Two Features Social Photo Sharing Services Must Have

I'll be the first to admit I'm a social photo sharing application addict. I install apps all the time on my iPhone and try them out. Most of the apps I delete as fast as I install them. There are two must have features every social photo sharing service should have, or they will struggle to catch on; a web site for each user, and a mobile application.

You Must Offer A Web Site

Viewing one photo at a time is, a waste of time. I want to see a grid, or a gallery, or a time line of photos. I want to see a description, the ability to like, republish (via Twitter or Facebook), and comment. I want the ability to build a community around a photo or a collection of photos. Many of the most popular photo sharing services offer this type of web experience.

Not offering a web site, or one that is so restrictive and lacking in features, is a huge misstep.

You Must Offer A Mobile App On Multiple Platforms

Apple'siPhone is a very popular device, and is becoming one of the most popular ways to take photos. Just recently flickr announced the iPhone is number one camera used to to take the photos uploaded to it's service. That is huge. But it's not the only game in town.

Android based phones are becoming, if they haven't already, the most popular phone in the world. As this new platforms gains popularity, with phones having larger screens, dual core processors, and cameras that exceed 10 mega pixels, to ignore it would be another huge misstep.

No one else in my Family has an iPhone. Services that require an iPhone to view photos in a mobile app don't work for me. Many of my developer friends don't have an iPhone, they have an Android based phone. A large portion of the market is being left out. And it's a misstep if your services doesn't cater to all mobile platforms.

Developing For Android Sucks

David Karp, CEO of Tumblr recently said in a live interview at TechCrunch DISRUPT, Android "Absoutley sucks to develop for." Wow, what a statement.

Crazy amounts of investor money is being thrown at photo sharing services, and I'm hoping these services have something up their sleeve besides an API and an iPhone app. I know Android isn't the easiest platform to develop on, but there are alternate methods that would allow you to get started. I'll post more on those later. In the mean time, give us the full experience, and the ability to share with all our connections, not just the ones who own an iPhone.