'Flickr' is in an online photo class by itself

Photosets also have the option of being viewed in a Slide Show format, which deserves its own share of praise for interface controls that disappear into the top of the frame until called for, and thumbnails that do the same at the bottom. For those inclined towards collaboration, "Group Pools" can be created, where multiple members' photos of a shared interest (for example, that Milli Vanilli Tribute Concert that everyone went to) can be gathered into a single set. And if you'd rather avoid having to send emails to your friends every time you add a few images, Flickr allows RSS feeds to each Photostream so your "devoted" fans can get automatic notification of any changes.

On the technical end, Flickr provides three methods for uploading images - email, webpage, and a proprietary application (Mac and PC) which can be installed into your computer. (The email option also allows subscribers to upload images directly from their cameraphones.) As for downloading, if you're concerned about misappropriation of your images, there is the option of restricting download permissions for your collection, in a range that stretches from "Only Me" to "Anyone." Viewing access to individual images can also be controlled - from the general public to designated groups of friends and family.

And, if you don't want -at least for the moment- to create your own account, but would like to poke around the site a little, Flickr can still provide some spectator-only entertainments.

From the homepage, visitors can choose from links embedded in a timely quotation (currently, "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower") which lead to a few introductory tags. Having then loaded the Autumn images, for example, one can view the selected images, follow links off into related Tags, or click on Recent Photos for access to the site's latest additions and the 150 most popular Tag words.

Additionally, the keyword search allows you to pick any designation you like - how many shots are there of your home town? Are you a fan of sunsets? Architecture? Cookies? Having found a Tag of interest, that subject can also be added to your RSS feeds (so you'll immediately know if any new Elvis images have been posted).

At this point, articles of this kind frequently insert the phrase, "and this is only scratching the surface." Well, as a indication of just how extensive this -let's not forget- beta application's capabilities are, I'll simply point out that the FAQ page is over 9500 words in length. (There are also such additional aids as Flash videos demonstrating how to use "Organizr," an application that allows members to browse or search their collections, add Tags, adjust privacy settings, or create Photosets and Group Pools.)

Having personally used Photoshop for almost 10 years now, I've made peace with the fact that I will never be able to know all its capabilities. Flickr doesn't approach that level of complexity, but it's a safe bet that like Photoshop, most users will never even come close to using all of this application's potential.

But you can have a lot of fun trying.

Flickr can be found at http://www.flickr.com/.

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