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How To Spruce Up Your Blog With Images From Flickr

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408

There are quite a number of places where you can get images for your blog. My favorite one is Flickr. It is free, it  is easy to use, and it is legal...

So, let's start from typing www.Flickr.com (watch the spelling). When the page opens, scroll all the way down and look for Creative Commons, as this is what we need for this post.

How to use Flickr

Click Creative Commons and this is what you would see on your screen:

How to use Flickr

There are different types of Creative Commons, and on the right side there is a description, so you can choose what you use. The least restrictive is the first one, Attribution License, which also offers the largest collection of images to download, and all you have to do is mention the author. Of course, you can read and use other type of uses, but be careful with non-commercial use, as using it for your real estate blog is commercial use.

Of course, it does not make sense to go to a site offering millions of images for free with proper attribution and run into a copyright violation.

So, under Attribution License click «see more», and here is how the page will look when it opens:

 

How to use Flickr

In the search field put the keyword for what you are looking. For this blog I typed «blogging» (without quotation marks). Click search and you will get your results, which sometimes can take dozens or even hundreds of pages.

Choose the photo that you like, double click it:How to use Flickr

Right click on the image and the pop up box would tell you what sizes are available. Choose the one you want to use (in this example this image is only small, I usually prefer medium – 640 x 475). Open it. At first glance it looks pretty much like the previous page but here you see the size and you see the linked Flickr user name of the author:

How to use Flickr

Highlight it (and it may take some time before you master «grabbing» the link, and use it in the attribution (see below). At this stage you also right click on the  image and click Save As and save on your computer so that later you can download it into your AR blog the same way you download any image.

How to use FlickrOf course, Flickr is much more than only legally «stealing»  images for your blog posts. Spend some time on this site and learn other cool things you can do here. Click on Flickr tour on the page and good luck learning. You can also become a contributor, and some AR members I know are (for example, Jenny Kotulyak, my Canadian friend). But for thhis demonstration we are done. Hope it helps.

* Image courtesy of lawtonchiles via Flickr.com under Creative Commons License

P.S. Please, read Inna's comment (#21). She adds a whole new layer, and I think it is important to protect yourself the way she suggests, especially because it is very easy to do.

Comments(161)

Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Rhonda - hope you like it

Jun 04, 2011 04:48 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Gene - good to hear that

Jun 04, 2011 04:49 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

kent - thanks. I agree that Inna's comment is an important addition to this blog (it is nice to have a daughter smarter than me - lol)

Jun 04, 2011 04:51 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Fairway Independent Mortgage  - hope it helps

Jun 04, 2011 04:53 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Michael (#115) - hope you find it working for you

Jun 04, 2011 04:54 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Robert - I am sure you do. I write a lot non-real estate blogs and for those Flickr is simply indispensable

Jun 04, 2011 04:55 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Melissa - I use IStock for some images for my slideshows, but never for the blogs. I am sure you will find them pretty good most of the time

Jun 04, 2011 04:57 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

William - thank you. I do not think it is really a resource for you as you often write about (and around) your own photos. I am, however, looking for something to support or punctuate my writing, and I do not have these photos of my own

Jun 04, 2011 04:59 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Robert (#119) - not sure I understand what you mean by "loaded" I donot have anything loaded, no account, nothing. I simply go to Flickr.com and get to Creative Commons and use Attribution Licensed photos to choose from.

Jun 04, 2011 05:02 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Pat - Thank you. I am always glad to see you

Jun 04, 2011 08:07 AM
Jenny Kotulak
RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage - Oakville, ON
Broker - Oakville Ontario Real Estate

Wow am I late to this party???  Thanks for the mention Jon.  I adore Flickr and have been posting my photos there for a couple of years.

I soon learned it was more than a spot to put my photos.  It is similar to AR in that if you comment on other member's photos you will begin to build up a contact list of people you "follow" and who "follow" so to speak you.

I've met a lot of great people through Flickr from around the world.  Our common interests are not real estate related but a love of photography.

Many are professionals but many are like me who just enjoy taking photos for my blogs of whatever takes my fancy.

You can use my photos anytime lol.

Jun 04, 2011 12:22 PM
Anonymous
Katharine K Whiting

I so appreciate good and useful directions!  Thank you!

Jun 05, 2011 03:46 AM
#154
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Jenny - thank you. Unfortunately, you came late, and I regret that these members would miss your excellent comment

Jun 05, 2011 05:04 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Katharine - glad you liked it

Jun 05, 2011 05:05 AM
Patricia Beck
RE/MAX Properties, Inc., ABR, GRI, SRES - Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs Realty

Bookmarked, thank you!!

Jun 06, 2011 05:43 AM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Patricia - good luck with Flickr

Jun 06, 2011 05:23 PM
Ellen Wright Adams
Academy Mortgage.......We are a Equal Housing Lender - Eugene, OR
LoansByEllen- Licensed in Oregon

Jon:  this is incredibly helpful - THANK YOU!  And thanks for updating in red Inna's comment - it's very important and I would have missed that w/o the update.  Thanks again!

Jun 08, 2011 03:09 PM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Ellen - I have been using Flickr for quite some time, and I assumed that everybody knows about it. Now a few more members know, so I am glad to be of some help. Thank you

Jun 09, 2011 02:48 AM
Liane Thomas, Top Listing Agent
Professional Realty Services® - Corona, CA
Bringing you Home!

Love the tip, thank you. I didn't know about flickr...and look forward to using it.

Jun 15, 2011 12:14 PM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Liane - and I would love seeing you using it successfully.

Jun 15, 2011 02:20 PM