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An Open Common API for photo uploading?
2009 May 11
Flickr, Picasa, Webshots, Photobucket. Everybody has their own API for uploading images to their services and the space is so crowded that it makes my head spin.
Sara asked me a poignant question today (as she usually does), just after I’d finished setting up the gallery software for this blog: “Is there an app like Picasa that will allow you to upload your pictures to your own web space?”.
I drew a blank.
To the best of my knowledge there isn’t one and the reasons for it are two fold:
1. Most apps are designed to work on services such as Flickr because most people don’t have their own (or enough) server space.
2. There is no common API among service providers.
I could write an application to upload to Picasa, but to get it work with Webshots would take extra work and the same would be true for every additional service I wished to add.
We’re missing an opportunity here. If we could develop and implement a common API for uploading images, (handling everything from naming and captions to resizing and Exif data etc.) then companies could focus on developing great photo organization and editing software without worrying about which platform to build their online service around.
We could see the development of software that might finally challenge the mighty Picasa and it would work everywhere!
The implications for services like WordPress, TypePad and other blog/CMS platforms are even better.
Gallery systems that don’t rely exclusively on the web interface or FTP to upload images could ship as part of each platform.
Developers could forget about focusing on building gallery systems from the ground up, and could instead focus on making the barebones shipped gallery functional, user friendly and awesome.
I’ve lost count of how many gallery plugins there are for WordPress alone and the vast majority of them are crap (sorry devs, but you know it as well as I do).
Users could edit, tag, add descriptions and assign rights to any image in a single desktop application and upload to any platform they choose if we just had a single, accepted, common API for image uploading.
What about it people? Are we going to see one anytime soon? Or are we going to remain in the one application for one service era?
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I’m really hoping you get an answer to this, because it really is frustrating! I like Picasa, but it can only upload to Picasa Web Albums, or Flickr if you use a specific hack to the program. Yet nowhere in there can I upload to my own web space, as more and more people are going to be inclined to do. I could use one of those services, true enough, but their bottom line (making $) means I am always going to run into dealing with their restrictions, be it on amount of space, uploads, groups, or whatever. I refuse to pay for functionality I should already have by having my own hosting service.
I’m really hoping you get an answer to this, because it really is frustrating! I like Picasa, but it can only upload to Picasa Web Albums, or Flickr if you use a specific hack to the program. Yet nowhere in there can I upload to my own web space, as more and more people are going to be inclined to do. I could use one of those services, true enough, but their bottom line (making $) means I am always going to run into dealing with their restrictions, be it on amount of space, uploads, groups, or whatever. I refuse to pay for functionality I should already have by having my own hosting service.
RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @subrbanoblivion: RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @subrbanoblivion: RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @subrbanoblivion: RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @subrbanoblivion: RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
RT @subrbanoblivion: RT @pauloflaherty An Open Common API for photo uploading? | PaulOFlaherty.com http://bit.ly/8MWHb
Until the space “shakes out” and their is an apparent “winner” there is not a chance in the world you are going to see an “Open API” across the various services. Oh, some may agree and “create” an open standard, but then others will offer their “standard” Unless you get a clear cut winner, there will be many flavors of “standards.” Just look at the social arena. Google Friend Connect, OpenID, Windows Live Passport, Facebook Connect, TypeKey… each and every one of these are designed to be the “key” to single sign on and connecting to “the world” but until the world declares one a winner, there is no standard.
Until the space “shakes out” and their is an apparent “winner” there is not a chance in the world you are going to see an “Open API” across the various services. Oh, some may agree and “create” an open standard, but then others will offer their “standard” Unless you get a clear cut winner, there will be many flavors of “standards.” Just look at the social arena. Google Friend Connect, OpenID, Windows Live Passport, Facebook Connect, TypeKey… each and every one of these are designed to be the “key” to single sign on and connecting to “the world” but until the world declares one a winner, there is no standard.
Hello from Cobh !
iPhoto on OSX can upload to Mobile Me (ex .Mac), Facebook, Flickr, PicasaWeb and create HTML photo galleries
Hello from Cobh !
iPhoto on OSX can upload to Mobile Me (ex .Mac), Facebook, Flickr, PicasaWeb and create HTML photo galleries
You may want to check out pixelpipe.com.
You may want to check out pixelpipe.com.