Flickr has forayed into offering video hosting. One can upload a mere 90 second or 150MB video! And many flickr users are unhappy about that…. 😦

The change is a modest but significant extension of Flickr’s features. The videos will be shown as thumbnails alongside users’ photos, and will inherit all the features of photos stored on the site: users can add comments, captions, comments, geotags, and privacy restrictions so only friends or family may view the videos.

And Video

Only those with “pro” subscriptions will be able to publish videos, but as with photos, those with free Flickr accounts and the public will be able to watch them. The site will support videos in AVI, MPEG, and MOV formats, showing them with a Flash player but storing the original, too. Existing upload tools will work with video, too.

But now after a week of its launch…..thousands of Flickr members have started protesting the service by signing petitions and joining groups like “No Video On Flickr”. A facetious group called “We Demand Doughnuts”, emerged calling for free doughnuts as a way to mock the demands of the anti-video crusaders. The group mockingly stated “If we get 20,000 people to join the group Flickr will be forced to give us free donuts!”

And oddly enough, Flickr has conceded on the doughnuts, though just over 2,500 members have joined the group. “We at FlickrHQ have heard of your noble efforts and seek to answer your cries for justice,” said Matthew Rothenberg, a Flickr employee, in the group’s discussion board. Rothenberg has promised to buy treats for Flickr members who meet at a pre-designated shop in San Francisco on April 16.

Randy's Donuts

Though Flickr is only planning on giving away free doughnuts in San Francisco, Flickr users around the world from Washington, DC to the United Kindgom are organizing meet-ups to gather and partake in the sugary snack.