In March 2005 Yahoo acquired Flickr, and Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake predicted that Yahoo Photos would be "Flickrized" but would remain distinct.
"Yahoo Photos will get a lot of Flickr features, and there are a lot of other areas around Yahoo that will also be Flickrized where Flickrization would be good," Fake said in a blog post about the acquisition. "Yahoo Photos and Flickr have different kinds of users with different needs, and will remain separate for the foreseeable future."
Yahoo made this decision because visitors rose 22 percent between April 2006 and April 2007, according to measurement service Hitwise. At the same time, Yahoo Photos lost 60 percent of its visitors.
The two photo sites are oriented to difference audiences: Yahoo Photos is a static photo site, where you can share your photos with other internet users, it also includes links where you can buy accessories and prints. But Flickr is a social community where members can easily search for photos and comment on them. This means, that Yahoo can loose lots of users, especially the conservative ones, who don't like changes.
Yahoo Photos has 2 billion images and some of them will be transferred to Flickr. All users without exceptions are allowed to transfer photos, but yahoo's management doesn't think that all pictures will be transferred.
"We are making great strides in our ongoing efforts to align Yahoo's resources and focus on core strategic priorities," said Jeff Weiner, executive VP, Yahoo Network Division, in a statement. "Part of this progress is today's decision to close Yahoo Photos to better serve our valued customers through Flickr. We're excited to build on the phenomenal success of Flickr by focusing on this important service."
By Ruzan Harutyunyan for HULIQ
