14 DAY TRIAL // Panoramio feels a bit neglected at Google, but the geo-photo sharing site is moving forward and has a loyal following. Now it's adding a new feature that should spur activity and create a tighter community, the heart of the site since the beginning.
Panoramio is introducing groups, a feature that enables users to create communities inside the site based on various topics and interests. The idea is to share photos centered around a similar subject and spark discussions.
"Starting today, you can share your passions through photographs more collaboratively with Panoramio Groups. This new feature lets you create a sub-community within Panoramio around a topic you’re passionate about, so you can easily engage with like-minded photographers and hobbyists," Gerard Sanz, Panoramio community manager, writes.
The idea is simple and it's something that Panoramio could have done a lot sooner. People using the site are pretty like minded as it is and usually share a passion for traveling and sightseeing.
Giving them an opportunity to discover more common passions seems a natural extension of the site.
"For example, in my trips around the world, I always take the time to enjoy the local cuisine, like Costa Brava’s arròs negre. So I created a group called 'Food,' to give others a 'taste' of that region and get a glimpse of what fellow foodies are feasting on," Sanz explained.
Already, users have created groups around topics, such as Sunrise & Sunset, or places, such as Poland. Despite being around for a short while, there are already plenty of groups and many are proving quite active.
Panoramio Groups is similar with another Google creation, the recently launched Photovine which is centered around the idea of sharing photos related to a topic or idea. Of course, Photovine is very focused on this idea, where Panoramio Groups is just an adjacent feature for the site.