This article was first written when ipernity management announced the imminent closure of the site, from about the end of January 2017. Things have moved on and, at last (!!! :)) , the site has passed fully to the Ipernity Members' Association.
As this is my preferred site for friendly contact with other photographic enthusiasts, might I suggest to those of you who have been thinking of leaving, that you stay around and help make the site all the great things it could be. I've just logged on after some days offline, found the good news, and am delighted to say that my "Club" membership has now been renewed.
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Re 23HQ also... the "team " there are friendly.. but have done nothing coding with ir anything else wise much since 2006.... that tell me LOTS. I also realised the total lack odf security and removed my one try out pic.
SmugMug gives 14 day free trial.... then basic is $60 a year.... it has no groups.. but has a good reputation if you just want to share photos with folk.
Frankly the choices are then limited.
I am now fumbling around flickr... decided that cutting my nose off to spite my face wasnt really very adult. Its hard having to start all over again... I cant face uploading all my pics... but we shall live through it.
As to Ipernity.. well I dont mind saying.... I could have respected them having the guts to say they wanted out of it.. but to gee us up.. and do nothing with the suggestions(and that appears to be because they didnt give a stuff to go on) well that is disrespect to US.
Breathe...... whats done is done.... all will be well.
You confirm other reports about 23hq, so that really seems to be a no-go.
Competitive sites like 500px are not what I'm looking for- I know many who were enthusiastic at first but very disillusioned later on.
I never wanted to go to Flickr but right now it seems the only option. At least we can keep in touch there and if someone finds a better site or Verizon decides it doesn't need Flickr, we can/ must move again.
For me a group function with discussions is an essential feature, also essential is that group members can be approved by the group admin and that discussions can be members only.
One thing ... flickr has changed after a raft of issues when so many moved
here to Ipernity ... and so when you return ... you see yet another change of
layout ... this is BETA ... (not better) and you can actually CHANGE the way
you view flickr and your photostream and groups by getting back to the old
layout. It works ... ;-) my advice for what it is worth is click on groups ... they
used to show up in "tiles" which showed the colour and character of the groups,
they still do ... but you have to find them in a different way ... click on one group
and then scroll right down to the bottom of the page and you will see the
words "beta experience" ... it looks like a bit of a tube ;-) ... click on it .. and then it
all changes back to the old view ... but my advice is to bookmark that page so
that each time you go in ... you can click on the bookmark and it saves you
having to keep clicking on change from beta .. complicated sorry .. but when
you take a look you will see what I mean ... it then works when you go to
your photostream ... the old sort of layout ... ;-) ... it does work honest ..
but only by bookmarking in your browser section ... phew have I explained
it clearly enough ... sorry .. it is early for me ;-)
see ya
Thanks for all the above info. I like you looked around at possible new photosharing sites and between the their pluses and minuses I have decided not to start all over again with a new home.
By the way I came across one site a friend of mine has migratied to It's called blipfoto and like ipernity appears to be in the same financial problems as stathttps://www.blipfoto.com/blipcentral/latested in their blog.
www.blipfoto.com/blipcentral/latest
So Reluctantly I have decided that I will return to Flickr. Like you I let my pro account go. So that the first thing I will do when I return is go for a pro account.
What really saddens me is leaving my IP Friends who may not join Flickr. This is that is a repeated feeling of sadness I felt when I left Flickr. So now I am returning to my friends I made in flickr. Which is the only bonus I feel on returning to flickr
It was typically very considerate of you to share your research with your Ip contacts. I thank you for the very well written findings which I found very interesting and most useful.
For me there is currently no ideal home for my photos and I too really dislike Flickr, but your words have convinced me it is the best of our very poor options. Fortunately I kept my account there in a dormant state and the majority of my contacts are congregating there in the Ipernity Survivors group, in no small part thanks to Lutz's initiative.
If only Eric Idle could have told us where the bright side of life is ;-)
Stay healthy
Neil H
Just had this useful article brought to my attention by the lovely Pam and thought I'd contribute what I can.
So, a recap first on where I'm at with regards the options out there and a list of the Groups on them for Ipernity Refugees looking to test alternative sites and use as a 'muster' point:
FOTOBLUR:
www.fotoblur.com/groups/ipernity
500px:
www.500px.com/groups/ipernity-refugees/members
23HQ:
www.23hq.com/photogroup/26550772
Please note I've simply opened these so I can have a look myself at the options out there, see how they work and perhaps help provide somewhere for people to share their thoughts and decide if that particular site is going to work for them.
I'm not an expert in how to use any of them and won't be getting involved to any extent at this stage in any conversations or be able to offer advice on how each site works. I'm merely providing a stopping off point which I hope some at least might find useful.
With regards the comments you have made above specifically there only a couple of things I'd add.
With regards 23 you're right about the right click and save risks. However, you can through your account settings make changes that prevent people from being able to download the file at its largest, but this creates another problem. Visitors can now not see the file in its original size, but instead only as a small file. And they can still right click and save this smaller file.
Check out my own account on 23 and look at the train photo if you're unsure what this means in practice. It's perhaps worth pointing out that like you I've all but ruled 23 out as a possible new home, but nearly 100 ipernity users have joined my group on there to explore what the site has to offer.
With regards 500px, you can set up groups that people can join, add photos too and create discussion threads on. Just follow the link I've provided above. The problem I still have though with these groups is that there appears to be no way you can control who joins or which images they post to any group you create.
Sorry to ramble on ... just hope at least some of what I've added is of interest or helps other users in their efforts to find a new home.
Best wishes
PAUL
Tried (and trying) a couple of sites you mentioned.
500px: not a community, I had only response immediately after uploading a picture, after that almost nothing; groups didn't work at all
23HQ: not safe, not very user friendly, for now on hold
blipfoto: beside the financial problems it looks if it just possible to upload one picture for each day of the year witha focus on a story about that picture. Think I will use it vor 'daily life' shots.
Facebook: a NO GO area for me
Flickr: although I hat the site, think I will return - at least for the time being; found already quite a lot of contacts/friends
Hope to see you and your pictures somewhere.
ps: there is a new posting on Ipernity, which gives a LITTLE bit of hope
A very thoughtful article from you.
I have looked at 500px and 23hq.
500px may be great if you are looking to sell your work but, as others have said, it lacks any sense of community.
23hq is much more like Ipernity in many respects. However, as you point out, the ability to copy images is a big no no. It is also very small at the moment and that raises the question as to whether it could cope with a large influx of members despite their assurances (Well, they wouldn't express concerns, would they?). I have a free account there and posted one image to test the water. Frankly, I wasn't impressed. If you're not concerned about your images being copied it may be the site for your but I don't think I will be continuing.
I still have a non-pro account at Flickr having left it for Ipernity in 2013. I hadn't posted anything since leaving but recently posted a couple. I still detest certain aspects of it particularly the insistence of most groups to comment on a set number of images and the use of the icons in lieu of comments. However, I have found that most of my friends are on Flickr and I suspect that more will end up there when (if) Ipernity closes.
To sum up (at last!) which site to choose is a personal decision. For myself the most important factor is to keep as many friends as possible. To that end, we should keep each other informed of our final decision in order to allow as much choice as possible for others.
Thanks again for your article.
Thanks for your thoughts.
I have always been active on Flickr as involved in some great groups there like 52 weeks of 2016 and 116 pictures in 2016. I also have many photos there, so Flickr is my natural alternative to ipernity.
I have tried 500px in the past but found the navigation and organisation a bit cumbersome.
While Flickr has had its problems the database set up has always been good for organising your photos into multiple albums, searching, etc.
Someone recently commended google photos. I do have photos on google but haven't used it much, might be worth investigating.
Hope to see you around in the future :-)
Having been on a site that has been facing closure and saved 3 times so far in the past 5 years.... I can say I and users of that site (its a dog/cat site) have tried EVERYTHING and its not going to do what you hope for.
The master plan one of webreaper is the Internet Wayback machine.. that has been archiving the Internet since its beginnings.
Webreaper will save some stuff... but not how you are hoping for.
The only way to do that for now.... is what Ipernity did to get stuff over from flickr. It would require a scripted code to be done.. and for instance.. for flickr... probably from the flickr end.
There just is nothing out there right now... not unless you are a programmer writing a particular thing to do it.
Now Ipernity - well the team seem determined to let it go, and so far no-one seems interested in investment. Hardly surprising really, as the membership is not large, and already folks are abandoning a sinking ship. It is such a pity because it's a good site for those of us who enjoy photography for its own sake.
Flickr for me is a no go. It really is too big, and I cannot seem to get into it properly, partly my own fault as i am too impatient to follow the commands.
23HQ looks to be very amateurish, and so that's a no go.
500px has some wonderful photos there, and some not so good too. However, I feel as if I am punching above my weight there, and would need to invest in more sophisticated equipment - camera, filter systems, tripod etc. which would spoil a good walk in my opinion. It is certainly not a social gathering either; but I don't mind that on the whole.
Maybe the only thing left is for me to keep taking photos with the equipment I have, and spend my dotage looking at them all and remembering the wonderful times I have had. ;-)
Like you, I try to be hopeful, but it's disappointingly hard.
I plan to continue with flickr and made a point of looking at a couple of the groups begun by ipernity people, but even one of those is into "rewards" etc, when what I want to do is to maintain contact and enjoy your beautiful images.
I have indicated I would be willing to contribute to a Membership-run group, but know what I can contribute would not be a realistic amount for the job.
Regards
Judith
tiabunna club has replied to just"jj"It really is a disappointing and frustrating situation. I see little to indicate that the ipernity management have made serious efforts to operate the site commercially, so the current situation has been on the books since they announced problems a year ago. The "membership co-op" approach seems the only (slight) chance - and yes, limits to cost do come into consideration. None of the alternatives though, offers much in the way of the "community feeling" operating here.
Cheers
George
"I expect info either Friday or Saturday (at the latest) re: Survey results".
tiabunna club has replied to autofantasia clubHowever, this does mean that there will be a lot of people looking for a new home for their photos so perhaps this will present an opportunity for those of us who are trying to save ipernity to exploit?
Here's the full announcement as posted on Facebook:
Fotoblur To Close ...
Thanks to Roger Dodger for initially drawing this to my attention! :)
tiabunna club has replied to autofantasia clubGood morning/afternoon,
We are still in discussions with Ipernity S.A. re: the future of this site and its transfer. Negotiations are ongoing to protect the best interests of the members. At the same time we are investigating crowdfunding options so we can take the next step when negotiations are concluded.
www.ipernity.com/blog/team/4652240
tiabunna club has replied to autofantasia clubI remain confident and optimistic there will be a successful restructuring of the Ipernity platform. Because of this, I remain active commenting, moderating in groups requiring this activity and recently posted an article that took time and research, not to mention getting some of my photos I took over the last 10 years and putting them together to present in the article. I would not put in this time and effort if I thought the platform would shut down and everything would be lost.
It is my strong belief that the new Ipernity will be a vibrant and viable platform with a bright, long-term stable future with a loyal membership base ensuring a stronger and more viable platform.
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