Photobucket is a website that allows It’s users to host images, videos, photo albums, create slideshows of the photos that have uploaded and photo sharing. It was funded back in 2003 by Darren Crystal and Alex Welch. In 2009, it was sold to a Seattle company called Ontela. Today, it has more than 23 million unique users every month in the US who upload more than 4 million images and videos on the website.
Why use Photobucket?
Most people who have access to online forums will know very well about the pictures displayed on their avatars. Photobucket allows the user to host image files (normally resized or scaled down to fit the requirements of a small file size) onto the forum’s website, displaying the picture that the user intends to deliver to its audience. This transferring of image files from Photobucket applies to forum posts as well.
What it does basically is that after the user has uploaded the picture that he or she wants Photobucket to host, an image tag or code will be generated and this is tagged to the picture. With this code, the user can go to the forum and simply paste this link which will retrieve the image from Photobucket and display it. Below is an example of an image code:
[img]http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/jerome/smiley_face.gif[/img]
[img] and [/img] are the opening and closing tags while the link inside represents the image being hosted by Photobucket user which was uploaded by the user.
Of course, Photobucket’s services are not only limited to online forums. Social networking platforms such as MySpace and Facebook or eBay, blogs etc. are integrated with Photobucket.
Key Features:
- Upload pictures/videos
- Photo editing
- Create and organise albums/slideshows/scrapbooks
- View photo and video stats such as number of views
- Share data with friends/families and other websites
So how does Photobucket contribute to the harnessing of collective intelligence?
Users add value to the website. Uploading of all types of pictures such as advertisement covers, photography albums, animated GIF files, avatar images, wallpapers etc. There will be a wide selection of pictures being shared throughout Photobucket where users can view the slideshows and albums of other users.
The more users they have, the more pictures we can find. Therefore the website creates a large network or pool of image files for its users to share. Photobucket also benefits from having multiple platforms such as mobile apps. Users can access the images on their smartphones.
Photobucket involve users explicitly. Users can add, remove, tag and edit the photos they have uploaded. Creating scrapbooks, albums and slideshows are examples of how they can organise, edit and share their photos.
It also involve users implicitly. Other users can see what the uploader of the picture has been up to, where he went or what he did. It can also be a case where the user showcases his designs or creative talents through those images he has uploaded.
Lastly, it rewards the user. Purely and simply, it is free to store your pictures upon initial signing up. They can get going as soon as the registration of the account is done with no charges. Users achieve its primary goals with no fuss at all.
Video demo on Photobucket:
Jerome's 
