In today's news on websites missing an "e," Yahoo! promises not to mess things up with its recent, sensational Tumblr acquisition — oh, and Flickr, too. CEO Marissa Mayer promised to preserve the integrity of Tumblr and even improve the photo-sharing service that's already beloved by professionals and amateurs alike.
Mayer spoke today at a press event in NYC about the acquisition and revamp, saying Flickr "didn't fare so well...it's about how we can make Flickr awesome again." Yahoo! isn't just buying up these companies for kicks, though. The site will soon debut a news stream interface for e-mail users entirely powered by Flickr photos. The best part, though, is that all Flickr users will now receive a terabyte of photo storage for free — that's essentially unlimited space; accommodating over 500,000 photos at full, original quality. The new Flickr will also be compatible with every mobile device, and as senior VP of mobile Adam Cahan says, it's gonna be all of three things: "spectaculr, wherevr, biggr."
As lovers of eye candy in all its forms, we have to agree with Mayer that "photos are what make the world's daily habits inspiring and entertaining. Photos make the world go round." But, we're also firm believers that the great thing about platforms like Tumblr and Flickr is that they always felt completely organic — which is why this acquisition is scary to us and to many others. But, it sounds like the plans for Flickr, at least, have got it right. The new version sounds like a return to the fundamental goal of the platform, because it makes it all about the photos, cutting out the middlemen and data restrictions and giving the people what they want. Sign us up.
Photo: Courtesy of Lauren Caruso.