Fotolog
Encyclopedia
Fotolog.com is a Web 2.0
-based shared photoblog
web site. With over 30 million registered users, it is one of the oldest and largest sites for sharing pictures through online photo diaries or photo blogs.
global site rankings.
Fotolog is a registered trademark of Fotolog, Inc., which is a privately held company backed by BV Capital, 3i
and several individual investors. Fotolog headquarters are in New York City
. On August, 17th, 2007, french online advertising company Hi-Media agreed to acquire Fotolog for 65,8 million euros (77% Hi Media stock, 23% cash). The deal is due to be closed in November.
The site had frequent technical problems, partly due to the rapid growth of the site. Indeed, on December 10, 2005, the site stated that "Fotolog is currently able to accept 1,000 new free members from each country each day", up from 500 a day previously. According to Fotolog co-founder Scott Heiferman
, recent upgrades have made the site much faster and as of November 16, 2005, Fotolog was generating 750 million pageviews a month
.
The site has since received improvements. Two years ago, free members could not upload during peak hours, and only 500 people a day (per country) were welcomed in. In mid-2006, 10,000 people per day, per country were allowed to join the community, and on August 14, 2006, the limiting of daily registrations was removed.
Fotolog recently received a large investment of 2.4 million dollars from BV Capital
This investment has made possible the recent upgrades to the site.
In Spring 2006, a book of photographs from fotolog.com was published by the UK publisher Thames & Hudson titled fotolog.book: A Global Snapshot for the Digital Age. Edited by Andrew Long and containing text contributions by Nick Currie
, the book is organized in sections highlighting several themes that arose in the site's community of photographers and several individual photographers from some of the major cities and countries with many fotolog users.
, Hilary Duff
, Amanda Bynes, Robert Pattinson
, among others. This goes for TV shows, movies, singers, dancers, etc.
, and although the site is from the U.S., the majority of its users come from South America
. As of September 2, 2008, Chile
claimed the most accounts (4,827,387), Argentina
was second with 4,225,209, while Brazil
had 1,443,474 users. Fotolog's success prompted many other websites to appear and compete. In Spanish, and also in Portuguese, the word "fotolog" is almost universally understood to mean "any photoblog
".
For a long time, Brazil was the country with most users, but in recent years the site lost its popularity to Orkut
.
In Argentina and Uruguay, Fotolog gave rise to a fashion trend, called 'Flogger
'. Chilean urban tribe pokemones
made extensive use of Fotolog.
As of December 28, 2008, Fotolog.com had 22,952,102 accounts.
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
-based shared photoblog
Photoblog
A photoblog is a form of photo sharing and publishing in the format of a blog. It differs from a blog through the predominant use of and focus on photographs rather than text...
web site. With over 30 million registered users, it is one of the oldest and largest sites for sharing pictures through online photo diaries or photo blogs.
History
Launched in May 2002, the Fotolog site generates over 3 billion page views, and it receives over 20 million unique visitors each month. Recently, Fotolog.com entered the list of the top 20 sites in the AlexaAlexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
global site rankings.
Fotolog is a registered trademark of Fotolog, Inc., which is a privately held company backed by BV Capital, 3i
3i
3i Group plc is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £12.7 billion as at 31 March 2011...
and several individual investors. Fotolog headquarters are in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. On August, 17th, 2007, french online advertising company Hi-Media agreed to acquire Fotolog for 65,8 million euros (77% Hi Media stock, 23% cash). The deal is due to be closed in November.
The site had frequent technical problems, partly due to the rapid growth of the site. Indeed, on December 10, 2005, the site stated that "Fotolog is currently able to accept 1,000 new free members from each country each day", up from 500 a day previously. According to Fotolog co-founder Scott Heiferman
Scott Heiferman
Scott Heiferman is CEO and a co-founder of Meetup, a service that helps people use the internet to organize local community groups with local offline meetings. Meetup originally gained notoriety as the grassroots backbone of the Howard Dean presidential campaign in 2004...
, recent upgrades have made the site much faster and as of November 16, 2005, Fotolog was generating 750 million pageviews a month
.
The site has since received improvements. Two years ago, free members could not upload during peak hours, and only 500 people a day (per country) were welcomed in. In mid-2006, 10,000 people per day, per country were allowed to join the community, and on August 14, 2006, the limiting of daily registrations was removed.
Fotolog recently received a large investment of 2.4 million dollars from BV Capital
This investment has made possible the recent upgrades to the site.
In Spring 2006, a book of photographs from fotolog.com was published by the UK publisher Thames & Hudson titled fotolog.book: A Global Snapshot for the Digital Age. Edited by Andrew Long and containing text contributions by Nick Currie
Momus (artist)
Nick Currie , more popularly known under the artist name Momus , is a songwriter, blogger and former journalist for Wired...
, the book is organized in sections highlighting several themes that arose in the site's community of photographers and several individual photographers from some of the major cities and countries with many fotolog users.
Free account
The website offers both free and subscription accounts. The free version is ad-supported, and limits users to uploading one picture per day, and having only 20 comments (in their "guestbook"). The free user can also customize their page and add other fotologs into their "Friends/Favorites" list.Gold Camera Members
Paying members, known as "Gold Camera patrons" can upload up to 6 pictures a day, have 200 comments per photo and can access better customer support. Recent changes mean that Gold Cam members can comment on any guestbook that is full. Other new features include customized photo-headings, and having the most recent image appear beside the members name when commenting on other photoblogs.Dedicated Fotologs
Also popular, mainly in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Spain, are the so-called "dedicated fotologs" by fans. They devote fotologs to their favorite stars, with images and information about them, such as Miley CyrusMiley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
, Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, Amanda Bynes, Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
, among others. This goes for TV shows, movies, singers, dancers, etc.
Groups
The Fotolog "groups" are fotologs that are of a certain topic. Groups are managed by fotolog users. Fotolog groups are allowed 50 photos per day. These photos may be added by any member of the Fotolog community.Success
Its rapid growth was most notable in the AmericasAmericas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, and although the site is from the U.S., the majority of its users come from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. As of September 2, 2008, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
claimed the most accounts (4,827,387), Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
was second with 4,225,209, while Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
had 1,443,474 users. Fotolog's success prompted many other websites to appear and compete. In Spanish, and also in Portuguese, the word "fotolog" is almost universally understood to mean "any photoblog
Photoblog
A photoblog is a form of photo sharing and publishing in the format of a blog. It differs from a blog through the predominant use of and focus on photographs rather than text...
".
For a long time, Brazil was the country with most users, but in recent years the site lost its popularity to Orkut
Orkut
Orkut is a social networking website that is owned and operated by Google Inc. The service is designed to help users meet new and old friends and maintain existing relationships...
.
In Argentina and Uruguay, Fotolog gave rise to a fashion trend, called 'Flogger
Flogger (fashion)
Flogger is a teenager fashion originated in Argentina at the end of 2004, which is closely related to Fotolog, a photoblog web site.Emerged from the glam fashion, and merged with elements of several other styles, it has become very popular among young people, to almost become a craze...
'. Chilean urban tribe pokemones
Pokemon (subculture)
Pokemón is the name of an urban tribe among Chile's youth that surfaced in the mid 2000s and began to decline in late 2009. They are readily identifiable by their angular and pressed hairstyles, reminiscent of characters from the Japanese media franchise Pokémon...
made extensive use of Fotolog.
As of December 28, 2008, Fotolog.com had 22,952,102 accounts.