Flickr Chases Instagram: Will It Catch Up?

Flickr was among the first in the image-sharing wave that has taken social media by storm in the past several years. Despite this, they have been eclipsed by a number of competitors thanks to some innovative features and viral marketing exposure. However, the company recently released a batch of updates that includes a number of new features designed to take back a share of the market. Yahoo has been developing these changes since purchasing the company in 2005.
Here’s Flickr’s new intro video:

Phone App Filters
Much in the way Instagram allows users to easily customize their photos with a number of filters; Flickr recently released a similar addition to their iPhone app. These filters are very similar to those put out by others with some unique twists as well. They can be applied with just a few taps on your touch screen.
Full-service Image Editing
Flickr’s development team stated that their goal was to provide a complete image solution for users. They appear to have done so with this latest update. Users can now add captions, locations and titles to their images. They can also use the editing utility to crop, highlight and resize all or a portion of any image much the same way a premium image editing software does via a desktop computer.
Easy Social Media Sharing
While the old versions of the Flickr app were cumbersome and difficult to use, the updates allow users to easily share their images on social media websites right from their phones. Additionally, they can use their phone’s menu to see images their friends have shared. Photos can also be assigned directly to contacts.
Simplified Navigation
Flickr has also taken steps to make navigating their mobile website easier. This process began early last year when they phased out their old design in favor of an image-centric approach that only shows image information like tags, text and titles when hovered over. They also made it easier to view content from your contacts, including category and group filters. These features place a priority on users finding the content they want quickly.
Engadget did a review (literally by pointing a camera at his phone on a busy London street) you can check out below:

While Flickr’s changes actually represent a noticeable upgrade from the offerings of some of their competitors, the key will be regaining users they may have lost in the past. With effective marketing and a timely release of updates for the remaining platforms, Yahoo should be able to capitalize on their investment.