Pinterest just announced a partnership with photo-sharing site Flickr. This deal isn't a no-brainer considering that Pinterest users are siphoning most images from Flickr. A sharing button has been added to Pinterest, and each pin will contain full attribution info which is useless for now.
Whenever you post something on Pinterest that image becomes "free" due to the casual nature of the site. Users don't really care about this whole image attribution issue but publishers are pissed off. So to addressed this concern, Pinterest came up with a deal with Flickr that recently confirmed that it had included the code for all copyrighted and non-public pages.
Image via AllThingsD
The Flickr Fix will be beneficial to Pinterest which thinks that they can get over the copyright issues without being acquired by Google. While this move by Ben Silbermann's camp is not send significant repercussion compared to if they were bought by Google, The Flickr fix will complement each other without compromising their identities. Before Pinterest and Instagram, Flickr was arguably the most distinct image-sharing platform but it didn't project itself as a social platform. Pinterest and Flickr are aware that visual platforms are about:
- User engagement and Buzz Marketing are built around communities
- It's about making the content more instant and establishing a presence on mobile
- User-generated content paves the way for more "visual communication" that lets brands engage more with consumers
As the social web embraces the visual engagement revolution, Pinterest and Flickr will emerge as winners from this partnership. The Internet's next big social network and the old reliable will serve as bridge between consumers and brands. Brands are now establishing their presence on Pinterest. On the other hand, Flickr is a consumer haven where they give every user control. Pinterest is brand-friendly. Flickr is user-friendly. What's not to like?