500px

500px
Type of business Private
Type of site
 Social Networking
Headquarters 22 Duncan St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Area served Worldwide
Founder(s) Oleg Gutsol
Evgeny Tchebotarev
CEO Andy Yang
Key people Oleg Gutsol, Founding CEO
Evgeny Tchebotarev, Co-founder
Employees Over 100
Website 500px.com
Alexa rank Positive decrease 1,324 (October 2016)[1]
Launched October 31, 2009 (2009-10-31)
Current status Active

500px (pronounced "five hundred px") is a Canadian online community[2][3] and marketplace[4] based on photography, co-founded by Oleg Gutsol and Evgeny Tchebotarev (artistically also known as “Ian Sobolev”) on Halloween 2009.[5] The Toronto-based startup[6] launched its Web 2.0 version in 2009[7] and is aimed at aspiring and professional photographers;[8] encouraging members to upload their best work.[9] In August 2015, the company launched a new version of its iOS app.[10]

500px is seen as a place to gain exposure, find inspiration and connect photographers with one another.[11] As of August 2017, the site had 12 million users.[12]

History

500px headquarters in Toronto

Evgeny Tchebotarev began 500px in 2003 within the social blogging website LiveJournal,[13] working on it as a hobby whilst he completed a business degree at Ryerson University.[14] Back then, 500px was considered a good size for web display[15] and was therefore the limit placed on photos submitted to the community for review.[14] Once photographers submitted their photos they were moderated and only those of a high quality would make it past the community’s curators and be published onto the site.[13]

Tchebotarev joined forces with Oleg Gutsol and in early 2009[14] they began work on the mostly automated incarnation of 500px. Image size grew to 900 pixels but the name remained. The two relaunched the site on October 31, 2009.[13] In February 2012 the site got another update with features called "flow", "stories", and "market".

In 2009, the site had 1000 users, purely through word of mouth.[16] By late November 2012, the site had more than 1,500,000 users.[17]

500px ISO blog was named one of the best blogs of 2012, by Time magazine.[18]

In July 2015, the company raised $13 million in Series B funding[19] led by a strategic investor, the Visual China Group, and included participation from existing backers of the company.

In September 2015, Google announced that 500px is one of the first external Chromecast photography partners.[20] It will allow more than 20 million Chromecast users to view and display a curated collection of 500px photos on their HD TVs. They can discover the photographers who took them via the attribution links.

In April 2016, 500px announced the launch of verified accounts for brands today. Red Bull Media House will be the first brand to participate, and will be able to share its wholly owned photography on the platform.[21]

Technology

500px has an algorithm in place to allow recently uploaded photos of a high standard to be displayed at the forefront of the site. Views, likes and favourites all contribute to a photo’s rating or ‘Pulse’.[22] The higher the Pulse the more likely it is to get to the Popular page and the higher the chance it has of being seen by other users. The algorithm allows all users, not just those with a following, to have a chance to get their work to the front page of the Popular photos, increasing exposure.[23] The mathematical equations in place also take into account the freshness of an image with Likes and Favorites counting for fewer points as they build up and the Pulse gradually decreasing with updates.[24] This results in the Popular page always displaying fresh content and motivates users to regularly upload new images.[25] Each user also has an overall rating titled ‘Affection’. Taking into account the likes and favourites they have received across all photos, it is a reliable indication of how popular a photographer is within the community.[22]

Apps for iPhone,[26] iPad,[27] Android,[28] Windows Phone 8[29] and Windows 8[30] were also made for the site.

Controversy

On April 12, 2012 500px's Terms of Service rose to the top of popular site Hacker News, garnering attention for displaying full-on lawyer speak on the left-hand side of the page and summing up the legalese into basic points on the right-hand side. The resulting discussion on the Terms was mixed, with positive feedback such as ‘awesome’[31] and ‘one of the cleanest in the industry’[32] alongside negative feedback that believes 500px may have put themselves at undue risk.[33]

On January 21, 2013, Apple removed 500px's iPad app from its store, citing concerns of nudity available via the app.[34] Apple restored the app on January 29, following the release of a new version with a "Mature 17+ rating" and a report button.[35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "500px.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  2. ↑ Bonnington, Christina (2012-03-28). "8 Eye-Popping Retina Display Photography Apps for the New iPad". Wired. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  3. ↑ Deubele, Simon (2012-04-11). "German Review: 500px is photography - Die Fotocommunity". 22Millionenpunkte. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  4. ↑ "Premium royalty free stock photos | 500px Marketplace". marketplace.500px.com. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  5. ↑ Taylor, Colleen (2011-10-17). "500px, the website for photo buffs, hits its stride". Wired. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  6. ↑ Rickwood, Lee (2011-07-27). "Online Photo Site Takes Top Toronto Tech Start-Up Award". Whats Your Tech. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  7. ↑ Knight, Matt (2011-03-07). "5 Reasons Why You Should Sign Up to 500px". Matt Knight. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  8. ↑ Van Johnson, Frederick (2011-07-07). "TWiP #208 - An Interview with 500px.com". This Week in Photo. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  9. ↑ Harrison, Tom (2011-05-17). "The Quality of Photos on 500px is Amazing". Totally Sweet Photos. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  10. ↑ "The new 500px app is a high-resolution Instagram". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  11. ↑ Chang, Alexandra (2011-06-21). "500px aims to be ‘Flickr for pros’". itbusiness.ca. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  12. ↑ "How many users does 500px have?".
  13. 1 2 3 Taylor, Colleen (2011-05-17). "Move Over Flickr - Hot Shots Love 500px". Gigaom. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  14. 1 2 3 Ho, Trung (2011-09-13). "Business Management 2007: Evgeny Tchebotarev". Ryerson Folio. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  15. ↑ Dzierza, Michal (2011-05-09). "500px.com - where quality meets simplicity". Michal Dzierza. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  16. ↑ Havlik, Dan (2011-07-25). "Photographer-run 500px is giving Flickr a run for its money". The Daily. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  17. ↑ "Gorgeous Photos, Now In Your Pocket: 500px Arrives On iPhone". AOL Inc. 2012-11-28.
  18. ↑ "25 Best Blogs 2012". Time. 2012-10-22.
  19. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid. "500px Raises Another $13M To Take On Getty And Flickr". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  20. ↑ "500px teams up with Google to display member photos as Chromecast backgrounds". The Next Web. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  21. ↑ "500px Launches Verified Accounts For Brands". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  22. 1 2 Muchmore, Michael (2012-02-28). "500px". PC Mag. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  23. ↑ Burrard-Lucas, Will (2011-07-23). "500px Review [and Giveaway]". Digital Photography School. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  24. ↑ Newman, Kira M. (2011-12-07). "Should Flickr be Worried About Stunning Photo Site 500px?". Tech Cocktail. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  25. ↑ Chen, Yi (2011-10-05). "Photo Sharing Website Review 500px.com". Photoble. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  26. ↑ "500px for iOS". Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  27. ↑ Bailey, Martin (2011-08-08). "Podcast 304 : Seven Must Have Photography Related iPad Apps". Martin Bailey Photography K.K. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  28. ↑ Lewis, Rob (2012-04-19). "Toronto’s 500px Continues Tear, Launches Android App". TechVibes. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  29. ↑
  30. ↑ "500px for Windows 8 now available in the Windows Store - Windows Experience BlogWindows Experience Blog". Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  31. ↑ Garber, Megan (2012-04-11). "Behold, a Terms of Service Agreement That Is Actually User-Friendly". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  32. ↑ Bourne, Scott (2011-07-12). "500px Mini Review". Photofocus. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  33. ↑ Thomas, Knowlton (2011-04-12). "Toronto Startup 500px Ignites Controversy Over TOS: Is it Helping Users or Tricking Them?". TechVibes. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  34. ↑ Joanna, Stern (23 January 2013). "Apple Removes 500px Photo App From App Store Over Nudity Complaints". ABC News. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  35. ↑ "500px back in Apple app store after 'porn' complaint resolved". CBC. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
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