Zooming in on new Flickr features

Users of Yahoo's recently acquired Flickr photo site have been busy spreading the word about two new features introduced Monday, "Interestingness" and "Clustering."

The former--found on the site's Explore page--is a display of the most interesting photos during a 24-hour period determined by a range of factors including where click-throughs are coming from and who marks them as a favorite. "Interestingness" creates a virtual photo gallery and gives members a showcase for their art.

The clustering feature simply broadens a search beyond tags. For example, the top photo in the "Interestingness" ranking right now is a detailed shot of a strawberry. Related clusters for strawberry include red, macro, dessert, fruit, garden, and many more.

Bloggers have been raving about the new features, particularly those who've wondered how moving to California would affect the beloved former Vancouver site.

Blog community response:

"Interestingness is "a perfect entry point when you just want to browse pictures and photos. Add tag clustering and you have bliss."
--Bloody Fingers

"Clustering looks like a straightforward application of some well known information retrieval techniques. But an interesting thing about 'Interestingness' is that you now have automated ego boost. Let the gaming begin!"
----New Media Hack

"At first glance ('Interestingness') seems to be 'Technorati' of Flickr, but shot from a different angle (pun intended)...The clustering is above and beyond anything I can explain at the moment, as it seems to be quite intricate in its fashion...Hats off to Yahoo and Flickr Labs. The love hits home, deeply, and were all appreciative of this newly found feature."
--Sincere Theory