Thursday, May 26, 2011

But I’m not a spammer? …Am I?

I’ve had a couple of hassles from the algorithmic gatekeepers on flickr this month.

  1. Confused smileThe first is probably more a Yahoo issue, Earlier this month I was presenting a free session at the local library on using flickr for seniors. The on-line examples didn’t go so well, it barely went at all, just getting adequate Wi-Fi access proved difficult, presumable because of the bandwidth demands (of all the pictures). However the real let down was in the Join Up. Apparently Yahoo have a new feature that stops multiple log in and account set up from one ISP (ie one library) along with a few other issues. So only a couple of lucky participant could create an account at all. Further the new gmail sign up doesn’t seem to work at all from iPhones? All a bit frustrating when you are making a presentation of how nice and easy to use flickr is.
  2. imageCrying faceThe second is slightly more distressing for me. You see it now appears I am suspected of being a spammer, and not allow to use my Flickr Mail. I really hope I am not a spammer! All I wanted to do was invite participants in the VIC/TAS comp thread within the Australian Photographers group on flickr to an exhibition of photographs by three of The VIC/TAS contributors, including me. I started to email them one by one over a considerable space of time. Alas when I had got to 40 plus I got the message above and I have remained on  flickr mail lock out for nearly three days. So if you are a VIC/TAS contributor and haven’t got an invite sorry, but  look here.

 

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Perhaps all these procedures and automatic filters are seen as generally desirable, to block out the unsocial behaviour of many but there is a danger that these same things will stop the true social behaviour of the few. As Elli Pariser noted in a recent TED talk  we must be careful  “The FiIlter Bubble” doesn’t narrow our on-line world to a net of one.

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