST)

(If you don't need convincing and just want to know what to do, read my ipernity article, Helpful Guide for Refugees From Flickr.)

Flickr launched its new look back in May, and for many people, it has become very slow and clunky. Many also hate the way it looks. However, the thought of moving elsewhere may seem unbearable. Too much work went into your Flickr stream, and it will take FOREVER to upload all those pictures to a new site...RIGHT? Actually, NO! Here are some things to consider!

Ipernity is Much Faster!
If you can't get around Flickr like you used to because your internet connection isn't great, you are going to LOVE ipernity! When I first joined Flickr a couple of years ago, it was quite fast, and that's how fast ipernity is! About a year ago Flickr changed the size of the main pictures and things slowed down, but it wasn't very noticeable. With the big change in May, Flickr is so slow that it takes whole minutes for me to visit a person's stream. That's not reasonable, especially if you enjoy visiting many friends like I do!

Ipernity has the Clean Look of "Old" Flickr.
If you don't like the way "New" Flickr looks, you'll be delighted with ipernity. It has a very comfortable appearance and it's very easy on the eyes! It can also be customized to have the layout that suits you! Change the order of items on your main page, add or remove them, whatever looks best to you. Isn't it nice to have options?!

"It will take too long to upload all my pictures!"
No it won't! :D ipernity has a plug-in script which will allow you to transfer batches of pictures, 90 at a time, with one click of a mouse button! You can also choose specific pictures to transfer if you don't want to transfer all of them. Import your Flickr photos

"I will have to recreate all of my sets...that would take way too long!"
No, it won't! :D Ipernity also has a plug-in script that will transfer all of your albums over too, and it works great! Import your Flickr sets

"I won't have any contacts and I won't have any friends!"
You'll be surprised how fast it is to make new friends and generate contacts! Within a week I'd met a bunch of very cool and talented new friends, and had bunches of contacts. After a couple of months I have so many friends, it's just like my experience on Flickr! And contacts? Countless and growing!

"What about all the comments and favorites I'm used to? This is really important to me!!!"
Just like Flickr, you'll need to get out there and make yourself known! When I decided to make a concentrated effort on ipernity, I chose to recreate my old commenting experience on Flickr. I spent an hour every day replying to all comments left on my new pictures by visiting each person's stream and making thoughtful, meaningful comments in return. Then I would go to my contact list and comment on pictures I liked until my hour was up. As I expected, this worked like a charm. The very first day my comments and favorite shot up, and it has steadily increased to the point that I now have the same or more views, comments and favorites as I used to when Flickr was at its fastest. (100-200+ views/40-90+ comments/many favs) (And my additional pictures get tons of views, favorites and comments too!)

"I'm used to getting my pictures Explored...will I have a chance to shine on ipernity?"
That was something I wondered about too. After 3 weeks at ipernity and about a week after I began working hard to build my friendships and contacts, I got my first ipernity Explore. I have gotten an Explore almost every single day since then!! Ipernity's Explore section has 5 pages, each containing 27 pictures. Most of my pictures make it to page 2 and sometimes page 1! Like Flickr, Explored pictures change position with activity, so if your picture gets Explored, you can watch it advance up the ranks through the day. If you add a new picture to your stream, your Explored picture will either fall off completely or drop quickly to lower ranks. If you want to get Explored, be a good neighbor! Reply to comments left on your pictures consistently and visit new people, leaving thoughtful comments and favorites. If you make an effort, you'll be rewarded with Explored pictures of your own! :)

"What about groups? I can't live without them!"
It's true that the number of groups are fewer in number with less members and smaller pools, but you will come to find that "less is more" on ipernity. The active groups are wonderful, and you'll discover that it doesn't take many active people to make a group really fun! In fact, your contributions will actually be noticed instead of being instantly swallowed up in a raging river of pictures, swept out of sight and out of mind. If you become active in a group by commenting and taking part in discussions, the unique community aspect of ipernity will come into play immediately! Group participation on ipernity is so rewarding! Keep in mind too, that groups are swelling quickly since the flood of refuges began arriving in late May. (However, if you are an "award junkie" there are very few groups at ipernity that support this.)

"Ipernity is European...I don't know any other language than English."
Did you know that ipernity has a built-in translation feature?!! Whenever you see a comment or article in a language that isn't yours, you can click on the "Translate" rollover link below the comment (if it's an article, you'll be asked if you would like it to be translated). In other words, foreign languages are a non-issue! (Naturally the translation isn't always perfect but it's usually good enough to get a reasonable understanding.)

"Automatic translation is cool, but does ipernity have anything else that Flickr doesn't have?"
YES! There are two things that I love!
1) Inset images in notes on your picture! For an example, take a look at this picture, "Beautiful Cream & Lime Echinasia" With this feature, you can also show examples to explain a picture in more detail. Here's another example, showing the emergence of a monarch butterfly! This is a cool way to give a more interactive experience in other instances too. I have a friend who takes pictures of beautiful churches and he shows a picture from the outside with an inset picture showing the inside! It's a very powerful feature and works much better than the solution for Flickr, which is adding pictures to comments. (If you're interested in learning how to do this, here's my step-by-step article: How to Insert an Image Into Your Notes)
2) Blogging feature. Ipernity has an outstanding built-in blog which is very easy to use and works hand-in-hand with your photography. Have you ever wanted to spend some time writing about a trip and using pictures to dress it up? Or have you ever just wanted to write a story or talk about something important to you? With ipernity's blog feature, you will already have an audience who will see your new articles whenever they come to visit your stream! (You can see a complete list of my articles here: Janet Brien's Articles on ipernity)

"Do I have to pay money to have an account?"
No, just like Flickr, you can have a free account, but you won't have access to all the features (such as inset notes, etc.) If you like the idea of transferring your pictures and giving ipernity a serious trial to see if you can make a happy home there, get a free account and try it out for a month or two! Remember, if you want to get a lot of views and comments, you'll need to generate that interest. It takes time but not as much as I thought it would! :) (For more information on different subscriptions, visit this page: ipernity club memberships

"I want to get started, but I want some help...where do I go?"
Well, as it happens, I wrote an article on ipernity just yesterday, with the hopes that some of my friends on Flickr would like to join me! Here it is: Helpful Guide for Refugees From Flickr

I hope to see you there!!! *big hugs to all of my pod sisters and cyber brothers* I love you all! Keep up the AWESOME!!!