Photo-sharing platform Flickr is redesigning its home feed with several custom options for users. The changes come as the platform continues to struggle, following limitations to its free members and the CEO’s call for more paying members in order to keep the long-standing image sharing network alive. Announced on July 8, the changes split the home feed into two columns, one dedicated to feed images and another which delivers personalized content based on the user.
The Flickr feed users know and love is now the left-hand column, and while that section of the feed remains dedicated to images, there are a few changes tucked in. Users can now choose from different filters to sort what appears in the feed, including options for friends only, group activity, people you follow, or all activity. The option is available using a simple dropdown at the top of the feed.
Photos will also be smaller for faster scrolling in an optional mode called compact view. The compact view is designed to allow faster scrolling through the feed, making the images a smaller size that feels similar to platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Using the icons at the top right of the screen, users can choose from the new compact view, or choose the previous medium or large views.
The new second column on the right-hand side is designated as a location for custom content based on each user. New users, for example, will see suggestions on pages to follow or groups to join, while Pro users will see a dashboard of their daily stats. Explore and Flickr blog content will also be housed in the second column.
Using the ellipsis (…) menu in the corner of each post, Flickr has also added a few more controls to what shows up in that feed. On individual cards, users can mute or unfollow users or groups. The update also enables photostream sharing as well as a new shortcut for messaging without navigating to the user’s profile.
The updated feed is the latest in a string of several updates, including one that rebuilt the Explore section from the ground up and another that tweaked the Flickr maps, as Flickr struggles to stay relevant and retain members. The platform was losing millions of dollars before SmugMug’s acquisition, and, last December, CEO Don MacAskill put out a call for more Pro members in order to save the still struggling platform.
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