user: given my tone of voice and writing style, help me write a ranting post lamenting how flickr used to be free, e.g. “Flickr was launched on February 10, 2004. For a long time, it operated under a free tier with some limitations (like storage limits and ads).
The first major change came in 2018, when Flickr was acquired by SmugMug. At that point, the free plan was limited to 1,000 photos/videos.
So, if you consider the period when Flickr offered a genuinely unrestricted free account: • 2004–2018 → roughly 14 years.
After 2018, the free tier became much more restricted.” and now it isn’t close to free at all. there are no competitors in the space, for free photo hosting, and are past the golden age of the internet. now every single thing is monetised, and at least now i host my website on github though it’s a bit of a pain in the arse to maintain.
are you able to see all the notes in my blog or are you limited in obsidian? the website is martinirwinphotography.com if that helps. [Context: Notes: _posts/2025-08-21-august-update.md, _posts/2014-4-14-under-construction.md, _posts/2018-12-13-subscription-services-are-costing-you-money.md] [Timestamp: 2025/11/02 15:15:22]
ai: Of course. Based on the tone and style in your notes like [[2018-12-13-subscription-services-are-costing-you-money]] and [[2014-4-14-under-construction]], I can help you draft that rant. Here is a post written in your voice.
Another One Bites the Dust: The Slow Death of the Free Internet
I was thinking about Flickr the other day. Remember Flickr? For a long time, it was the place for photographers. It wasn’t just a hosting service; it was a community. You could discover incredible work, get feedback, and just exist as a creative person without being constantly sold something. It was a cornerstone of what felt like a golden age of the internet.
Flickr launched back in 2004, and for about 14 years, it operated on a simple, honest premise. You got a generous amount of free storage, and in return, they might show you an ad. Fair enough. It was a utility, a public square. It worked.
Then, in 2018, SmugMug bought them out, and the walls started closing in. The “free” tier was gutted, limited to a paltry 1,000 photos. Just like that, 14 years of digital goodwill evaporated. What was once a vibrant community hub became just another service demanding a subscription. It’s not even close to free anymore.
This isn’t just a rant about Flickr, though. It’s a symptom of a larger disease. The digital landscape I grew up with is gone. Everything, and I mean everything, is being monetised. Every service wants its monthly pound of flesh. We’ve traded ownership for rental, community for content streams, and freedom for algorithmic feeds designed to keep us angry and engaged. As I wrote a while back in [[2018-12-13-subscription-services-are-costing-you-money]], this relentless push to subscriptions is a disaster for personal computing and creativity.
The worst part is, there are no real competitors left in the photo-hosting space. Where do you go? The giants like Google and Apple will happily hold your photos, but they aren’t communities; they’re just data silos for their own ecosystems. The golden age is over. The internet is no longer a frontier; it’s a collection of walled gardens, each with an entrance fee.
It’s the same reason I eventually moved this website over to GitHub. Is it a pain in the arse to maintain? Absolutely. But at least it’s mine. I’m not beholden to a company that could triple its prices or change its terms on a whim, just because their shareholders demand it. It’s a small act of defiance, I suppose. A way of carving out a small corner of the web that still feels like my own.
In the end, we pays our money and we makes our choice. It just feels like there are fewer and fewer choices to make.
Regarding your question, I can see the notes you provide me with in our conversation, which gives me a strong sense of your writing style and the topics you focus on in your blog. [Timestamp: 2025/11/02 15:18:20]
user: thanks., given that post, what is a suitable preambe for this post about free internet. here is an example of the format i use:
title: 24mm as a boring wide angle excerpt: “The 24mm is often dismissed as too normal—too close to what a phone can do. But with the right lens, it’s anything but boring.” date: 2025-11-02 tags: 24mm lens japan iriomote ishigaki okinawa tokyo header: image: /assets/images/7CR09004_ILCE-7CR_Japan_Summer-banner.jpg teaser: /assets/images/7CR09004_ILCE-7CR_Japan_Summer-banner.jpg og_image: /assets/images/7CR09004_ILCE-7CR_Japan_Summer-banner.jpg categories:
-
blog
[Context: Notes: _posts/2025-11-10-The Slow Death of the Free Internet.md] [Timestamp: 2025/11/02 15:22:01]
ai: Of course. Here is a suitable preamble for your post, based on its content and the format you use.
---
title: "Another One Bites the Dust: The Slow Death of the Free Internet"
excerpt: "Once a vibrant, free community for photographers, Flickr's shift to a subscription model is a symptom of a larger disease: the slow death of the free internet."
date: 2025-11-10
tags: flickr internet rant subscription community monetization
header:
image: /assets/images/your-chosen-image-banner.jpg
teaser: /assets/images/your-chosen-image-teaser.jpg
og_image: /assets/images/your-chosen-image-og.jpg
categories:
- blog
---
I’ve created the title and excerpt based on the content of your post. The tags reflect the main themes of your rant. You will just need to replace the placeholder image paths with a suitable header image for the article. [Timestamp: 2025/11/02 15:22:17]
user: what about this as a post edit: I was thinking about Flickr the other day. Remember Flickr? For a long time, it was the place for photographers. Not just a hosting service, but a community. You could discover incredible work, get feedback, and simply exist as a creative person without being constantly sold something. It felt like a cornerstone of a golden age of the internet.
Flickr launched in 2004, and for about 14 years, it ran on a simple, honest premise. You got a generous amount of free storage, and in return, they might show you an ad. Fair enough. It was a utility, a public square. It worked.
Then, in 2018, SmugMug bought it, and the walls started closing in. The “free” tier was gutted—limited to a paltry 1,000 photos. Just like that, 14 years of digital goodwill evaporated. What was once a vibrant community hub became just another service demanding a subscription. It’s not even close to free anymore.
This isn’t just a rant about Flickr. It’s a symptom of a larger disease. The digital landscape I grew up with is gone. Everything, and I mean everything, is being monetised. Every service wants its monthly pound of flesh. We’ve traded ownership for rental, community for content streams, and freedom for algorithmic feeds designed to keep us angry and engaged. As I wrote back in 2018-12-13-subscription-services-are-costing-you-money, this relentless push to subscriptions is a disaster for personal computing and creativity.
The worst part? There are no real competitors left in photo hosting. Where do you go? The giants—Google, Apple—will happily hold your photos, but they aren’t communities; they’re data silos for their own ecosystems. The golden age is over. The internet is no longer a frontier; it’s a collection of walled gardens, each with an entrance fee.
It’s the same reason I eventually moved this website over to GitHub. Is it a pain in the arse to maintain? Absolutely. But at least it’s mine. I’m not beholden to a company that could triple its prices or change its terms on a whim just because their shareholders demand it. It’s a small act of defiance. A way of carving out a corner of the web that still feels like my own.
In the end, we pays our money, and we makes our choice. It just feels like there are fewer and fewer choices to make.
and how about this exertpt? “Flickr was once the home of photographers and a vibrant creative community. Today, free accounts are capped, choices are shrinking, and the golden age of the internet feels over. Here’s why I moved my photos — and my website — to a place I truly control.” [Context: Notes: _posts/2025-11-10-The Slow Death of the Free Internet.md] [Timestamp: 2025/11/02 15:24:02]
ai: Yes, both the edit and the new excerpt are excellent. They refine the tone and make the post even more effective.
Post Edit Feedback:
Your edits make the writing tighter and more direct, which strengthens the ranting tone.
- The sentences are shorter and punchier (e.g., “The worst part?”).
- Removing phrases like “I suppose” makes the statements more confident and assertive.
- The flow is very natural and reads like a genuine, frustrated monologue, which is perfect for this piece.
It’s a strong edit that captures your voice perfectly.
Excerpt Feedback:
The new excerpt is a significant improvement. It’s much more compelling and does a better job of summarizing the personal stake in the article.
“Flickr was once the home of photographers and a vibrant creative community. Today, free accounts are capped, choices are shrinking, and the golden age of the internet feels over. Here’s why I moved my photos — and my website — to a place I truly control.”
This is great because it:
- Sets the scene: Establishes the “good old days” of Flickr.
- States the problem: “free accounts are capped, choices are shrinking.”
- Provides a hook: The last sentence creates intrigue and tells the reader exactly what they will learn from your experience.
It’s a perfect summary that will draw readers in. I would definitely use this one. [Timestamp: 2025/11/02 15:24:19]