TechSoup and Flickr

Here at TechSoup, we’ve been using photo-sharing site Flickr to demonstrate how people have been using some of our projects. MaintainIT and Nonprofits in Second Life both use Flickr, but in different ways.

MaintainIT, which works with public libraries to identify best practices of technical support for public computers, has been on Flickr since June of 2007. They’ve found it worked best for them to mainly use an individual account so libraries could send their pictures in, but they also keep a MaintainIT group, which libraries with their own Flickr accounts can join. Libraries send in photos of their staff with their MaintainIT Cookbooks, their branches, and occasionally their battles. Sarah Washburn of MaintainIT sums up her experience with Flickr:

Flickr is a tremendous way to humanize your organization, whether you’re a nonprofit or a library. Showing the people behind your work, as well as the people in front of it—the people you serve — is a powerful way to make your organization more visible. Plus, you can build community around your photos by creating and joining groups. Opening up public use of your photos by using Creative Commons licensing can also provide visibility. Through Flickr, I’ve been contacted by journalists who want to use the photos I’ve uploaded.

Nonprofits in Second Life, which offers news and information about nonprofits in the virtual world of Second Life, chose to go another route. Rather than using one account or group, they encourage users to tag their photos with their abbreviation, NPSL. Tagging photos lets people share their photos in multiple groups at the same time, as one photo can have many tags. In Second Life, photos tagged with NPSL demonstrate how nonprofits exist in the space. Megan Keane, Online Community Manager for TechSoup, explains why Flickr is a natural way to show how Second Life works for nonprofits:

The shared community tagging project using the tag “NPSL” (Nonprofits in Second Life) on sites such as Flickr, del.icio.us, and Technorati, has allowed nonprofits to document, share, and publish their work. Flickr gives nonprofits a way to visually represent and document their work in a creative way. Many people are unfamiliar with Second Life and some think it’s “just a game.”

Having photos on Flickr gives nonprofits a way to illustrate what this Second Life thing is about by showing what an avatar and virtual world looks like. It’s been an outstanding way to have a record of Second Life events and report back on activities and demonstrate impact to board members and constituents. It’s also been an outstanding promotional vehicle.

Learn more about how to place a request for Flickr Pro accounts on TechSoup Stock, made available to nonprofits and libraries thanks to a generous donation from Flickr.

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