Photobucket Slideshow

Before creating my Photobucket account, I had been familiar with the site and the concept of photosharing; however, I hadn't felt the need to try it. Photo sharing can improve one's social life because it allows viewers to delve into other people's lifes by taking a look at what pictures they've posted. This is incredibly popular, as demonstrated through Facebook's success. I was unaware that people could leave comments about photos on Photobucket. This feature further promotes socialization on the Web site and in reality, as people can often be overheard chattering about who uploaded what picture of themselves over the weekend.

As we discussed in class on Monday, photo sharing can also be incredibly useful in the business world. Photographers can post their pictures on these free Web sites, thus getting their work out in public. This not only gets the poster's work noticed, but could possibly lead to a future job if a viewer likes what they see. Albums on Photobucket can be viewed without having to make an account, and Web sites like Google increase the likeliness that a user's photos will be seen by a wide variety of people.

While photo sharing has proven to be a useful tool in terms of business and socialization, there are downsides to posting photos on the Web. Privacy is always an issue when people are posting personal information or photos online. There are few restrictions as to who can view photos, and some people are uncomfortable with this level of openness. Additionally, accounts can be hacked, and inappropriate photos can be used against people in a professional setting. Also, if a photographer is not careful to place a copyright or distinguishing mark on their photos, they can be stolen (copied), discrediting hardworking artists.