Picture by Lynn's Photography

Flickr users are revolting. Again.

Several groups protesting this week's addition of video to Yahoo's popular photo-sharing site have sprung up to object to the new feature.

One group, We Say No to Videos on Flickr, has amassed more than 22,000 members since Tuesday's announcement about the photo site's feature creep. A like-minded group, calling itself No Video on Flickr, has attracted more than 9,000 Flickr users.

"The big issue is the way it was implemented," said Jason Bouwmeester, a systems analyst in Canada and one of the group administrators for No Video on Flickr. "There was no public beta.... They just reset everyone's settings." Users have complained about the video features causing the whole site to slow down, a possible influx of YouTube junk and the deviation from Flickr's original purpose – photography.

The anti-video crusaders on Flickr are tagging their photos "novideo" and using graphics (like this Dalek-inspired one, pictured) to express their disapproval of the new service. Additionally, a petition in multiple languages objecting to the videos has already been signed by 5,000 Flickr users calling for the removal of the feature.

Flickr purists have an affinity for protesting any changes related to the site. In 2005, some Flickr users threatened a "mass suicide" in response to Yahoo's purchase of the photo site. And this February, Flickr users staged online protests amidst swirling reports of a Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo.

The new video-sharing feature, which lets Flickr "Pro" users upload 90-second videos alongside regular photos, is seen by some as a move by Yahoo to compete with YouTube. Dedicated photo fans like Bouwmeester were hoping Flickr would concentrate on improving the site, not larding on extraneous features.

"I had hoped my [Pro membership fee] would go to fixing issues with the site, not to starting a video application," said Bouwmeester. "I can't see them reverting [the video service] altogether, but they should have some way for users to ignore it."

An upgrade to a Pro membership account costs an extra $25 per year.

"We thought long and hard about how we would integrate video so it complemented

the existing Flickr experience," said Terrell Karlsten, a Flickr spokesperson. "We always welcome feedback from our community and appreciate their opinions across many topics."

Of course, not all Flickr users are upset over the new video additions. A satirical group, called The We Say No Photos on Flickr Pool has emerged to mock the backlash, claiming "Photos are of the past!"

Photo: Tigerlemurguy

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