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500px
Logo
URL500px.com

500px, pronounced five hundred pixels,[2] is an online photography community[3] [4] that was co-founded by Oleg Gutsol and Evgeny Tchebotarev (artistically also known as “Ian Sobolev”).[5] The Toronto based startup[6] launched its Web 2.0 version in 2009[7] and is aimed at aspiring and professional photographers;[8] encouraging members to upload their best work.[9]

500px is seen as a place to gain exposure, find inspiration and connect photographers with one another.[10] It hosts over 6 million photos[11] and the most popular camera amongst its users is the Canon 5D Mark II.[12]

History

Evgeny Tchebotarev began 500px in 2003 within the social blogging website Livejournal,[13] working on it as a hobby whilst he completed a business degree at Ryerson University.[14] Back then, 500 pixels was considered a good size for web display[15] and was therefore the limit placed on photos submitted for review to the community.[14] Once photographers submitted their photos they were moderated and only those of a high quality would make it past the community’s curators and be published onto the site.[13]

Tchebotarev joined forces with Oleg Gutsol and in early 2009[14] they began work on the mostly automated incarnation of 500px. Image size grew to 900 pixels but the name remained. The two relaunched the site on October 31, 2009.[13] In February 2012 the site got another update with features called "flow", "stories", and "market".[16]

In 2009, the site had 1000 users, purely through word of mouth.[12] By late November 2012, the site had more than 1,500,000 users.[17]

500px was named one of the best blogs of 2012, by Time magazine.[18]

Technology

500px has an algorithm in place to allow recently uploaded photos of a high standard to be displayed at the forefront of the site. Views, votes, favourites and dislikes all contribute to a photo’s rating or ‘Pulse’.[19] The higher the Pulse the more likely it is to get to the Popular page and the higher the chance it has of being seen by other users.[20] The algorithm allows all users, not just those with a following, to have a chance to get their work to the front page of the Popular photos, increasing exposure.[21] The mathematical equations in place also take into account the freshness of an image with Likes/Dislikes counting for fewer points as they build up and the Pulse gradually decreasing with updates.[22] This results in the Popular page always displaying fresh content and motivates users to regularly upload new images.[23] Each user also has an overall rating titled ‘Affection’. Taking into account the likes and favourites they have received across all photos, it is a reliable indication of how popular a photographer is within the community.[19]

Apps for iPad[24] and Android[25] were also made for the site.

Controversy

On April 12, 2012 500px's Terms of Service rose to the top of popular site Hacker News, garnering attention for displaying full-on lawyer speak on the left-hand side of the page and summing up the legalese into basic points on the right-hand side. The resulting discussion on the Terms was mixed, with positive feedback such as ‘awesome’[26] and ‘one of the cleanest in the industry’[27] alongside negative feedback that believes 500px may have put themselves at undue risk.[28]

On January 21, 2013, Apple removed 500px's iPad app from its store, citing concerns of nudity available via the app.[29]

References

  1. ^ "500px.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  2. ^ Van Grove, Jennifer (2011-08-01). "Startup Seeks To Be Online Destination For World's Best Photography". Mashable. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  3. ^ Bonnington, Christina (2012-03-28). "8 Eye-Popping Retina Display Photography Apps for the New iPad". Wired. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  4. ^ Deubele, Simon (2012-04-11). "German Review: 500px is photography - Die Fotocommunity". 22Millionenpunkte. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  5. ^ Taylor, Colleen (2011-10-17). "500px, the website for photo buffs, hits its stride". Wired. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  6. ^ Rickwood, Lee (2011-07-27). "Online Photo Site Takes Top Toronto Tech Start-Up Award". Whats Your Tech. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  7. ^ Knight, Matt (2011-03-07). "5 Reasons Why You Should Sign Up to 500px". Matt Knight. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  8. ^ Van Johnson, Frederick (2011-07-07). "TWiP #208 - An Interview with 500px.com". This Week in Photo. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  9. ^ Harrison, Tom (2011-05-17). "The Quality of Photos on 500px is Amazing". Totally Sweet Photos. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  10. ^ Chang, Alexandra (2011-06-21). "500px aims to be 'Flickr for pros'". itbusiness.ca. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  11. ^ Olanoff, Drew (2011-04-19). "500px launches Android app and overhauls its iPad version too". TNW. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  12. ^ a b Havlik, Dan (2011-07-25). "Photographer-run 500px is giving Flickr a run for its money". The Daily. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  13. ^ a b c Taylor, Colleen (2011-05-17). "Move Over Flickr - Hot Shots Love 500px". Gigaom. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  14. ^ a b c Ho, Trung (2011-09-13). "Business Management 2007: Evgeny Tchebotarev". Ryerson Folio. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  15. ^ Dzierza, Michal (2011-05-09). "500px.com - where quality meets simplicity". Michal Dzierza. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  16. ^ "500px Gets A Makeover". XposurePro. 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  17. ^ "Gorgeous Photos, Now In Your Pocket: 500px Arrives On iPhone". AOL Inc. 2012-11-28.
  18. ^ http://techland.time.com/2012/10/22/25-best-blogs-2012/slide/500px-blog/
  19. ^ a b Muchmore, Michael (2012-02-28). "500px". PC Mag. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  20. ^ Griggs, Derek (2011-06-13). "Photo Sharing". Natural Vision Photography. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  21. ^ Burrard-Lucas, Will (2011-07-23). "500px Review [and Giveaway]". Digital Photography School. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  22. ^ Newman, Kira M. (2011-12-07). "Should Flickr be Worried About Stunning Photo Site 500px?". Tech Cocktail. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  23. ^ Chen, Yi (2011-10-05). "Photo Sharing Website Review 500px.com". Photoble. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  24. ^ Bailey, Martin (2011-08-08). "Podcast 304 : Seven Must Have Photography Related iPad Apps". Martin Bailey Photography K.K. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  25. ^ Lewis, Rob (2012-04-19). "Toronto's 500px Continues Tear, Launches Android App". TechVibes. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  26. ^ Garber, Megan (2012-04-11). "Behold, a Terms of Service Agreement That Is Actually User-Friendly". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  27. ^ Bourne, Scott (2011-07-12). "500px Mini Review". Photofocus. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  28. ^ Thomas, Knowlton (2011-04-12). "Toronto Startup 500px Ignites Controversy Over TOS: Is it Helping Users or Tricking Them?". TechVibes. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  29. ^ Joanna, Stern (23 January 2013). "Apple Removes 500px Photo App From App Store Over Nudity Complaints". ABC News. Retrieved 25 January 2013.

See also

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