Online Photo Sharing, Photo Storage & Backup – Free	Windows Live Photos	Picasa Web Albums	Image Shack	Photo Bucket	Flickr	Webshots
How many GB free space?	25	1	unlimited	reduced to 500mb Aug. 2009	10, but only last 200 photos viewable for free	space goes by # of photos, 1000
More space if you pay?	no	$5. per year for 20 GB & up	no	10 GB	$25 per yr. unlimited	3000 photos
Nested folders / albums permitted?	480 top level,un -limited nesting	no	no	5 levels, 200 albums each	if you pay, or 3 “sets” (albums) free	yes
Massive uploading available?	yes,using IE 7* or later browser	yes, using IE browser	yes, with Image Shack toolbar	only if you pay	yes	yes
Choice to upload & strore photos at their original size?	yes, using the Firefox or Safari 5-at-a-time upload option	yes, using IE mass upload or Firefox & Safari 5-at-a-time	yes	only if you pay	only if you pay	yes
Can albums or folders be viewed as a slideshow?	yes, with ambient back- ground colors	yes	yes, 3 ways	yes	yes, up to 100 images	yes
Choice to set to private, selected individuals, or public viewing?	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Tags permitted?	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Can videos be uploaded?	no	not from web account online	yes, 15 mins.	yes, 10 mins.	2 videos	100 + 10 more each month
Can photos be used on message boards?	yes, right click, choose: Copy Image Location	yes, same as Windows Live	yes, using Direct Linking	yes, same as Windows Live	yes, same as Windows Live	allowed but doesn’t work on all message boards
Can photos be uploaded and/or viewed from camera phones?	yes	yes, Android phones	yes	yes	yes	yes
Are inactive accounts & photos ever deleted?	yes, after 365 days & no login	yes, after 9 mos. & no login	no, if you reg- istered free acct.	yes, after 90 days no login	yes, after 365 days & no login	no info found

* I’m using IE 6 on my XP laptop w/ service pack 3 & the mass uploader works—even though instructions say you need IE 7 or later.

--Ann Finley May 2010