PICASA becomes Google+ and I'm not happy

[Franglais]

From time to time I need to give people access to images that I've done (including nudes).

Up to now I used PICASA very simply:

- upload the images to an album
- invite the person by mail to view the album
- the person could view the images simply, upload ones he/she liked and even send the mail link to other people

This weekend my PICASA transformed into Google+ images. As far as I can make out it's just like Facebook. I don't want anything like Facebook:

- Some of my Facebook "Friends" have been suspended for publishing nudes.
- To see the images people have to become Facebook members and "Friends". I keep close control over my Facebook content and Friends. I don't want to have all my subjects as "Friends"
- I don't trust Facebook. The rules change without you being informed

I checked out FlickR and it's the same story as PICASA. Microsoft's Skydrive platform seems to give me what I want.

Am I missing something here? What do other people do?

[armando_m]

for photos that I do not want to be public I have used skydrive succesfully,
it is also good because you can upload full res images if you need to do it

[Nod]

I feel the same as you, I removed all of my photos that I had in Picasa Web albums because of them changing to Google+. If I read the new rules right, Google+ can pretty much do what they want with your photos. I went over to Photobucket where you can have public and private albums. Even with the free membership, you have unlimited storage.

[Franglais]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll carry on with Skydrive. I want to limit my number of online identities and I use my Microsoft LiveID for communication with Microsoft in my day job.

I've noted PhotoBucket as an idea. For distributing full-size images easily I use WeTransfer which seems to be a standard around here.

[mattb]

Can't you make them private? I know on Flickr and FB you can. Seems like G+ would be able to do that too.

[Franglais]

Yes I just made a test on Facebook and you can share images with just one Friend. But my models aren't my Friends (mostly) and usually I just have a mail address.

Plus nudity is explicitly forbidden in the rules of both Facebook and Google+. If I want to show my model the pictures we did during last weekend's shooting and get her feedback this is not the right way to do it.

[Medley]

Can't you make them private? I know on Flickr and FB you can. Seems like G+ would be able to do that too.

Sure you can. Google+ uses the concept of 'circles'. You can name a circle anything you want, and have as few or as many people in that circle as you wish. When you upload photos, you can specify which circles to share them with. Personally, I ditched Facebook and joined Google+ specifically because it was easier to control security issues. In fact, Google+ has become my main method of sending encrypted messages to business contacts.

I don't think that's his point though. It's the fact of having to join another social site. Having dealt with FB's tacits regarding security, I can hardly blame Franglais for being gun-shy.

- Joe U.

[GB1]

guys, I have a picasa web account (w/ extra storage for $5 a year): just checked it out, it still says https://picasaweb.google.com/home, and there's still the different visibility settings as far as I can tell. That's Private, Private anyone with the link, Public on the Web, and Only You.

As far as Facebook, I couldn't agree more. To me it's not a serious photographer's photo display mechanism, mainly because i don't like the way it presents, though also for the other reasons you list. FB is the worst offender when it comes to using your personal data any which way they want. I like Skydrive, esp their 25 free Gigs of data

[wfooshee]

Yeah, I don't see why "Private anyone with the link" wouldn't work for your security concerns, as long as you have an email address to send the link to, but if nudity is expressly forbidden, even in private albums, then you do have an issue.

My own use of Picasaweb has been pretty much unaffected by the move to Google+, but that use is mostly sharing with family, not clients and customers (of which I have none, not being a pro photog.)

[frizby66]

Picasa still works fine for me, did get a message about upgrading, but ignored it.