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06/21/2006 09:32:14 PM · #1 |
Another feather in Google's cap?
We dont know yet but they've just launched the Picasa web albums. Seems like a typical google solution. I am yet to try it out as one needs an invite. I got the Google Analytics invite wihin 2 days and I found that a very effective tool. Hopefully this should give Flickr some tough competition.
It provides for 250MB as the free version and 6GB for $25 a year which to me looks to be fantastic. Yet to see if they have any restrictions on that.
A Google fan. |
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06/22/2006 04:38:56 AM · #2 |
I'm a big Google USER, maybe not a fan. I LOVE their software, but not all of their corporate policies. I think we users give up a lot of our privacy potential by allowing Google to be a huge repository of everything we do online. Currently, all my email is stored on Google servers by Gmail. Google Local probably has records of every map search I've done, so it's totally possible that a court subpoena could find out a lot of things about me that I don't think are any of their business. Google has won in court recently, but there's no guarantee that they always will. Also remember that every blog on //www.blogger.com is stored and "controlled" by Google.
In Google we trust.
I like Web Albums, too :) I also like Picasa.
Remember, though, that all this is done to sell advertising. Google is a business, not a big commune.
EDIT - I've actually gotten my invite and used Web Albums. Very friendly, very easy, but not exactly an online portfolio. //picasaweb.google.com/nards656
Message edited by author 2006-06-22 08:41:32. |
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06/22/2006 04:42:39 AM · #3 |
| I read a big technical write up about and it's supposed to be totally awesome. You can sign up for beta testing if you have a gmail account though (which I don't). If I can find the registration site again, I'll post the address. |
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06/22/2006 04:45:42 AM · #4 |
I've got one - very impressed so far :)
//picasaweb.google.com/darren.coleman
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06/22/2006 05:04:35 AM · #5 |
It uses "Ajax" to enable a user to click and drag a photo within it's "spot" which is a hi-tech solution to a non-exsistent problem. Also it makes the images all "progressive" .jpegs which is problematic as some browsers won't display them properly as well as some other software. I'm surprised at google for this one because they are usually all about web standards. Progressive .jpegs are a big web design standard No-No.
I'm wondering where the adverts are going to go? You know they will come! |
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06/22/2006 05:13:50 AM · #6 |
I've been interested in this too and have signed up for the beta, no response yet though. The only thing is that I've been shown that if you post to Picasa on Google, they get royalty free rights to use your photos whenever they want. Any thoughts on this?
And kdsprog, if you want a gmail invite PM me, I have tons of them.
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06/22/2006 05:19:31 AM · #7 |
| Question: is hot-linking of images allowed from the Web Albums, such as for embedding images in forum posts, etc? |
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06/22/2006 07:57:33 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by SamDoe1:
I've been interested in this too and have signed up for the beta, no response yet though. The only thing is that I've been shown that if you post to Picasa on Google, they get royalty free rights to use your photos whenever they want. Any thoughts on this?
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I think that's gotta be wrong. If they're sneaking THAT in, they need to be sued. Big. Class action.
EDIT...
The license is not "whenever they want". It covers only distribution on thw Web Albums service.... Please read it in TOS...
They are only taking the right to make the content available on the web through the Web Albums service to whoever visits the page.
Your Rights
Google claims no ownership or control over any Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through Picasa Web Albums. You or a third party licensor, as appropriate, retain all patent, trademark and copyright to any Content you submit, post or display on or through Picasa Web Albums and you are responsible for protecting those rights, as appropriate. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Picasa Web Albums, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content through Picasa Web Albums, including RSS or other content feeds offered through Picasa Web Albums, and other Google services. In addition, by submitting, posting or displaying Content which is intended to be available to the general public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services. Google will discontinue this licensed use within a commercially reasonable period after such Content is removed from Picasa Web Albums. Google reserves the right to refuse to accept, post, display or transmit any Content in its sole discretion.
Message edited by author 2006-06-22 12:02:32. |
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06/22/2006 08:03:36 AM · #9 |
This is hotlinked... Does it work?
Looks like it does. Dunno if they'll leave it that way.
Okay, so it did at first... but no more???
Message edited by author 2006-06-22 12:35:50. |
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06/22/2006 08:06:13 AM · #10 |
i got mine on tuesday and set up a few photos to test it out...
so far, i really like it...
//picasaweb.google.com/shaneblake
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06/22/2006 08:07:46 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by Terms of Service:
you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services. |
That's the part that bothers me. I don't want Google using my photos (however bad they may be) to promote their services without some sort of payment for it. With that line, you basically give them the right to pull any of your images and put them in whatever they want to promote Google services right?
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06/22/2006 08:42:39 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by SamDoe1:
Originally posted by Terms of Service:
you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services. |
That's the part that bothers me. I don't want Google using my photos (however bad they may be) to promote their services without some sort of payment for it. With that line, you basically give them the right to pull any of your images and put them in whatever they want to promote Google services right? |
I believe you are correct. High level stock agencies might not like you if your stuff has been "published" by Google, anyway.
It's a hard line to draw. |
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06/22/2006 08:47:35 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by nards656:
I believe you are correct. High level stock agencies might not like you if your stuff has been "published" by Google, anyway.
It's a hard line to draw. |
It's not only stock agencies that wouldn't like it, but I wouldn't either. With the amount of publicity a company like Google gets, they could use any one of my (or anyone else's) photos for free without shelling out a dime. This is a HUGE savings for them as I'm sure their site gets millions if not billions of hits each day. If they launch an online marketing campaign to promote say...GMail, they have access to thousands of images for free that would otherwise cost them thousands to get a license for. I don't know about you guys, but I think I'll stay out of this one and just host my images here on DPC or on my personal site. :)
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06/22/2006 08:51:40 AM · #14 |
| For me this would be good for all the family functions I take pictures at. It seems most of my family, even ones I only see once a year, think I should shell out for prints for them. This way, they can have access to all of them and print what they like for themselves. I know you can do that on other places, like Shutterfly and whatnot, but since I use Picasa to organize alot of family stuff this would simplify things for me. It would not involve multiple uploads at different sites for different relatives. |
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06/22/2006 08:54:50 AM · #15 |
Let's not foget they are giving you the software for free.
The majority of the TOS is just covering their butts - but they did include in their that yes, you are basically agreeing to barter your images for their software (and they are limited to use it for their own advertising). However if you simply remove the photos you are also removing their right to use it.
Of course it's world wide - they are a web site available to the world (except maybe parts of China).
I don't think this is a big brother conspiracy and the vast majority of people won't even be affected by it. |
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06/22/2006 09:03:55 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by Megatherian:
I don't think this is a big brother conspiracy and the vast majority of people won't even be affected by it. |
You are right in saying that most people won't be affected by it. Most people will just use it to post snapshots and family photos like kdsprog is going to do. And I would highly doubt that Google would want to buy any of my images. But in the end, you never know what could happen. I already pay $25 a year to host my images on this site and get much more storage than I can use, but that's just my personal use. I'm sure many pro photographers would use gigabytes of webstorage to post their images, but they also would never post full size originals or processed images either. So in the end, however unlikely, I would be kicking myself if I saw one of my images in one of Google's promotions. This is just my opinion on things, but I will stick to paying the $25 to host my images here as well as enter challenges.
Oh and by the way, I'm not anti-Google at all. I love Google and everything they do and if it weren't for that one little clause in their terms of service, I would be all for using this.
Message edited by author 2006-06-22 13:05:38.
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06/22/2006 09:11:21 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by nards656:
Originally posted by SamDoe1:
I've been interested in this too and have signed up for the beta, no response yet though. The only thing is that I've been shown that if you post to Picasa on Google, they get royalty free rights to use your photos whenever they want. Any thoughts on this?
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I think that's gotta be wrong. If they're sneaking THAT in, they need to be sued. Big. Class action.
EDIT...
The license is not "whenever they want". It covers only distribution on thw Web Albums service.... Please read it in TOS...
They are only taking the right to make the content available on the web through the Web Albums service to whoever visits the page.
Your Rights
Google claims no ownership or control over any Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through Picasa Web Albums. You or a third party licensor, as appropriate, retain all patent, trademark and copyright to any Content you submit, post or display on or through Picasa Web Albums and you are responsible for protecting those rights, as appropriate. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Picasa Web Albums, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content through Picasa Web Albums, including RSS or other content feeds offered through Picasa Web Albums, and other Google services. In addition, by submitting, posting or displaying Content which is intended to be available to the general public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services. Google will discontinue this licensed use within a commercially reasonable period after such Content is removed from Picasa Web Albums. Google reserves the right to refuse to accept, post, display or transmit any Content in its sole discretion. |
I'm not sure that sounds all that different than...
Originally posted by DPC TOS:
6.2 You hereby grant DPChallenge.com a nonexclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any rights you have in the Member Information and Media, and otherwise to make use of the Member Information and Media (including publishing, disseminating, broadcasting, manipulating, reproducing, editing, translating, performing, modifying, or displaying any part of the Member Information) and/or Media alone or as part of other work in any form, media, or technology whether now new known or hereafter developed, to enable DPChallenge.com to continue the specific operation or marketing of the site. This includes, but is certainly not limited to email "newsletters." |
Does it? |
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06/22/2006 09:20:15 AM · #18 |
Originally posted by mk:
Originally posted by DPC TOS:
6.2 You hereby grant DPChallenge.com a nonexclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any rights you have in the Member Information and Media, and otherwise to make use of the Member Information and Media (including publishing, disseminating, broadcasting, manipulating, reproducing, editing, translating, performing, modifying, or displaying any part of the Member Information) and/or Media alone or as part of other work in any form, media, or technology whether now new known or hereafter developed, to enable DPChallenge.com to continue the specific operation or marketing of the site. This includes, but is certainly not limited to email "newsletters." |
Does it? |
In a way, no, it doesn't. But DPC isn't a multi-billion dollar corporation. DPC also won't use your images to promote itself, outside of newsletters, they only display the images you post in challenges on the home page, right?
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06/22/2006 09:22:41 AM · #19 |
Originally posted by SamDoe1:
In a way, no, it doesn't. But DPC isn't a multi-billion dollar corporation. DPC also won't use your images to promote itself, outside of newsletters, they only display the images you post in challenges on the home page, right? |
Who can know for sure? I hear Langdon sleeps in piles of cash.
Message edited by author 2006-06-22 13:22:52. |
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07/13/2006 08:38:07 PM · #20 |
Had one for about 2 weeks now. I have pretty much filled up my 250mb. I have no plans to upgrade. Can't say I am particularly impressed tho I have no doubt that Google will continue to improve on this. But right now they have a long way to go to be on par with the likes of Flickr, Pbase or Smugmug.
Here is my gallery if you care to look:
//picasaweb.google.com/bobt54 |
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07/13/2006 10:18:23 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by bobt54:
Had one for about 2 weeks now. I have pretty much filled up my 250mb. I have no plans to upgrade. Can't say I am particularly impressed tho I have no doubt that Google will continue to improve on this. But right now they have a long way to go to be on par with the likes of Flickr, Pbase or Smugmug.
Here is my gallery if you care to look:
//picasaweb.google.com/bobt54 |
Just a test, I hit download on one of your photos and it downloaded me the full size (1 mb) JPG photo.
I suggest that ya'll only upload low quality 72 dpi 800 pixel size or so, it appears that whatever you send them can be downloaded at full quality.
Message edited by author 2006-07-14 10:23:34.
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07/14/2006 06:24:25 AM · #22 |
| Warning bump ... not to UP highest quality unless you want them stolen |
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