| URL | TrekEarth.com |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Photo |
| Registration | Yes |
| Owner | Internet Brands |
| Launched | October 2002 |
| Alexa rank | 8,441 |
| Current status | Active |
TrekEarth is an online community of travel photographers who upload their images to the site. The goal of TrekEarth is to learn more about the world through photography; it uses an encouraging critique system to enable users to comment on each others' photography. In addition to uploading their own images and critiquing those of others, members can upload post-processed workshop images. The site also contains forums covering topics ranging from tips and techniques to note-writing.
As of December 2011, the multilingual site hosts over 1,075,538 photographs from 192 countries across the world. TrekEarth is also related to its sister sites TrekLens and TrekNature, which cater to the creative and nature communities of photographers.
All photographs in TrekEarth are under the copyright of the members. Any use (commercial or not) requires permission. There is no close account option, and users will have no luck in contacting site administrators.
Contents |
Trek Earth was created by Adam Silverman in October 2002 as a wider version of his previous project TrekJapan[1]. In May 2009, the TrekEarth website underwent a major user interface change, causing some members to leave the site [2].
More recently in December 2009, TrekEarth is considering a paid membership class that removes advertisements and enables members to post more than one photo per day.[3].
TrekEarth members can upload only one photograph per day. This limit is intended to ensure quality in the gallery [4]. Members can add a title and a short note describing the photograph. Photo notes on TrekEarth are examples of "word bytes", the textual equivalent of sound bites [5]. The photographs are categorized by location, and can be grouped in themes, or travelogues. Other data (usually from the EXIF) are also visible of the photo page, along with other photographs uploaded by the member. TrekEarth does not allow, and actively removes photographs of family or pets. In addition, uploads cannot exceed 800x800 pixels in image resolution and 300 KB in size. Photographers can if they like also provide the coordinates of the photographing location.
The critique system enables users to comment on each other's uploads. Quality of critiquing is strongly encouraged, and replies to critiques can continue in discussion forums about the photograph. The critique system also enables users to give each other "points", which are shown next to the member's user ID. Members can also rate the usefulness of each others critiques; these "usefulness" points can accumulate into Silver or Gold icons, reflecting the ability of the member to write critiques or notes, or edit workshop photos
Members can post-process others' photos, and upload up to 2 workshops per day. They are also encouraged to elaborate on the techniques used, ensuring that the edit is as instructive as possible [6]