Task 1d.

I aim to do Task 1c this weekend but while I am waiting I thought I would look into Task 1d.

It states to post a set of images to Flickr or another image bank. Now I use instagram regularly, to post and browse, so I thought I would take this opportunity to start a Flickr account as it is one of the image and video hosting websites I don't actually use.

My Flickr Photostream

Shortly after sign up, it became apparant, this type of image sharing wasn't for me. Firstly, when I went to import contacts from facebook/gmail, I had barely any people come up. I remember when I joined instagram, hundreds came up and I questioned how I was so late to the game, but with this, it doesn't seem popular with people I know.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of having a place to store images, however I already have my facebook page, I regularly use dropbox if needing to send a large amount of pics, large files or videos, and my phone is a Samsung so I have it synced with my gmail account so everything is there.

I started looking into other websites for image and video storing. Lots of similar concepts came up, photobucket, tinypic imageshack so then I started delving further into the likes of Tumblr and Pinterest. These websites allow you to browse and find pictures and find all sorts of things you love.

If i'm honest, the concept baffles me slightly. I do, however, know people who use pinterest for things like wedding ideas. So, they have a folder full of things they have seen that they like, so when planning their wedding they can have all this inspiration on the website. I know "travellers" who have a pinterest folder full of places to see and experience. I also know teachers who use it.
I tried pinterest some time ago and after one day, never used it again but constantly see people on my facebook "pinning", so I must be a minority who didn't get into it.

Tumblr is a website I love the idea of. It is fundimentally a blogging website. I personally have never kept a blog (until now obviously), however I do find it interesting reading other peoples.
Some specialised in perhaps Fashion, Dance, Travel, wheras others are a daily/weekly/monthly blog of daily life. (Example: http://missyelz.blogspot.co.uk/)

Then from blogs, comes vlogs. Vlogs are basically, the "video blog". Documenting your life in to a camera. As i've mentioned in a previous post, I am an avid youtuber. I don't post videos but I subscribe and regularly watch certain channels.

A personal favourite vlog channel is PsychoSoprano (Example of one vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRtOuS5WoKg&list=PLDB04sOi3jP7VInkNL7JP4ihgjlq1HAXf)

I love the idea of vlogging and if my life was fascinating enough, I really would take it up!

I have recently, over the last few months, started using the app Vine. It may be the funniest app in the world! I daily watch 7 second clips of people making comedic or music/dance videos. (https://vine.co/rydoon) 
Interestingly enough, viners have started creating youtube videos and a lot of them are now making a living from their vlogging/comedy videos. People like Ry Doon, (see link above) or Arron Crascall have also expanded there vlogs using the app Snapchat.

If you don't know about Snapchat, it is an app for any smart phone where you can take a video or picture and send it to someone else using Snapchat. The video will show up, or the picture will show up between 1-10 seconds depending what you save it as, but after those seconds, it will dissapear, never to be seen again!
I don't fully understand what the point of the app is, however it can be amusing to send funny pictures or videos on without the other person being able to save it.
Within Snapchat there is the ability to save your snaps to "Your Story". Basically, this is where you can save videos or pictures on your story and they will show up to your contacts for 24 hours, then dissapear. This is how Viners/Youtubers have been reaching out to people. They provide their Snapchat name to their viewers, then leave pictures, or videos promoting vines or maybe leaving clues to their next video.

This leads me on to something else. Earlier in the year, Zach Braff (known from TV series Scrubs or films such as The Vow or Garden State) funded a film using Kickstarter. "Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects". Kickstarter has been around for some time, however when this celebrity used it, some praised him, some critisized, but most importantly he funded a film which grossed millions at the box office.
It's a fantastic way for people to get backing to fund anything from films, to music videos. Arron Crascall who I mentioned above is fairly new to the filming world. He started posting vines, and rapidly had a following of fans due to frankly being hilarious. He is now using kickstarter to fund obtaining filming equipment so he can make a career through filming on youtube/vine etc (Arron Crascall - Kickstarter).


So in conclusion, from a rather long post, I guess the reality is that you can do anything online. Social Media is key in todays world.
I would, on a seperate post like to touch on the importance of safe social media, but for now, I think thats plenty of food for thought, on the incredible resources Web 2.0 has to offer!