Five Ways to Share Vacation Photos

I still smile when I remember Betty White’s tongue-in-cheek criticism of social media and how she likened the global sharing of vacation photos to a form of punishment. It is true that useful people who spend many hours online with their loved ones tend to share everything that amuses and interests them. These days, I communicate more with my cousins ​​in one day than twenty years ago when I saw them once a year. The internet is useful, and if you’re itching to share the photos of your beach vacation or that awesome nature hike, you’ll find ways to do it without inspiring people to unfollow your updates.

We know you intend to take a lot of photos on your beach vacation, and if you prefer the old-school method of creating a photo album for the shelf, that’s great. For people who don’t go home often, here are some ways to share your memories.

1) Instagram them! The popularity of the Instagram tool for iPhone and Android has skyrocketed, with hobbyist photographers creating instant works of art to share with friends and the world. Take your photo and use the tool to create a retro look, just like grandma’s collection of Polaroids. You can also connect your account to Twitter and Facebook and share on the go.

2) Paint them! Pinterest is quickly becoming one of the top social networking sites. Photo sharing is huge, and Pinterest allows users to create personal “boards” of information on a variety of personalized topics. With an account, you can create a vacation board and upload your photos in one place. Friends can like the photos and pin them back to their own boards to save as holiday ideas.

3) Create a cloud. Cloud computing is the new buzz phrase: Most of the things you used to keep on a shelf—music CDs, books, and pictures—now have a virtual counterpart that you can access from a tablet, phone, or computer. If you use a digital camera, you can transfer photos to a cloud account and offer access to friends and family. Dropbox is a tool I’ve used to share files between my tablet and laptop, and it’s easy to create public and private folders for people to see.

4) Blog them! With Blogger enhancements, for example, you can create a dynamic view style blog that creates a photo album site. Tiled photos on the home page on a colorful display.

Tumblr is another good option for a photoblog. You will find many templates to use that are conducive to photo sharing.

5) Print and approve! Sometimes the old way is better suited to your situation. There’s something about holding a glossy photo in your hand that encourages memories of a great vacation to come back. Print your photos and bring a stack to the next Sunday dinner. If you’re really feeling old school, there are photography services that turn photos into slideshows!

One thing to keep in mind, if you protect your images, choose only the ones you want to share publicly, and consider adding a watermark to prevent theft.