SmugMug acquires Flickr from Yahoo, says ‘the future is bright’

Flickr gets snapped up by fellow photo-sharing site SmugMug

By Gannon Burgett April 20, 2018

SmugMug + Flickr

In an exclusive interview with USA Today, it was revealed that Flickr, a photo-sharing site purchased by Yahoo Holdings (Oath Inc.) in 2005, has been bought out by SmugMug.

SmugMug, a family-owned photo-sharing site launched in 2002, says Flickr will remain in its current form and even receive updates down the road as SmugMug plans to dedicate resources into the development of the long-neglected service.

In the exclusive interview with USA Today, SmugMug CEO Don MacAskill said he and his team are “committed to breathing new life into the faded social networking pioneer, which hosted photos and lively interactions long before it became trendy.”

MacAskill, who said he’s been a “longtime fan” of Flickr, mentioned he doesn’t have a definitive roadmap for the platform going forward. “I don’t know what the future holds. This is a new model for me,” he told USA Today, adding, “We certainly think we need to operate it with an eye to our cash flow and our profitability. We are going to have to take a detailed look at the business and make sure it’s growing and healthy.”

What exactly this means for the various free and paid tiers Flickr currently offers remains to be seen, but MacAskill emphasized the importance of making sure the future of Flickr remains in the hands of its users and employees in terms of feedback. “We try to listen to our customers and when enough of them ask for something that’s important to them or to the community, we go and build it.”

Despite the pleas to improve Flickr after Marissa Mayer took over as CEO of Yahoo in 2012, little has been done to keep it up to date after the initial redesign of Flickr’s mobile apps and increase in free storage. Even so, hundreds of thousands of photographers have remained loyal, posting regularly and propping up the platform’s rich groups and forums.

Maybe now, the patience and persistence of those users will finally pay off. Maybe Flickr can be revived, if only it’s given the attention it deserves.

We’ve reached out to both SmugMug and Oath Inc. for a statement, and will update this article accordingly when we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Flickr cash shortage leads to plea for more paying members

Topics

Contributor

Deals

It’s time to get creative: Get up to 20% off Autodesk software with this deal

Tech Center at Birmingham, Hermle using autodesk software to design.

This content was produced in partnership with Autodesk.
AutoCAD has long been a staple of design and drafting tool sets, from architects and engineers to construction pros. It allows you to both design and annotate your creations, using 2D geometry and 3D models complete with textures, solids, surfaces, and mesh objects. Why does that matter? It massively helps design new physical objects and spaces in a digital form. But AutoCAD goes way beyond that, as do most of Autodesk's software tools. It can be expensive to sign up for access, especially if you have a small to medium-sized team. With the current Autodesk software deal, you not only have the opportunity to try out the tools for free, but also you can get a significant discount, and lock in your price for three years. Between April 17 and 20, you can get 20% off AutoCAD LT and Revit LT Suit, and 15% off AutoCAD. That discount drops AutoCAD's price down to $1,564 -- if paid annually -- saving you nearly $400 ($391). That's an excellent deal but it won't be available for very long so act soon.

This Autodesk software deal nets you access to the company's latest products, namely AutoCAD which is an incredibly useful design and creativity tool. The most important takeaway is that it helps you complete your professional projects faster by unlocking access to automations and customizations. For example, you can fully customize your workspace with add-on apps and APIs that essentially transform the way you create, manipulate, and work with objects in the toolset. You can make things faster, especially the more you use the tool for your designs.

Business

Find exceptional talent: the best hiring platforms for small businesses

For hire sign used by small businesses on hiring platforms to find top-tier talent.

This content was produced in partnership with ZipRecruiter.
Without the right talent or the right people rather, no business could thrive, big or small. But finding top talent is extremely crucial for small businesses, especially when it comes to remaining competitive in today's market. Smaller operations generally have limited resources, so it's necessary to improve productivity and efficiency wherever possible, which is precisely where securing good talent comes into the picture. But how do you find those people? The answer is via hiring platforms a la ZipRecruiter. They not only bring in the talent but also help you better understand the people, their work histories, and their overall expertise. Moreover, they help streamline the hiring process making it easier to find relevant candidates.

In light of that, here are the seven best hiring platforms for small businesses that can help you secure a competitive edge with top-tier talent:

Deals

Need Help? These Are the Best places to hire people online

ZipRecruiter Job Board Lifestyle Post

This content was produced in partnership with ZipRecruiter.
Hiring the right people is a crucial part of developing your business. The best person for the job will be one that shares your vision, is highly responsible, appropriately skilled, and is an efficient worker. You know what you want from your next employee but what do you do when it comes to finding that person? With many different sources out there for finding the best way to hire employees, we've picked out the best places to hire people online including ways to find employees online fast or for a long-term commitment. There are dozens of sites available but it's important to pick the best outlet for the task, so you can spend less time on your recruitment drive and more time interviewing the best candidates for the job. Take a look below at the best places to hire people online.
ZipRecruiter

One of the most reliable names in the job posting world, ZipRecruiter is a great way of finding staff and quickly. It aims to make the hiring process as smooth as possible. It works by connecting to more than 100 job boards so the moment you create a job listing for your firm, ZipRecruiter posts it across the huge network so you're casting the net as wide as possible without having to manually create job listings at numerous sources.