Ruth Ann S. Basnillo

SYSANAL

O0A

             Caterina Fake

Cofounder, Flickr

            The cofounders of Flickr were Caterina Fake, Stewart Butterfield, and Jason Classon. Before working on this photo-sharing community site, they were actually into massively multiplayer online game called Game Neverending. This was their first product for their company- Ludicorp.

            Initially, Flickr was just a feature to a side project they built while waiting for the back-end development of Game Neverending to catch up. This project was actually a sort of instant messenger application with the ability to share photographs. They got positive responses from it most especially when they already added the ability to create something new. And as soon as Flickr started taking off, they tried to work on Flickr and Game Neverending at the same time but failed to do so since they were just six in the group, so they put the latter on hold in July of 2004 and stopped its development.

            The first problem they encountered with Flickr was the critical mass problem because the sharing feature wasn’t valuable to people unless friends were already on it. Moreover, it was just a feature and so it didn’t end up being a compelling product. But as soon as they decided to add the ability to put photographs available on a web page, they eventually got traction.

            Flickr was something entirely new since its cofounders were into creating something. Actually, they didn’t do any researches and that enabled them to innovate and tie a very specific and very connective activity like photo sharing leading to the development of a new photo-sharing community site.

            At the time Flickr was developed, social networking services were already happening. And since Flickr also offers social networking service which is the photo sharing activity, people used it. I think the thing that people wanted was a social networking service that offers activities that would be of interest and Flickr’s service qualified to that with its online photo sharing activity.

            Because of Flickr’s emphasis on user generated content and devoted online community, it became one of the most commonly sited examples of Web 2.0 companies. I think blogging startups and social networking services startups like Friendster, Myspace and the Tribes influenced it in a way that those got people used to the idea of putting up photographs online and publicly. One startup, I believe, that Flickr kind of influenced was Ofoto because the latter did some of the pieces of what Flickr did.

            Flickr was unique in a way that they offer photo sharing services and had the idea of publicness of the photo. The services they offered was I think not already offered before by other startups because it was said in this article that photo sharing activity wasn’t seen as a valuable enough activity that people would pay for. Aside from that, the idea of publicness hadn’t been also there when startups like Ofoto and Shutterfly were being built.

            Based from what I’ve read, Flickr was not a proposed system.

            If I were in the cofounder’s shoes, I would have combined the idea of photo sharing and photo finishing services mixed with photo editing. It’s because it would not be disagreed upon that people are into personalized stuffs. And if Flickr was already under this idea of photo sharing, then it would be advantageous if they come up also with a photo finishing service where people would buy prints with the photos shared to them by their friends. It would have been a very good business. But then, I would also do what they have done which is when they chose Flickr than Game Neverending because I believe that not all of the games online would not always turn out to be never ending. People tend to change addictions from one thing to another and easily loose interest with the game they have had addicted upon most especially when there’s something new.

            I think Flickr would have not been possible in a Third World country because particular resources are lacking in this area. The peculiar characteristic that allowed it to flourish where it was conceived was its being technological. During the time, it was said that camera phones were starting to rise. Since the place where the startup was conceived was high-tech and was looking forward to developing more high-tech gadgets, then it would really flourish there successfully. But it should be noted that Flickr’s service would have applications in a Third World country since some Third World countries are already into developing high-tech gadgets just like camera phones. And also, Web is already known in the area too.

10 THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW:

1. After reading the case study, I learned that Flickr’s main service was all about photo sharing. Before I read this case study, I had already joined Flickr and had an account of it but I thought that it’s just like Friendster that’s just for social networking.
2. After reading the case study, I learned that Flickr was just a surprising side project of Ludicorp Company. Before I read this case study, I thought that Flickr was a main product made by certain people that have a very good background in this area.
3. After reading the case study, I learned that Flickr was an innovation and was not researched at all. Before I read this case study, I was thinking that Flickr was created under different researches within this area and was proposed for an existing system.
4. After reading the case study, I learned that Flickr was built within eight weeks only. Before I read this case study, I was thinking that Flickr was done for years just like other startups.
5. After reading the case study, I learned that startups like Ofoto, Shutterfly, and Snapfish offer photo finishing services. Before, I hadn’t heard about these companies but I already knew their offered service because of Multiply that has this kind of service too.
6. After reading the case study, I learned that the road this company went through to make it flourish was pretty smooth unlike other stratups.
7. After reading the case study, I learned that Flickr was cofounded by a female. Before I read this, I was thinking that Flickr was created by a male since they’re usually the ones doing startups and I also thought that no female has done a startup yet.
8. After reading the case study, I learned that the startup Ofoto, which offers photo sharing service, once tried to acquire Flickr. Before reading this, I hadn’t heard of Ofoto and stuffs about acquisitions.
9. After reading the case study, I learned that sexism against women in business still happens today. Before reading this, I though that women were already accepted and treated equal with men.
10. After reading the case study, I learned that the two cofounders of Flickr were actually couples. Before reading the case study, I hadn’t heard about married cofounders of a certain startup.

THREE THINGS I LEARNED:

            Flickr was a startup where a lot of things would be learned. One thing I learned from this startup is that constraints inspire creativity. Before, I believe that it would always be helpful and easy to do startups when you have more resources like money and men. But after reading the case study, I learned that when you have fewer resources, it would lead you to become more creative and innovative because you would want to stretch the limited resources you have.

            Next, I learned that expectations with women in this business field are always higher compared to men. According to the book, twice as much is expected of them than men. Since I am also a woman, where career is leading somewhere in this business I should be prepared and be aware that there is a lot of institutionalized sexism working against me with my chosen career.

            Lastly, I learned that aside from being aware of the discrimination against women, I should also take certain actions to support women and eliminate this existing discrimination against us. I could do things like doing a group blog for women in technology, and joining organizations for women in this business.