My Flickr App Blog

Back To The Basics

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:23:00 -0600

Time for My Flickr to shift back to the basics!

Over the past year, the number of people and Facebook Pages using My Flickr has grown tremendously, and, for that, I say, Thank You! At the writing of this post, My Flickr has +390,000 monthly active users and almost 20,000 fans. It is running completely on your support through both PayPal donations and minimal ads.

My Flickr, which I started developing as soon as Facebook revealed its app platform in May 2007, has grown to accomplish the following features:

Display exactly the photos a user wants according to searches (simple to advanced)
Showcase up to three custom searches of a user’s Flickr photos and photosets in a huge My Flickr tab in their Facebook profile
Broadcast updates about a user’s latest Flickr photo uploads to their news feed
Display larger versions of a user’s photos to their Facebook friends
Allow Facebook friends to comment on Flickr photos within Facebook without needing a Flickr account!

However, as of January 12, 2010, the latter two features (4 & 5) have been disabled until further notice, bringing My Flickr back to the basics. I’ll explain.

One of the biggest complaints & concerns voiced by My Flickr’s users included ME, is that navigating around the My Flickr app became extremely slow and sometimes just failed to load. Anyone? Yes. Something needed to be done. I began tweaking & re-factoring the code here and there as much as I could and made some progress; nevertheless, the increasing load from the number of excited users and their Facebook friends taking advantage of the sweet new Photostream & commenting features became to much for our server to handle.

What do people on Facebook most want to do with their Flickr photos?
First, automatically notify their friends & family when they upload new photos. Secondly, showcase & share photos taken with those who view their profile! The basics.

My Flickr desires to accomplish those two tasks and execute them well.

This past semester (senior year!) was definitely the most involved and busiest of my scholastic career. I learned Objective-C programming & even created UH Guide, an iPhone application for the University of Houston (download here). I had no free time to work on My Flickr’s growing load problems.

As I mentioned, both viewing and commenting on larger versions of one’s photos within My Flickr is disabled until further notice. Don’t worry though, Facebook friends who click on a user’s photo or photosets will continue to be directed to the appropriate Flickr pages to view them in full glory! During my free time this last semester, I’ll be working on ways to continue to improve the basics in the My Flickr Facebook application as well as ways to re-enable the other features.

Cheers.
-Kaleb Fulgham

Adding the Box to a Facebook Page

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:56:00 -0500

This short tutorial follows my Adding & Managing with Facebook Pages post.

It seems that Facebook Pages always get the shaft when it comes to usability on Facebook.

Assuming that the admin of “A+ Scholars” have already added the My Flickr app to the fake Facebook Page, “A+ Scholars,” with the ID:39704393888, let’s dive into adding the My Flickr Box to our Page.

First, visit http://facebook.com/pages/manage/ and click “Edit Page” under the “A+ Scholars” page. Second, scroll down to the “My Flickr” entry under Applications. Third, click the pencil button to open a drop-down menu and click “Application Settings.”

A dialog box entitled “Edit My Flickr Settings” should pop-up. Click the (add) link next to Box:.

Facebook should have added the My Flickr box to the Boxes tab on the “A+ Scholars” Facebook Page. The admin of “A+ Scholars” wants My Flickr to be a bit more prominent and decides to move the Box to the primary Wall tab. The admin visits his page, clicks to the Boxes tab, clicks the pencil on the My Flickr box, and clicks “Move to Wall tab.”

Now, the admin of “A+ Scholars” can go Configure what to display in the My Flickr box using an easy, customizable search.

Final product after moving the Box to the Wall tab:

Flickr Tagging of Facebook Friends

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:43:33 -0500

After a little more than 4 days of polling My Flickr’s users about tagging Facebook friends in photos, we gathered 115 responses.

Normal tagging of Facebook friends is a relatively straight-forward process to implement, but the infrastructure of placing boxes around friends’ faces will require significantly more time to develop. The tags will be available on Facebook as well as Flickr. They will be machine tags which are almost the same as normal tags, but provide a little more context. Theese machine tags will able to be used in other Flickr 3rd-party applications & provide portability (backup solutions)!

The results from the survey revealed a strong two-thirds win between the two options:

Tagging of Friends - 66%
Tagging of Friends with specific frames/boxes - 34%

This will be the next feature I will be working on for My Flickr. Enjoy!

Adding & Managing with Facebook Pages

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:06:00 -0500

Facebook Pages are not a new thing with Facebook; however, recently, they have received a much needed facelift. The process of adding & managing applications though was and still remains a confusing & daunting task. This post will hopefully break down that barrier with the My Flickr App.

During this tutorial, we will be adding the My Flickr App to the fake Facebook Page, “A+ Scholars,” with the ID:39704393888. The Facebook Page would be accessible via http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=39704393888

The A+ Scholars admin visits http://facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2352557895 and clicks the “Add to Page” button, chooses “A+ Scholars,” and clicks the “Add My Flickr” button.

The admin is redirected to My Flickr’s setup screen where they will authenticate their currently logged into Flickr account (aplusscholarslovesmyflickr) with “A+ Scholars.” The admin is redirected to Flickr and allows My Flickr READ ONLY access. The admin is then directed back to My Flickr’s Configure page to get started. The URL in the URL Bar should look like this: http://apps.facebook.com/myflickr/configure/?fb_page_id=7865241014

The admin searches for the Most Recent photos tagged “Open House” and saves the search to “A+ Scholars” page box. The admin notices a new Faceboo Page fan’s message and reads it. Wait how does the admin get back to managing My Flickr for “A+ Scholars?” The admin’s first intuitive is to click the My Flickr icon bookmarked in the bottom toolbar. WRONG!!! This sends the admin to their personal My Flickr Configure page leaving them puzzled.

The route the admin should have traveled is as follows. First, click the “Page Manager” icon in the “Applications” pop-up (it could be bookmarked) & click the “Pages” link at the top.

One could also visit http://facebook.com/pages/manage/. Second, the admin should click “Edit Page” under the Facebook Page “A+ Scholars” that they want to edit. Third, scroll down to the My Flickr entry under “Applications,” click the pencil in the upper right corner, click “Edit.” The admin is now enjoying the My Flickr Configure page for “A+ Scholars” which looks something like http://apps.facebook.com/myflickr/configure/?fb_page_id=39704393888.

Basically, anytime you are using My Flickr with a Facebook Page account ensure that the URL either reads “…?fb_page_id=39704393888” or “…/fbp-39704393888”.

Bookmark the My Flickr page of the Facebook Page(s) that you manage to save you a hop, skip, and a jump! Enjoy!

* UPDATE (6/14/2009): Adding the Box to a Facebook Page.

My Flickr v4.0

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:03:00 -0600

After several weeks of work redesigning and adding several new features, I am proud to announce the release of My Flickr 4.0. Notice: everyone using version 3.0 will automatically upgraded to 4.0.

The first thing users will notice is the simple Configure page where they can control almost every aspect of My Flickr. Want to post your most recent photos to your Profile box? Create a Search, Preview the results, and Post it. Want to add a full My Flickr tab to your Facebook Profile? Since you already have one Search of your most recent photos, choose it from the dropdown list of your Searches and Save & Generate the Tab.

Facebook users are now capable of commenting on your Flickr photos (only if you allow it, of course), however, if they want those comments really heard, they can easily visit the photo on Flickr or use the special Flickr sign-up link at the bottom. Hand in hand with commenting, all Facebook users or just your Facebook friends can now browse your Flickr photostream or Flickr photosets. You can toggle this feature as well.

What about my Privacy!?! All photos should be up to Safe-Search standards. If you decide to display your Flickr Photostream on My Flickr, you can set My Flickr to only display your “Public” photos or maybe “Public” & “Friends” photos.

My Flickr links to your Flickr profile, photos, and photosets at every chance possible.

New Features:

View larger Flickr photos, photostream, photosets
Facebook photo commenting & notification
Facebook Flickr info in the Info Tab
Increased Privacy settings
Redesign & Usability improvements

Tell me what you think about the new version!

Facebook's Feed Auto-Import

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:22:00 -0600

Ever since the new Facebook was released, Facebook sports a feature which auto-imports your feeds from various social sites (Digg, Delicious, Flickr, etc.). Three simple steps will add your Flickr account’s recent photos feed to Facebook. Whenever you upload new photos to Flickr, Facebook will post the story on your Wall / Mini-Feed for friends to see (sometimes Facebook is slow). Again, this is a little Facebook feature that I found useful!

Here is a helpful guide showing how to set up your Facebook Flickr auto-importer!

WARNING: Facebook’s importer needs your EXACT username associated with your account. It may or may not be your URL username. E.g. username: bobisalive; your flickr url: http://flickr.com/photos/bob_is_living

Survey, Re-Design, and New Features

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:12:31 -0600

I sent out a survey on December 4th to all of you who became fans of the My Flickr app. In the survey, I asked some basic questions to which 77 users responded and provided me with some valuable information! Thank you!

Of those who responded, I learned that 68% use the “Advanced Options” (photosets, groups, sorting) while searching for the photos you want. 59% base your searches on either Tags or Photosets (or some mixture). Interestingly, 88% of you said that your photos are mostly public, but 35% of you only want them shown to your Facebook friends. Everyone agreed with me that the current My Flickr application is a bit cluttered and contributed some ideas about how to spice it up!

I also gathered from the survey which new features you would like to see in My Flickr. Here are the top three:

Auto-refreshing of the Profile (Page) Box
Facebook user commenting (which won’t be available on Flickr.com)
Clicking a photo directs one to a bigger version of the photo listing tags, description, comments

You may have noticed that I have already tackled #1 (Auto-refreshing of the Profile Box). To save on resources so that nothing bogs the My Flickr app down, the boxes are refreshed every 1 to 1.5 hours if needed on an opt-in basis (click the refreshing link in Manage). Also, searches that request photos from groups or to randomly select photos will NOT be refreshed at this time.

An ultra-simple interface is in the works to revamp the site allowing users to easily display their Flickr photos while still retaining some of the more advanced functionality!

Any other suggestions or comments are greatly welcomed!

-Kaleb

Scholars around the world are finishing up their final weeks of...

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:29:43 -0600

Scholars around the world are finishing up their final weeks of the Fall 2008 semester.

Good luck on all of your studies! As always, continue to take pictures of it all.

Photo from scui3asteveo

My Flickr Facebook FAQ

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:09:07 -0500

I have taken the most frequently asked questions on My Flickr and answered them in the new FAQ.
http://apps.facebook.com/myflickr/faq.php

Check them out if you are stuck.
Did I miss something? Is it too difficult to understand? Let me hear about it on the Facebook discussion board.

Thank you.
-Kaleb

My Flickr v3.0

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Last night 11:30pm (CST) My Flickr was flipped to v3.0 bringing in new features and compatibility with Facebook’s new layout.

My Flickr can now be placed in its own “Tab” on your Facebook profile. Profile tabs refresh about every hour unless you lock the results in all of the searches in the tab. Users can manage their searches and tweak settings to their liking. Also a sneak preview of My Flickr’s Shares has been worked into this release.

Be aware that Facebook now requires users to grant My Flickr the privilege of posting content to a “Box.” Managed at http://www.new.facebook.com/editapps.php?v=all.

I will be updating the FAQ soon, and a couple of issues still need to be ironed out. Enjoy.

-Kaleb

Tab Roll-Out Tonight

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0500

Happy Wednesday morning to you all!

I have been plowing through My Flickr’s code making sure everything is set and ready for implementing Facebook’s new Profile Tab. I think keeping the normal “Post to Profile” box option open and available is a necessary must also. My goal is to roll-out My Flickr’s Tab page tonight after work and implementing a couple of changes. More info will be available and the FAQ will be updated after the release.

-Kaleb

Down & Outage Today

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:19:45 -0500

I am researching into the cause of the My Flickr outage late last night and today. As far as I can tell, only the main page (Search, Preview, Submit) has been affected. This means that Refresh from the Profile Box still works!

I will look deeper into this tonight after work. Thank you for your patience, and sorry for any inconvenience.

-Kaleb

New Facebook Layout

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:58:00 -0500

Tonight (Sunday night) Facebook rolled out their new interface to many people and will continue to do so during the next few days. The new interfaces clean-up profiles in an interesting way allowing relevant user information to become more of the focus instead of applications on a person’s main profile page. So far there is no real significant change to Facebook Pages (anyone notice anything?). Most applications have been knocked to the “Boxes” tab in user profiles. Facebook has made it to where you can actually promote an application to an entire tab of your profile.

I have been working like crazy during the last few weeks on several neato features for My Flickr to put the new layout to good use. Right now if you add My Flickr as a New Tab it will just say “Coming Soon” leading you here. But it is truly coming soon. This will be an awesome opportunity to show your friends even more of your awesome photography skills from that party, reunion, concert, or dates at the park right there in your profile.

I will keep yall posted. It is coming and I am extremely stoked about it.

-Kaleb

The Euro 2008 (European Cup) Quarterfinals started yesterday...

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:06:00 -0500

The Euro 2008 (European Cup) Quarterfinals started yesterday with a German victory, almost squeezed away by favorite, Portugal. Today, Croatia outplayed Turkey and scored in the last minute of double overtime; however, the referee didn’t blow the whistle to mark the game’s end and Croatia’s victory and Turkey slid one in for a tie. Was the game already over or not? Croatia, a bit riled up, lost in the penalty shootouts. Wow! I love soccer / futbol / nogomet. Next time Croatia, next time.

Photo from Nico 3000

Enjoy the cool spring grass this weekend! Although some places...

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:07:00 -0500

Enjoy the cool spring grass this weekend!

Although some places already feel like summer…

Photo from orangeacid

Hooray! My Flickr's 1st Birthday

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:00:00 -0500

Hooray! About one year ago after finishing up my first year @UH, I noticed that Facebook was opening their developer platform. Within the first day, I quickly saw that there was not a Flickr application yet. Hoping to save myself and others from the monotonous and drone task of manually finding and linking photos and URLs to Facebook, I decided to develop My Flickr. I knew my PHP/MySQL well and had dabbled in some Flickr API before and started off into the sun (kind of like a cowboy).

It has been the best year ever! I was amazed whenever 500 people who I didn’t even know started using it and then it just kept growing. Wonderful, kind users donated money to help pay for My Flickr’s hosting and bandwidth consumption. Today, My Flickr has over +105,000 users and has just located itself on an ultra-speedy server.

I love developing and using this app and yall are the best users ever! Thanks.

-Kaleb F.