The growth of flickr has been amazing. From initial concept and uploading of 7,400 odd photos in Febuary 2004 to an estimated 2.3 billion today.

Pictures are now being uploaded worldwide at a rate of 150,000 per hour. With the availabilty of lower cost digital cameras and mobile phones with built in still and video image capability this can only increase especially when the 'trickle down' effect of consumer purchasing of such devices hits China and India. 

As the article says many are of cats and dogs (Disclosure: I have even uploaded a picture or two of a mouse in my time - there was a good reason...honest) but some are really masterpieces (not mine) worthy of (and maybe by) a professional.

So what is my experience....

I have a Flickr account and have 181 photos in my public album. The photos have been viewed a total of 1210 times. A few have had zero or only 1 or two views and the most popular 153. Two people have added one of my photos as a 'favorite' and one person has left a comment. My photos are usually a visual record of the studio and location work for audio and video podcast projects I have been involved in. I tend to avoid 'cats and dogs' and 'Aunts and Uncles' in the public albums and usually keep them on a hard drive.

Through Flickr, Facebook and other social media software I have discovered some really great work by people and have added them as a 'contact' so I get updates on what they are doing. I have also met two people who share common interests with me. To me that is the real power of social networking. The opportunity to build networks of online friends and for some move that relationship the 'real' world.