I went to a party on Saturday in Marin with a few friends. One of them took a bunch of photos and apparently uploaded them to Ofoto.com and made an album to share. She emailed me with the link, but when went to check out the photos Ofoto wanted me to register and give all sorts of personal info to view my friends online photos. I was shocked… Maybe I’m spoiled having been using Flickr quite a bit lately, but anyway I wrote them an irate email.
It was probably a bit of an unwanted lecture as I rambled on about their website’s usability, better ways for them to acquire customers than these forced registrations, and I also took the time to point out plenty of things those guys in Vancouver are doing right with Flickr. The note I wrote them was a little harsh, but I was pissed that I couldn’t see the photos from the party without giving up a bunch of data.
Anyway, they wrote me back today and they’ve changed that policy. *cheer* They also offered me a discount on a future purchase. I doubt that will ever get used, but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless. Here’s the note I got.
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Hello Kris,
Thank you for contacting the Ofoto Customer Service Team.
Thanks to the constructive responses we have received from customers such as yourself, we have changed our policies concerning the viewing of shared images. Whoever shares an album has the option to make the “sign-in” portion optional, so that the people with whom the album are shared do not have to login to view the images.
If this is your preference, you can contact your friend and have them share the album with you again with the required sign-in box unchecked.
:)Smile-N-Save 15% – SMLNSV0915
Please use this coupon to receive 15% off prints, frames, albums, Archive CD’s, Photo Insert Cards, and personalized photo calendars when you spend $10 or more on these products. Just enter this code –
SMLNSV0915 – at checkout and remember to click “validate”! This coupon expires on 9/30/04.If you have any further questions or concerns regarding your Ofoto account or the Ofoto service, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Kathy Roshan
Ofoto Customer Service Team
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Ofoto makes it easy to get Kodak prints of your digital photos from wallet-size to poster-size. Plus, you can also create Photo Books and custom cards, order frames (with our free framing service), make photo calendars, put your photos on CD and much more. To get started, visit the Ofoto Store at http://www.ofoto.com/StoreOverview.jsp
Thx Kathy.