Sunday, February 19, 2012

Flickr Fantasia

For all you Flickr afficianodos out there, I'm doing an informal survey. When something like this shows up in a comment under one of your photos, do you:

Carinho: 6

(a) Freak out because it means your picture got Explored?
(b) Throw up because all the sparkling makes you nauseous?
(c) Say to yourself "Awww, that's so nice that a perfect stranger likes my photo enough to leave me a pretty gift"
(d) Shake your head in disbelief that someone in Brazil (who has no interest whatsoever in quilting) has polluted your photo's comments with an oversized bouquet of flowers and an incomprehensible message?
(e) Actually take them up on their offer to "please come to visit my photostream to see my latest pictures"
(f) All of the above.

I mean seriously, am I the only one who finds it totally insane that people feel the need to paste screen-filling tacky animated images into the comment section of strangers' photostreams?  Or there's the photographer in Istanbul that seems to have an unlimited supply of sultry ladies in his photostream (12 of which he's included in his comment on your photo, just to peak your interest on the off chance you'd like to come visit his photostream in return for his "nice capture" on the photo of your latest mugrug).   

This is the mystery of Flickr.  Some days it totally cracks me up. I know I can delete these comments with one easy click. But really, who would rid their lives of such genuine admiration and praise?

Please pass the Gravol.

36 comments:

Marg said...

Lol!
B then D.

Angela said...

lol!! Hysterical Krista! I personally just laugh at them and then go check to see if it actually is still explored. If it is particularly offensive then I will delete them. But I'm like you...why get rid of them? It's someone's form of admiration.

Leanne said...

I just wish I understood it all a little better. But I don't delete them, at least I have not yet. They don't seem to discourage the quilters from coming after them and saying if they like my project, so I'm generally good with them.

DianeY said...

Too funny! I'd do D! Now I gotta go try and find out what having a picture explored means! And I would be afraid to do E

dutchcomfort said...

I have to admit I delete those comments depending on how silly they are.

I also block people on flickr who have a gazillion photos in their favourites, but have no photostream themselves. I always wonder if I’m the only one who does so.

Rachel said...

That is SO weird!

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

Lol, the mysterious ways of human minds.-)
I got some Chinese comments, but I deleted them. I think it's a little creepy not knowing what they say.

Katie said...

A B & D. With a bit of WTF thrown in.

What Comes Next? said...

not having had the personal "honour", I've not had the experience of having to decide, but I'm sure it would be along the wtf lines and then a & d

Anonymous said...

My Eyes it hurts my eyes. Wow!

Patti said...

Too funny Krista! I'm feeling very left out! It's never happened to me!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

HAHAHAHA!!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

I believe I am familiar with the 'great shot' comments made on quilts hanging from a tree on a very grey day; no mate, shit shot, lovely quilt!
Almost as much fun as, 'I am following you, please follow me'!

Amy Friend said...

Ha, ha, ha, d all the way.

Kathy P said...

That's a new one. I guess I don't get as many comments as you do, because I've never seen it - yet... But I agree - it's makes me seasick!

carol said...

Oh God, I hate those things too, and I never really know what to do either. So far, I have just ignored them, but sometimes when you see one horrid bunch of flowers after another, it gets a bit tiring!

Dianne said...

I don't have a blog so I have no idea to what you are referring but I can say that the bouquet of flowers madly flickering behind this comment screen is indeed nauseating. If I had a blog and if I received one of the bouquets of questionable taste I do believe I would be tempted to B, D and delete. :0)

Live a Colorful Life said...

Hmmm. I guess:
g) Feeling totally left out because I have never gotten a glittery bouquet...

Unknown said...

Odd, really odd
It's amazing how folk express themselves in different cultures - I wonder if we appear a bit weird too ;o)

Lynne (Lily's Quilts) said...

I like the ones who say "nice shot". I mean really? Could that comment be more asinine?

Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts said...

Oh the sparkling. Can't. look. away.
I've only gotten a sparkly message asking me to put my photo in a group, and given it was legit (a comment on a rose photo I'd taken and she had a rose group) I actually did it.
You should make up a big sparkly 'Leave me alone' gif and post it to their photostream.

OneLittleThread said...

Ummmm, A, B and D. It IS quite nauseating, but guess it's better than a rude comment?

Jolene said...

You made me laugh out loud!:) I've always wondered if those people who commment "nice shot" actually looked at the photo?! I can't imagine that they looked at my little sneak peak of a pillow and actually thought is was so great!! My photos have only been explored when I've posted something to a swap group like the Pillow Talk Swap, etc. Interesting!

Lee said...

LOL! I just deleted something like this from some of my comments! Only it seemed like it was at least three times bigger and possibly brighter with sparkles than the surface of the sun. Some people just have too much time on their hands, I guess.

**nicke... said...

lol! my daughter said, wow mom that's pretty! ;)

Elsa said...

Just read over a few of the comments ~ all funny.
I'd probably a, b and then d. Funny as hack!

mag3737 said...

My reaction sometimes shifts around to "various of the above", but usually I simply abhor this kind of mindless self-promotion. I have a note about it on my flickr profile page, although I don't really flatter myself that any of these people would ever read or heed it.

If they go so far as to include sparkly images in their comments, I delete them pretty much the instant I see them. This page is about *my* photo, not yours.

Anonymous said...

Hilarious! I think you should send them a bug sparkly dog turd in reply. That should translate into any language. Can't these people be reported to the Flickr police? I like Nicolette's idea of blocking the lurker's who don't give back. I wish I could do that on Instagram too.

happy zombie said...

ALL OF THE ABOVE! You made me laugh over something that drives me NUTS! What is it with so many Brazilians' and their tacky, sparkly animated flickr gif-bombs??!! (though to be fair, I have some really wonderful flickr friends from Brazil who refrain from sparkle gif bombing). What's worse, is many of them are repeat offenders. I've gotten to the point where I not only delete their gif-bomb comments, but I block them as well. It's the only way to stop the madness. BUT SERIOUSLY, you post cracked my sparkle $#1+ up!

happy zombie said...

Opps, sans option e. I've run many of the sparkle gif-bombs through a translator, and almost always it's some gimmick for you to vote for some thing or another. The comments are not complements, but rather solicitations. I don't even bother translating and just exercise my super-powers of deletion.

pinksuedeshoe said...

D and delete. "Nice Capture" is a good way of saying "I'm a spamming crazy person trying to ruin as many lives in 30 seconds as possible." But, love those mugrugs :)

The Calico Cat said...

D.
I really don't like the space that they take up. (I only get them on my cat pictures - when I put my cats in a group...) Seriously, in my experience, these are not awarded in singles, they are awarded in dozens!

Does it take a lot of time & effort to make one of those sparkly things? I also wonder where you keep it so you can find it to add it to a comment. & How do you add a photo to a comment, etc.

Corrie said...

Well I have been trying to add animated sparkles to a picture now for at least an hour and I find it extremely difficult. I wanted to post it here. Tried word drawing, powerpoint sparkles, glitter applications on line. I am now an admirer of the Brazilian sparklers. Will email you sparkle picture as I can't paste it here. P.S. I love the Scooter bag!

Corrie said...

Here is picture in small form! But hearts don't glitter like they are suppose to.

cauchy09 said...

gosh, blingies are annoying. i have deleted some and i have "muted" some of my own photos so that i don't have to see the blingies pop up in my "recent activity" stream. flickr is filled with little cultural oddities. oy.

ayumills said...

I'm so late for this party but I just had to tell you this made me laugh really bad! you are funny and so are your friends! These comments crack me up!