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As such, I have been looking around for useful tools and hacks to enhance both the usefulness and effectiveness of Flickr. I found there are two different aspects when it comes to enhancing Flickr.

One aspect is for The Viewer – when you are watching a photo or browsing through a photographers photos, you want to make it as pleasant and effective as possible – or if you are searching for a specific photo (Flickr has over 2 billion photos uploaded!) any help to overcome the shortcomings of Flickr’s built-in search capabilities would be not only welcomed but also very appreciated.
The other aspect is for The Active User – a photographer who uploads photos and takes part in the community that is Flickr, with favorites and comments and groups and discussions. So what I did was simply divide this list of Flickr Hacks in to the two categories: For Viewing and For Active Users.

6 Flickr Hacks: For Viewing

1. fd’s Flickr Toys: On Black
   http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php
   fd’s Flickr Toys have so many awesome tools that it’s almost ridiculous. The one that I wanted to bring to your attention in this list, is “On Black”. Simply copy-and-paste the address to the photo and you get to see it on a gorgeous plain all-black or all-white background (sort of like a framed matte). A black background helps viewers find detail in black and white photos and other photos with dark areas and makes colors really pop. An uncluttered white background is the perfect clean slate to complement the right photo.
2. blackr
   http://blackr.net/
   blackr is similar to On black above. blackr is a bookmarklet you can put in your browser’s bookmarks bar. Later, when you are on a photo page or one of the “All sizes” pages on Flickr, you can click the bookmarklet and it will hide everything on the page behind a soothing black canvas except for the photo. All that remains is the picture.
3. Compfight: Flickr search tool
   http://www.compfight.com/
   Compfight is a search-page for Flickr photos. While there are many different ways to search for a photo on Flickr, Compfight stands out by having a function to search only among Creative Commons licensed photos.
4. findr
   http://www.forestandthetrees.com/findr/findr.html
   findr lets you start searching by entering one initial tag. From that tag you can browse the resulting photos or continue to narrow down your search by clicking on any of the related tags. A search for “tuktuk + bangkok + traffic” would give you a result of only 348 photos to browse through, instead of 7.477 photos if you only searched for tuktuk. Flickr search returns over 10.000 results when searching for tuktuk.
   photo credit: StarvingFox
5. Flickriver
   http://www.flickriver.com/
   flickriver is a new way to explore and view Flickr photos. Larger images on a black background in one continuous stream. See Flickr Explore or other peoples most interesting photos in one infinite scroll, thousands of photos without ever hitting “next” and waiting for the next page to load.
6. flickrleech
   http://www.flickrleech.net/
   flickrleech have many similarities with Flickriver. Black background showing many photos at the same time, although flickrleech uses smaller thumbnails providing for a better overview instead. I regularly use flickrleech to explore Explore and get a nice overview over my contacts and my favorites.

12 Flickr Hacks: For Active Users

These are all GreaseMonkey scripts to enchance/change the way Flickr functions, looks and feels. Since GreaseMonkey is a scriptengine for Firefox, obviously you would need to get Firefox first, if you’re not already using it. Next step is to install GreaseMonkey as a Firefox Add-on (there are some problems with the latest version of GreaseMonkey and some of the Flickr-scripts, use the version 0.7.20070607.0 and everything should work fine).

1. Add referrer into comments
   http://6v8.gamboni.org/Flickr-Add-referer-into-comments.html
   Adds a very nifty little end-tag to comments that you make on other peoples photos, such as:
   - -
   Seen on your photo stream.
   Very handy for the photographer to get an idea where people have come from, where they have seen the photo.
2. Flickr – Multi Group Sender
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72462/
   Allows you to send your already uploaded Flickr image to multiple groups, all at once. With Flickr’s built in tool, you can only send to one group at a time, and it is also waaay slower than Steeev’s Greasmonkey script.
3. FlickrPM
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/38788/
   Adds icons next to the username for mail, profile, favourites, flickr scout, flickr dna, interestingness and photo archive next to usernames in forums and on individual photo pages.
4. Flickr Groups Organiser
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72057594139485596/
   A script that lets you tag/categorise your groups and also easily quit groups from your groups list page.
5. Flickr Contacts Organiser
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72157594223205825/
   GreaseMonkey (GM) script that lets you tag your contacts so you can keep up with their photostreams and contact them more easily.
6. Flickr Show All in Group Pool by User
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72157594144967671/
   A GM script that adds a link to let you see all the images in a group pool by a particular user.
7. Flickr Photo Page Enhancer
   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrhyley/13673365/
   Adds links to a photos different sizes and it also adds html-code for linking to the photo in different sizes (thumbnail, small, square).
8. Flickr Rich Edit
   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrhyley/16108343/
   Add limited rich editing capabilities to Flickr, in comments and groups.
9. Flickr Group Display
   http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72157600038266976/
   Calculates favourite-to-view ratios. Easier management for the photos you have in view and favorite groups such as topv-111.
10. Flickr Buddy Icon Reply
    http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72157594482547285/
    It adds name_reply and icon_reply links at each of the comments under your photo.
11. Flickr – Photo Rank
    http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72157594472124927/
    Display photo rank (if the photo can be found in 1000 most interesting photos of the day).
12. Flickr Buddy Interestingness
    http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrhacks/discuss/72157600004580188/
    This script will add a new item to the buddy menu that gives you a quick access to the 25 most interesting photos of the given user.

1 bonus: WordPress plug-in

And last but not least, a nice little bonus for those of you who run your own blog on the WordPress-platform and would like to use photos shared under a Creative Commons (CC) license to juice up your blog-posts. Nothing says “juicy” like a photo…

photo credit: miss_rogue

Know what I mean? Photodropper in action above.

1. Photodropper
   http://www.photodropper.com/wordpress-plugin/
   Photo Dropper is a WordPress plugin that lets you add Flickr photos to your posts. It searches for Creative Commons licensed photos – images that are licensed for shared use – and lets you drop them into your posts – right from your dashboard with just 1 click.

So, there you have it! My 18 (+1) Top Flickr Hacks. I’m sure you have your own favorites though. Did I miss anything? Drop a comment to let me know!

This list of freeware is based on my needs. It won’t, for instance, feature any free C# editors, since I don’t code in C#. It will however feature some HTML, XHTML and CSS editors since I do some coding in that.

Also, for a program to be featured on this list, it will have to be totally free from any fees and, optionally but not mandatory, free from ads. This means that shareware, free trials and the likes don’t qualify since I either have to stop using the program or have to start paying fees to keep using the program. Donationware is ok, as long as it is optional and not mandatory to donate. Likewise Ad-supported software is ok as long as it is done with some common sense and respect for the user.

Enough already! On with the list! D

Audio

Audacity – Recording and editing sound files

Video

VLC Media Player – MultiMedia Player
SMPlayer – Multimedia Player based on MPlayer
BSPlayer – Videoplayer
Virtualdub – Video editing software
ASF recorder – For recording ASF-streams. (Note: Not sure about this one)
Orbit Downloader – Downloader for streaming rich media

CD/DVD burning

InfraRecorder – CD/DVD Audio/Video burner with built-in ripper
ImgBurn – reading/writing images, supports a large number of image formats
Free Easy CD DVD Burner – Burn data/audio, copy discs, ripper
MediaCoder – Ripper, Encoder for different Audio/Video formats

Office/PDF

OpenOffice – Office suite software
PDF Creator – Print driver for creating PDF documents
Sumatra PDF – Small PDF Reader

Pictures/Photos

Gimp – Photo editing and retouching
Paint.Net – Image and photo editing
Picasa – Organize photos

Voice/Chat

Skype – Call people on the web or IRL, VOIP software
Miranda – Chat/IM client that supports many IM-providers

Security

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition – One of the best free Anti-Virus software out there
Comodo Free Firewall – Free Firewall
Comodo BOClean – Free Anti-Malware
Comodo AntiVirus – Free Anti-Virus
Spybot – Search & Destroy – One of the best Anti-Malware
PeerGuardian – Blocklist, for blocking “bad” ip-ranges
Bluetack – Blocklist manager

Coding

Notepad++ – Source code editor and notepad replacement

Internet/WWW

Firefox – Webbrowser
Thunderbird – Email client

Firefox Extensions that I use

Aardvark – For viewing CSS-code live on a page
Adblock Plus – Block ads
My Adblock startfile – For getting started using Adblock
Adblock Plus Element Hiding Helper – Helper to Adblock
del.icio.us – Del.icio.us social bookmarking toolbar integration
FlashGot – Download manager
FoxClocks – Clock(s) in Firefox statusbar
Gmail Manager – Manage your Gmail account(s)
Better Gmail 2 – Compilation of several Greasmonkey scripts that enhace the function and looks of Gmail, from Lifehacker
Greasemonkey – Add script-functionality to Firefox
Greasemonkey script: Gmail Super Clean – Leaner looks in Gmail
Greasemonkey script: Google Air Skin – Leaner looks in Google, not only Gmail but also Calendar and Reader
Greasemonkey script: Gmail Label Colors – Adding colors to labels in Gmail
Greasemonkey script: Folders4Gmail – Make the labels in Gmail appear like folders
Greasemonkey script: Gmail + Reader Integrator Integrate Google Reader into Gmail
Greasemonkey script: Gmail + Google Calendar Integrate Google Calendar into Gmail by adding a button for Calendar
Greasemonkey script: Google Calendar Show Week – Show week numbers in Google Calendar
Greasemonkey script: Google Calendar Textwrap Events – Wraps Events in Calendar
Greasemonkey script: Google Calendar – colorize Sat/Sun (start on Mon) – Colorize weekends, if your week starts with Mon.
Greasemonkey script: Google Calendar Remove Search Public Folders – Remove stupid button Search Public Folders
OneClick Installer for WordPress – Right-click on a link and choose to install plug-in or theme for WordPress
Print Context Menu – Add print to right-click
StumbleUpon Toolbar – Adds StumbleUpon toolbar
Torrent Finder Toolbar – Adds Torrent Finder toolbar
Yahoo! Mail Notifier – Notifies you when you have new mail on Yahoo! Mail

Misc. Tools

IZarc – Archive utility supporting many formats
CCleaner – Remove unused files from Windows, cleaning for speed and privacy
Filezilla – FTP solution, both client and server
RSSowl – RSS/News reader

Freeware Directories:

Webi.org
Snapfiles.com

That’s it. What did I miss? Did you find the list useful? Did you discover new software that you didn’t know about before? Leave a comment below and let me know.

By the way, I will be keeping this post updated as I discover, and start using, more and more free software. Check back for updates.

Updates:

2007-11-01. Just found this article called “Reinstall Windows and outfit your system with all freeware programs” on freewaregenius.com which is exactly the kind of thought I had in mind with this article. Very good reading and lots of tips on useful freeware programs.

1. Rensa köksbordet för att använda som presentinslagningsunderlag.
2. Gå till garderoben och hämta påse som presenten ligger i och stäng garderobsdörren.
3. Öppna garderobsdörren och släpp ut katten från garderoben.
4. Gå till köksskåpet och plocka fram rullen med presentpappret.
5. Lägg presentpappret på köksbordet.
6. Gå tillbaka till köksskåpet och släpp ut katten.
7. Gå till byrålåda och hämta transparent tejp, sax, etiketter, kulspetspenna.
8. Lägg upp present och inslagningsmaterialet på bordet för att påbörja inslagning av present.
9. Gå tillbaka till byrålåda för att hämta paketsnöre, plocka ut katt som varit i lådan sedan senaste besöket och ta med paketsnöret.
10. Plocka upp present ur påsen.
11. Plocka upp katt ur påsen.
12. Öppna låda och plocka ur present för kontroll, plocka ur katt från låda, lägg tillbaka present i låda.
13. Lägg ut papper för att klippa till rätt storlek.
14. Försök platta till papper, upptäck katt under papper och ta bort katt.
15. Klipp till presentpapper i rätt storlek, försök att klippa i rak linje.
16. Kasta bort första arket, eftersom katt jagade saxen och rev sönder arket.
17. Klipp till ett andra ark med presentpapper i rätt storlek – genom att först placera katt i påse som presenten låg i.
18. Placera present på papper.
19. Lyft upp sidorna på papperet för att slå in present. Fundera över varför papperet inte räcker runt. Upptäck att katt är mellan papper och present. Ta bort katt.
20. Klipp till lagom stora bitar transparent tejp, sätt fast tejpbitarna på kanten till köksbordet för att sedan användas under inslagningen.
21. Spendera 20 minuter på att omsorgsfullt försöka få bort alla bitarna transparent tejp från katts päls med hjälp av liten nagelsax.
22. Tejpa ihop papperet runt presenten, försök få sidorna så fina som möjligt.
23. Leta efter rullen med paketsnöret. Jaga katt genom hallen för att försöka återta paketsnöret.
24. Slå in presenten med snöret. Gör en fin rosett.
25. Knyt upp rosetten igen och ta bort papperet, som är sönderrivet efter katt’s entusiastiska lek med snöret.
26. Upprepa steg 17-25 tills du bara har kvar ett ark av presentpapperet.
27. Bestäm dig för att skippa steg 18-22 för att spara tid och minimera risken att förlora det sista arket presentpapper. Hämta gammal papplåda i lagom storlek för arket med presentpapper.
28. Placera present i papplåda och knyt ihop med snöre.
29. Knyt upp snöre, öppna låda och plocka ur katt.
30. Lägg allt inslagningsmaterial i påse tillsammans med present och gå in i låsbart rum.
31. Väl inne i låsbart rum, lås dörr och börja plocka fram presentpapper och material.
32. Plocka ur katt ur låda, lås upp dörr, placera katt på andra sidan dörren, stäng och lås dörr.
33. Upprepa sista steget så många gånger som är nödvändigt (eller tills du kan höra katt på andra sidan dörren).
34. Lägg ut det sista arket presentpapper (detta kommer bli svårt, med tanke på det begränsade utrymmet i toaletten, men gör ditt bästa).
35. Upptäck att katt redan har rivit sönder papperet. Lås upp dörr, gå ut ur toalett och leta igenom alla skåp och lådor på jakt efter förra årets presentpapper. Kom ihåg att du inte har något kvar från förra året eftersom katt hjälpte till med inslagningen förra året också.
36. Återvänd till låsbart utrymme, stäng dörr och sitt på toalett och försök få ett trasigt ark presentpapper att se presentabelt ut.
37. Stäng låda, slå in med papper och reparera omsorgsfullt revorna med transparent tejp. Knyt paketsnöre runt present, slå fin rosett och placera etiketten ovanpå största revan.
38. Luta dig tillbaka, beundra ditt hantverk och gratulera dig själv till ett jobb väl utfört!
39. Lås upp dörr och gå till kök för att hämta något att dricka och mata katt.
40. Spendera 15 minuter på att leta efter katt innan du kommer till den oundvikliga slutsaten.
41. Öppna presenten, ta ur katt.
42. Gå till affär och köp presentbox.