I was a huge Flickr user from 2006-2009, but the service stayed in 2006, and so I moved on. The new changes are very exciting, but I still have one huge gripe. For a service about to turn 10 years old, being unable to change my URL is a deal breaker:
I registered my URL in high school, and now I'm starting my masters. My photos have improved, and so has my online identity.
I'm considering just switching to a new account, but the situation gave me no faith that Flickr was worth the effort. I look forward to a similar post when Flickr overhauls the backend.
I have this same gripe (about HN too, I suppose). Flickr claims that it's a philosophical thing - that URLs shouldn't change, so the username I chose when I first registered years ago should invariably be what I'm associated with for the rest of my life.
They likely do have the technical ability - when you initially register, your URL is represented by internal IDs (like 1234567@Z01), and you then choose your 'friendly' url. So it doesn't seem like a stretch that they could extend this to allow changes.
I understand the philosophy of keeping URLs active, but this is taking it to a new extreme. How about changing URLs every... 5 years or something ridiculous. I mean, they allow me to delete my account and that would kill URLs, so if it's between deletion or changing, what is the difference?
I registered my URL in high school, and now I'm starting my masters. My photos have improved, and so has my online identity.
I'm considering just switching to a new account, but the situation gave me no faith that Flickr was worth the effort. I look forward to a similar post when Flickr overhauls the backend.