flickr-networks and hubs

No doubt: I enjoy the explore-feature on flickr. Lots of great photos I might not have found otherwise. I like flickr-princess Rebekka's photos of Iceland, herself, and her macro-shots of water. Rebekka is one of those relatively few people who dominate the interesting-list every day. The nature of networks in online worlds partly explains why a few users among so many can be rather dominating. The interesting list is a result of "lots of things that make a photo 'interesting' (or not) in the Flickr. Where the clickthroughs are coming from; who comments on it and when; who marks it as a favorite; its tags and many more things which are constantly changing." Generally the featured photos are of great quality. However, they are often posted by the hubs of flickr. "Hubs are special. They dominate the structure of all networks in which they are present, making them look like small worlds" (Barabasi: Linked: 64). Want to be a star on Flickr? Good photos are required. But not always enough. You need to do some serious networking as well. Oh, and remember, you can come a long way with loads of photos of your self, cats, portraits of adorable children, sun-sets and of course, macros. They are definitely cliche-genres on flickr. Then again, I rather like cliches.

Self-portraits are interesting though. I like to take self-portraits. Apparently a lot of other people do as well.