Last-Minute Gift Idea: A Flickr Pro Subscription, for Your Favorite Former Instagrammer

I created my first Flickr account back in 2005, when I decided I wanted to post my senior year party pics somewhere a little shinier and classier than Webshots. I loved the advanced features Flickr offered, and gladly shelled out $25/year for the “Pro” account.

But as the years went on, I begrudgingly thought “Do I really need this?” every time I had to re-up my subscription or else lose access to all but my 200 most recent photos. I was using Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram much more than Flickr; I vehemently nodded in agreement every time someone on Twitter compared Flickr to a dusty old shoebox. It had become a repository for all of my photos, but sorely lacked any real community aspect.

Well, it seems like the perfect (reverse) storm has finally come to (potentially) revive Flickr:

On December 9, Instagram disabled photo integration with Twitter, meaning Twitter users no longer see Instagram photos in their stream (but rather have to click an Instagram link to view them). People were pissed. (Flickr photos, on the other hand, are still visible in Twitter streams — no external clicking necessary.)

On December 12, Flickr unveiled their latest iPhone app. Eric Jackson of Forbes called it “the best mobile photo app out there at the moment.” Nick Bilton wrote on the NYT Bits blog, “Yahoo has the opportunity to make Flickr the photo-sharing site on the Web. And if it continues to innovate and update the service, Flickr could even become the next Flickr.”

On December 17, Instagram released their new terms of service (effective January 16) in which say they can sell your photos without payment or notification. Oh boy.

What now? I’m still on Instagram, but many are saying they’ll delete their accounts. (Here’s how to back up your photos first.) Meanwhile, I’ve had 5 friends add me as a contact on Flickr today, which is 5 more than I’ve seen add me in probably a year or more, and many more are sharing their Flickr handles across their networks, posting love notes, creating “What I did on my flickr vacation” groups. Whatever happens to Instagram, I’d love to see Flickr actually become a thriving community.

So if your better half was an avid Instagram user and is going to delete her account, get her a Flickr Pro subscription. It’s only $25/year, so it won’t break the bank, and it’s always nice when someone else foots the bill for expenses like this. And every time someone favorites her photos, she’ll think of you.

Michelle is the editor of The Date Report. She took the above photo with Instagram, but you can also find her on Flickr.