Snapixel

Online Image Sharing Website

Published 12/16/2009 and rated 4 out of 5 stars by AppAppeal Editor

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Snapixel.com is a social networking site for photographers. The site is centered around user photos. Users can upload photos to the site and thubmnails are displayed in the activity stream for the site. Users can also have a Portfolio, which showcases their best work and Sets, which are groups of pictures with a description for each. Sets can be composed of photos created by other users. Another feature is the Lightbox, where users can save favorite photos from the site and view a summary of them in thumbnail form. Clicking on an image in the Lightbox opens it in full size. Users have their own activity stream, and can follow other users. The user's activity stream is added to the site's public activity stream.

Users can also belong to Groups, message other users and have Friends. Users can browse the photos on the site by viewing the public feed, by Most Recent, by Popular Tags, or by Members. The site can also be searched by keyword. There are three types of licensing for photos uploaded to the site – all rights reserved, a Creative Commons license, or an extended license which is outlined in a licensing agreement. The site also has a Marketplace, where users can offer photos for sale. A separate registration process is required to become a seller on the site, and applications must be manually approved.

Snapixel.com was founded in February 2009 and is based in San Francisco. The company also has secondary offices in Vienna, Austria. Adam Oliver is currently CEO of the site, while Florian Cervenka is CTO and Ivan Wong is COO.

Competition to Snapixel comes from sites such as Flickr and Photobucket. Flickr has evolved into a full-featured social networking site centered around photos, while Photobucket concentrates on online photo storage and sharing. Photobucket also supports uploading of videos. Flickr is the largest photo sharing site on the web, but does not offer a marketplace for buying photos.

The Snapixel.com site has a very clean and uncluttered look and feel. There is a minimum of links on a given page, and the site is quite responsive. Page loads happen quickly, as do file transfers. Navigation is intuitive, using a top menu bar with convenient dropdowns. This top menu bar is shown on all pages of the site. There is no advertising displayed on the Snapixel.com site.

Registration to the Snapixel.com site is free and is required to use the site. The registration process asks for username, email address, first and last name and password. Validation of the email address is required. Registration for a buyer account asks for more personal details and sample photos to be uploaded. A free account is limited to 5GB of photo storage. A premium membership to the site is offered.

One premium membership plan is offered to the site – the Pro Membership. It allows for unlimited file storage, enhanced compression for better viewing of photos, and offers redundancy and security via the Amazon Cloud infrastructure. A Pro Membership costs 9 euro per year.

The Snapixel.com site is recommended to digital photographers who would like a place to share and/or showcase their work. Flexible licensing options means photos can only be used for other purposes with the author's permission, and the 5GB free storage is a big plus. The site is also an excellent social network for photographers. In addition, the Marketplace feature provides a place for photographers to sell their work.

• Users can upload and share photos
• Users can have a Portfolio and collections of photos called Sets
• The site can be browsed by viewing the Public Feed, by Most Recent, Most Popular or Members
• Users can have friends, message other users and follow other users
• Free account is limited to 5GB of photo storage
• Premium membership is available with unlimited storage
• Site also has a Marketplace, where approved sellers can sell their photos

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