For a long time I was just using my digital cameras in the least effective and most time consuming way. I would take the pictures from my camera and then go through each one on my computer, pulling it into a photo editing software package. I would crop, adjust the tint, sharpen, etc. until I was just sick of looking at the photos. Eventually, I’d burn a few hundred of them to CD (I developed that habit after a hard drive failure lost all the photos for a Niagara Falls vacation).

I never did anything with the pictures after putting them on CD. Maybe I would upload the best of them to web site that allowed me to order prints of them but once the prints came in the mail, there they sat. Eventually, there was no motivation to take pictures any more because digital photos just meant more work so I could have another CD full of digital pictures.

Now with Web 2.0 and the power of sites like Flickr.com I’ve found new reasons to remain interested in photo software. You see, now when I get the digital images from my camera, I can upload them and have my friends help me categorize and comment on them. It is also a great way of sharing pictures without the expense of getting them printed at a photo lab. Think about that. Your friends can see your vacation pictures while you are still on vacation (assuming you have an internet connection and take a few minutes on your trip to upload the photos you’ve taken so far). And best of all, you haven’t paid a dime to get your photos developed like in the old days.

I uploaded 300 photos one night without looking at them. The next day, a friend of mine had tagged several of the photographs that were mistakes (my finger or the inside of my jacket pocket) and I deleted them right away. Now that is what I call helpful feedback.